So with 2013 behind us we thought we'd find a way to look back in an appropriate manner. What better way than to share our favorite(or best) posts from the year that was....Happy New Year!
1. It Ended with a Griddle
2. The Public Good
3. Truth in Advertising
4. My Adventure with a MOOC
5. Media Bias, Ignorance, or Apathy
6. It's Not What You Are, It's Who You Are
7. The Final Friday
8. The Class of 2013
9. The Ninety Second Evaluation
10. Putting Students First
Honorable Mention
The Future of Education
Accountability for Some
Showing posts with label Teaching Underground. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teaching Underground. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Principal Wanted: No Experience. No Problem.
Administrators and School Boards take plenty of beatings from teachers. My experience with both has been mixed but I don't have any complaints beyond the norm(their experience with me might be described in much the same way). Mostly because I understand that even though we have the same goal in mind for students, we see the day to day realities of education differently. I am sympathetic to their plight and certainly would have much tougher time without their support. That said there are the more and more individuals entering leadership roles I don't tend to appreciate.
They are usually teachers, administrators or other "educrats" who are focused on getting somewhere instead of focusing on doing the job here and now. They seem to be serving in their position only because it serves a vehicle for self advancement. We all know the self promoting appearance over substance type who are slicker than a barber shop shave. The private sector is not immune from the same thing but that doesn't make me feel better. In education they seem be more disruptive. The movement of these individuals into administrative with little consequential experience in subordinate roles brings a cascade of unfortunate consequences for just about everyone else.
They radically change policy to provide a feather in their cap to trumpet in advance of the next move. They forgo the measured approach for the sake of expediency and instead angle and network to ease their ascension to a "higher" job. Their consistent lack of understanding of why a teacher makes a decision or frequent miscommunication due to the absence of been there before wisdom becomes troubling. Simple time proven methods are swept aside as a byproduct of the lack of experience. The unwillingness to tackle long term chronic problems that might plague schools might be another side effect. When they do they meet skepticism from teachers concerned about what's behind such measures. This is only natural given teacher confront too many individuals such as this who devalue their efforts. And then there is the inability to fully comprehend all that is involved in teaching and learning and inability to provide the necessary support for students and staff. Instead of looking around for where to help out and make things better , these folks are looking up and where they want to go. One repercussion of this is the "bad" teacher rhetoric. A get out of accountability card by throwing problems onto teachers. This is less likely if individuals have taught. It is just easier to work with someone who understands your job. Working with people who have reached higher levels because they do a good job makes a huge difference and we ned more of them, not the opposite.
Which is why I was puzzled the Charlottesville School Board voted to amend the division requirements for becoming a principal. Essentially they have removed the requirement that a principal have classroom experience. The Virginia Department of Education still requires that principals have at least 3 years experience as licensed instructional personnel. Charlottesville's requirement now reads: "The Charlottesville City School Board, upon recommendation of the superintendent, employs principals and assistant principals who hold licenses as prescribed by the Board of Education." The state changed the wording back in 2007(?) to allow for individuals to be principals without teaching. Not to say these folks can't accomplish anything or do good, many do both.
So it is perhaps a stretch to say that this will really change much. If anything it might even allow for some outstanding guidance counselors, instructional coaches or other staff to serve as principals. I might say that if those individuals were serious about being great principals they might entertain the idea that they need classroom experience somewhere along the way. Even so one reality is that when someone leaves the classroom to administration or some other role their view on things instantly changes. That's OK. Different perspectives are helpful so long as both sides can understand where they other is coming from. In the back of most teachers heads they think "We disagree, but this person knows what it is like." If they haven;t taught, they might think something a little less accommodating.
I am troubled by the prospect of working with or for someone who has never been an actual teacher at some point. I could throw out metaphors about car salesman or pyramid schemes but that would miss the point. Principals serve in a multitude of roles. They are educators, role models, supervisors, organizers, problem solvers and the list goes on. Above all they are leaders. In the eyes of this teacher those best able to lead in education must work with teachers and those best able to do that have been teachers themselves.
 |
| Want to be Principal? No Teaching Experience? Not a problem. |
They radically change policy to provide a feather in their cap to trumpet in advance of the next move. They forgo the measured approach for the sake of expediency and instead angle and network to ease their ascension to a "higher" job. Their consistent lack of understanding of why a teacher makes a decision or frequent miscommunication due to the absence of been there before wisdom becomes troubling. Simple time proven methods are swept aside as a byproduct of the lack of experience. The unwillingness to tackle long term chronic problems that might plague schools might be another side effect. When they do they meet skepticism from teachers concerned about what's behind such measures. This is only natural given teacher confront too many individuals such as this who devalue their efforts. And then there is the inability to fully comprehend all that is involved in teaching and learning and inability to provide the necessary support for students and staff. Instead of looking around for where to help out and make things better , these folks are looking up and where they want to go. One repercussion of this is the "bad" teacher rhetoric. A get out of accountability card by throwing problems onto teachers. This is less likely if individuals have taught. It is just easier to work with someone who understands your job. Working with people who have reached higher levels because they do a good job makes a huge difference and we ned more of them, not the opposite.
Which is why I was puzzled the Charlottesville School Board voted to amend the division requirements for becoming a principal. Essentially they have removed the requirement that a principal have classroom experience. The Virginia Department of Education still requires that principals have at least 3 years experience as licensed instructional personnel. Charlottesville's requirement now reads: "The Charlottesville City School Board, upon recommendation of the superintendent, employs principals and assistant principals who hold licenses as prescribed by the Board of Education." The state changed the wording back in 2007(?) to allow for individuals to be principals without teaching. Not to say these folks can't accomplish anything or do good, many do both.
So it is perhaps a stretch to say that this will really change much. If anything it might even allow for some outstanding guidance counselors, instructional coaches or other staff to serve as principals. I might say that if those individuals were serious about being great principals they might entertain the idea that they need classroom experience somewhere along the way. Even so one reality is that when someone leaves the classroom to administration or some other role their view on things instantly changes. That's OK. Different perspectives are helpful so long as both sides can understand where they other is coming from. In the back of most teachers heads they think "We disagree, but this person knows what it is like." If they haven;t taught, they might think something a little less accommodating.
I am troubled by the prospect of working with or for someone who has never been an actual teacher at some point. I could throw out metaphors about car salesman or pyramid schemes but that would miss the point. Principals serve in a multitude of roles. They are educators, role models, supervisors, organizers, problem solvers and the list goes on. Above all they are leaders. In the eyes of this teacher those best able to lead in education must work with teachers and those best able to do that have been teachers themselves.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Joel Klein Wants a "Bar Exam" for Teachers
Yesterday, The Atlantic posted an article by Joel Klein titled "The Case for a Teacher Bar Exam."
On one hand he argues that American teachers are not valued as professionals and we need to make greater efforts at doing so. But, he seems to imply that teachers are not treated as professionals because they aren't. One solution- give them a test to enter the profession. That seems to be the answer to everything in education today.
Personally, I'd say if taking a test will lead to higher pay, better benefits and more respect, bring it on. Tests don't bother me in the least. I made it through elementary school in the highest leveled classes because even though I didn't like to do work, every year I finished above the 90th percentile on those old "SRA" tests that we used to take. In middle school and high school, I didn't have to spend much time on homework and still stayed in honor's level classes because as long as I paid a little attention in class the tests were never that difficult. I only took the SATs once because I got a high enough score to get into the college of my choice.
At college, things were a little harder. Some classes were graded on multiple choice and short answer type tests. But others actually expected me to engage in discussion, right papers, and participate in activities. That nearly killed me academically. I actually had to work, learn, and apply knowledge instead of just convincing someone through a test that I was competent.
I took the National Teacher Exam early, before even enrolling in education school just to get it out of the way. I found a review book and studied for a few days and earned the passing score on my first try. GREs weren't much harder.
If you create a test for teachers I promise I'll finish in the top ten percent. But it won't have much to do with how well I teach my students.
Klein's error is the classic field of dreams. If you build it they will come. He looks to teachers of Finland who come from the top of their university classes, who enter a competitive profession. From my point of view I would argue that treating teachers more professionally- raising salary, providing autonomy, etc.,- would lead to greater professionalism. Klein believes that increasing professionalism- testing teachers, increasing accountability, etc.,- will make the teaching profession more respectable.
Both views are one dimensional and flawed. There must be a middle ground. There are areas in which teacher preparation and accountability must be raised, but adding requirements and restrictions is not the way to either encourage the "best and brightest" to join our ranks nor to encourage the competent teachers already in the classroom to stay.
On one hand he argues that American teachers are not valued as professionals and we need to make greater efforts at doing so. But, he seems to imply that teachers are not treated as professionals because they aren't. One solution- give them a test to enter the profession. That seems to be the answer to everything in education today.
Personally, I'd say if taking a test will lead to higher pay, better benefits and more respect, bring it on. Tests don't bother me in the least. I made it through elementary school in the highest leveled classes because even though I didn't like to do work, every year I finished above the 90th percentile on those old "SRA" tests that we used to take. In middle school and high school, I didn't have to spend much time on homework and still stayed in honor's level classes because as long as I paid a little attention in class the tests were never that difficult. I only took the SATs once because I got a high enough score to get into the college of my choice.
At college, things were a little harder. Some classes were graded on multiple choice and short answer type tests. But others actually expected me to engage in discussion, right papers, and participate in activities. That nearly killed me academically. I actually had to work, learn, and apply knowledge instead of just convincing someone through a test that I was competent.
I took the National Teacher Exam early, before even enrolling in education school just to get it out of the way. I found a review book and studied for a few days and earned the passing score on my first try. GREs weren't much harder.
If you create a test for teachers I promise I'll finish in the top ten percent. But it won't have much to do with how well I teach my students.
Klein's error is the classic field of dreams. If you build it they will come. He looks to teachers of Finland who come from the top of their university classes, who enter a competitive profession. From my point of view I would argue that treating teachers more professionally- raising salary, providing autonomy, etc.,- would lead to greater professionalism. Klein believes that increasing professionalism- testing teachers, increasing accountability, etc.,- will make the teaching profession more respectable.
Both views are one dimensional and flawed. There must be a middle ground. There are areas in which teacher preparation and accountability must be raised, but adding requirements and restrictions is not the way to either encourage the "best and brightest" to join our ranks nor to encourage the competent teachers already in the classroom to stay.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Reformers, TFA and Me.
Good teachers are always in demand. Yet it seems many good ones can't find a job. Specifically a job where they want. Some good ones are even losing their jobs in our current economic climate through no fault of their own. In demand school systems are more appealing to recruits based on many factors including compensation, benefits, student populations and of course where you are from.
In that sense I am fortunate to have grown up in Albemarle and even more fortunate to have finally* been hired to teach in the system. (* it took me 4 years to become full time) One thing true of our division is they are not wanting for a supply of talented new teachers. With the University of Virginia's Curry school a stone's throw away a steady stream of some of the best helps us fulfill our needs for new teachers. Other communities around this nation are not so fortunate.
Enter Teach for America. Its stated purpose to bring high quality individuals from all over from all types of fields into the world of teaching. I am so tired of hearing about TFA that honestly I rarely read about them and try not to think about them any more. I recently caught an NPR story about TFA and it got me thinking. I went to their site for the first time in a while and saw Slow down there, that is not exactly the context I usually hear about TFA. Many teachers aren't too fond of it. Maybe I am too hard on them. Maybe not. But it is worth considering TFA, hence the today's post
I've never actually worked directly with anyone from TFA. My only real experience with "the corps" is with two amazing former students who sought a TFA recommendation. So how can I possibly be able to judge it? You'll just have to trust me. My credentials as an experienced teacher are spotty and I didn't attend Yale or Harvard. I wrestle with how I feel about TFA and acknowledge my views are not static. I have a healthy and innate sense of insecurity common among teachers which may explain why I was defensive towards the concept of TFA from the get go. Flawed as teachers are, good ones care less how they "look" and more how they are "seen", meaning they understand teachers do more than simply instruct. They know they can do a great job with that instruction and still fall short by some measurements. Moving beyond professional resentment, I personally am still leaning over the fence far enough to conclude that I dislike more than I like about TFA. The marketing and closely massaged public image coupled with intensive lobbying probably contribute to that and the slick video spots leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Several former students of mine are still working as part of the "corps". They are great kids. I'd trust them with my own children. This is why I am so torn. I think it is safe to assume that the majority of people serving/ involved with TFA are good people, probably better than me even. I have little doubt they are affecting kids in a positive way as they work with them and take their mission seriously. But beyond the ones I know, why are the future leaders of TFA signing up and doing this? Altrusim? Does the optimism spewing from TFA blind us to the complexity what is going on? Are they altering the way teachers are trained and schools are staffed? One thing that bugs me is the concept that it is OK to leave teaching after 2-3 years. That in my view does more potential harm than good.
Take for example Colorado State Senator Michael Johnston, former TFA member My impression is that Johnston is a great guy. He's done probably more good than I ever will and he is a year younger. But mere weeks of training and two years in the classroom can scarcely be a substitute for wisdom and knowledge built through real experience. Like many TFA members he quickly elevated to graduate student, then law school, became a policy maker, then a principal and finally a legislator. I know in my second year as a teacher I had little concept of what excellence in the classroom was and hadn't even begun to consider a teacher's role in larger issues affecting education. But I didn't go to Yale.
As a result of TFA contracts with local districts did Johnston potentially take the spot of someone who might still be serving those kids in that school? Did he really want to be a teacher or did he simply sign up for the chance to do some good during that time with those kids and see it as a rung on his way up? Who am I to say? But what I can say is afterwards he ascended to be named by Forbes as among the 7 most influential educators in the country(Why does Forbes even have that list?). As I proofread it sounds like Sour Grapes but underneath what it reveals is a philosophical difference. At best someone who is a teacher for two years can be good, at worst awful. It would seem the antithesis of what I see a teacher should be. Far more than simply transmitting knowledge teachers should be be loyal, dedicated, engaged and involved in community. Not interlopers.
As a state legislator Johnston worked to pass major teacher evaluation reform. Half of a teacher's rating will be based on student growth. Much of that will come from statewide tests and while this reform might do some good, it will do a lot of harm. And most teachers agree why. Teachers are the biggest in-school factor for a child, but much evidence supports we are not the biggest factor. Even if we were, there are many things beyond our control that are simply seen by too many as excuses. So Johnston and TFA's stance on poverty has directly altered the accountability placing it squarely on the teacher. Does this serve kids? But legislators tend to see the world in terms of things they can actually control. Since poverty or social inequity wasn't one of those it is only natural that things would gravitate towards education.
What really sticks in my craw is that TFA works hard to bring the best and brightest into the classroom, only to work equally as hard to move them out. This is traitorous. As if they cannot affect enough change working face to face with students inside a classroom. If we are to continually move in a positive direction we need teachers. Not everyone can be a "leader" as TFA sees it. And by teachers I mean people committed to the classroom and the students in them. We can be leaders too. I believe change needs to happen from the bottom up and not so much from the top down.
Is it possible to separate the larger organization from the people within it? Sure. TFA does much good. Specifically targeting under-performing schools they in some cases fill a need and schools that are difficult to staff. I know they do good there. Just as there are many great teachers serving in schools that are labelled as "failing" in so many case around the nation. But does the fact kids are poor justify a reliance on TFA members? Would it be OK in a more affluent community?
I agree with much of what they stand for "poverty is not destiny" and find their abundance of infographics hypnotically appealing. They are more successful at recruiting a more diverse teaching force than most school systems. TFA is selective. So the assumption is people they seek are on the whole more capable in many ways. But smarter doesn't mean gooder when it comes to teaching and educating children(It hurt to type that). TFA quickly points to research to the contrary maintaining their leaders outperform "regular" teachers. But much of their sand castle is built on test scores. Kids need and deserve more. They deserve caring and committed professionals well versed in how to excel at their job. Not simply banking their Peace Corps time in the trenches always looking ahead.
So effectiveness is an immediate concern. If any other profession were to propose bringing in people with a few short weeks training and handing them the keys of a hugely important job(doctor, pilot, bus driver, machinist) there would of course be some objections, maybe more. But anyone CAN teach right? Wrong. I can do the jobs of a lot of different intelligent people but know quite well they could barely function in mine. That is not boasting. You learn a few things about the world after being a teacher for 15 years. In discussing TFA we are talking about what amounts to the largest teacher preparation program in the nation. That scares me more than a bit. Measuring the effectiveness of TFA, like a lot of education research, remains muddy even after 20 years. I can locate studies and research concluding TFA is good, and ones that say TFA is bad. Who to trust? Trust the person whose been there working for years and isn't going anywhere. The one that doesn't want to.
Trust teachers. Worth pointing out is that many TFA members remain as dedicated teachers and I commend and welcome them. Maintaining great respect for the folks I know who have joined up and those that want to isn't that hard. Yet I remain conflicted. I don't think this is true for many non-teachers as the public image carved out by TFA is overwhelmingly positive, if ill informed. It is not so much that I have a problem with TFA so much as what it is made out to be. Politicians and reformers have mistakenly seen and promoted TFA as a model for change at scale. I am resolute in my belief that what is needed in the most at risk under-performing school is not always what's best for every school. Hiring a top notch graduate versus a novice may prove fruitful in the short term but what of comparing them to an experienced teacher? The motivation to hire TFA members versus "regular" teachers makes you think. One thing that struck me from the website was a comment I read from a member: "I am a teacher - not a student teacher, not a volunteer worker or a tutor - but a teacher." No doubt with a larger support network, broader resources, and a clearer mission I might have been a vastly better teacher in my first years. But I was always very careful about how I presented myself. And even today I see my humility and insecurity as a strength.
TFA expends a great deal of effort and funds to present itself a certain way. Today's press and media do little to alter their carefully crafted narrative. That makes me both nervous and suspicious. You learn those traits with years of teaching, it has hardened my idealistic soul. The promotion and marketing of such a program I believe does harm and has moved it far from its grass roots beginning to a data fed monster. That expansion effort is more indicative of a business than a agent of change. I'm not a big fan of Wendy Kopp. I'll just put that out there. Not a big fan of higher ups in the organization who see it as a cash cow funneling funds their direction. Not a big fan of the folks who sign up, "serve their time", and kick on up the chain to assume more comfortable(and potentially lucrative) role in the ever swelling educational bureaucracy.
Good teaching is still very much a mystery. TFA has not found a silver bullet nor an 8-fold path to learning. Given that fact we must resolve to use something that appears lacking the higher up you go. Good common sense. Is it wise to bring people in, train them with great haste, and then cast them out to teach our children? I have an opinion. That is one thing that there is no shortage of, and it has taken far longer than a few weeks or two years to become informed. Arrive at your own conclusions but just be sure to look before you leap.
Can we do better?
Here's some additional resources:
Teach for America Site
http://www.teachforamerica.org/
National Education Policy Center
http://nepc.colorado.edu/newsletter/2010/06/teach-america-false-promise
Living in Dialogue(an great site)
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2011/12/huntsvilles_research-based_com.html
Education Week
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2011/03/after_20_years_diverse_opinion.html
In that sense I am fortunate to have grown up in Albemarle and even more fortunate to have finally* been hired to teach in the system. (* it took me 4 years to become full time) One thing true of our division is they are not wanting for a supply of talented new teachers. With the University of Virginia's Curry school a stone's throw away a steady stream of some of the best helps us fulfill our needs for new teachers. Other communities around this nation are not so fortunate.
Enter Teach for America. Its stated purpose to bring high quality individuals from all over from all types of fields into the world of teaching. I am so tired of hearing about TFA that honestly I rarely read about them and try not to think about them any more. I recently caught an NPR story about TFA and it got me thinking. I went to their site for the first time in a while and saw Slow down there, that is not exactly the context I usually hear about TFA. Many teachers aren't too fond of it. Maybe I am too hard on them. Maybe not. But it is worth considering TFA, hence the today's post
I've never actually worked directly with anyone from TFA. My only real experience with "the corps" is with two amazing former students who sought a TFA recommendation. So how can I possibly be able to judge it? You'll just have to trust me. My credentials as an experienced teacher are spotty and I didn't attend Yale or Harvard. I wrestle with how I feel about TFA and acknowledge my views are not static. I have a healthy and innate sense of insecurity common among teachers which may explain why I was defensive towards the concept of TFA from the get go. Flawed as teachers are, good ones care less how they "look" and more how they are "seen", meaning they understand teachers do more than simply instruct. They know they can do a great job with that instruction and still fall short by some measurements. Moving beyond professional resentment, I personally am still leaning over the fence far enough to conclude that I dislike more than I like about TFA. The marketing and closely massaged public image coupled with intensive lobbying probably contribute to that and the slick video spots leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Take for example Colorado State Senator Michael Johnston, former TFA member My impression is that Johnston is a great guy. He's done probably more good than I ever will and he is a year younger. But mere weeks of training and two years in the classroom can scarcely be a substitute for wisdom and knowledge built through real experience. Like many TFA members he quickly elevated to graduate student, then law school, became a policy maker, then a principal and finally a legislator. I know in my second year as a teacher I had little concept of what excellence in the classroom was and hadn't even begun to consider a teacher's role in larger issues affecting education. But I didn't go to Yale.
As a result of TFA contracts with local districts did Johnston potentially take the spot of someone who might still be serving those kids in that school? Did he really want to be a teacher or did he simply sign up for the chance to do some good during that time with those kids and see it as a rung on his way up? Who am I to say? But what I can say is afterwards he ascended to be named by Forbes as among the 7 most influential educators in the country(Why does Forbes even have that list?). As I proofread it sounds like Sour Grapes but underneath what it reveals is a philosophical difference. At best someone who is a teacher for two years can be good, at worst awful. It would seem the antithesis of what I see a teacher should be. Far more than simply transmitting knowledge teachers should be be loyal, dedicated, engaged and involved in community. Not interlopers.
As a state legislator Johnston worked to pass major teacher evaluation reform. Half of a teacher's rating will be based on student growth. Much of that will come from statewide tests and while this reform might do some good, it will do a lot of harm. And most teachers agree why. Teachers are the biggest in-school factor for a child, but much evidence supports we are not the biggest factor. Even if we were, there are many things beyond our control that are simply seen by too many as excuses. So Johnston and TFA's stance on poverty has directly altered the accountability placing it squarely on the teacher. Does this serve kids? But legislators tend to see the world in terms of things they can actually control. Since poverty or social inequity wasn't one of those it is only natural that things would gravitate towards education.
What really sticks in my craw is that TFA works hard to bring the best and brightest into the classroom, only to work equally as hard to move them out. This is traitorous. As if they cannot affect enough change working face to face with students inside a classroom. If we are to continually move in a positive direction we need teachers. Not everyone can be a "leader" as TFA sees it. And by teachers I mean people committed to the classroom and the students in them. We can be leaders too. I believe change needs to happen from the bottom up and not so much from the top down.
Is it possible to separate the larger organization from the people within it? Sure. TFA does much good. Specifically targeting under-performing schools they in some cases fill a need and schools that are difficult to staff. I know they do good there. Just as there are many great teachers serving in schools that are labelled as "failing" in so many case around the nation. But does the fact kids are poor justify a reliance on TFA members? Would it be OK in a more affluent community?
I agree with much of what they stand for "poverty is not destiny" and find their abundance of infographics hypnotically appealing. They are more successful at recruiting a more diverse teaching force than most school systems. TFA is selective. So the assumption is people they seek are on the whole more capable in many ways. But smarter doesn't mean gooder when it comes to teaching and educating children(It hurt to type that). TFA quickly points to research to the contrary maintaining their leaders outperform "regular" teachers. But much of their sand castle is built on test scores. Kids need and deserve more. They deserve caring and committed professionals well versed in how to excel at their job. Not simply banking their Peace Corps time in the trenches always looking ahead.
So effectiveness is an immediate concern. If any other profession were to propose bringing in people with a few short weeks training and handing them the keys of a hugely important job(doctor, pilot, bus driver, machinist) there would of course be some objections, maybe more. But anyone CAN teach right? Wrong. I can do the jobs of a lot of different intelligent people but know quite well they could barely function in mine. That is not boasting. You learn a few things about the world after being a teacher for 15 years. In discussing TFA we are talking about what amounts to the largest teacher preparation program in the nation. That scares me more than a bit. Measuring the effectiveness of TFA, like a lot of education research, remains muddy even after 20 years. I can locate studies and research concluding TFA is good, and ones that say TFA is bad. Who to trust? Trust the person whose been there working for years and isn't going anywhere. The one that doesn't want to.
Trust teachers. Worth pointing out is that many TFA members remain as dedicated teachers and I commend and welcome them. Maintaining great respect for the folks I know who have joined up and those that want to isn't that hard. Yet I remain conflicted. I don't think this is true for many non-teachers as the public image carved out by TFA is overwhelmingly positive, if ill informed. It is not so much that I have a problem with TFA so much as what it is made out to be. Politicians and reformers have mistakenly seen and promoted TFA as a model for change at scale. I am resolute in my belief that what is needed in the most at risk under-performing school is not always what's best for every school. Hiring a top notch graduate versus a novice may prove fruitful in the short term but what of comparing them to an experienced teacher? The motivation to hire TFA members versus "regular" teachers makes you think. One thing that struck me from the website was a comment I read from a member: "I am a teacher - not a student teacher, not a volunteer worker or a tutor - but a teacher." No doubt with a larger support network, broader resources, and a clearer mission I might have been a vastly better teacher in my first years. But I was always very careful about how I presented myself. And even today I see my humility and insecurity as a strength.
TFA expends a great deal of effort and funds to present itself a certain way. Today's press and media do little to alter their carefully crafted narrative. That makes me both nervous and suspicious. You learn those traits with years of teaching, it has hardened my idealistic soul. The promotion and marketing of such a program I believe does harm and has moved it far from its grass roots beginning to a data fed monster. That expansion effort is more indicative of a business than a agent of change. I'm not a big fan of Wendy Kopp. I'll just put that out there. Not a big fan of higher ups in the organization who see it as a cash cow funneling funds their direction. Not a big fan of the folks who sign up, "serve their time", and kick on up the chain to assume more comfortable(and potentially lucrative) role in the ever swelling educational bureaucracy.
Good teaching is still very much a mystery. TFA has not found a silver bullet nor an 8-fold path to learning. Given that fact we must resolve to use something that appears lacking the higher up you go. Good common sense. Is it wise to bring people in, train them with great haste, and then cast them out to teach our children? I have an opinion. That is one thing that there is no shortage of, and it has taken far longer than a few weeks or two years to become informed. Arrive at your own conclusions but just be sure to look before you leap.
Can we do better?
Here's some additional resources:
Teach for America Site
http://www.teachforamerica.org/
National Education Policy Center
http://nepc.colorado.edu/newsletter/2010/06/teach-america-false-promise
Living in Dialogue(an great site)
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2011/12/huntsvilles_research-based_com.html
Education Week
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2011/03/after_20_years_diverse_opinion.html
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Why Thankfulness Matters
Have you ever tried to actively nurture an attitude of Thankfulness? While dwelling on gratitude, it is difficult to keep a bitter heart. With one's mind filled with thoughts of blessing, petty complaints of life begin to separate from true concerns and hardship. I hope that throughout the year, the opinions expressed on the Teaching Underground reflect these legitimate concerns about public education and not petty complaints. Despite the many problems in our systems, the positives certainly outweigh the negative. So with a grateful heart, here's what I'm thankful for this year:
1) Student Feedback- I used to get bitter that elementary teachers get all of the gifts. Today I recognize the many gifts that students give me every year that have no monetary value or tangible uses. Just last week I found an anonymous notecard in my teacher mailbox. "You have taught me a lot this year and I really enjoy your class. Thank you for giving me a seventh period I can look forward to and where I don't want to fall asleep." If you're a student reading this post, a kind word of encouragement-- written or otherwise-- beats any gift you can give. (Unless it's like a $100 gift card to a nice restaurant or a new iPad, or something like that.)
2) A Dynamic Workplace- No two days are the same. It can be a challenge to deal with changing student moods, variable schedules, technology failures or other unforeseen disruptions, but it forces you to keep your mind active and engaged. Teaching requires a delicate balance of thorough planning and flexibility. Practicing this daily is invigorating. Today, a student brought a four-foot air cannon, decorated as a "Canon" camera to class. It was a physics project. Too large to be ignored and too enticing not to play with, I figured out a way to integrate the model into my lesson for the day on "Motivation." I don't often have air cannons in my class, but when I do, we certainly use them.
3) Excellent Colleagues- Some teachers need to go. I could name a few, but in a building with over one-hundred teachers, the balance is clearly not in their favor. If you or one of your children has suffered a year with a bad teacher this is no consolation, but most of the people I work with are great. I learn from them everyday. This year I think I've had more opportunities to interact with other teachers in my building and system than any time in the last ten years. When good teachers connect, good things happen. I'm thankful for the many great colleagues in my building, in my system, and increasingly across the country.
4) The Internet- I enjoy the idea that my ideas connect with a larger population through the Teaching Underground. When we started, I thought maybe a handful of friends and colleagues would read, but I continue to appreciate the wide reach of our blog. Through it, we've discovered numerous other educators with similar passion and motivation and in the process we've become much less "ignorant" as a result.
I've also discovered a Professional Learning Community of my own. Usually I'm the only Psychology teacher at my school. There's only one other full-time Psychology teacher in our county and we meet to share ideas and communicate by e-mail. But this year, using Twitter, I've connected with over a dozen other Psychology teachers by participating in #psychat. I take away something new for my classroom almost weekly through the combined knowledge of other participants.
It goes without saying that I'm thankful for a short break. I hope that all of you can find the time to connect with family and friends, or perhaps just to get some time to relax and reflect. Enjoy the break and enjoy your return to work. It's still work, but there's much to be thankful for in that.
1) Student Feedback- I used to get bitter that elementary teachers get all of the gifts. Today I recognize the many gifts that students give me every year that have no monetary value or tangible uses. Just last week I found an anonymous notecard in my teacher mailbox. "You have taught me a lot this year and I really enjoy your class. Thank you for giving me a seventh period I can look forward to and where I don't want to fall asleep." If you're a student reading this post, a kind word of encouragement-- written or otherwise-- beats any gift you can give. (Unless it's like a $100 gift card to a nice restaurant or a new iPad, or something like that.)
3) Excellent Colleagues- Some teachers need to go. I could name a few, but in a building with over one-hundred teachers, the balance is clearly not in their favor. If you or one of your children has suffered a year with a bad teacher this is no consolation, but most of the people I work with are great. I learn from them everyday. This year I think I've had more opportunities to interact with other teachers in my building and system than any time in the last ten years. When good teachers connect, good things happen. I'm thankful for the many great colleagues in my building, in my system, and increasingly across the country.
4) The Internet- I enjoy the idea that my ideas connect with a larger population through the Teaching Underground. When we started, I thought maybe a handful of friends and colleagues would read, but I continue to appreciate the wide reach of our blog. Through it, we've discovered numerous other educators with similar passion and motivation and in the process we've become much less "ignorant" as a result.
I've also discovered a Professional Learning Community of my own. Usually I'm the only Psychology teacher at my school. There's only one other full-time Psychology teacher in our county and we meet to share ideas and communicate by e-mail. But this year, using Twitter, I've connected with over a dozen other Psychology teachers by participating in #psychat. I take away something new for my classroom almost weekly through the combined knowledge of other participants.
It goes without saying that I'm thankful for a short break. I hope that all of you can find the time to connect with family and friends, or perhaps just to get some time to relax and reflect. Enjoy the break and enjoy your return to work. It's still work, but there's much to be thankful for in that.
Friday, November 16, 2012
A picture is worth a thousand words(APWATW).
This image appeared on http://english.hanban.org/article/2012-10/19/content_465610.htm as part of a story on elementary school students learning Chinese. We once again are looking for a caption to go along with the photo.
Kid in Angry Bird Shirt is thinking "I can't hear you."
Teacher in back of room "Maybe I can fly to my happy place"
TU- "No wonder these students score higher. They are being taught how to fly"
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Educational Leadership-Part III Advice to Leaders
PART III and final of series on Educational Leadership
Any fool can open a computer and explore the wealth of resources on leadership to improve themselves or others. But what sense does it make if those of us not necessarily in a leadership "position" don't throw in their 2 cents? Enter the TU and our advice to education leaders everywhere.
-1-
First and foremost start by picking people as leaders who want THAT job. Not someone who wants to use it for advancement. Those types usually have agendas and will need to show quick signs of progress to move on. They act more like a bull in a china shop than a leader. National education leadership is rife with examples of people that fit this mold. If you are a teacher you likely know a few closer to home. They are not all bad. But they are far from all good. If I got their ear for a few minutes I'd bend it and offer some advice. How honest I'd would depend largely on whether I thought it would do any good.
-2-
Another piece of advice for leaders is to listen to people before they listen to data. What's lost in the data driven education landscape is good common sense built on years of experience. Valuing tests more than people creates exactly the test driven world many fear. The healthy tension that exists between those inside a classroom and those that direct them doesn't have to be bad thing.
-3-
As a leader you must yoke your strengths. In education that is good teaching. So one of the best things you could do is allow teachers the freedom and flexibility to teach well. Support them, value their time and protect their ability to function by insulating them from anything that interferes with the process of teaching and learning.
-4-
Start not by telling, and not necessarily by asking. Start with proposing and then listen closely. Unlike a true politician who recognizes they will have to compromise if they want to get anything done, educational leaders don't have a "loyal opposition" to keep their poor ideas in check. Honest feedback is too frequently neither welcome nor sought in the process. Imagine if we had decisions made only by ideology in politics. It'd be a less than ideal scenario.
Teachers, counselors, principals and other staff in the school buildings often have to negotiate very delicate situations. This requires an equal amount if not more political skill than an actual politician. Difference being, they work to always keep in mind the goal of what is best for the student, not what is best for themselves. Assuming all act as professionals and not in their own self interest, the results should be positive. But not always. That's because education is not an exact science. The good decision makers try to balance all interests and arrive at compromise as appropriate. We can't do only what students want(there are obvious flaws there). We can't do only what parents want. We can't do only what teachers want. We shouldn't do only what educational leaders want. That last bears repeating. We shouldn't do only what educational leaders want.
-5-
Leaders should actively seek feedback use it to guide their decisions and future direction. They should recognize that experience in the teaching field and education brings a certain amount of wisdom worth listening to. They might benefit from bringing everyone to the table when needed. Including critics who do not see much of what today's schools do as successful. Their different perspective might provide an alternative to status quo. But it is also key to separate theory from practice and remember who has their feet on the ground each day.
-6-
Leaders must avoid self fulfilling prophecies. Finding what they are looking for either before or after their actions may be an outgrowth of selective evidence. This grows increasingly common with data driven decisions. A change is made and then data selectively harvested justifying the course of action and confirming what they seek. Belief can be a powerful thing.
-7-
Leaders should hold themselves accountable to their goals. I and my colleague face this each year. Not just with benchmark tests but each time we know there will come a reckoning when we assign a grade. We must be able to justify it or make it right by the student and their parents. We mustn't forget the individual nature of education. The formalized process has been this way for thousands of years and enables individuals to survive in an increasingly diverse and complex civilization. Online classes and other increasingly common means of "instruction and learning" differ little in that all the data, science and research will never change the fact that in there is a student and there is a teacher.
-8-
Leaders must build relationships with people at different levels who can speak openly and honestly. That as much as anything would be a key help guide a successful leader. Avoid the cursory "walk among the troops" or anonymous opinions and instead try to establish a network or pipeline to help guide innovation and improvement. This should be built from the bottom up and as more of a partnership. Too many "yes men" insulate leaders from the realities of the front. I personally favor internal promotion which seems to have fallen out of favor in the networks of leadership. While risking stagnation it affords a more collegial system of relationship among leaders. There are some weaknesses of this approach but good leaders can overcome them. Certainly there are exceptions and most effective leadership skills transfer well to other settings.
Of course everything said here should be taken with a grain of salt. I am after all just a teacher. But those who have that thought when speaking with me without first listening to what I say have proven they know less than I do about leadership.
We at the Teaching Underground World Headquarters endure and succeed(that is debatable) because we make a point and manage somehow to avoid the vitriol and rhetoric that takes over almost any current debate on education.
The last bit of advice I have to leaders is they could follow the lead of our nation's greatest teachers. Keep an eye on fixing what's broken and simply helping others do, and be, their best. I read recently a comment on a blog that said the following of educational reform:
I will leave you with some images meant to have you consider how they relate to leadership. As you consider them ask some simple questions "Why should anyone be led by you? Why do you really want to be a leader? Are you really making things better?"
Any fool can open a computer and explore the wealth of resources on leadership to improve themselves or others. But what sense does it make if those of us not necessarily in a leadership "position" don't throw in their 2 cents? Enter the TU and our advice to education leaders everywhere.
-1-
First and foremost start by picking people as leaders who want THAT job. Not someone who wants to use it for advancement. Those types usually have agendas and will need to show quick signs of progress to move on. They act more like a bull in a china shop than a leader. National education leadership is rife with examples of people that fit this mold. If you are a teacher you likely know a few closer to home. They are not all bad. But they are far from all good. If I got their ear for a few minutes I'd bend it and offer some advice. How honest I'd would depend largely on whether I thought it would do any good.
-2-
Another piece of advice for leaders is to listen to people before they listen to data. What's lost in the data driven education landscape is good common sense built on years of experience. Valuing tests more than people creates exactly the test driven world many fear. The healthy tension that exists between those inside a classroom and those that direct them doesn't have to be bad thing.
-3-
As a leader you must yoke your strengths. In education that is good teaching. So one of the best things you could do is allow teachers the freedom and flexibility to teach well. Support them, value their time and protect their ability to function by insulating them from anything that interferes with the process of teaching and learning.
-4-
Start not by telling, and not necessarily by asking. Start with proposing and then listen closely. Unlike a true politician who recognizes they will have to compromise if they want to get anything done, educational leaders don't have a "loyal opposition" to keep their poor ideas in check. Honest feedback is too frequently neither welcome nor sought in the process. Imagine if we had decisions made only by ideology in politics. It'd be a less than ideal scenario.
Teachers, counselors, principals and other staff in the school buildings often have to negotiate very delicate situations. This requires an equal amount if not more political skill than an actual politician. Difference being, they work to always keep in mind the goal of what is best for the student, not what is best for themselves. Assuming all act as professionals and not in their own self interest, the results should be positive. But not always. That's because education is not an exact science. The good decision makers try to balance all interests and arrive at compromise as appropriate. We can't do only what students want(there are obvious flaws there). We can't do only what parents want. We can't do only what teachers want. We shouldn't do only what educational leaders want. That last bears repeating. We shouldn't do only what educational leaders want.
-5-
Leaders should actively seek feedback use it to guide their decisions and future direction. They should recognize that experience in the teaching field and education brings a certain amount of wisdom worth listening to. They might benefit from bringing everyone to the table when needed. Including critics who do not see much of what today's schools do as successful. Their different perspective might provide an alternative to status quo. But it is also key to separate theory from practice and remember who has their feet on the ground each day.
-6-
Leaders must avoid self fulfilling prophecies. Finding what they are looking for either before or after their actions may be an outgrowth of selective evidence. This grows increasingly common with data driven decisions. A change is made and then data selectively harvested justifying the course of action and confirming what they seek. Belief can be a powerful thing.
-7-
Leaders should hold themselves accountable to their goals. I and my colleague face this each year. Not just with benchmark tests but each time we know there will come a reckoning when we assign a grade. We must be able to justify it or make it right by the student and their parents. We mustn't forget the individual nature of education. The formalized process has been this way for thousands of years and enables individuals to survive in an increasingly diverse and complex civilization. Online classes and other increasingly common means of "instruction and learning" differ little in that all the data, science and research will never change the fact that in there is a student and there is a teacher.
-8-
Leaders must build relationships with people at different levels who can speak openly and honestly. That as much as anything would be a key help guide a successful leader. Avoid the cursory "walk among the troops" or anonymous opinions and instead try to establish a network or pipeline to help guide innovation and improvement. This should be built from the bottom up and as more of a partnership. Too many "yes men" insulate leaders from the realities of the front. I personally favor internal promotion which seems to have fallen out of favor in the networks of leadership. While risking stagnation it affords a more collegial system of relationship among leaders. There are some weaknesses of this approach but good leaders can overcome them. Certainly there are exceptions and most effective leadership skills transfer well to other settings.
Of course everything said here should be taken with a grain of salt. I am after all just a teacher. But those who have that thought when speaking with me without first listening to what I say have proven they know less than I do about leadership.
We at the Teaching Underground World Headquarters endure and succeed(that is debatable) because we make a point and manage somehow to avoid the vitriol and rhetoric that takes over almost any current debate on education.
The last bit of advice I have to leaders is they could follow the lead of our nation's greatest teachers. Keep an eye on fixing what's broken and simply helping others do, and be, their best. I read recently a comment on a blog that said the following of educational reform:
"A reform movement that assigns no responsibility to students, parents, administrators, school boards, state and federal legislators, universities and taxpayers is doomed to failure."
It would seem that instead of including and listening to teachers, too many are simply blaming them.I will leave you with some images meant to have you consider how they relate to leadership. As you consider them ask some simple questions "Why should anyone be led by you? Why do you really want to be a leader? Are you really making things better?"
 |
| How and why are people able to do extraordinary things? |
 |
How and why is it possible that people at the top can see farther and reach higher? |
Friday, November 9, 2012
This is America
If you read yesterday's post on the Underground, you know we spent the day in Washington, D.C. Wednesday. It was quite a serene and quiet place to be the day after elections. It's hard not to spend time in D.C. without feeling a strong sense of American pride. Here are a few of my observations.
1) Even on a "down" day, I felt like a tourist. So many monuments to not be touched, velvet ropes to not be crossed, and armed guards protecting... I'm not sure what they were protecting. I appreciate the need to keep "tourists" like myself from interrupting the business of America, but the distance between the governed and the governors has grown even since I first started taking this trip fifteen years ago.
2) There's too much gravity. We took our students into the House Gallery. I told the complaining students "It's kind of like going to Chicago and stopping by to see Wrigley Field just to see it even if there's no game." The floor of the House was empty save the dozen other tourists who must have a better Representative than us; they got to sit in actual legislators' chairs. I walked into the gallery sympathizing with my low-riding students. I had to keep a grip on the waist of my pants to keep them from falling after removing my belt in order to enter the empty chambers. Thinking it fun to "root for democracy" I encouraged a student at the end of our group to start a wave. Security guards squelched it before it even got as far as me. We were shuushed quite a bit on Wednesday.
3) Our country is divided, but I still visited D.C. with thankfulness that on the day after a contentious election in which nearly half of the population wanted a different outcome, we could tour our nation's capital without fear of violence or unrest.
4) America is about moving forward. We've got quite a bit of nastiness in our history that shouldn't be ignored. It informs us as we move into the future. It is the ideal that all are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights. It is the realization that we can elevate the individual and society without sacrificing one for the other.
5) Things are going to get better, even if they get worse. We spent our day with three-hundred almost adults. Sometimes teaching is frustrating, sometimes it is hard. Sometimes you want to give up and sometimes you want to quit. But on a trip like this, you're not so much a teacher. You get out of the way and watch. Watch how the students interact with each other. Watch them take the time to say thank you to a bus driver. Watch them exchange friendly conversation with tour guides and security guards. Watch them learn at their own pace of their own accord. Watch them admire the monuments to our nation's history. And take comfort in the hope that one day they too will be admired for their contribution to this American society.
1) Even on a "down" day, I felt like a tourist. So many monuments to not be touched, velvet ropes to not be crossed, and armed guards protecting... I'm not sure what they were protecting. I appreciate the need to keep "tourists" like myself from interrupting the business of America, but the distance between the governed and the governors has grown even since I first started taking this trip fifteen years ago.
3) Our country is divided, but I still visited D.C. with thankfulness that on the day after a contentious election in which nearly half of the population wanted a different outcome, we could tour our nation's capital without fear of violence or unrest.
4) America is about moving forward. We've got quite a bit of nastiness in our history that shouldn't be ignored. It informs us as we move into the future. It is the ideal that all are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights. It is the realization that we can elevate the individual and society without sacrificing one for the other.
 |
| Quote from the FDR Memorial |
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Mr. Underground Goes to DC...again.
What would a normal sane person do the day after an election? Be thankful and get back to work right? Probably... but that's just not how the TU rolls. We decided to head into the heart of the action...downtown Washington DC. We volunteered to chaperone a government field trip to the nation's capital(also went to Capitol)
The day started off about 4:30AM rather iffy when I forgot to wear a belt. It ended when our bus collided at highway speed with a bench. Yes you read that right, a bench that must have fallen from another vehicle and sat square in the middle of US 29S. Some quick moves by our driver who went by the name "DC" (not a joke) helped us avoid disaster. Minor damage and all were safely returned home in one pice, barely. I returned home with some welcomed souvenirs and of course, space ice cream. Other than complaining about the low temps and some straggling the group of 200+ AHS students behaved in an exemplary manner. More on this tomorrow.
The best way to bring you the action, or lack of action , from DC on the day after the election is with photos. Enjoy.
The day started off about 4:30AM rather iffy when I forgot to wear a belt. It ended when our bus collided at highway speed with a bench. Yes you read that right, a bench that must have fallen from another vehicle and sat square in the middle of US 29S. Some quick moves by our driver who went by the name "DC" (not a joke) helped us avoid disaster. Minor damage and all were safely returned home in one pice, barely. I returned home with some welcomed souvenirs and of course, space ice cream. Other than complaining about the low temps and some straggling the group of 200+ AHS students behaved in an exemplary manner. More on this tomorrow.
The best way to bring you the action, or lack of action , from DC on the day after the election is with photos. Enjoy.
Sweater vests are always a good call.
Recognize this?
1st correct answer in comments section wins a free TU T-shirt(if they ever get made)
Student: "Why do they have a guy with a bowling ball in here? TU: "Ooof.?"
It truly is an awe inspiring building in so many ways. We are lucky to live so close.
"Wait what? A coffin in a pickup bed? No students...that is completely normal"
Only memorial believe it or not I've never visited. I get a lot of TJ in town.
So many quotes to like but this one stuck today. From FDR to Congress in 1935
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Everybody Loves Teachers
I am a teacher. Everybody loves me.
I became a teacher so I wouldn't have to work that hard and would get "summers off". I always wanted to become a teacher so I could promote my own personal agenda and indoctrinate the students who are trapped in my classroom. I vote democratic and only support candidates that raise taxes. Once I got a job teaching I joined the union so that I could get raises without doing more work. After three years I was able to get tenure. I now know that I can do whatever I want and don't have to worry about losing my job. I can ride the desk for 27 years and get my fat pension or as I like to call it my golden parachute. This is key because I was in the lower third of my graduating class in college and am pretty lazy. Now the job is just showing up each day and I really don't care too much about my students. I just promote them to the next grade and don't place too much value in what they did and did not accomplish and learn in my class. I tried other jobs. But you know what they say. Those that can, do. Those who can't, teach. I just don't want to be held accountable. All I have to do is assign the kids a bunch of homework and if they don't learn it is their fault.
The paragraph above shows the mindset of those who hold the worst case impression of what I am. I cannot say that at various moments in my career I have not been guilty of some of these thoughts but I can say safely they are not me. It seems that in our technology heavy, impatient throw away world, the status of the teacher has diminished to such a degree that many say they are no longer even necessary. Maybe so. But if this is true than we must also dispense with many other roles in our society and the effect would not be good.
Teachers do not perform life saving surgery, arrest bank robbers or feed the hungry (usually). We are not engineers, bankers or mechanics. Our contributions are much less tangible and far less immediate. But before we toss those in the profession under the bus never to return, we might be wise to pause and consider their world and in particular the world in their absence. Like so many others Bankers, Engineers and even gardeners, they do jobs others cannot. They work with people. Not money, not machines, they don't sell stuff or fix what's broken-- public school teachers facilitate the development of young people. Remember that public schools take in all children. They deal daily with the problems that the rest of society isn't always willing to address.
Students arrive at the doorstep sometimes well prepared, sometimes not. Sometimes well-fed, but sometimes hungry. Some of them are angry and impacted by factors we have little control over. Regardless, none of this is an excuse. When they do arrive they are met by teachers. Some good, some not so good. Frankly, all of us could use a little help with the problems kids deal with that aren't related to school, because in the end, their ability to succeed will impact the future for all of us.
I viewed the Presidential Debate as background noise to my grading and threw in some of my Mystery Science Theater 3000 style commentary at various points. My wife would prefer I didn't do this but I can be quite witty("We have boats that go underwater? AWESOME!"). My quick Google search yielded that the word teacher was used 28 times. As the two candidates wrapped up Moderator Bob Schieffer led them to closing statements with "I think we all love teachers."
If everybody loves me then why don't they trust me as a professional? Why don't they listen or even ask about my opinions on education reform? Why don't they listen when I say I am overworked and feel unsupported? Why don't they listen when I say that standardized tests have had a detrimental effect on the way a generation of kids learn? Why don't they listen when I suggest changes to how we do business? Why don't they understand their rhetoric on education is hurtful and demoralizing? Why don't they acknowledge, they and most other decision makers in fact know very little about teaching, the day to day experiences of educators and what might be working and what might not? Why don't they recognize the meaning of the word "public' school? Why don't they see what they and others are doing is not helping but hurting? Why do so many people(Chuck Norris, President Obama, Governor Romney, Interest Groups) make statements with the disclaimer "I Love Teachers?"
If you love me, you sure have a funny way of showing it.
I became a teacher so I wouldn't have to work that hard and would get "summers off". I always wanted to become a teacher so I could promote my own personal agenda and indoctrinate the students who are trapped in my classroom. I vote democratic and only support candidates that raise taxes. Once I got a job teaching I joined the union so that I could get raises without doing more work. After three years I was able to get tenure. I now know that I can do whatever I want and don't have to worry about losing my job. I can ride the desk for 27 years and get my fat pension or as I like to call it my golden parachute. This is key because I was in the lower third of my graduating class in college and am pretty lazy. Now the job is just showing up each day and I really don't care too much about my students. I just promote them to the next grade and don't place too much value in what they did and did not accomplish and learn in my class. I tried other jobs. But you know what they say. Those that can, do. Those who can't, teach. I just don't want to be held accountable. All I have to do is assign the kids a bunch of homework and if they don't learn it is their fault.
The paragraph above shows the mindset of those who hold the worst case impression of what I am. I cannot say that at various moments in my career I have not been guilty of some of these thoughts but I can say safely they are not me. It seems that in our technology heavy, impatient throw away world, the status of the teacher has diminished to such a degree that many say they are no longer even necessary. Maybe so. But if this is true than we must also dispense with many other roles in our society and the effect would not be good.
Teachers do not perform life saving surgery, arrest bank robbers or feed the hungry (usually). We are not engineers, bankers or mechanics. Our contributions are much less tangible and far less immediate. But before we toss those in the profession under the bus never to return, we might be wise to pause and consider their world and in particular the world in their absence. Like so many others Bankers, Engineers and even gardeners, they do jobs others cannot. They work with people. Not money, not machines, they don't sell stuff or fix what's broken-- public school teachers facilitate the development of young people. Remember that public schools take in all children. They deal daily with the problems that the rest of society isn't always willing to address.
Students arrive at the doorstep sometimes well prepared, sometimes not. Sometimes well-fed, but sometimes hungry. Some of them are angry and impacted by factors we have little control over. Regardless, none of this is an excuse. When they do arrive they are met by teachers. Some good, some not so good. Frankly, all of us could use a little help with the problems kids deal with that aren't related to school, because in the end, their ability to succeed will impact the future for all of us.
 |
| "I love Teachers" "No Governor, I love teachers" |
If everybody loves me then why don't they trust me as a professional? Why don't they listen or even ask about my opinions on education reform? Why don't they listen when I say I am overworked and feel unsupported? Why don't they listen when I say that standardized tests have had a detrimental effect on the way a generation of kids learn? Why don't they listen when I suggest changes to how we do business? Why don't they understand their rhetoric on education is hurtful and demoralizing? Why don't they acknowledge, they and most other decision makers in fact know very little about teaching, the day to day experiences of educators and what might be working and what might not? Why don't they recognize the meaning of the word "public' school? Why don't they see what they and others are doing is not helping but hurting? Why do so many people(Chuck Norris, President Obama, Governor Romney, Interest Groups) make statements with the disclaimer "I Love Teachers?"
If you love me, you sure have a funny way of showing it.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Merit Pay Considered in Albemarle?
 |
| Teaching is sharing, not competing. |
Come again? One would think that something as important as Merit Pay or Merit-Based Pay would fly a little farther up the news flag pole locally but sadly that is not the case. No worries, Teaching Underground has you covered. In fact we've had you covered on the topic of Merit Pay something like six times already. We will say again with a loud and unwavering voice that making kids part of the pay equation is a bad idea. Don't believe us? Keep reading.
"Merit Pay" seems like a Panacea for all that ails schools performance wise, but also financially.
Can this be so? The concept is to boost student achievement and improve our schools using bonuses for teachers. Many are supporting this flawed concept. Common sense and mounting evidence suggests Merit Pay is not only a failed solution but that it is not even an improvement. For this idea to be suggested is contrary to what most educators already know.
Nashville schools were part of the most scientific evaluation to date and after 3 years of study Matthew Springer, executive director of the National Center on Performance Incentives announced the following:.
“We tested the most basic and foundational question
related to performance incentives — Does bonus pay alone improve student
outcomes? – and we found that it does not.”
 |
| Bad reform ideas seem more contagious than good ones. |
We could separate Merit Pay and Value Added(another topic we've covered pretty well) and they both amount to Pay for Performance. You can pay me for what I do, or, you can pay me for what my students do. The latter is a bad a idea and no sound example of the former truly exists. That does't change the fact that current compensation practices are inadequate and potentially outdated. I can only hope is the same will soon be true for Merit Pay. Most teachers simply ask they be paid what they are really worth something that is rarely the case.
In the meantime we plan on doing our best to "educate" our local representatives on the subject with the hope that Merit Pay might not progress far beyond consideration. We'd encourage you to voice whatever our your view is as well.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Numerically Speaking, Who is the Best?
It is actually a stupid question. Most say it is Michael Jordan. But there are a number of ways to determine the best basketball player of all time. For some it depends on which number you look at. Where a player ranks in terms of a particular statistical category is the usual measure. Scoring, rebounding, assists, simple wins and losses, game winning shots or even number of championship rings. Some move past this and direct focus on who could change a game or wanted the ball in their hands at the end of the game.
Kobe, James, Jordan, Russell, Chamberlain and many others enter the conversation at various points. Experts weigh whether it is even fair to judge players from different eras against each other. The game changed. For that matter whether it is even fair to compare players who play different positions as their roles are different. Guards, centers all perform different jobs. If a guard leads your team in rebounding, you've probably got issues.
Personally while I love college basketball, I've never really enjoyed the NBA and get a bit more into the NFL. With the advent of Fantasy Football these conversations have taken on a new dimension. Fantasy teams mean players are valued not for talent, heart or value to the team... but for how they stack up on the tally sheet. Numbers can mislead you and as you stare at charts of player data. Participants in fantasy leagues neglect the big picture and only look at stats. Yards, points per game, supersede all else in a data driven world. They can make you think a player is good when they are not and vice versa. Like many the Underground has found enjoyment in this diversion. We have become especially fond of pointing out the ineptitude of other basement member's fantasy squads. This is a big week as we play each other. No worries, I've got him covered. Not sure that's true but what is for certain is that fantasy sports have changed the way we watch the game and how we find enjoyment in sports. The argument is less about who is the best and more about who had the best fantasy day. Let's jump from athletics to education.
As you are likely aware there are significant efforts to place a metric on the effectiveness of teachers. The "game" has changed. We worry less about who can teach and instead who has the best scores. Politicians and reforms are using the obvious impact of teachers have on student performance as a reason to try and rate them using data. Unable to affect change with what studies say is among the biggest factor, poverty ,they then go to teacher quality by default. Out of their mouths flow phrases like "every child deserves to have great teachers" and that turns into some bastardized form of accountability. The next step is to make some metric the measure of whether or not a teacher is effective. Too often this is connected to some sort of test. Having a score or number then somehow legitimizes your ability and skill as a teacher. It quantifies your impact. For me and the rest of Virginia's teachers, forty percent of my evaluation as a professional is taken from student growth. I am fortunate it is not directly tied to a statewide test score as this approach seems to be incentivized by Race to the Top Funds,.... yet. It is that way now. But I foresee the day when that is not something I will be able to say. While I've been wrong before concrete numbers matter.
To date, I have created my student goals and begun to plan on how to implement them but I am still not quite certain what or how I will use this to show growth without being too subjective. I am choosing one measure of student growth related to our lifelong learner standards and their ability to write. But because I grade this work it is invariably subjective. Which leads us to the more objective method. Standardized tests. Sparing readers the indignity of why they are flawed as a true measure and far from ideal when it comes to telling whether or not someone can teach, I'll just say they are as misleading as fantasy points. In fantasy football a player's team can build a big lead and that could actually hurt their point total. Teachers are the most significant in-school piece to student learning and success but they are not the only piece and there is much out of and in school that plays a role. There's the motivational of students, desire to learn, attendance, class size, social incentives, socio-economic level, and school size all of which top a list that researchers constantly study and debate.
Teachers matter. I know they matter a lot. But other things matter too. To attempt to objectively measure why one teacher might be better than another has the potential to prove as fruitful as an argument about who is the best NBA or NFL player. And conceivably more pointless. How much authentic learning goes unappreciated or is even replaced with narrow result oriented instruction? The end result of this effort and energy does little to help me improve as a teacher and frankly I feel less supported. Am I more inclined to narrow my approach to serve my goal(s)? I hope not. But the best way to measure me as a teacher is to be in the room with me while I teach. Not once, but a lot. Still... improving teachers and learning by measures such as this is just that, a fantasy. Thus it does little to improve the quality of education for students. Maybe we should instead focus our attention on working to support all teachers and devote resources in their service, not to figuring out who is the "best".
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| Student and even teacher excuses can be more plentiful |
As you are likely aware there are significant efforts to place a metric on the effectiveness of teachers. The "game" has changed. We worry less about who can teach and instead who has the best scores. Politicians and reforms are using the obvious impact of teachers have on student performance as a reason to try and rate them using data. Unable to affect change with what studies say is among the biggest factor, poverty ,they then go to teacher quality by default. Out of their mouths flow phrases like "every child deserves to have great teachers" and that turns into some bastardized form of accountability. The next step is to make some metric the measure of whether or not a teacher is effective. Too often this is connected to some sort of test. Having a score or number then somehow legitimizes your ability and skill as a teacher. It quantifies your impact. For me and the rest of Virginia's teachers, forty percent of my evaluation as a professional is taken from student growth. I am fortunate it is not directly tied to a statewide test score as this approach seems to be incentivized by Race to the Top Funds,.... yet. It is that way now. But I foresee the day when that is not something I will be able to say. While I've been wrong before concrete numbers matter.
To date, I have created my student goals and begun to plan on how to implement them but I am still not quite certain what or how I will use this to show growth without being too subjective. I am choosing one measure of student growth related to our lifelong learner standards and their ability to write. But because I grade this work it is invariably subjective. Which leads us to the more objective method. Standardized tests. Sparing readers the indignity of why they are flawed as a true measure and far from ideal when it comes to telling whether or not someone can teach, I'll just say they are as misleading as fantasy points. In fantasy football a player's team can build a big lead and that could actually hurt their point total. Teachers are the most significant in-school piece to student learning and success but they are not the only piece and there is much out of and in school that plays a role. There's the motivational of students, desire to learn, attendance, class size, social incentives, socio-economic level, and school size all of which top a list that researchers constantly study and debate.
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| These guys have taught me a lot |
Thursday, August 23, 2012
First Year Stories
Today was a good day, to quote the title of a previous post and quite an excellent piece of music by Ice Cube. It was the first day of school. My seventeenth first day of school as a teacher. People asked all week "are you ready?" I replied honestly to some that while I looked forward to a new school year, I wasn't looking forward to the first day at all. First days can be so awkward.
We meet between 120-160 new people in the first two days of school and spend eighty minute blocks of time with them in groups of 20-25. It's pretty miserable for an introvert like me. But this year was very different. Maybe it's the experience. Or maybe my first first day was such a disaster that it has taken over a decade to recover. Only now do I feel confident enough to divulge my first day experience to the public.
August 1996, twenty-two years old. That seemed like adulthood at the time, but today that age doesn't seem to far from high school. I'd completed my student teaching assignment and taken a job at the same school. I showed up dressed better than I've ever dressed since, all planned out and ready to change the world. We taught on a six period A/B block schedule, so classes were One Hundred minutes long. My planning was first period. Of course I couldn't show up on my first day unprepared, so I arrived at school with nothing to do but sit in the office and be nervous for nearly two-hours. My classroom was occupied by another teacher, so I alternated between sitting on the couch and pacing the floor in our social studies office. (This office has since been given away, but that's another long, sad story)
The bell rang, it was showtime, and I was as ready as I could be. Days of planning, hours of practice, and the hour plus of final preparation behind me, I set out for the classroom. The tardy bell rang and I quickly finished taking attendance and began the lesson for the day. It was a good lesson and the students responded well. But nearing the end of what I'd prepared, I noticed the clock. It was still only 11:30. The class was scheduled to end at 12:40. I stalled and talked and tried to pry questions out of the class. They were seniors and it appeared that no one told them that summer was over. They sat, quiet and disengaged. I strung it out as long as I could. Finally, around 11:45 I threw in the towel.
"O.K. class. I'm really sorry, but that's all I've got. I don't have anything else for us to do today." I didn't have enough skill or experience to wing it, and I didn't know the course well enough to move ahead. So we sat. Did I mention my introversion? I tried to make small talk. Engage them in conversation about their summer, sports, family, anything. Finally I gave up on even that and no one said a word for the final forty-five minutes of class. Awkward silence and wasted time.
I really was a terrible teacher my first year. Thankfully I got another chance. Thankfully, today I'm able to smile for an entire period and get mostly the same in return from my students until the bell rings and we have to interrupt what we're doing so they can switch classes. Thankfully, as hard as this job can be, with good colleagues and the right support and training, we get better every year on the job.
I doubt my story sounds nearly as traumatic to the reader as it was for me. I'm sure there are much better first day horror stories than mine. If you have a good one to share, post it in the comments below. Maybe you will bring a smile to someone's face, or encourage a first year teacher who just experienced a terrible first day. They might appreciate knowing how many of us have been there too.
We meet between 120-160 new people in the first two days of school and spend eighty minute blocks of time with them in groups of 20-25. It's pretty miserable for an introvert like me. But this year was very different. Maybe it's the experience. Or maybe my first first day was such a disaster that it has taken over a decade to recover. Only now do I feel confident enough to divulge my first day experience to the public.
August 1996, twenty-two years old. That seemed like adulthood at the time, but today that age doesn't seem to far from high school. I'd completed my student teaching assignment and taken a job at the same school. I showed up dressed better than I've ever dressed since, all planned out and ready to change the world. We taught on a six period A/B block schedule, so classes were One Hundred minutes long. My planning was first period. Of course I couldn't show up on my first day unprepared, so I arrived at school with nothing to do but sit in the office and be nervous for nearly two-hours. My classroom was occupied by another teacher, so I alternated between sitting on the couch and pacing the floor in our social studies office. (This office has since been given away, but that's another long, sad story)
The bell rang, it was showtime, and I was as ready as I could be. Days of planning, hours of practice, and the hour plus of final preparation behind me, I set out for the classroom. The tardy bell rang and I quickly finished taking attendance and began the lesson for the day. It was a good lesson and the students responded well. But nearing the end of what I'd prepared, I noticed the clock. It was still only 11:30. The class was scheduled to end at 12:40. I stalled and talked and tried to pry questions out of the class. They were seniors and it appeared that no one told them that summer was over. They sat, quiet and disengaged. I strung it out as long as I could. Finally, around 11:45 I threw in the towel.
"O.K. class. I'm really sorry, but that's all I've got. I don't have anything else for us to do today." I didn't have enough skill or experience to wing it, and I didn't know the course well enough to move ahead. So we sat. Did I mention my introversion? I tried to make small talk. Engage them in conversation about their summer, sports, family, anything. Finally I gave up on even that and no one said a word for the final forty-five minutes of class. Awkward silence and wasted time.
I really was a terrible teacher my first year. Thankfully I got another chance. Thankfully, today I'm able to smile for an entire period and get mostly the same in return from my students until the bell rings and we have to interrupt what we're doing so they can switch classes. Thankfully, as hard as this job can be, with good colleagues and the right support and training, we get better every year on the job.
I doubt my story sounds nearly as traumatic to the reader as it was for me. I'm sure there are much better first day horror stories than mine. If you have a good one to share, post it in the comments below. Maybe you will bring a smile to someone's face, or encourage a first year teacher who just experienced a terrible first day. They might appreciate knowing how many of us have been there too.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Oh...It's On.
August 22nd marks the start of the 2012-2013 school year for Albemarle County Schools and after seven excruciating days...It's On.
Can you sense our excitement? Because we really are excited to finally have the chance to do what we do. Like the great Ric Flair, we can hardly contain our excitement. (How did it take this long for our first Ric Flair reference to appear?)
So for all those beginning the year all over the county, state and country...students, teachers and others...good luck.
Let us all hope we get off to a better start than this guy.
Can you sense our excitement? Because we really are excited to finally have the chance to do what we do. Like the great Ric Flair, we can hardly contain our excitement. (How did it take this long for our first Ric Flair reference to appear?)
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| Wooooooooooooo! He'd probably have been a great teacher. |
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| Like this kid, the TU ain't messing around this year...we're ready. |
Let us all hope we get off to a better start than this guy.
Monday, July 23, 2012
What Does a Good Education Look Like?
When describing a good education people use many differing phrases. Many of these fail to frame the subject with any degree of specificity. Instead the terms used glow with ambiguity and define things in a more general sense. That's not necessarily a bad thing and allows for flexibility. Effort by many to quantify and replicate what they see as a good a "good" education has produced the opposite result. This may in part be a symptom of only working towards a defined outcome. It is OK that that phrase has a different meaning to different people and it is more about a process. With so many buzzwords in the lexicon of education today a quick dialogue on the subject is worthwhile. It can't hurt to enumerate some things that characterize what our schools should be about. So let's do so from the point of view of a parent asking for things from a school for their child.
School: "Hi there! Welcome to our school. What can we do for you?"
Parent: "Well I have a 9th grade child starting school here tomorrow and would like to make a few requests for things I want for my child."
School: " Go right ahead."
Parent: "First off, my child is very special and I'd like them treated as such. Just like when I sent them off to Kindergarten I want them to feel safe, loved and gain a sense of independence. I want them treated as a unique individual with has access to caring and trusted professionals who have a say in the school. I 'd like my child provided with a rich varied learning diet that imparts key knowledge and skills needed by any well informed individual. Preferably emphasizing the normal core subjects. They'll need math and science, english and of course, history. Throw in some other languages for good measure. I'd like them to develop an active and healthy lifestyle so they'll need some physical education classes and also health. I'd like to stress that they learn to read and write well. The approach in all of these classes should be innovative but not too far removed from solid trusted foundations. They should learn to think critically about subjects and get to explore things that interest them. I want them to view their education as an investment in their future, whatever that may be.
Learning about all of this should help them gain a sense of their own identity. I want them to develop curiosity and creativity. Exposure in the arts and music certainly would help with this. These pursuits should allow my child to grow in non academic ways and have an appreciation of art and music, even if they themselves do not have an talent for them. I'd like my child to have access to the types of technology that aid us all in the modern world. I want them to see technology as a powerful tool and not a shortcut. The school should be well funded so it is not wanting for what it needs. My child should be given the opportunity for a rich discourse on subjects and learn more than just about it and instead experience it.
Beyond academics, my child needs to learn to work with others as part of a group. Whether that is through cooperative projects, on a sports team, club, or in some other fashion I want them to establish positive relationships. They'll need the skills to become a good communicator. I want them to learn about leadership and respect. I'd like my child to be nurtured and supported when they need it and I also want them challenged and learn the value of hard work. I know it won't all be smooth sailing so they'll need to be able to handle conflict and work through it. They'll need to learn to persevere through adversity and disappointment and learn how to respond to and learn from to failure. I'd like the school and teachers to be open in communicating things with me so I may aid in all of this.
I want my child to have an equal chance to pursue excellence. They should learn about honesty and integrity. I want them to be proud of their work. I want them to learn about responsibility, dependability and If they don't thrive as much as others I still want them to be safe, happy and know that people care about them. I want them to learn to be the best they can be. Beyond themselves, I'd like them to learn to recognize their role in the school, local community and develop personal responsibility to themselves and all those those around them. In the end they will want to contribute positively to their community through what they learn.
These are all things I want. I know it is a great deal to ask. I just want my child to have a chance at a good education"
Fact is there are many ways to answer that question. Love to hear input from others beyond this hastily compiled version. Please feel free to share in the comments.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Summer Advice for Teachers
Take a vacation- Actually go somewhere for a few days. If you are like many teachers with kids and cannot afford to go to the beach for a week find a friend or relative to share with. If that's not good then just go stay at an old friends house with your family. And if that's no good then, well you probably shouldn't be a teacher since you have no friends.
Lay low- People do not like the fact teachers have "time off'" so don't flaunt it too much. But relish the days.
Read-You have to read. Not just because of the benefits but just as a matter of principle. Pick a few things you want and maybe a few that will help you do your job more effectively. either related to your content or how to teach. Jut think you can actually start and finish a book without being interrupted.
Take a trip- Go somewhere you haven't been. Hopefully somewhere local that you always drive past but never actually visit. This is not the vacation, usually just a day trip but you will feel much more productive afterwords.
Stay Connected- Find some way to connect to fellow staffers are up to and make time to visit and mingle with them.
Don't sleep in too much- That will actually shorten the days and make them go by faster. But it should be noted that the first week should be spent doing pretty much nothing.
Prepare-As soon as you find out what you'll be teaching start getting ready. Granted for some of you this might not happen until the week before school.
Improve- Target one major way to improve your classroom or teaching that you will use this upcoming year. Start envisioning ways to make that a success. If nothing else refer to our technology post from awhile back.
Turn off and disconnect-I lament the time I see kids brains wasting away in front of the TV or computer screen unable to unplug, so be sure you don't fall victim to the same syndrome of constant connectivity. Better yet get outside, especially somewhere near water. If not the ocean than some other large body of water. The ions in the air recharge the soul....or it is just cool to be near water, either one.
Be a "weenie"- That is to say ween yourself off of school slowly by being sure you leave things at school well, and ween yourself back into school mode slowly. As sad as it is to think about, summer does not last forever.
Smile- It is summer after all.
Lay low- People do not like the fact teachers have "time off'" so don't flaunt it too much. But relish the days.
Read-You have to read. Not just because of the benefits but just as a matter of principle. Pick a few things you want and maybe a few that will help you do your job more effectively. either related to your content or how to teach. Jut think you can actually start and finish a book without being interrupted.
Take a trip- Go somewhere you haven't been. Hopefully somewhere local that you always drive past but never actually visit. This is not the vacation, usually just a day trip but you will feel much more productive afterwords.
Stay Connected- Find some way to connect to fellow staffers are up to and make time to visit and mingle with them.
Don't sleep in too much- That will actually shorten the days and make them go by faster. But it should be noted that the first week should be spent doing pretty much nothing.
Prepare-As soon as you find out what you'll be teaching start getting ready. Granted for some of you this might not happen until the week before school.
Improve- Target one major way to improve your classroom or teaching that you will use this upcoming year. Start envisioning ways to make that a success. If nothing else refer to our technology post from awhile back.
Turn off and disconnect-I lament the time I see kids brains wasting away in front of the TV or computer screen unable to unplug, so be sure you don't fall victim to the same syndrome of constant connectivity. Better yet get outside, especially somewhere near water. If not the ocean than some other large body of water. The ions in the air recharge the soul....or it is just cool to be near water, either one.
Be a "weenie"- That is to say ween yourself off of school slowly by being sure you leave things at school well, and ween yourself back into school mode slowly. As sad as it is to think about, summer does not last forever.
Smile- It is summer after all.
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| I do love this movie |
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Teaching Underground's 2011-2012 Report Card
In an age where "grades" grow more irrelevant by the day, the TU thought it fitting to assign grades to some people and events that have transpired during the past school year.
Teaching Underground-
We increased traffic and managed to avoid violating our moral standards(we have none). Still we navigated the past 12 months with some effort and did our best to share what we thought about where we are and where we are going.
Grade = B+
Virginia Weather-
Earthquakes, derechos, 100+ degrees, no snow days.
Grade - You decide.
NASA-
This actually happened during Summer School last year but how on earth(how's that for a punn) could we have a space program without the shuttle? Since 1981 the Space Shuttle has been the face of manned American Space Flight. In an age where we are expected to inspire young scientists and explorers we will have to teach them more from movies than real life. Russia and China are now the only 2 government programs capable of manned missions that dock in space. China was 40 yrs late but is catching up fast. NASA might not actually deserve a low grade but the Feds and others who complain about the budget saying "we should solve our problems here on earth before going into space"... leave me uninspired.
Grade = D
Michelle Rhee-
You have learned much during the past year. You have worked hard. Sadly it seems all your efforts have done little save self promotion and distort actual events. We suspect you are a nice and decent person, but dislike your policies immensely.
Grade = F-
Diane Ravitch-
TU was very impressed with her comments back in December and we would rank her among the smartest kids in the class. Keep up the good work.
Grade = A+
UVa Board of Visitors-
We are grading them just because in the new world of accoutability..the people at the top have carte blanche for Strategic Dynamism and that ain't good. While re-instating President Teresa Sullivan calmed the storm, some things you can't take back. Dragas is back on the board, re-appointed by McDonnell in a move some found unexpected. Hope you all learned something from all this and won't mess up again. So we have to do our best to give the grade you earned on this group project.
Grade =D
Albemarle County-
More is not always better and as high school students now flock to study halls and complain about workloads, their hand is forced by trying to remain competitive amongst their own classmates. Teachers share an increased burden as well, leaving some kids regrettably, behind. The longer the system stays in place, the less people are able to say about it because of fatigue. This creates the illusion that it's ok. Seven classes seemed plenty, just sayin'.
Grade = Proficient(grades will soon be replaced a standards based system)
Ken Cuccinelli-
Who sues a college professor for fraud? Never mind those people who steal money from the elderly with phone and E-mail scams or companies that pollute our streams. He's running for governor and steering hard right. If he gets the nod hope he builds bridges instead of burning them. Still you are the C.A. for our great state, obscene seal and all, props.
Grade = No Credit
The US Supreme Court-
How can a corporation be a person? Agree or disagree, it was interesting to see them make a ruling that mattered on health care.
Grade = NA(we know nothing about the law, just the Constitution)
Lebron James-
He stands still, the world spins around him. That "announcement" showed that some people do lose touch. Still he did win a title and is probably among the most athletic individuals, ever. Present company excluded. While in a perfect world, Cleveland would have won a title before him, he won. Let's end the hate and hope he plays as well and as hard at the Olympics since everyone else is hurt or backing out.
Grade= B+
Grade = A-
Patricia Wright-
Not sure about what to assign here. The state continues to pour money towards Pearson and SOLs but also was recently granted a NCLB waiver doing away with complex and unrealistic AYP objectives . (Thanks secretary Duncan). Time will tell if the hoops that probably come with the waiver will help or hurt. Still 2014 was only 1 year away.
Grade = Inc
Fermilab Tevatron Scientists
You maybe sort of found or proved that the Higgs Field or the Higgs Boson exists? Huh? This theoretical physics stuff is above our pay grade but makes more sense thanks to all things, Youtube(see video here).
Take that CERN and your Large Hadron Collider. We like particle accelerators as long as they don't make Black Holes.
Grade = B(too smart is not always good)
Bashar al-Assad -
You should be expelled and the people of Syria will be better for it.
Grade = Double F
City of Lynchburg
For the second time they discharged wastewater into the James River. This time 250,000 gallons an hour for about 18 hours. Sees to me that somebody somewhere could find a way to fix this. Either that or change your city logo to show the stench coming off the river Beyond the damage to the river itself I and other citizens of the state will again have to avoid a place we love dearly.
Grade = F
Grade = D
Bryce Harper
This talented rookie plays hard day in, day out and we admire that. The Washington Nationals are for now relevant, though some TU members remain Orioles fans and think the Senators will always be the only rightful DC team, not the Expos. He did break a bat in a tantrum and injure himself but he still went to bat, blood and all. Only retiring Chipper Jones stood between him and the MLB All Star Game. He dropped out of HS to chase his dream. What does he deserve? "That's a clown questions, bro."
Grade = C or A depending on your loyalties.
Va General Assembly-
What the heck is going on down there in Richmond? What was once a proud bipartsan legislature has devolved into side by side party convention on our dime. Please stop the political infighting and focus on doing the job you were given when elected.
Grade = D
America
This is still the best country on Earth. Anyone who disagrees is a red bellied commie. Have a great July 4th.
Grade = A++
Have some grades you want to assign? Add a comment.
We increased traffic and managed to avoid violating our moral standards(we have none). Still we navigated the past 12 months with some effort and did our best to share what we thought about where we are and where we are going.
Grade = B+
Virginia Weather-
Earthquakes, derechos, 100+ degrees, no snow days.
Grade - You decide.
This actually happened during Summer School last year but how on earth(how's that for a punn) could we have a space program without the shuttle? Since 1981 the Space Shuttle has been the face of manned American Space Flight. In an age where we are expected to inspire young scientists and explorers we will have to teach them more from movies than real life. Russia and China are now the only 2 government programs capable of manned missions that dock in space. China was 40 yrs late but is catching up fast. NASA might not actually deserve a low grade but the Feds and others who complain about the budget saying "we should solve our problems here on earth before going into space"... leave me uninspired.
Grade = D
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| "Rhee" rhymes with "me" |
You have learned much during the past year. You have worked hard. Sadly it seems all your efforts have done little save self promotion and distort actual events. We suspect you are a nice and decent person, but dislike your policies immensely.
Grade = F-
TU was very impressed with her comments back in December and we would rank her among the smartest kids in the class. Keep up the good work.
Grade = A+
We are grading them just because in the new world of accoutability..the people at the top have carte blanche for Strategic Dynamism and that ain't good. While re-instating President Teresa Sullivan calmed the storm, some things you can't take back. Dragas is back on the board, re-appointed by McDonnell in a move some found unexpected. Hope you all learned something from all this and won't mess up again. So we have to do our best to give the grade you earned on this group project.
Grade =D
More is not always better and as high school students now flock to study halls and complain about workloads, their hand is forced by trying to remain competitive amongst their own classmates. Teachers share an increased burden as well, leaving some kids regrettably, behind. The longer the system stays in place, the less people are able to say about it because of fatigue. This creates the illusion that it's ok. Seven classes seemed plenty, just sayin'.
Grade = Proficient(grades will soon be replaced a standards based system)
 |
| KC reacts to an SOL question. |
Who sues a college professor for fraud? Never mind those people who steal money from the elderly with phone and E-mail scams or companies that pollute our streams. He's running for governor and steering hard right. If he gets the nod hope he builds bridges instead of burning them. Still you are the C.A. for our great state, obscene seal and all, props.
Grade = No Credit
How can a corporation be a person? Agree or disagree, it was interesting to see them make a ruling that mattered on health care.
Grade = NA(we know nothing about the law, just the Constitution)
He stands still, the world spins around him. That "announcement" showed that some people do lose touch. Still he did win a title and is probably among the most athletic individuals, ever. Present company excluded. While in a perfect world, Cleveland would have won a title before him, he won. Let's end the hate and hope he plays as well and as hard at the Olympics since everyone else is hurt or backing out.
Grade= B+
Sausage Boy-
Man that guy is a legend. He lost all that weight and when he puts that shirt with epaulettes on, look out. The world would be his oyster, if he ate those. He left the basement but still managed a solid year. (and rumor has it Turner's on a mini-juicing binge.)Grade = A-
Not sure about what to assign here. The state continues to pour money towards Pearson and SOLs but also was recently granted a NCLB waiver doing away with complex and unrealistic AYP objectives . (Thanks secretary Duncan). Time will tell if the hoops that probably come with the waiver will help or hurt. Still 2014 was only 1 year away.
Grade = Inc
Fermilab Tevatron Scientists
Take that CERN and your Large Hadron Collider. We like particle accelerators as long as they don't make Black Holes.
Grade = B(too smart is not always good)
You should be expelled and the people of Syria will be better for it.
Grade = Double F
For the second time they discharged wastewater into the James River. This time 250,000 gallons an hour for about 18 hours. Sees to me that somebody somewhere could find a way to fix this. Either that or change your city logo to show the stench coming off the river Beyond the damage to the river itself I and other citizens of the state will again have to avoid a place we love dearly.
Grade = F
Greece and the EU-
Not saying we understand economics, austerity measures or anything having to do with international fiscal policy or currency but it appears the same could be said for you folks over there in Europe.Grade = D
This talented rookie plays hard day in, day out and we admire that. The Washington Nationals are for now relevant, though some TU members remain Orioles fans and think the Senators will always be the only rightful DC team, not the Expos. He did break a bat in a tantrum and injure himself but he still went to bat, blood and all. Only retiring Chipper Jones stood between him and the MLB All Star Game. He dropped out of HS to chase his dream. What does he deserve? "That's a clown questions, bro."
Grade = C or A depending on your loyalties.
What the heck is going on down there in Richmond? What was once a proud bipartsan legislature has devolved into side by side party convention on our dime. Please stop the political infighting and focus on doing the job you were given when elected.
Grade = D
This is still the best country on Earth. Anyone who disagrees is a red bellied commie. Have a great July 4th.
Grade = A++
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