Posts Tagged “teacher”

The Need for Speed??

I recently read an article in USA Today which I found very interesting, not because it provided me with NEW information, but because it seemed to confirm what I have learned through my years of teaching struggling readers. Here is a link to the article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-06-19-slow-reading_N.htm

If you ask a struggling reader how they will know when they are a good reader, many times they will answer, “When I can read FAST.” They just want to be able to rattle off the words without stumbling, stopping or thinking – because that is how they interpret what they “hear” the kids who they think are good readers sound. Part of the issue is competition related, they want to “win”, want to be the best, and they want to be the first to say, “I’m done!” just once. Unfortunately this expensive problem isn’t just true for struggling readers; this is also true for those zippy readers as well. What is the cost? Comprehension, appreciation of the art of good writing, vocabulary and enjoyment all pay the price.

“What’s our next book?” “What’s the next assignment?” These are questions I have heard coming from my students – before we have finished the book or discussion, unaware that they have missed major points in the story. They have accomplished the “job” of reading the assigned pages and are ready for the next “job”. If they are asked to bring words they don’t understand to discussion, many times not one student will have a word to discuss, yet, when I point out challenging words – they have no idea what they mean. Again, I explain that it is necessary to understand the meaning of the words to understand the meaning in the story. How can a student enjoy a story they don’t understand? And if you don’t enjoy an activity, the probability you will repeat this activity is very slim.

Admittedly, I have had told students on more than one occasion that I really do not care how fast they read, when push comes to shove – speed really has little to do with enjoying literature. The focus should be comprehension and appreciation. Students should be building vocabulary skills, and learning to love words in general. The end goal should never be to get a student to read over 200 words in a minute, rather it should be to cultivate a love for language, engaging them, immersing them in the experience of literature so they bring themselves to the book, short story, poem or play. Lifelong readers do not zoom through, they do not look at the pages they are reading, set the timer and play beat the clock!

Fluency is a factor in developing good reading skills, but it is not THE MOST IMPORTANT one. I wonder if teachers don’t get caught up in the speed trap because it is an easy, fast, objective way to assess students. The push for data, and goals based on assessments, make it easy to fall into this situation. In fact, administrators love good hard numbers that show clear improvement. But numbers shouldn’t be the focus here, language and communication should be. As I tell my students, “It’s not a race; there is no prize for finishing first. The prize is what you learn, how the book changes your thinking, and perhaps, changes your behavior. The reading experience is the prize; make sure you get all of it.”

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!

Insights from the school year….

Every year at the end of the year I do a “Thank You” writing assignment with the students in the classrooms where I teach guided reading. For a few reasons; first because the classroom teacher is normally so stressed at this point it’s good for them to remember all the gains their students have made and secondly because it’s good for the students to think about how much they have grown and done throughout the year. Writing a friendly letter is also part of the curriculum, but, mostly, it’s because I love to hear what they have to say. Here are a few of my favorite quotes this year….

From First Graders:
“Thank you for letting us dance.”
“First Grade rocks because of ALL of us.”
“Thank you for helping me spell my words I don’t know.”

From Fourth Graders:
“The best thing about 4th grade is that you taught me not to let myself down.”
“Thank you for the extra recess that was all your idea.”
“The best part of 4th grade was science when we studied rocks. I still have my pet rock in one piece. Using the microscope was the most fun.”
“The best part of 4th grade was getting to go on a field trip to see the symphony.”
“The best part of 4th grade was when you asked us to play our recorders for you.”

From Second Graders:
“Thank you for being awesome, I wish I could be here next year.”
“I hope you had a fun year with us, because I had a fun year with you.”
“Good luck with those first graders you’re getting next year.”
“Thank you for letting us sparkle.”

And my favorite of the year:
“You look good. I look good. We rocked!”

In talking to the other teachers in my building, the consensus is that this has been a hectic, disjointed year; quite the rollercoaster ride. In the end though, the students’ progressed, new strategies were tried, and no-one got hurt! That’s what you hope for……if I wasn’t so tired; I would wonder what next year will bring.

No Fun-n-Fluff

This week we had our last Professional Development workshop. As they talked about the different styles of learning and the need to appeal to all the learning styles in the room, intermittently they would say, “But this is not “fun-n-fluff” OR “Remember it’s not “arts-n-crafts”. The message is pretty clear…..learning is SERIOUS business…..keep to the task at hand ALWAYS. Well there’s a mindset that will build lifelong learners……NOT!

True learning does not happen when someone is shoving it down your throat. True learning happens when you are interested, open-minded and enjoying the tasks that have been taken on. I put forth this case in point. I had a very high achieving fifth grade group for guided reading this year. They were a varied group of learners, bringing a wide variety of learning styles with them to the group. I chose a new book I had been wanting to do with a group; The Monument by Gary Paulsen. The cover of this book is BORING!!! Very blah and the “preview” is not very intriguing either. So when I presented it to the group, you can imagine they were NOT thrilled.

I offered this compromise – they could actually write a literature unit for the book. It would go into the guided reading library for other teachers to use. This way, they could make sure the book would be interesting to all the other 5th graders who “HAD” to read it. They were skeptical but after a chat amongst them, decided that it might be fun, as long as I agreed THEY had the final say on activities. I agreed and they began to read the book.

Initially, I was appalled – is this what we, the teachers, had done to them?! They were set in a rut; vocabulary, two or three journal questions, and maybe an illustration. SNNOOOZZZZEEE! I didn’t say much for the first few chapters….and then, it happened….one of them said, “We’ve done a lot of vocabulary and questions.” I jumped on it(casually of course, though I wanted to scream), “Yes, you have.” I sent them back to look it all over. When they came back the next day, they had determined they were boring. In reality, they were doing what they had been taught – many teachers use this formula for teaching novels. How sad, and guess what – that way is the “no fun, no fluff” way.

I was prepared, I turned to the computer and pulled up four or five websites that pertained to the book, including one on the Vietnam War Memorial, one about metacognition, one about Van Gogh and some music interludes as well. They started looking at the bigger picture, and peeling away the layers that Paulsen is so good at putting in. NOW, we were having fun. They laughed, they debated, they looked deeper, they found connections, they had a hard time editing down the activities and I had a very hard time getting them to close up when group time was over. Vocabulary took a back seat as they decided that only the words that were really important to a big idea needed to be addressed. In the end, they put together a decent unit with a wide variety of activities, connections and use of technology. Another 5th grade teacher used the unit with his group and gave them some notes and critiques back. This just spurred them on – they wanted to do another unit on their next book.
But wait, we had FUN and yep, there is a little fluff in there, there is also a lot of learning, learning that meant something to them.

Lessons about learning, looking outside the box, asking questions and not finding all the answers – life-long learning strategies, were all right there. We did create another Lit Unit for Soldier’s Heart, also by Gary Paulsen. Their approach this time was quite different. They started out by researching the writer and the book first – looking for Paulsen’s purpose so they could connect to it. And, my job was so easy…..I just let them go and pointed the direction when they got a little lost. That unit is GREAT!

Their fifth grade classroom teacher and I traded groups shortly after the Soldier’s Heart Unit was finished. I really hated to give them up. About two weeks after the trade, the teacher says to me that she is disappointed in two of the group members because they aren’t getting their work done. This is not a problem I had with them. A week after that, I hear from a few in the group, “Mrs. R. we really miss your group. When do we get to have you again?”

Fun and Fluff…..it’s not the basis of my lesson plans, but it’s in there…….and it always will be.

Springtime Giggles

I find my students to be a never ending source of smiles. Here are a few I’ve gotten lately……

One of my title students, “Colin” had written “they” as “thay” in a sentence he was composing. I reminded him that “they” was spelled with an “e” and maybe if he sang the song when he wrote it, he could remember how to spell it. Together we sang – “There is no A in They, there is no A in They, T – H –E- Y, there is no A in They”. He went back to his writing and I moved on to help another student. A couple minutes later, I heard him softly singing the song again, but this time when he got to the end, under his breath he added, “But there should be!” Really, I couldn’t argue with that!

In Mrs. M’s Kindergarten room this week they were studying the letter “Y”. In one of the books they were using, “Y” stood for “Yankee”. Mrs. M. bravely asked if anyone knew what a Yankee was. Two students immediately raised their hands and blurted, “I do, I do…….my grandpa uses one. It’s in his pocket, he blows his nose on it. But he doesn’t throw it away!” After clearing up that it was a “HANKY” their grandpa’s used, Mrs. M. went on to describe what a Yankee was. When she finished, she noticed “Seth” had his had up. When Mrs. M. called on him he said, “I know what THAT is, just like in the movie Sweet Home Alabama, where her dad does a reenactment of the civil war and he has to play a Yankee but he doesn’t want to cuz their the bad guys.” It’s all about making those connections!! (Again, parents should be aware that when their kindergartener watches an R rated movie, everyone at school is eventually going to hear about it.)

And finally, from Mr. K.’s third grade….I was teaching a whole group lesson about similes. Students were filling in the blanks as we discussed and created some examples on the board before they started to write their own simile poem. It was a struggle to get much input from them at first, then “Luke” raised his hand and offered this simile……”When I am tired, I am as boring as a broken video game.” Once he put it in their language, I had a lot of great examples!!

11 ½ days and counting!

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.