Is it really worth it?

As educators we aim to create "lifelong learners" who are instilled with a desire to strive for excellence. What the heck does that mean anyway? As I submitted my final paper for one of the three graduate course which I took this semester, causing myself and my wonderful family plenty of added stress, I felt a sense of relief...then I began having really insane thoughts! Ideas like should I pursue a degree in administration next or go for my national certification??? Any sane person would not be having these thoughts, but yet I am! There is something about interacting with similar minded peers, those who are constantly striving to improve their teaching strategies, which brings me a kind of high... so, I probably will commit myself to engaging in one of my insane ideas despite what common sense is telling me! Before I do any of those things, I think I'll find a focus for my blog..

Dismay with the direction of education

The decision to take on three graduate course while attempting to maintain a sense of sanity in my life of working full time and raising three small children was probably not the best idea that I have ever had! As I find myself tucking in my children with the anticipation of spending countless hours working tackling the various reading assignments, researching and creating products, I have never once questions the benefits which I am receiving in return for forgoing many hours of needed sleep. As a result of pursuing my second graduate degree I have become a stronger teacher; one who is better able to meet the needs of my students. I have enjoyed the company of my fellow colleagues, the majority of whom I would be proud to have teach my own children, and valued my professors who provided me with the guidance to strengthen my pedagogy and build my repertoire of teaching strategies. Despite all of the positives which have resulted from my experience at U Maine, I graduate with a sense of sadness due to the direction in which public education is headed. As the federal government works to implement its' vision of the road which we should be headed down, one which requires states to compete for funding, which can only result in a greater division between the "haves" and the "have nots" it is apparent that the vision of true learning is becoming lost. The National Middle School association advocates a curriculum which is challenging, exploratory, integrative and relevant. The role of assessment is to for it to be something which is varied and continual, with the purpose being to not only assess learning but to advance it. "Students should have opportunities to set personal goals, chart their growth, and reflect their progress in achieving the knowledge, skills, and behavioral objectives of education." Twisting state's arms by dangling money which must be "earned" by meeting the demands of the Obama administration, one which requires that high stakes testing be used to not only measure student growth ( a snapshot picture) but to determine the effectiveness of teachers is ridiculous! True learning is different for every student, as recognized by middle school philosophy, but apparently in the era of accountability the child is no longer the focus, the results of a high stakes test are.....

Parental Involvement

This past week I had a meeting which had been requested by a parent. Ordinarily, this would not have phased me the least, however she requested that it be with an administrator, which even as a veteran teacher sets off an alarm in my head. Her child, one who I actually am quite fond of, is also a handful and requires a great deal of attention. The fact that I have gone out of my way to provide an environment which this student requires to be successful and was now being "called out" by the parent made me sick to my stomach. I mean this student was having major issues in all of her classes and I was about to be dragged under the bus for her behaviors! To make matters worse, the meeting was delayed for almost two weeks as the result of scheduling conflicts! I must admit, I went into the meeting ready to tell it like it was and defend myself. I brought with me my pre-typed notes, highly organized into categories such as behaviors seen, triggers, accommodations made, etc. There was no way that this parent was going to light into me without a valid reason!

The morning of the meeting came and of course as life goes I was running behind with the morning routine of getting my own three children ready, dropping them off at daycare and school and arriving at school early enough to have a moment to breathe before the anticipated dread. As I walked into the vice-principal's office, I felt like the student summoned to the office knowing that nothing good could result from the visit. My countless hours of worrying and preparation could not fail me..... or could they! Well, in a way they did. The mother conveyed her stance on how school had been going for her daughter by explaining my role in the issues which had been going. Apparently, her daughter loves me and has a strong bond to me which provides her with a comfort level which results in me receiving the brunt of her frustration and bad moods similar to the level which mom experienced at home. Mom wanted to meet with myself and administration to acknowledge that I have gone above and beyond to help her daughter, to convey her thanks and reinforce to her daughter the consequences for her actions during the school day. Wow! Did I ever feel like an idiot!

Unfortunately, every teacher has a parent of two every year who continually blames the teacher for their child's lack of academic success and/or behavior. Parents such as these, who fail to place any responsibility on their own children, can lead to a weariness on the part of a teacher to engage with parents. After the meeting, I thought about this; most parents really do want the best for their children and it is important for teachers to step back and remind themselves that interactions with parents are typically pleasant and that a few negative encounters should not skew your sense of these interactions. As a parent whose oldest is in Kindergarten, I try to remind myself that there may be occasions when I may not agree with something which is occurring in the classroom, but that without the teacher's viewpoint and reasoning, I should not make a final decision. I will always try to be a pleasant parent who does not cause additional stress to the teachers whom my children will be fortunate enough to have!

Schools are strange creatures... students arrive at an early age, innocent and full of energy and enthusiasm. The ideal job...teaching children who absorb information like a sponge, tapping into their endless curiosity...or one would think. We then box these same children into rigid schedules, in which we relay a curriculum which has been pre-determined. As adults, there is nothing that we do which compartmentalizes skills into separate lines. On a daily basis we complete tasks which include math, reading and writing, communication skills, logic, etc. Knowing this, why do we divide subject matter into disciplines?

Students need to see that there are connections among the various "disciplines". How invested can a student be when told that they will be studying a topic such as science, yet are not provided with an authentic experience? Integrated studies provides a vehicle for providing students with the curriculum, but in a manner in which they can see the true relevance of what they are studying. Many argue that integrating subjects waters it down, but I would beg to differ. Creating a unit which truly incorporates information from different content areas forces students to make connections which they otherwise would miss. So, why are schools not integrating to the extent possible?

1) It is time consuming; even teachers who want to plan integrative units across the content areas face the obstacles of finding the necessary time to develop such a unit
2) Current schedules do not allow for teachers to teach cross-content areas
3) Teachers must go outside their comfort zone in order to do this type of teaching; instead of being an expert on their own area, they must be ready to field questions about other content areas
4) Some teachers are not comfortable in taking on the role of the facilitator
5) Professional development in this area is lacking

With so many issues to content with, why bother?

1) Students learn more when engaged and able to see connections and relevance
2) Provides opportunities to go beyond "the curriculum"; as students begin to make connections their desire to delve into the topic of study may increase
3) Class time is extended allowing the study to continue/artificial start and end times to subject matter is eliminated
4) By team teaching integrative units, students have access to more than one teacher, increasing the likelihood that they will gain access to more "expertise"

Negative implications

1) Teachers who thrive on being an expert and in control of the curriculum will not enjoy their day at work!

http://www.ericdigests.org/1992-1/middle.htm
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103011/chapters/What_Is_Integrated_Curriculum%C2%A2.aspx

Food Revolution

I confess! Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is my favorite new show. Considering that the majority of the shows which I am subjected to tend to be rated G, this might not be saying much, however I am hooked! The premise is that Jamie Oliver, a chef from England, has come to Huntington, West Virginia, voted as the unhealthiest place in America, to change their eating habits. People may watch this show and think that it is hype, but the sad truth is that I send my daughter to school with a lunch that I make because the lunches served at schools are similar to what Jamie has shown on his show. With the financial crisis currently facing public education, the reality is that money is what decisions are based on. To create truly nutritious meals, like Jamie is suggesting, begins with fresh ingredients, which cost more than processed foods, and continues with cooks who are provided with the time necessary to create meals with these ingredients (which also takes more money to pay the cooks for more time in the kitchen).

Sadly, many parents are not aware of what their children are eating. In addition, many students who qualify for free or reduced lunch under the federal food program, may not always get a meal outside of school. If we truly care about the youth of this nation, shouldn't we be doing something to ensure that they are being provided with a healthy eating habits? In a state like Maine, where about 2/3 of the population is classified as overweight or obese an effort needs to be made to break this trend.

http://www.mainebirdflu.org/index.php?mod=%2Flibrary%2F&act=showcategory&CID=0831

Why do public schools refuse to listen?

As I continued to read Curriculum 21 by Heidi Hayes Jacobs, I continue to question why the public school system in the United States is still resisting inevitable change. An institution whose primary goal is to prepare students for entry into the real world, it would seem logical that it would embrace the technology which students will need to possess mastery of in order to have an advantage when both competing against their global peers as well as to collaborate with them. Hayes states that "Eventually we must realize that it does not make sense to simply ban all of the existing technologies children want to use from their learning experiences in school." (Hayes 187) Fear of the unknown has paralyzed many educational institutions, leaving a small faction of the faculty to attempt to implement reform against a tide of resistance. In the day and age of the Digital Native, as coined by Will Richardson, there is no excuse for ignoring the power that technology has to offer. Technology holds the capacity to motivate, while providing a forum for genuine creation for an authentic audience. We are doing a disservice to the very students whom are entrusted into our care by alienating them from the opportunity to lean via a mode which they have been wired to connect with and understand. Even those in the educational field who fear integrating technology because they do not possess a level of expertise which they are accustomed to in the classroom have a multitude of options for beginning. Try some of the following:

Wikis, Blogs and Podcasts by Will Richardson
Weblogg-ed
Host Will Richardson

Free Technology for Teachers
Host Richard Byrne

2Cents Worth
Host: David Warlick

The Tempered Radical
Host: Bill Ferriter

Sources:

Curriculum 21: essential education for a changing world

Heidi Hayes.Jacobs - Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development - Alexandria, Va. - 2010

Informal Professional Development

The other night I participated in my first Webinar, put on by the MLTI program, on Blogs, Wiki's and other Social Media, by Barbara Greenstone and Sherry Connally. Once I realized that as a participant I was muted and therefore there was no possibility for everyone else to hear the dog barking or my kids asking for a drink of water (7:15 is not a good time for mothers of young children!) I sat back and enjoyed myself. The experience actually made me realize that I have something in common with the digital students found in our classrooms today. As I listened to the presenters, chatted in the chat room provided, typed notes on my laptop, texted a colleague, worked on finishing up the laundry and occasionally answered my children, I thought to myself, I can't just do one thing at a time, yet many teachers expect students to arrive at school, shutting down and attending to one thing...yeah right!

The actual webinar itself was informative and the best part was that it was free. That's right, free... so why are more educators not taking advantage of this resource? One of the biggest complaints of educators is that there is a lack of professional development provided when it comes to how to use technology in the classroom and with the increasingly dismal budget for education, it is not likely to improve (many districts are looking at eliminating professional development to save money). In addition to MLTI, there are a number of other resources for Webinars, including Classroom 2.0, offering a variety of topics.

Let's face it, how many of you have sat through an inservice day and thought to yourself "What a waste of time!" wishing that the professional development provided was something which you could actually apply in the classroom? Well, webinars offer you the opportunity to meet your needs. Explore what's available and sign up for the topics which meet your interests and needs as a classroom teacher!