Appreciation

Well Teacher Appreciation week came and went at my school...like elsewhere around the nation and world.  So with all the hubbub the real question to address is do I feel appreciated.  Yes and No. 

I will start with the bad. There is plenty of that.  In the recent past I am coming off another demoralizing budget season.  Sure money is tight, it always is.  But I have slowly come to grips with the fact I live in a community and a state that could do a better job supporting education, but chooses not to.  That's putting it gently.  Some outwardly decry taxes are too high and blame wasteful schools and dare I say...overpaid teachers.  Maybe so.  But more likely the levels of bureaucratic decision makers all take and redirect their share before it comes anywhere near me or my classroom.  I have what I need I suppose.  I know I have it way better than many around the nation.  So I learn not to complain or open my hand and whine too often.  But over the last few years most of the heavy lifting when it comes to balancing budgets, teaching more classes and more kids falls on guess who?  Mr. and Mrs. Appreciated.  But I don't like talking about money and few teachers start teaching in order to get rich.  If they did, they are dum(I like that one).

So there is one strike against appreciation.  But I get it elsewhere too.  Let's stick to the last week when a colleague who is a fellow coach couldn't get a sub for when he left early with the team he coached.  Maybe some of that was on him but this Spring has been crazy with cancellations so instead he had to struggle to find a colleague who could give up their unencumbered planning to cover his class.  A day before another teacher who wasn't feeling well heard the same thing.  That doesn't make me feel appreciated.   I was also informed of the Required Summer Professional Development where I was given no real choice.  Just choose among what and when I want to take it.  Next I dealt with the run up to next Fall when our overcrowded school will get another 100 or so 9th graders. 

During all that I kept focused in the hectic weeks before you guessed it, testing season.  ARGH! Already stressed and overworked with unrealistic and unsustainable expectations I had a young man in my class illustrate a point for me. I exist in a landscape  where  a 14 yr student chooses to put his head down, 3 minutes after I made a special effort to reach him about doing his best and what he is capable in the hopes I could get him through the 9th grade.  I felt more powerless than usual and that says something.   

I am in the not so sweet spot part of my career where I am devalued since I am not "new" and choose not to leave the classroom as a senior teacher in favor of some other role.  Most efforts on a national level seem to depreciate teachers.  From how they are evaluated to the ever tightening knot that limits how they practice their craft.  I did get the normal mass mailing letters of appreciation from the school board and division superintendent which I thought was nice.  But truth be told I am tired of being "told" I am appreciated.  But it wasn't all bad.

So how do I feel appreciated you ask?  There were some small gestures from students.  The applegrams, brief notes from students, yep... I received a handful.  I did get a small gift of appreciation from a family with a nice note.  I teach 135 kids so the odds were in my favor.  I did also get a few E-mail thanks which were nice gestures as well.  The most noticeable efforts were school wide in the form of some well timed and very tasty meals, snacks and treats from our parent teacher organization.  A thousand thanks to them!  So I do I suppose feel more appreciated than last week. 

Still what I appreciate has nothing to do with what week it is or what gets organized.  It is the psychological pay from countless seemingly meaningless interactions with the vibrant and infectious energy of youth.  It is seeing the world through their eyes and thinking of it as if they were my own children.  It is seeing the newness of learning brighten a day and the occasional light bulb go off.  Usually it goes off now on a cell phone first...  It is the unexpected thank you for something you did to help a student out.  It is the feeling of appreciation when students look to you for help, guidance and support.  The moments that are ever so briefly and arre, but also but also profound that make me feel appreciated as a teacher.  Thanks. 

Truth in Fiction

My latest Netflix binge/guilty pleasure has been the t.v. show Sons of Anarchy. It’s an ultraviolent show about a young man’s ascent to leadership of a California motorcycle gang. They deal in drugs, pornography, and guns—but mainly guns. It’s great fiction, but like most fiction, you have to let hold of your grasp of reality to truly enjoy it.

For example, house cleaning is a constant chore in our house. The washing machine runs so much it’s like another member of the family. House cleaning is the primary source of conflict between members of our family. We even paid someone to do it for us for a while and it helped, but didn’t solve the enormous task required to not live in filth.

But no one ever cleans on Sons of Anarchy unless someone is murdered and then obviously the

body, blood, other evidence must be taken care of. The lead character in this show constantly deals with intergroup dynamics of his gang, meets with rival and cooperative gang leaders to keep the peace, and frequently participates in the “runs” and “deals” associated with the gang. Maybe we can assume that his wife does all of the cleaning—except she is a Surgeon.

And childcare! This couple has two young children to care for and only a gun-toting, marijuana smoking, heavy drinking, promiscuous grandma to help them out. (The one who crashed while they were in the car because she was driving while stoned) My wife and I are just teachers, but we’ve already found that a majority of life is consumed by taking care of children. Yet these kids just seem to show up when the plot demands, and somehow, when they’re not on camera, someone is taking care of them.

Don’t get me started on The Walking Dead. The midst of a Zombie Apocalypse and somehow food, water, and personal hygiene (not to mention unlimited supplies of gasoline, automobiles, guns and ammo) are just magically taken care of.

If you want to enjoy this kind of fiction. you’ve just got to resolve yourself to the fact that they are stories, and good stories ignore the mundane realities of life. That’s why we like them. If I wanted to watch someone clean house I could just get off the couch and experience it first hand.

I want people who don’t work in a classroom to recognize that sometimes they want to see the fiction of teaching and learning. In the end, the story—engaged students working toward meaningful goals—is all that anyone wants to see. I don’t blame them, that’s the part that everybody likes (including teachers). It’s ok so long as there is a recognition that it’s the real world and not fiction.

The mundane details usually consume most of our life, even if it’s the “story worthy” moments that we remember. If we don’t take care of the mundane details effectively, we might even find that we never get to the “story worthy” moments.

In teaching, I’m talking about taking attendance and accounting for every student, and then going back to change it for everyone that is late. I’m talking about setting aside the time to grade and then spending chunks of time on the late work. It’s planning out your instruction and then reorganizing your lessons in response to student feedback, snow days, unplanned drills, etc. It’s collecting paperwork and making sure the consent forms are signed, preparing the materials for the homebound student.

It’s deciding whether it’s best to hold the crying student accountable for not being prepared or deciding that grace is appropriate in the moment. It’s letting a little school work go undone at school so that you can take the time to be human and interact with your students, knowing that it will take away the time that you have at home to be human and interact with your family.

It’s standing over a copy machine or waiting for documents to upload, it’s covering for a teacher in a medical emergency. It’s remembering to reserve the computers and searching the building to find them in the room of a previous user. It’s falling back on plan B when the technology fails (and it’s going to fail).

It’s like housework and childcare for a family. When we consume fiction, we don’t want to think about the realities, just the good stories.  I want to tell the good stories of our classrooms, but like my colleague pointed out in the previous post, it would be nice to acknowledge some of the reality.

Maybe then we could recognize that the way forward in education isn’t just looking for the problem and finding its solution. It's about working through the problems-- which aren't problems at all, just the reality of life-- and appreciating the story worthy moments.

Inspiration for Teachers

When my life is over,
I hope I will have helped others to look ahead.

I’ve gained no wealth or fame.
Nothing I’ve built is seen
It was never easy and
wouldn’t have it any other way.

A room filled with people now is empty.
I never cared what I taught, I cared about who I taught. 
I hope I am remembered.  I hope I remember them

Now that I am gone do not leave my desk empty.
Find someone who’ll weather the tough days and those that speak ill of schools. 
Find one who overcomes the problems, the poverty, the anger, the mandates.
Find one who can give of themselves when they have little to give.

Give them one thing I have left to give.
Find that teacher and give my place to them.

I'm Still Anxious

Tomorrow I begin my eighteenth school year as a teacher. But I’m still anxious. After tomorrow I will have met more than one hundred classes for the first time, and still, I’m anxious. I watched the handful of students roaming the halls today, finding their way around before the first day of school, and I saw a look on their face that I recognized. I’m still anxious about the first day of school.

I’ll meet over one hundred strangers tomorrow and the next day for the first time. And by the end of the week, I’ll need to convince them that I’m trustworthy, that I care, that I deserve their respect and cooperation. I have to make them believe that they’ll be better off for doing what I ask of them.

Tomorrow is the first day of school and I’m anxious.

You expect it from a student. A student starting a new school, but from a teacher with years of first day experiences? Still feeling of anxiety on the first day of class?

My first year of teaching, a computer on every teacher’s desk was the big deal. Tomorrow I’m slightly frustrated because my students can’t use the laptops until the second period of the day. My first year I spent hours setting up Excel to use as a grade book. Today, I spent a few minutes making sure my Powerschool settings are correct because students and teachers can view my gradebook in real time. I’ve spent more hours designing my website than working on a syllabus this year.

Teaching is different every year. Students are different every year. I’m different every year. And every year I’m anxious. Very few things continue to work year after year, and a teacher must constantly review and revise what they do.

I’m a little socially awkward. I’m uncomfortable around people I don’t know. I don’t like large groups. That doesn’t sound like someone who’d make a good teacher. But I am. I’m probably not great, but I must be better than adequate. I teach an elective that students choose to take, and many choose to take it year after year.

But what I do doesn’t come natural. It takes lots of work. Lots of work, and lots of worry.

Sometimes when I watch performers I notice when they perform to perfection it seems effortless. So much so that I think, “I could do that.” But the older I get, the more I realize, the easier they make it look, the more practice and time and energy they’ve put into it. When it looks the easiest, it’s been the hardest.

I’ve worked hard this year, like every year, to make tomorrow seem easy. And after that, the next one-hundred and seventy-nine won’t be so bad. And the anxiety will give way to relief as my students and I settle into 2013-2014.

Happy First Day of School everyone.

My Day in Court

I teach in a basement with five other teachers. During a tornado drill, my class gets to stay put because we’re in the safest place in the building. Recently I quipped with my principal that every time I poke my head above ground I feel like I’m walking into the aftermath of a tornado and want to retreat below the surface.

Three months ago I ventured above ground to make copies for class. As I walked across the courtyard of our school, some students gathered in social groups, others were moving toward their classes. I nearly made it all the way across when a young man approached a small group and punched another young man in the back of the head.

I was far enough along to keep moving and pretend I didn’t notice. I won’t lie, I considered this option. I could have ducked into the building, leaving the action behind. As the men (can you call 17 and 18 year olds boys?) began posturing and yelling at each other I looked across the courtyard for other adults.

No one.

Now I’m stuck.

A fight is breaking out and no one is here to help.

Before they started throwing punches I determined that coming between them was a no win approach for any of us. I couldn’t choose one to restrain without just holding him for the other to pummel. So as the arms started flying, I embraced them both, bringing them as close together as possible, keeping them from punching.

The three of us continued an awkward dance for what seemed like two or three minutes. Probably more like seconds. All three of us ended up on the ground before two other teachers, three administrators, a security aide, and the school resource officer finally separated the mass of people.

We haven’t had a fight in the basement in over fifteen years. It had been a while since I’ve had to intervene. I had such an adrenaline rush during the incident I felt hungover the rest of the day.

I’d never seen the two students before. I didn’t know their names. The administrators didn’t make me write a referral, but I had to write a description of what I saw. I completed it that day and sent it. Story over, right.

Wrong.

Today I get to spend the day in court.

I want to be an enlightened educator. I want to provide meaningful experiences for students. I want to give them freedom and choice in their education. I want them to collaborate and learn together. I want students to engage in discovery. And I try to make all of this happen.

But today, my students will take a multiple choice test and watch a video because their year is one day from over and I’m in court.

There is a realism to teaching that gets lost. It’s easy to talk about the ideal of intrinsically motivated students just waiting for a teacher to find the spark that drives them to creativity and a passion for learning.

But then you step in between two grown men throwing punches at each other. You sit in the back of the classroom for several minutes allowing your body to recover while students discuss “who won.” You worry that the dirt on one of the three pairs of nice pants you own will wash out. You hope the pain in your forty year old back is only temporary. You wonder how many other adults in the world are expected to use physical force in their job without any formal training. And you wonder how easy it would have been to just stay underground and keep your head down.

Then you realize you’re better than all that. The progressives can criticize us for lack of creativity, the corporate reformers can criticize us for incompetence, and nearly everyone can accuse us of thinking of ourselves instead of our students.

Even when our actions everyday say otherwise.

Time

I’ve been busy. It takes a lot of time and energy to teach one-hundred and thirty teenagers in six different classes.

You can’t just walk into a room and teach. Most people don’t think about this. For anyone who doesn’t teach, think about the last time you had to prepare for a presentation or speech. How long did it take? And did you really engage an audience or just talk to them and show pictures?

Preparing to teach a lesson takes time.

Student’s don’t (and shouldn’t) work without feedback. I’ve found a few learning experiences that students enjoy just for the fun of it, or because they’re curious enough to engage, but even if minimal feedback wasn’t required for nearly every activity, we still have to assess for learning in multiple ways. For anyone who doesn’t teach, think about how much time you take to pay the monthly bills, or file your tax returns. Or maybe it’s the monthly maintenance around your house. Sometimes it’s more enjoyable than others, but sometimes you just have to do it. And the consequences of not doing it can be disastrous.

Assessing student work and giving feedback takes time.

That alone is a full-time job, enough to consume an entire workday and beyond.

If you really want to engage with your family, involve yourself in the community, and maybe enjoy an hour or two of personal leisure in the week it’s hard to do much more. It’s hard to even do your best.

That’s why we’ve been so quiet lately.

A picture is worth a thousand words(APWATW).

Add your own  insightful or humorous caption in the comments sections.


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"

Doing Versus Thinking

Which is the more noble task? Generating the idea or carrying it out?  Action without thought is ineffective, but thought without action is useless.  The dichotomy reminds me of James' warning in the Christian Bible's New Testament.  He reminded early Christians that "faith without works is dead." For two millennia, Christians have debated the role of faith and works, but most would agree, they are not mutually exclusive expressions.

Likewise, ideas and execution-- thinking and doing-- cannot exist in isolation.  As teachers, we plan, we do, and after it's over, we think some more and evaluate so that next time we can do it better.  At least that's how it should work.

I'll admit, there are times when I don't see that I have time to think.  I simply "do."  I taught U.S. Government the first six years of my career.  It was my only consistent prep, so every year I had to prepare for a new class in addition to teaching Government.  I didn't have time to plan or think about what to teach so I relied on the previous year's material.  After six years, even I was tired of what I had to teach.  I started throwing away materials after I used them just to prevent myself from going back to them the next year.  But too often as a teacher we get so caught in the busyness of everything that needs to be done that thinking becomes a luxury that our time can't afford.

In regards to education, some people spend more time thinking than doing.  Educational structures facilitate this.  A recent article noted that with the exception of Administration, there is little room for vertical movement of teachers.  Making the choice to move upward in the world of education usually removes one from the classroom.  Many capable teachers do not seek higher level positions because of this, but do we really want to encourage good teachers out of the classroom anyway?

Administrators, guidance counselors, tech support, etc., all have their jobs to do; "Thinkers" don't include everyone that serves our schools outside of the classroom.  But from created positions in individual schools all the way up to our Secretary of Education, too many education professionals spend their day "thinking" without very much "doing."

How do we bridge this divide of "doers" who don't think enough and "thinkers" who don't do enough?

Thinking takes time.  We put quite a bit of thought and time into the Teaching Underground.  Still, we fail to match the depth of content or frequency of posting that so many others manage to handle.  The frequency and quality of the Underground is a product of how much "real" work we have to manage as teachers.  I'm sure most bloggers feel this stretch.  I've often thought "why do I do this, there is not enough time in the day and what do I really accomplish in the end? I'm simply thinking about my profession and sharing those ideas with others."

My answer: because thinking is just as important as doing and I refuse to give up the power of ideas to drive the efforts of my work toward meaningful ends.

To the doers:  Take a break.  Think about what you're doing, why you're doing it, and what you'd like to do next. Learn about what's happening around you and figure out your appropriate place within the context you live and work. If you have to leave somethings "undone" to protect your time and energy for thought, do it.  If you're too busy to stop and think, you're too busy.  You're going to harm someone if you keep going.

To the thinkers: Get your hands dirty. Not a casual drop in or guest appearance in the classroom.  Find a regular consistent way to directly impact a teacher, student or group of students.  Don't overburden the "doers" with good ideas that you can't test out yourself.  Remember that ideas don't have a life of their own, don't treasure them so much that when the doers tell you the ideas aren't working that you don't believe them.  If you don't remember what it's like to miss your lunch or postpone a much needed bathroom break because you're occupied with students, you're not connected with the place where your ideas are carried out. If that's the case, stop thinking so much and do something.  You're going to harm someone if you keep going.

To everyone who can make a difference: Give teachers the power to think and trust them to make good decisions. Provide the space and time for their experience and practice to gel into sound theory and plans for moving forward. Don't make decisions in isolation, but build systems that give teachers the ability to engage in deliberate thought about policy and practice.  Don't provide opportunities to attend after-school forums, complete surveys, or serve on another committee and consider it teacher leadership.  Consider placing certain decision-makers in the classroom more often, and give certain teachers a break from full teaching schedules in exchange for leadership roles.

Effective education requires a proper mix of thinking and doing from everyone, not a cadre of thinkers to direct the activity of the doers. This is education after all, not a beehive.

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 love Teachers"   "No Governor, I love teachers"

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.

Educational Leadership: Part II

“It’s all about the kids.” That’s the rationale given by high-profile education reformers and policy leaders for decisions that largely dismiss or ignore the importance of teachers in the process.  “It’s all about the kids” is often thrown around to set up a false dichotomy that interests of teachers stand in opposition to the interests of students. 

I don’t doubt the sincerity of politicians and education leaders, but if they really want to best serve students without spending time in a school, the only way to do so is by supporting the teachers who do.

I’ve worked with several different types of student leadership groups.  When pressed to answer the question “why do you want to be a leader?” most students answer honestly.  They want to influence decision-making, have a say in matters that affect them, design projects to help others in the school and community—rarely do they reflect on the reality that leadership is about facilitating growth and maturation of those they serve, creating the best environment for others to reach their potential.  “You’ve already proven you can make something of yourself, the next step is to make something of the other guy.”  That’s one of the first lessons I use in the leadership class that I sometimes teach.   

We need more of this in educational leadership.  Adults who want to empower other adults to become better at what they do; not adults who want to exercise control or power to push their own agendas.To effectively lead in that regard, three things are needed.

1) Leadership must come from within.  A leader is a part of the system, not above or outside of the system.  Our most recent post mentioned a request from the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to the School Board that they consider merit pay for teachers.  To the Board of Supervisors I would say, “thank you very much for your financial support of our schools, but you don’t know what is best for our system.”

I can see some bristling at that remark.  Isn’t it like a child telling his or her parents “why can’t you just give us money and leave us alone”?  It’s nothing like that at all.  It’s like a lawyer telling the client "I know you're paying me, but you don't get to tell me how to do my job."

Large districts increasingly turn to outsiders like Joel Klein and Cathy Black to “lead” their schools.  Other leaders like Michele Rhee and Arne Duncan are only marginally connected to classroom education through a few years of experience before moving into leadership positions often beyond the building or even district level.

One of the ugly issues of the last four years of Presidential politics came from the question of citizenship by birth.  All of our elected political leaders must be citizens, and the President, a citizen from birth.  You can’t make decisions about what’s best for America if you’re not American.  You shouldn't make uninformed decisions about what’s best for education if you’re not an educator.

2) Leadership requires competence.  Competence is demonstrated only through consistent effective performance.  Recently, my colleagues and I have discussed two principles and how they relate to education. The Peter Principle is a belief that, in an organization where promotion is based on achievement, success, and merit, that organization's members will eventually be promoted beyond their level of ability.  Most districts do not promote teachers based on competence.  The notion that rewarding teachers with pay for good performance continues to float, but rarely do systems promote teachers beyond the classroom for consistent effective performance.

Beyond the classroom, an additional degree will place an individual on the promotion ladder-- from the building level administrator (a step sometimes skipped) to division-level responsibilities involving finance, human resources, building services, and many other diverse positions.

There are many effective and competent leaders in education beyond the classroom.  I’m lucky enough to work with many of them.  But, while conventional wisdom likes to point out how “bad teachers” are killing education I would argue that we’re more likely to find competence in the classroom than outside.  Teachers work up to their level of competence.  Once they reach it, they continue to perform in the classroom. 

3) Leadership requires self-awareness.  A second idea we’ve talked about lately is the “Dunning-Kruger Effect.”  Through a series of studies at Cornell University, Dunning and Kruger demonstrate that incompetent people typically don’t recognize their incompetence and fail to recognize competence in others.  It’s analogous to the student who thinks he’s prepared for the test until he starts to study.  Only then does he recognize how little he truly knows on the subject.  Furthermore, subjects who display competence are more likely to show less confidence in their abilities.

This idea is dangerous for education when highly confident individuals, unaware of their incompetence push reforms and policies without understanding the impact.  The inability to recognize competence explains why so many merit-based plans or other evaluation systems are flawed.

Subjects recognized the severity of their incompetence when exposed to appropriate training for the skill.  Higher levels of educational leadership become more isolated from this exposure.  In the classroom, my incompetence results in immediate exposure through confused students, inappropriate behaviors, complaints from parents, etc.

At higher levels, from where can this exposure come?  Unfortunately, when an administrator, superintendent, state official (keep moving up the chain) makes an incompetent or bad decision, the only way they will find out is from a subordinate.  Two problems here: 1) for a superintendent to stand up to a state official, a principal to a superintendent, a teacher to a principal—takes a lot of nerve and risk. 2) If the subordinate has the nerve to question a policy from a superior often it is dismissed as a complaint. (remember, incompetence doesn’t recognize competence in others)

What does this mean for teachers?

1) Embrace and support effective leaders. Do everything in your power to make sure they understand how necessary they are. 

2) Remember your primary client- the student.  Sometimes you have to jump through hoops, but you’re in the classroom with your clients every day.  Use your good judgment and do the right thing.

3) Build credibility and legitimacy by showing competence in your job.  Parents and students will become evidence of your ability giving greater weight to your voice beyond the classroom.

4) Stay informed. Pay attention to legislative actions, express your opinion, and educate the public through your network of friends and colleagues. (Or just refer them to The Teaching Underground if that’s too hard).

5) Remember that even when you feel like others see you as a cog in the wheel, that everyday YOU exercise the true power of leadership: You have the power to create the environment that allows each person you interact with to become the best person they can.

Has Teaching Gone Out of Style

On Wednesday nights, I teach a group of youth at our church.  This week, at the end of our session, a seventh grader whipped out a handful of balloons and a pump and started making balloon animals, much to the delight of all the other middle schoolers in the room.  It was actually quite amazing to watch him work.

One of his friends asked excitedly, "How'd you learn to do that?"

"I learned it on YouTube."

That sentence stopped me in my tracks.  My brain immediately started thinking, "Have I become unnecessary?"

I shared the thought with a parent who arrived to pick up his child.  "Yeah, you can learn anything you want on the internet nowadays."

And I replied, "you're right, if something breaks or I want to find out something that's the first place I go."

Have I become unnecessary?  I even admit to myself, if I want to learn something, I go to the internet and find out.  How to fix my car, why the pilot light on my gas logs burn so high, what was the name of that guitar player from Extreme, is John Tyler's grandson really still alive, and on and on.  If I want to find something out, I go online.

But sometimes, I don't know what I want.  Sometimes I find myself unprepared because of something I don't know.  Sometimes I need more than knowledge and find it helpful to see the example of a person who can lead me, guide me, or maybe even inspire me.

The internet has so fueled our desire for "disruptive change" we move at such breakneck speed that sometimes we end up, well, metaphorically with broken necks.  In the past few weeks, I've prematurely mourned the deaths of Morgan Freeman and Carlton from the Fresh Prince of BelAir because of incorrect Facebook and Twitter posts.  This year we've seen major errors in one time trustworthy news media outlets reporting on the Supreme Court health care decision and the Colorado theater shooting.  And I'm sure that the television show Mythbusters could manage two or three more seasons just debunking all of the false information that spreads as truth online. (Remember the cellphone popcorn popper?)

Maybe I'm not so unnecessary after all.  Despite these problems, the internet has brought about quite a positive revolution in both availability and quality of learning, and this I appreciate.  But until all students become completely self motivated to learn; until learning takes place in isolation rather than community; until we stop relying on each other to expose us to new and interesting ideas...

Until then, I am necessary and relevant.  Even if I can't teach a twelve year old how to make a balloon monkey.

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.

Why Do I Do This!?

First, let me complain.

I just read the comment on our last post.  "It took all of 10 mins for our meetings to suck the joy of being back right out of me."  I know what you mean.  My co-author told me about having his e-mail password expire this summer.  After talking to several different people at different locations, he finally resolved the problem.  We concluded that it would be nice if just once in our profession we could make a request and get the response, "o.k., I'll take care of that" instead of having to go through a chain of people to finally get connected to the right people.

In four days of being back to work, we've had meetings consume the morning of all of them.  Both of us have been asking for new (or just new to us) furniture for the last three years.  Especially Lindsay after finding mold growing on his old ones after last summer.  We found someone who knew someone that let us go to county storage to look, so hopefully we might get a set of matching "like-new" desks in our classroom.  Now we've got to figure out how to get chairs. 

I decided that as someone near forty years old with a master's degree, a bright blue desk chair with foam padding falling out of the back was a little less than professional, so I broke down and dropped $100 for a real desk chair since I didn't see one coming in the near future.  Apparently the thirty-year old "wardrobe" in my room is too large and heavy to move, so I guess it will stay another thirty years.  To liven things up a little, I went out and bought some decorations for the walls.  As I started to hang one of them, I thought of the "lipstick on a pig" quip from several years back.  So I spent the better part of the afternoon painting.  I'm afraid the nicely painted spot above my door just highlights the chipping and dulled paint on the rest of the door.

It doesn't seem like teachers are valued for doing solid work.  Unless you're doing something newsworthy, innovative, or unique, you're just kind of ignored.  So I was feeling a little down.

So, second, whatever the opposite of complain is...

C-Ville Weekly

I had a chance to write a piece for a local newsweekly called the C-Ville Weekly.  They ran it this week, and as I re-read it, I noticed that none of the stuff I complained about above.  I wrote it over the summer, and it reflects what I truly think of teaching, not the day-to-day frustrations that I'm facing in the right now. 

A former student read it and sent me a message with these words: "I learned today that there is much more emotion to a teacher than what the students see- and that's very nice to know." 

Unrelated to the article, another former student contacted me tonight and offered these words: "I just wanted to take a second and say thank you for introducing me to psychology. I love what I do and I wouldn't change it for the world. Keep up the great work, teachers like you make a difference."

Forget the first four paragraphs.  I'll teach in a moldy, humid, poorly furnished basement for the next twenty-years on the energy provided by an affirmation like that.  Come on 2012-2013, bring us the best you've got.

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.

I do love this movie

June, July, and August: And Other Common Teaching Myths

1) You only work nine months out of the year and you get paid all year.

Most teachers are on a two-hundred day contract.  They may accept payment over a ten month period or opt to spread the ten month pay over twelve months.  The option is either a smaller monthly paycheck or two months a year without pay.

2) Teachers are over/underpaid.

Assuming the average teacher has a 200-day contract and earns $50,000/year, that comes to $250.00/day.  If a teacher works an 8-hour day and nothing more it works out to around $31.00/hour.  So lets say average teacher hourly pay is $31.00 per hour.  Look at how it compares with a few other professions: (source: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm)
Accountants/Auditors- $33.72
Insurance Underwriters- $ $32.46
Dental Hygenists- $33.54

Twelve month administrative employees probably have about 241 days of expected work. (365 minus weekends and four weeks of vacation)  If the average Superintendent salary is $125,000, that’s over $500/day.  If they work at least twelve hours a day, that makes an hourly wage of $43.00/hour.  At ten hours a day it is over $50.00.

3) Unions make a big difference in the quality of education.

Some states have strong and vibrant unions, others prohibit traditional unionization through right-to-work laws.  Yet even in right-to-work states anti-union rhetoric rears its head. There are enough of both in the United States to make comparisons, and so far, no good evidence to show that unions have much of a positive or negative impact on student learning.  Placing blame on unions diverts attention from the real areas of education in need of change.

4) Those who can’t, teach.

I almost hate even writing that tired cliché, but even if people don’t say it, they think it.  In order to move up the “ladder” as a teacher, one must take course work and spend time on activities that pull them away from their work in the classroom.  In other professions, competence and mastery results in greater autonomy, benefits, and even promotion.  Teachers may show great competency and mastery for decades and leave the profession with the same amount of respect and authority they started out with.  A more accurate statement would be “those who really want to teach, the ones who don’t eventually get out, one way or the other.”

5) Anyone who can, can teach.

Teaching requires more than a particular knowledge or skill in a given field.  In well respected Universities, the most esteemed academics in a given field share their knowledge with motivated students who have already shown an ability to learn.  Those same esteemed academics may struggle greatly with a group of young students who are lacking an intrinsic motivation for the material.  An excellent instructor with minimal knowledge of biology will get much further with a group of fourteen year-old at risk students than Charles Darwin himself would have unless he developed his skills as a teacher.



Myths aside, I enjoy the weeks I have in the summer to spend time with family and friends, or just to take care of day-to-day things like doctor’s appointments and car oil changes.  I may even spend a little time preparing for the year to come. 

It’s not as easy as some may think, but all-in-all, teaching can be a satisfying and rewarding profession.  In sixteen years, I’ve always looked forward to my time off starting mid-June, but I’ve also been excited as well come the beginning of August when thoughts of a new school year draw near.

Here at the Underground, 2011-2012 came in with a bang, but with 177 days down and three to go, soon it will fade into history.  Thanks to our followers and best summer wishes to all.  We’ll keep posting from time to time this summer and we hope that you’ll keep reading.

Technology: How important is it?

Prologue:  Is a prologue allowed in a blog post?  I guess it is now.

After writing and rewriting the post below in response to my colleague's Thursday afternoon post I'm still not happy with it.  So here's the short of it.  It's irresponsible to ignore the value of technology in education--AND--it is irresponsible to overestimate the value of technology in education.  That's pretty clear isn't it?  You've read this far, you might as well read the rest to see if you can figure out what I'm trying to say any better than I can.

About ten years ago (but only lasting a few) our school administrators included integration of technology as a part of teacher evaluations.  Serving on a teacher advisory committee for the school, I remember discussions about what it means to "integrate technology" in the classroom.  I argued at the time that simply showing a video clip to the class using the online video service "United Streaming" was no better than pushing play on the VCR or Laser Disk player.

I used United Streaming frequently, and found it much better for me, the teacher, than bothering with videotapes and laser disks.  But, I didn't agree that in a given class, me showing a video clip online made me better instructionally than another teacher showing the same clip on VHS.  Ultimately, United Streaming allowed for easier selection of relevant clips and allowed for smoother transition in and out of video presentations but it certainly wasn't a "game changer."

Technology should be an integral part of instruction, and I believe this has always been true.  It can be a powerful tool for reaching students in ways that can't always happen in traditional ways.  Here in the basement of the Teaching Underground, we witnessed this just last week.

Our colleague in the basement teaches an elective called "Issues of the Modern World."  In the fall, his class conducted an interview with an participant in the Arab Spring movement in the middle east.  After hearing from him, the students were able to formulate questions to ask him again this spring.  Through these interactions, students had access to a living primary source for history in the making.  They were also able to see the evolution and change of a movement and the demeanor of one of its participants in real time.  Twenty years ago this would have been a monumental task if not impossible.  Today, an internet connection and a Skype account are all that are needed.

My question is still the same.  This isn't critical of technology.  I am impressed with this teacher's learning activity.  It was innovative and forward thinking.  His students engaged in a learning experience that they will likely remember forever.  For my AP Psychology class, I frequently invite a graduate student from the University of Virginia department of neuroscience.  These doctoral students share with my Psychology students some of their ongoing research on the brain.  They even bring in a human brain for students to see and hold.  Which experience is better?  Skype or face-to-face.

Answer: neither!

I don't think I need to really explain this.  This teacher couldn't have conducted this experience without Skype.  For me, Skyping with a guest located three miles away wouldn't make sense.  For sure, we should recognize this use of Skype in the classroom for its novelty and innovation.  We should also recognize that in this case, technology brought a living primary source into the classroom in a way that couldn't be acheived without technology.

But, the underlying pedagogy is still the same.  Exposing students to primary sources in the Social Studies engages them in the process of social science instead of simply requiring them to memorize names, dates, facts, etc.

I think that most educators in the classroom recognize the power of technology.  When it allows us to do something more efficiently or better than we could do without it, we embrace it.  When it allows students to learn in ways that are more lasting and impacting, we embrace it.

Remember all of the modes of technology that have changed teaching and learning: mass printing, chalkboards, overhead projectors, filmstrips, television in the classroom, computer labs in schools, computers in classrooms, presentation software, streaming/digital video, computer access for most/all students, social networking, online course delivery.....

Quality teaching and learning can take place in the absence of any of the above.  There is a bit of a paradox when it comes to my attitude toward educational technology.  It is at the same time one of the most important factors/tools for learning and also one of the least necessary factors/tools for learning.

Whether they articulate this idea or not, I think that most teachers get it.  Some still avoid technology altogether, and others couldn't function without it.  Usually both types carry a sense of moral superiority about what they do.  In reality, they're both missing the point.

We should use technology resources available to their full extent insofar as they benefit the teacher and/or student and make learning more efficient or effective.  We should seek out new technologies that might benefit our classrooms.  We should not overestimate the power of technology for effective education or expect the technology to solve the complex problems facing education in the 21st century.

Post-logue:  Why not, I've already included a "prologue."  Thanks to Mr. Giordano for sharing his classroom experience with Skype.  If you're interested, he's also a recent convert to "Juicing." (The diet kind)  Read about his "juicing" experiences and related revelations about the human experience of eating at Sausage Boy Goes Green.

Friday Afternoon Inspiration

You made it!  Another week down.  Twelve to fifteen to go?  Depending on where you work.  I'm usually drained on a Friday afternoon, maybe you feel the same, but it's the good kind of exhausted.  Sometimes you get burned out, sometimes you give too much, sometimes you just want to quit.  But I hope that at least today, you know that you've given all that you've got and all that you've given will be taken by your students, carried out into the world, and multiplied as they take their lessons from the classroom into life.

In college, a friend of mine argued that "Levar Burton is the most influential man in America."

"What!?  The guy from Star Trek with the cool glasses?"

"Yes, but no.  The same guy, but not because of Star Trek.  It's Reading Rainbow."

"It's a kids show."

"Exactly.  Levar Burton has the attention of so many kids every day when they get home from school.  If he wants to make a difference, he's in a greater position than anyone else in America to do it.  He influences the minds of a generation of youth."

Maybe not exactly an "expert opinion", but the conversation has stuck with me for over twenty years.  Every day I influence the minds of a generation of youth.  Probably more than 100 kids a year care more about what I say than the President.  Decisions that I make every day will impact the quality of life for over 100 kids more directly than legislative decisions.  One hundred children-citizens of my county will learn from me whether they can name the members of our school board or not.  Lot's of people can claim that they are "in it for the children" but I'm in it so deep that my contribution can be measured.

So while I will hope that this Friday night will allow me to slip into the "comfy clothes" at an early hour and find the bed before ten.  I also appreciate the fatigue.

This weekend I will not rest from the exhaustion of last week.  I will rest to prepare for the next.

Happy Friday from the Teaching Underground.

Movies about Teaching(or just schools in some way)

Action, Romance, Sci-Fi, and Musical are among the dozens of movie genres listed on the IMDB website.  The TU feels compelled to argue for the inclusion of at least one more.  Teacher Movies.  Movies about teaching, like the profession, defy simple explanation.  Yet perhaps they like no other medium convey what the job can really be like.  If you watch all these  simultaneously...maybe then you'd get a glimpse into the average teacher's day.  In a world where teachers no longer have any allies, sometimes a movie about what you do can get you through.

We are no Siskel and Ebert but we do watch a lot of movies.  Ergo, we are experts.  In no particular order here is the not so  anticipated Teaching Underground list of definitive Teacher movies with contributor commentary included.  Enjoy. 

Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments section

Stand and Deliver(1988)

Lindsay’s take:

Jaime Escalante, are you serious?  Could he have been more awesome?  Edward James Olmos does an amazing job portraying one of the most inspiring teachers ever.  I got past the comb-over and really admire that Escalante for the difference he made in kids lives.  I never took Calculus but bet I could learn a great deal from him.  He died last year and TU tips its cap to him and this movie.  By the way Lou Diamond Philips has been in more movies than anyone, ever.

Turner's take: 
I was young enough to confuse Olmos' role in this film with his role in Miami Vice.  Pretty confusing.  I did learn the power of expectations from this film.  But we sometimes only take half of the formula from this film.  The expectations alone didn't make those kids succeed.  They worked hard.  I like that the film emphasizes how much learning is about a relationship between students and teachers.

Chalk(2006)

Lindsay’s take:

"Real Teaching Leaves a Mark"  Perhaps the most unappreciated of the films on our list.  Morgan Spurlock's  “Office” style film was oh so close to completely nailing it.  Honestly it is probably the most realistic movie.  But I was left wanting a little more follow through with some of the humor in the story.  But if you are a teacher, you HAVE to watch it.  Ignore what offends and just laugh at the stupidity of half of what we endure.  You can almost get a sense of the terror when things go south.

Turner's take: 
My favorite teacher movie!  I completely relate to the first year teacher in this film.  Perhaps my only criticism of the movie would be that they had to plant hidden cameras in my school to gain so much inside information on it.  Either that or we have more similarities than we think among public schools.  From what I've read, this movie was actually made by teachers on a ten thousand dollar budget.  Well worth it.

“You’re a horrible teacher”  “Well you would know cause you’re a horrible student”

Lean on Me(1989)

Lindsay’s take:

Morgan Freeman does what he always does.  And he makes the arrogant but admirable Joe Clark jump off the screen.  I am glad I don’t work for Clark.  But this movie is deep.  What lies beneath?  State takeovers, school reform, racial and economic disparity, failing schools…it was there all along.  Why didn’t I see it?  Clearly I’ll have to go back and watch this one again through the lens of a teacher in today’s world.  Moral of this movie:  Bull Horns = Respect  Oh and know your schools alma mater, or else.  

Turner's take:
Morgan Freeman patrolling the halls with a baseball bat.  That's all I've got to say. 

Mr. Holland’s Opus(1995)

Lindsay’s take:

Now I subbed for a music teacher when I first started and it was nothing like this movie.  #1 Dreyfus isn’t crazy and all band teachers have to be crazy.  Certifiable.  #2 Siskel and Ebert gave it two thumbs up.  This film came out as I was finishing up my education and I realized at some point while watching that hey…teaching? That can be pretty amazing stuff.  (I was naïve)   Funny how Holland “fell” into  teaching.  Not sure I did either.  That’s about where the similarities end.  Gotta admit being a little creeped out by the whole Rowena situation and bummed when I found out Louis Russ died.  Full range of emotions, I give it two thumbs in the ear. 

Turner's take: 
I think the value of this film is the understanding the importance of "non-academic" subjects in education.  It also shows just how different the tasks of teaching are from one subject area to the next.  Other than that, I've got to admit, it isn't one of my favorites.

Dead Poet’s Society(1989)

Lindsay’s take:

I ‘m not ever sure what this movie was actually about.  But it was really good.  Man Mork did a great job.  And when they stood on that desk at the end.  Enough to make a shy kid like I was at the time pick a fight with a bully.  I think that every teacher is required to stand on their desk at least once in their career.   Wait…he got fired?    I really can't explain why I haven't been then.  “Oh Captain,  my captain!”

Turner's take:
Usually I stand on my desk when I need to bang on the ceiling to get the language teachers upstairs to quiet down.  But, this movie showed that education is really about growing into one's self much more than filling a brain with facts. 

"Carpe Diem"

Ferris Bueller;s Day Off(1986)

 Lindsay’s take:

Maybe, just maybe the most culturally significant.  They just don’t seem to write characters like this anymore.  Ferris, Cameron, Sloane, Mr. Rooney and everyone’s favorite Ben Stein as everyone's favorite  “Economics teacher”.  Required joke at some point in every class is the line “Bueller, Bueller”  The experts throw in "Anyone? Anyone?  Voodoo economics.”   This film is about one man’s struggle to take it easy…our crafty protagonist gets through it all and beats the system and shows what can really happen when you take a day off from school.  This movie is dangerous.  Basically a guidebook to fool parents.  It should be banned.  I am glad it is not because it features my all time favorite actress Mia Sara who plays Sloane(who I maybe had a crush on then)   If Mia reads maybe she’ll find my E-mail on here…just saying.   I always felt bad for Cameron and not sure I really liked Ferris.  Maybe I should only feel bad for Mr. Rooney?  Or Charlie Sheen who really stretched himself as an actor in this one playing someone whacked out on drugs.

"You still Here?  It’s over. Go Home.  Go.”

Turner's take:
"Save Ferris!"  A parent told me just the other day that she'd given her son permission to miss a week of school to go skiing in Colorado with some friends.  He's a good kid, good grades, works well with others, etc.  She felt a little guilty, but I would do the same thing.  Now sometimes a kid skipping school or parents letting them do it is just irresponsible.  But sometimes a little break from the routine can turn into quite a life shaping experience.  Just ask Ferris.

The Breakfast Club(1985)

Lindsay's take:

“Hey Hey Hey Hey  oooooooooo  Oh……….”(Click to Play)

This movie like that song help me escape back to a time when life wasn’t so complicated.

Can a movie end any better?  This is the oldest film on our list and as a pre-teen in 1985 this was one of  those John Hughes’ films that potentially changed lives.  Not sure how but that doesn’t matter.  Anthony Michael Hall was and probably still is one of my biggest idols.  At the time I am not sure I got have the humor in here but I laughed none the less.   For the serious among you take this as a cautionary tale about leaving kids unsupervised.  For the not so serious they never actually ate breakfast…hmmm?  

Turner's take:
This film made me think that I definitely wanted Saturday detention when I got to high school.  It's easy to forget how much emotional baggage we carry as teenagers.  Watching a film like this every now and again helps put you back in that place and hopefully understand that some of the things about teenagers that we find trite and silly are really significant markers in their lives.

Billy Madison(1995)

Lindsay’s take:

A good escape and I am pretty sure it is a true story.   Sandler movies are well Sandler movies but perhaps no other film collapses the process of education so well(really?).  Chris Farley does his thing and too many one liners to recount.

There is for me no greater line in filmaking than when during the academic decathalon the following is spoken by the judge.   As a tennis coach and fan, Bridgette Wilson gives me yet another reason to appreciate Pete Sampras. 

Turner's take: 
I know it's from a different film, but I'm so glad that Sandler refers to the Medulla Oblongata in The Waterboy.  My psych students remember it so much better because of it.  As silly as the film is, watching a grown person invade the life of school kids at least makes you think about the reason and purpose of education in the first place.

Honorable Mention  that we considered
School of Rock 
Dangerous Minds
   Coolio's best song

To Sir with Love
   (before our time)
Freedom Writers
   (never saw it...too artsy?)