Posts Tagged “school”

A class of teachers

One of the things I do to keep me amused during the summer break is attend a water aerobics class. I was mildly surprised to see how many other teachers used this particular class to liven up their break as well. Approximately 80% of the class are a mix of Elementary, Middle School and High School teachers, including the instructor for the class. She is a middle school PE teacher. Perhaps this is why she remains unruffled by the behavior of her students.

Teachers have to be the worst students to instruct. The talking is non-stop. This is not really an exercise class, more a wonderful time to catch up on all those family and life type conversations you can’t have during the school year. “Is your daughter home for the summer from college?” “Are you planning a big vacation?” “How are your kids’ 4H projects coming along?” “Did your road finally get blacktopped?” Oh, the variety of conversations is unconstrained. I have learned new dessert recipes, discussed world events and been asked to volunteer at 4H judging; all while flailing milk jugs over my head to work my triceps.

Of course, it’s not just talking; the talking out of turn or talking back is rampant as well. Remarks are made intermittently to the instructor throughout the class. “Good lord, what did YOU eat last night that WE are paying for this morning?!” “Hey, let me guess, Jumping Jacks are next, right?!” “If we pay more for the class, can we do less?” These outbursts are interspersed with: “Uh, what did she say? What are we supposed to be doing? I wasn’t paying attention.” “Whoops, I missed that last “GO” part!” “How do we do that one again?” There is giggling, laughing, catcalls across the pool , and commonplace unruliness. Before you know it though, the hour is up and we are all on our way. Funny, we all hear her when she says, “That’s it!”

It’s a good thing our students don’t attend this class, if they saw how we behaved, we would never get them under control!

Are you running the marathon?

Summer break began just a short week and a half ago and already I have no idea what day it is. Not just what date, but even what day of the week. This thought occurred to me when I needed to write a check. Not only did I not know what day it was, I wasn’t even worried about it, I was blissfully happy and completely unconcerned; so much so that as soon as I wrote the check, I forgot immediately.

Of course this small piece of nirvana is short lived as I have professional development meetings to attend, Title I paperwork to complete, and I am still sorting, reorganizing and cleaning my room. I also have a dentist appointment, annual physical and eye appointments to keep (since doing that during the school year is nearly impossible), as well as a never-ending list of home repair and maintenance projects that MUST get done before I report back on August 11th. (I believe there truly are parts of my home that haven’t seen a vacuum or dust rag since last August, yuck!)

“Summers off” - it sounds so good when you say it, and to be honest I don’t think there is a teacher out there who doesn’t look forward to sometime off to regroup and recharge. However, summer isn’t so much a vacation as it is a marathon. A marathon to get to all the things you put off during the school year when time was at a premium. I am no different; my marathon will be as long as the next person’s, packed as full as I can make it. Though I may wish it didn’t involve school, it will (but I can wear jeans and comfy clothes at least!). So as this weekend wraps up, I begin to lace up my running shoes, do my stretches and prepare for the next 66 days of summer WORK.

I sure did enjoy that week and a half though…..I sure did

The Interview Committee

I had my first experience being part of an interview committee to interview for 2 teaching positions at my elementary school. What an eye-opening experience. I have been on the other side of the interview table a few times, and now I wonder what they all said after I left the room! There were 3 scheduled interviews for one position and 4 scheduled for the other. Here a few tips to those new teachers looking for a job gleaned from being on the interviewer side of the table.

Tip #1 – Sell yourself – don’t just suck up! The applicant #1, seen for position #1 did a great job of selling herself. She was energetic, open and sincere. The third applicant for this same position spent most of his time telling us how much he liked the district, how much he liked the community and how much he really wanted the job. (Well, until the end when he asked if he would be taking a pay cut to come to this district, not a good strategic move at that point). The superintendent of the district who sat in on all the interviews, even called the guy a suck up, in so many words. Suffice to say, Mr. Brown-nose did not get the job, the gal who told us how wonderful she was did.

Tip #2 – Have a handshake! Two of the applicants had the limpest, wimpiest, most pitiful excuses of handshakes I have ever felt. I realize there are those out there who prefer not to shake hands….that’s fine, just say that, I won’t be offended. But if that’s the case, don’t limp-out just to forego having to explain, it just makes you look weak and timid.

Tip #3 – Come prepared! Applicant #1 went so far as to get her transcripts and figure out how much more schooling she would need should we combine the two part-time positions. You get points for being a go-getter like that. Applicants #3 and #7 came with nothing. (#3 had super suck up powers but those don’t count) Others brought their portfolio or copies of reference letters, etc. Even if the interviewers don’t take the time to go through everything…it LOOKS good…like you really want the job.

Tip #4 – Don’t BS! The superintendent asked a question about differentiated instruction. It was pretty clear only applicant #1 really knew what it was, and she even said she had a lot more to learn about it. The rest of the crew, well, they tried to BS through an answer. There are times when you can shovel enough on to make it look ok, other times you really can’t. Here it would have been to their advantage to say, “I haven’t really had any/much experience with that but I am always willing to learn something that will improve my teaching.” No employer expects you to know EVERYTHING, but they all appreciate honesty.

Finally, Tip #5 - Pause and think before you answer! I am sure applicant #3 could have thought of a more appropriate answer to the question about how he sees the teacher principal relationship than, “Much like that of Teacher Student”. My principal…not impressed, she doesn’t want to have to “teach” a newly hired teacher the job, after all that’s what student teaching and college was all about, not to mention a mentor. The other response that set my principal on edge was, #4 who said, “I tell all my principals up front that if I have a problem they’ll hear about it.” How many times a day? Principals want people who can solve their own problems the majority of the time, not a tattletale who expects them to make the other teachers or staff play nice. The best answer of the day to that question…you guessed it, #1 who said, “Open but professional. I want to know that if I have an issue I really can’t solve I will have support, but I want the principal to trust that I am capable of performing my duties too.”

The competition for new teachers is tough, and even those with years of experience aren’t getting hired. It’s worth your time to practice answering questions….think about possible questions and come up with answers. During the interview don’t feel pressured to come up with an answer right away, these are other teachers, they are ok with “think time”, and ask for clarification or admit when you don’t have a clear answer. I know should I ever be back on the other side of the table, I will do a few things differently!

The Wonders of Spring

This time of the year it seems every classroom I walk into has something “new” in it. Along with the “new” are 20+ students who can’t wait to tell me all about it.

Third graders in Mr. K’s room were studying birds as part of their science unit, and what magically appeared in his room – ducklings! I hadn’t even gotten in the door before a barrage of “Mrs. R. we have baby ducks! Come see, come see!” There in a large tub were 6 fuzzy yellow ducklings, provided by a friend of Mr. K. Though they were adorable, that’s not what the students told me about them. “Did you know when they’re born they’re egg shaped and have to stretch out to be a duck?” “Did you know they can swim right away?” “Did you know they have to LEARN to fly?” On and on they went, eager to share what they had learned, show what facts they could prove through observation and ask additional questions that arose as those 6 little ducklings filled their day.

First graders in Mrs. R’s Room had tadpoles show up one day. One of her students captured them in a local creek and brought them to Mrs. R. because frogs are her favorite animals! This prompted other students in the class to check out “frog” books from the media center, dig them up out of Mrs. R’s classroom library, and again, share their discoveries with me and Mrs. R.

As part of a school-wide activity, students participated in a Nature Scavenger Hunt. Students who are normally hard to motivate ran around the grounds to be the first to find something pointed, something smooth, something with a strong smell (one group found dog poo!), something orange, something wet and so on until the final thing on the list – something new. I found it!! It’s new energy spring brings, it’s powerful, it’s infectious and it’s so welcome!

What’s it Worth?

There is currently a great deal of talk about “holding teachers accountable” and “merit pay”. As a teacher, of course, my opinion is not objective and it may be predictable to some, but it is also an incomplete opinion. First and foremost, how will this be judged? High stakes testing? Portfolios? Observation? Parent Satisfaction Surveys? Are any of these options anymore objective than my current opinion of merit pay? I have many unanswered questions.

Where are teachers NOT being held accountable? What is it they are doing that leads government officials and the public to believe teachers are such lackadaisical mavericks? Curriculum is determined by the district officials, (they may ask for input but normally do not follow it) and in Iowa the CORR state requirements are kicking in. This determines what we are teaching. Teachers in my district work in cooperative grade levels and also in collaboration with Special Education and Reading Teachers. This determines how we teach it. The fact that the School Board closed and combined 4 elementary buildings into one which now holds over 650 students, when it was built to house 400, determines where we teach. Should I have had the ability to make those decisions, my curriculum, presentation and definitely the facilities would be quite different. This is not to say that I am NOT responsible for teaching to the best of my ability what and how has been determined needs to be taught. However, I can say that my remedial students were better able to concentrate in a separate room. The “trailer” that currently houses 5 remedial reading teachers with bookshelves as walls definitely adds to the distractibility factor and negatively affects the students’ progress. How will this be accounted for in the determination of my merit pay?

How will the extras teachers take on, without request, be added in to merit pay? What will it be worth on my paycheck that I provide students with a safe place to talk about their daily struggles? What about those students I feed breakfast to, or an afternoon snack, to help them get through the day since I know they will go hungry at home? What is it worth when I make a deeper connection to a student, build their self-esteem and make them independent self aware learners? How much more do I earn for making time to meet with a student (perhaps not even one I see normally) before school begins or after school is over to help them complete homework because parents have refused to do so? What does packing a few extra lunches on field trip days for those students who forget to bring them, and didn’t order one from food service garner? None of this may show up on a high stakes test, none of this is recorded anywhere yet ALL of it is essential to students being successful, making progress and learning, at least in my humble opinion.

How does parental involvement get calculated into this formula? We all know that a caring, concerned, involved parent can make an enormous difference in a student. Will parents be held accountable for students completing and returning homework? Will they be required to feed them, make sure they get enough sleep and keep them safe when they are not under my supervision? If not, will there be allowances for these occurrences? A child from a home where they eat, sleep, and feel safe can come to school and focus on the task at hand. This is not the case for a child who may not be sure where they will sleep, who will be there and whether or not supper will be served.

I have no problem with merit pay in theory; I just haven’t been able to wrap my head around how the theory can be fairly and equally applied within the teaching arena. We are not making and selling pies, we are attempting, to the best of our abilities, to help students succeed to the best of their ability. Their abilities are not the same, their support systems not equal and our resources are not infinite or equal. In my opinion, those who are championing merit pay need to spend a month in the classroom shadowing teachers. Before having an opinion about how I am doing my job, come see me do it. My principal, the one who knows the constraints and population I work with does this every time I am evaluated. The truth is, there are good teachers and bad teachers, just like there are good doctors and bad, good mechanics and bad. I do not disagree that bad teachers should be either fired or given the coaching and instruction to improve. But to develop a merit pay plan based on the belief that all teachers are bad; all teachers work in equal environments with equal resources; all teachers work with equivalent populations; and high stakes test scores can determine if all teachers are “good” and “accountable” - is not the way to do it. Our children deserve better than that particular big quality-control band-aid.

Grown-Ups Need a Kindergarten Refresher!

Over spring break I was lucky enough to get to go to Las Vegas with my mom and daughter. A “just the girls” having a good time trip. We did have a spectacular time. The shows we saw were wonderful, we got to meet a couple of the guys from Pawn Stars, and the weather was super. None of us were big winners, but then none of us were big losers either. It was the perfect escape from “teacher” mode, or at least I thought it would be.

Try as I might, I still slipped back into teacher mode though. Tourists are rude! We used the bus system to get up and down the strip, and to go see the light show downtown one night. Did you realize there are adults who do not know how a line works?

Standing in a line, which had a number of people in it, we saw a couple come up to sit on a bench past the front of the line. The bus pulled up, the people at the front of the line get on and this couple shoves in front of us and enters the bus.

“Excuse me sir, did all the neon blind you? There is a line; you need to take your turn at the end of it. Shoving people out of the way is disrespectful and RUDE!” He pretended not to hear me, but I knew he was listening and his “lady friend” was blushing. My daughter as well as a couple of other people also piped in to comment on his rudeness, and when he finally finished paying their fares he flipped his little receipt at us.

“REALLY??!!! Flip your little receipt at adults calling you out on common courtesy and manners??!! How old are you sir, 4??” I am sure he will do this again, as he obviously felt we were in the wrong to bring his etiquette faux pax to the forefront, but I for one have gotten very tired of being pushed, bumped into, crowded over, cut off etc. without so much as a quietly mumbled “excuse me”. Yet, adults will complain about how “kids these days” act in public. Are you a good role model, Mr. Cut In Line, Flip Your Receipt?

Any kindergartener can tell you the rules of a line. “No budging” is the first one for pity sake. Along with, if you get out of line you go to the end; you can’t save a place for your friend; and the leader is always first! These students will often argue to hold the door for others coming in or out, instead of pushing past them and then letting slam in their face. My first graders offer to carry my “tub” for me, they tell me thank you when I do something for them, and say excuse me when they need to. Why? Because I, as a teacher, consistently model this behavior and reward it with all the students I see during the day, it’s really not rocket science.

But, I will place a bet that at least one parent will be completely surprised when at conferences I tell them their child is polite and helpful. “My child? Are you sure you are talking about the right kid? It’s sure a different story at home.” It’s a different story in Las Vegas too.

**An interesting article that was pulled from the Los Angeles Times and written by Kristen A. Graham.

Tony Danza goes back to school.
The actor teaches a 10th-grade English class while cameras roll, and he learns a lot as he goes along.

“Hope they actually air this reality show…would be interesting to see!!”

It takes a community

I know there are some who feel that idea was made popular and also coined by the wrong people, however, the truth the words themselves hold is strong for me. In the face of mass school closings, teacher lay-offs, whole staff firings and the current negative aura that surrounds education, I was brightened by our community this week when the PTO and local businesses paid to have an author come to our school and spend the day. School budgets are tight, there is no doubt about that, and our district would not have been able to have Shelley Gill inspire and teach our students about reading and writing without the support of our local community.

But it was not just the financial support that was evident; parents came to see and hear her speak as well. Like us, the teachers and students, they were enchanted by Shelley as she told tales of how her books came into being. It became immediately clear that these stories were not only entertaining, but connected all of us to the world community as well. Her unique experiences in the world at large are amazing to hear, but they also reflected on the smaller world of our rural Midwest town. This author said things in her speech that I say daily to my students. Using “juicy details”, reading to expand your word selection, that a book is like an onion, use your senses when you read and write……Shelley said all of those things as she spoke, just from a different perspective. Hearing this from a “real” person (one who writes really good books even), not just your teacher….well that’s powerful! Just as compelling were her messages about environmental responsibility, respect for other cultures and independent thinking.

This was a super presentation to have on a Friday. Instead of feeling wiped out from the long week, I left feeling at least mentally re-energized. Not because I was completely entertained all day by this engaging author, but because of the connections I made to myself, my curriculum, my students and the world in general. In order to produce wonderful, active learners it does take a community, small, medium and worldwide to share their generosity, their support, and their experiences. If one of those goes missing, the lesson is diminished in some way, and we have shortchanged not only our students, but all of us.

I want to thank Shelley Gill for her energy, enthusiasm, compassion and time. This is a great lady who could easily be spending her time on another adventure, instead of spending it in an elementary school. If you would like more information on Shelley Gill, her books and adventures you can check her out at http://shelleygill.com . You can find out about author visits, her books as well as teacher resources.

*pulled from the Los Angeles Times and written by By David Kelly

Dictionary definition raises ruckus at Menifee school

The school district pulls the Merriam Webster 10th Collegiate editions off classroom shelves for study by a newly formed committee after a parent complains about explicit definitions of sexual terms.

It may be the last word in spelling bees and Scrabble, but Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary now faces a new if unlikely notoriety: being too sexy for its own good.

That was the verdict from at least one parent in Menifee last week who called the principal of Oak Meadows Elementary School to say that entries describing oral sex in the dictionary were too explicit. The books were immediately pulled off the shelves and “temporarily housed off location” until a committee could determine their suitability for children.

NASA to fly high school experiments.

-Pulled from UPI.com

NASA is inviting U.S. high school students to design and build an experiment or technology demonstration to be flown into the stratosphere.

The space agency says it will send the experiments into the near space environment of the stratosphere — an altitude of 100,000 feet. The Balloonsat High Altitude Flight Competition will be launched on a NASA weather balloon May 25-27 in Cleveland.

“To participate, student teams in grades nine through 12 must submit a research or flight demonstration proposal to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland by Friday, Feb. 19,” the space agency said in a statement. “Teams of four or more may pursue a wide variety of topics in this competition, including science and weather observations, remote sensing and image processing. A panel of engineers and scientists at Glenn will evaluate and select four top-ranked proposals by Friday, March 5.”

The top four teams will be awarded travel expenses and up to $1,000 to develop their flight experiment or technology demonstration. Teams will participate in three flight days to release, track and recover their experiments.

NASA will host an informational webcast about the competition Wednesday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. EST. A link to the webcast and additional information about Balloonsat High Altitude Flight is available at http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/balloonsat.