Thursday, May 26, 2011

Responding to Arne Duncan's Letter

Arne Duncan was originally  appointed, with little to no experience in education, by Mayor Daley as the CEO of Chicago Public Schools.  "(Y)ou deserve to be respected, valued, and supported."  Arne Duncan, now the U.S.'s Secretary of Education (Obama), is quoted saying in his recent letter to educators.  Although, the words sound beautiful on paper, regretfully the actions are not as loud as words.  With "reform" programs supporting policies such as merit pay, budget cuts, and larger class sizes, there is less respect and support for teachers as Arne suggests.

Teachers have been demanding recognition and appreciation for the great things we do on the front lines.  So, thank you Arne for openly acknowledging this.  I am an optimist with a half-full glass whenever it can be.  I only hope this is the beginning of continued support and respect for the profession.  As you state your recognition that "(Y)ou have told me you believe that the No Child Left Behind Act has prompted some schools—especially low-performing ones—to teach to the test, rather than focus on the educational needs of students. Because of the pressure to boost test scores, NCLB has narrowed the curriculum, and important subjects like history, science, the arts, foreign languages, and physical education have been de-emphasized. And you are frustrated when teachers alone are blamed for educational failures that have roots in broken families, unsafe communities, misguided reforms, and underfunded schools systems. You rightfully believe that responsibility for educational quality should be shared by administrators, community, parents, and even students themselves."  Yet based on behavior patterns, I am forced to hold my breath.  One responder summarized what many of the 149 responses to Arne's letter said, "You sir, are not an educator but a politician who can say what you will, but we teachers know the truth of what you stand for. We see all that you have done toward the goal of privatizing education."  Until then, we hold our breath and take each day in the classroom by day.                              Below is an eloquent (must-read!) response to Arne Duncan's letter.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Sardines

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/may/15/amid-crowds-students-are-left-behind/

As a parent, I would be outraged if my child were in a class any larger than 25, let alone 40!  As a teacher, I am outraged that this is even considered common sense.  When a child, no matter what age, is in a classroom with less students they receive more individual attention each and every day.  Imagine yourself, how likely are you to participate in a class with 35 other people?  Most readers would feel uncomfortable doing so.  But in a small class, which has been able to quickly establish a community-feel, children and adults are more likely to actively participate.  Consider your college classes.  In the smaller classes I felt a sense of community because I knew everyone and had more opportunity to interact.  Whereas in the large lecture classes the professor was typically the only speaker in the room.  I remember very little about the lecture classes.  Smaller class sizes make sense.  The teacher is able to be facilitator as students interactively engage with each other through discussion and hands-on activities. 

I have found the children and families I work with tend to be louder and more outspoken, often interrupting their teachers.  This is typically the case because of culture.  Of course, when a teacher establishes the values and norms, this is less of an issue.  Still, that takes time and consistency throughout the entire year, whereas the other side of the spectrum may not require that extra focus and time.  So, if you have a room full of quiet children who will listen to the teacher all day because there is not room to move beyond the desks, then 40 students per class is an option.  But if you recognize that each individual child deserves 1-on-1 daily attention to their individual needs, then 20 students or less is the option.

Tax Payors Want Their Money's Worth


The author of today's article has had first-hand experience working with politicians.  He unfortunately had to endure disrespect by some politicians because "their minds were made up".  They are in the mindset that teachers are the ones to blame for society's failure to children.  The author also encourages the reader to consider just why the politicians are so adamant...what are they really trying to preserve?  It just might be more personal than we taxpayers wish to think.  I will leave that up to another topic on pension and money.

Yes, taxpayers want their money's worth.  But by stripping away any professional ownership of teachers are we really getting out money's worth?  Or are we swindling our money away?  Because our money is put into methods that are expected to bring on a quick-fix, we keep having to go back for more, looking for something different that just might work.  Teachers know what works.  We know that access to resources, parent support and involvement, administrative support, project-based inquiry learning are all pieces of the puzzle.  Yet the politicians, many who have never been trained as educators, keep stripping these pieces away.  So no, taxpayers are not getting their money's worth.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A Quick Read & Great Article!


I so enjoyed this brief article.  It clearly spells out the foundation of our problem in society:  we have high expectations for educators, but offer no collective support.  Teachers alone cannot raise children.  We should not have to inform college students that once they get a job they need to prepare to be berated, disrespected by the public, and misused by the powers that "lead". 

It is time to stand together as a country, holding expectations of norms and expectations for home and school learning.  Do not stereotype all teachers as bad just because nation scores are low.  You need to look at all the pieces of the puzzle; English Language Learners taking English standardized tests, (lack of) family values and home support, inconsistent student attendance, home and community violence and gang activity, verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, etc.  These are demands school face throughout the country, but the grunt of these are daily occurrences in many inner-city environments.  As always, if you doubt the strenuous work teachers do, spend a day (a week if you can make it!) in an inner-city school.

If you have 2 minutes, please take the time to read this articulate article.

Monday, May 9, 2011

You've Got To Read This

http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/shoulders_of_giants/2011/05/amen-to-high-cost-of-low-teacher-salary-oped.html
Folks, I cannot put my praises of this article into a short blog.  You simply MUST read what Ariel Sacks (NY) has to write.  It will take only minutes, but will be chock-full of insight.  I hope you can enjoy it as much as I did.

As she suggest, I will read the full article she is referring to, and I hope you too...if you're a research geek like me:)

Tardy

So, I have been tardy in posting recently.  But I have a good excuse, and my dog did not eat my homework (although I've been victim of this once in my adult life!).  The truth is, I have spend the last 12 months working toward my National Board Certification and my final assessment is just weeks away.  Through this process I have become a more thoughtful and insightful teacher.  I cannot say I learned anything "new", which I heartily expected after experiencing 2 masters degrees.  More importantly, I took what I learned in my schooling, professional development, and experience, then analyzed my current teaching.

So, forgive me when I take it personally when teachers are the dumping ground for lack of education in our country.  I, and many of my National Board Candidate peers, take our profession seriously.  We carry a massive weight knowing we hold the future in our hands, and as inner-city teachers, we frequently find ourselves being parents of values also.  This month alone 2 of my students' parents attempted to dump their financial and emotional woes on me about being a parent.

I am working with hard-working and dedicated teachers.  Some of our students have dedicated parents working against all odds.  But the sad reality is, we often work with parents who have left us with the role to parent their children in values of consistency, hard work, empathy, and self-respect. 

Today I learned my district is toying with the idea of increasing the school day.  Of course, more time in the day means more instruction (yah!).  Yet, many of these students are at our school 2+ hours after dismissal as it is.  What can the school offer in those hours that is not being offered in the home?

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Teacher Appreciation Week

I read an analogy that put things in perspective about the blame game.  It is (unfortunately) our culture to find a scapegoat rather than recognize many parts of the system can break, making the puzzle hard to fit together.  So here's the analogy summary (read full statement at this link):

When a war goes wrong it's not the soldiers that we blame.

Teachers are on the front lines, and inner-city teachers in particular witness the plight their students are going through.  They see violence, hear raging parents knock down their children, are belittled by administration, etc.  As this quote reminds us, teachers are trained to do what they do, but they can only do so much when they have a leader who authorizes every move in a manic way.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  Teachers are fighting an uphill battle and will benefit from appreciation for what they are doing that's making things go right.  Thank a teacher today.


"WHEN we don’t get the results we want in our military endeavors, we don’t blame the soldiers. We don’t say, “It’s these lazy soldiers and their bloated benefits plans! That’s why we haven’t done better in Afghanistan!” No, if the results aren’t there, we blame the planners. We blame the generals, the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No one contemplates blaming the men and women fighting every day in the trenches for little pay and scant recognition.
And yet in education we do just that. When we don’t like the way our students score on international standardized tests, we blame the teachers. When we don’t like the way particular schools perform, we blame the teachers and restrict their resources."  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/opinion/01eggers.html