Friday, April 15, 2011
reflection...
This week I learned two things...first - I really enjoy sharing ideas with other teachers and secondly - that I am headed to the dark side and have truly started teaching to the assessment. On Tuesday of this week, I had the opportunity to leave the building. This was really cool for me. I haven't been gone but a half day all year. The other part, is that I am in a group of teachers that is rewriting the curriculum for the entire 7th grade Literacy. I felt very good to be asked to participate with this group of teachers. Without getting into all the details, it was a productive meeting AND it was interesting to hear all the things that are going on around in the district. It was nice to connect and reconnect to other teachers in the district. I really did enjoy the day. And we got A LOT done! :-) The second thing - which has slowly been a depressing insight to me, is that we have truly started teaching to the assessments. Last Friday and this Thursday we had the kids take assessments to see if what we covered they were able to learn and understand. The results were very telling. I found myself sitting down last night and trying to figure out how to get the kids to pass the next assessment by teaching almost, with the same terminology, the test we will have during the next term. Today I sat and talked with the students. I told them how they did on both assessments and then I laid it on the line. I said that we had to figure out a way to do better on the next assessments. I told them that we'd sit down after the pretest, go over the answers and talk through ways to get them to the answers that they needed for the post test....as I did this - I cringed inside. While I understand the benefit of assessing students, I don't agree with how we're are being asked to do this. I wish people would understand that these assessments are not how we show what our kids know. These assessments only show how they did THAT day. It's only a score on a piece of paper. Unfortunately, what people should be looking at, is not what the nation wants to look at....it's the other assessments we do, the observations we make, the mental notes we take - it's just so hard sometimes. I guess I'm just tired. It's getting to be the end of the year...the kids are tired and done. It's going to be an every day conversation to keep them as on task as they can be for a while...I'm hoping that they can do it....I'm hoping that I can do it.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
It's the little things....
I've been discovering that it's the little things we do that make a big impact. Last year was hard for me personally. I could feel it in October and about the time of Winter Break - I actually was thinking of quiting and finding something else to do. I was really unhappy...I didn't feel like anything was going right or that anything I was doing was going right. It finally culminated last spring. I was asked to come down to talk with my principal....and got reamed. I mean I was flabergasted...I had no idea that I was doing so poorly - or that she felt I was doing so poorly. I left that meeting in tears and feeling like I was terrible at what I did. I felt like I had wasted a college degree. I went to another teacher in the building...we talked. I asked her what she thought and I thought about what she had said. I also went to my Literacy leader. Our conversation was helpful as well. We got to know each other a bit...I learned that sometimes she wasn't sure if she could be direct with me and she learned that she needed to be direct with me. I waited for two days and processed my situation...then I went back to my principal with the teacher I had originally spoken with. I went in, told her what I had heard, asked her some questions and we talked. It was productive. Today, my principal came to me again. This time she stopped me in the hall, she looked me in the eye and told me that I was doing a great job. She told to be happy with all that I had been doing this year and that I should be proud of my accomplishments. Today was the day that I felt appreciated and justified in my profession. I've learned that sometimes you need to take things - even the bad ones, and find something you can learn from the experience. And hopefully, you might even get a nice compliment in the end.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
More bad press....
Why? That's what I've been wondering lately...why I'm teaching, why do I have to justify my job to others, why do I feel demonized?
Every time I read the paper I get extremely frustrated. Yesterday in the opinion section of the paper, I again saw teachers and teaching relegated to statements like "free health care" and "summers off for break". I wish people would get things straight...they latch onto the statements and use them as facts.
Firstly, I don't get free health care. I pay for it through my benefits. Education gets an allotted pot of money. The school district and union then sit down and figure out how they are going to allocate it. The teachers for the past few years have decided to use part of it to offset our health care. We have given up money that we could be using in our salaries to help pay our health care. How much LESS interesting is it to know the facts versus what everyone thinks is going on there?
Secondly, I don't have summers off. In fact the last time I had a "summer off" was to work on my master’s paper. I have worked or coached EVERY summer since I began teaching. Every five years, teachers are required to be recertified to teach. With the ever changing requirements from NCLB, sometimes our certifications change. Last summer I had to go back to UNI to take two classes. These two classes now make it possible for me to teach reading and Language Arts to Kindergarteners through 12th graders. I don't get paid to take these classes, I PAY!
If I'm not taking classes to get recertified, I'm teaching or working a second job. Usually, it does have something to do with my career though. I don't get paid to not work in the summers either contrary to popular opinion. We, in the Des Moines school district have decided to spread out our pay throughout the year.
Thirdly....and this is something to really pay attention to. Governor Branstad and part of the House of Representatives have decided for 0% allowable growth for the next two years. I wonder if people understand what this means? This means that we are only allowing funding for the amount of students we have in our district now. If we get any more students in the district - we SOMEHOW have to fund them. Where are we getting this money? Hmmmm? I wonder.....that's right our school districts will have to eat the cost!!! If Iowa schools weren't strapped enough, now we would have to take up the slack. When the article blames schools and school boards for raising property taxes and outsourcing to other places....it's not us! We have to figure out where to get the funding to pay for ANY student that would potentially come into the district based upon what the LEGISLATURE and the Governor allot us. So blaming us for the inevitable raise in property is specious, at best.
Fourthly, the part of the article that I would like to address was the quote of the "average salary". I loved it. It was around the $50,000 range. That's nice. But do you realize that ALL teachers were in that average number? Teachers that have been teaching for 25 + years to first year teachers? If you want to talk apples to apples, break it down. What was the average by age, sex, and race? Then compare it to the private sector. Make sure they all the same education though - ALL teachers have a four year degree and some have masters. Those figures would actually show an appropriate comparison and breakdown of the material.
Again - lastly, if you don't know a teacher and have never been in the profession - I challenge you, come sit in a classroom. Come watch us do our jobs. If you want your children educated by people that are trained in the curriculum, management and care that it takes for us to do our jobs, then we need to know that we are appreciated in what we do. Teaching is a challenging profession, but I love what I do. I love making those connections to my students and watching them make connections to what I'm teaching. I love the seeing how excited they can get and then being able to show what they know. I love seeing that light and excitement as they learn something new for the first time. Going into this profession, I knew that it wasn't for the money or fame or glory - it was the love of the subject I was teaching and the love of the subjects I would teach.
Please remember this when you read things and hear things about teachers. Please make sure you get all the facts and not just latch on to what is being repeated over and over. Please remember who taught you - the good and the bad and what they brought to your life. We are your neighbors, friends and citizens of Des Moines too. Please don't forget that.
Every time I read the paper I get extremely frustrated. Yesterday in the opinion section of the paper, I again saw teachers and teaching relegated to statements like "free health care" and "summers off for break". I wish people would get things straight...they latch onto the statements and use them as facts.
Firstly, I don't get free health care. I pay for it through my benefits. Education gets an allotted pot of money. The school district and union then sit down and figure out how they are going to allocate it. The teachers for the past few years have decided to use part of it to offset our health care. We have given up money that we could be using in our salaries to help pay our health care. How much LESS interesting is it to know the facts versus what everyone thinks is going on there?
Secondly, I don't have summers off. In fact the last time I had a "summer off" was to work on my master’s paper. I have worked or coached EVERY summer since I began teaching. Every five years, teachers are required to be recertified to teach. With the ever changing requirements from NCLB, sometimes our certifications change. Last summer I had to go back to UNI to take two classes. These two classes now make it possible for me to teach reading and Language Arts to Kindergarteners through 12th graders. I don't get paid to take these classes, I PAY!
If I'm not taking classes to get recertified, I'm teaching or working a second job. Usually, it does have something to do with my career though. I don't get paid to not work in the summers either contrary to popular opinion. We, in the Des Moines school district have decided to spread out our pay throughout the year.
Thirdly....and this is something to really pay attention to. Governor Branstad and part of the House of Representatives have decided for 0% allowable growth for the next two years. I wonder if people understand what this means? This means that we are only allowing funding for the amount of students we have in our district now. If we get any more students in the district - we SOMEHOW have to fund them. Where are we getting this money? Hmmmm? I wonder.....that's right our school districts will have to eat the cost!!! If Iowa schools weren't strapped enough, now we would have to take up the slack. When the article blames schools and school boards for raising property taxes and outsourcing to other places....it's not us! We have to figure out where to get the funding to pay for ANY student that would potentially come into the district based upon what the LEGISLATURE and the Governor allot us. So blaming us for the inevitable raise in property is specious, at best.
Fourthly, the part of the article that I would like to address was the quote of the "average salary". I loved it. It was around the $50,000 range. That's nice. But do you realize that ALL teachers were in that average number? Teachers that have been teaching for 25 + years to first year teachers? If you want to talk apples to apples, break it down. What was the average by age, sex, and race? Then compare it to the private sector. Make sure they all the same education though - ALL teachers have a four year degree and some have masters. Those figures would actually show an appropriate comparison and breakdown of the material.
Again - lastly, if you don't know a teacher and have never been in the profession - I challenge you, come sit in a classroom. Come watch us do our jobs. If you want your children educated by people that are trained in the curriculum, management and care that it takes for us to do our jobs, then we need to know that we are appreciated in what we do. Teaching is a challenging profession, but I love what I do. I love making those connections to my students and watching them make connections to what I'm teaching. I love the seeing how excited they can get and then being able to show what they know. I love seeing that light and excitement as they learn something new for the first time. Going into this profession, I knew that it wasn't for the money or fame or glory - it was the love of the subject I was teaching and the love of the subjects I would teach.
Please remember this when you read things and hear things about teachers. Please make sure you get all the facts and not just latch on to what is being repeated over and over. Please remember who taught you - the good and the bad and what they brought to your life. We are your neighbors, friends and citizens of Des Moines too. Please don't forget that.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thank you Obama...finally, you are speaking up.
Obama: Don't Vilify Public Employees
President Defends Public Workers In Face Of Budget Cuts
PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press
POSTED: 2:57 am CST February 28, 2011UPDATED: 11:08 am CST February 28, 2011
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama says public employees should not have their rights infringed upon as states look for ways to cut spending.
Speaking to the nation's governors, Obama says he understands the fiscal challenges facing cash-strapped states and says everyone should be prepared "to give something up". But he says that shouldn't mean public employees are "vilified" during budget debates.
Obama's comments come as Republican governors in Wisconsin and Ohio back bills that would end collective bargaining agreements for public employees.
The governors are in town for meeting of the National Governors Association.
President Defends Public Workers In Face Of Budget Cuts
PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press
POSTED: 2:57 am CST February 28, 2011UPDATED: 11:08 am CST February 28, 2011
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama says public employees should not have their rights infringed upon as states look for ways to cut spending.
Speaking to the nation's governors, Obama says he understands the fiscal challenges facing cash-strapped states and says everyone should be prepared "to give something up". But he says that shouldn't mean public employees are "vilified" during budget debates.
Obama's comments come as Republican governors in Wisconsin and Ohio back bills that would end collective bargaining agreements for public employees.
The governors are in town for meeting of the National Governors Association.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Des Moines, Iowa is the New Wisconsin....
It's been a while, I know, and it's not that I don't have anything to say...in fact with all that has been going on in the news in the state of Iowa and nationally...I've had an opinion - I'm just sure that in the heat of my thinking - it would've not been put the way I wanted. Even now, I'm not sure that it will get said that way I want.
Ok, let talk about Wisconsin...I hope that everything turns out for them...and I don't just mean the teachers. I also mean the state workers that are being put on the line. I am so baffled by what the governor there is trying to do. I'm also very concerned because I can see that our governor will probably be the next one to try this.
Thanks to those legislators who acted the way they did because they were listening to their constituents. And shame on the governor who believes that this is just a stunt and does not see how this will affect their state. I hope that their legislature starts to actually listen to the people that live and work in Wisconsin.
I am concerned that our governor is looking at what happens in that state very closely. I am very concerned that he will be trying to do this as well. I don't understand why people don't want state workers and teachers not to have the power to fight for benefits. In the last few years, in Des Moines, the only thing the teachers have asked for is a competitive wage and good health benefits. These are the things we are worried about and the things that keep us teaching in Des Moines.
There are good teachers here...there are teachers who take there job seriously, who believe what they do is important, who want to make sure that your child is learning. We are not greedy, we don't make enough to be greedy. Anyone in education knows that we will never become millionaires doing our job. When people use the dreaded line, "those who can't...teach" know that it doesn't "pay" to be a teacher. Why people think that we are all just money grubbers...obviously still don't know why we teach.
I'm hoping that this situation turns out in the best way possible. I'm hoping this because I'm afraid for the state and city I live in. I seriously don't want to move...but if our state doesn't start to figure out what is best for us - I will be looking outside of this state for another job.
Ok, let talk about Wisconsin...I hope that everything turns out for them...and I don't just mean the teachers. I also mean the state workers that are being put on the line. I am so baffled by what the governor there is trying to do. I'm also very concerned because I can see that our governor will probably be the next one to try this.
Thanks to those legislators who acted the way they did because they were listening to their constituents. And shame on the governor who believes that this is just a stunt and does not see how this will affect their state. I hope that their legislature starts to actually listen to the people that live and work in Wisconsin.
I am concerned that our governor is looking at what happens in that state very closely. I am very concerned that he will be trying to do this as well. I don't understand why people don't want state workers and teachers not to have the power to fight for benefits. In the last few years, in Des Moines, the only thing the teachers have asked for is a competitive wage and good health benefits. These are the things we are worried about and the things that keep us teaching in Des Moines.
There are good teachers here...there are teachers who take there job seriously, who believe what they do is important, who want to make sure that your child is learning. We are not greedy, we don't make enough to be greedy. Anyone in education knows that we will never become millionaires doing our job. When people use the dreaded line, "those who can't...teach" know that it doesn't "pay" to be a teacher. Why people think that we are all just money grubbers...obviously still don't know why we teach.
I'm hoping that this situation turns out in the best way possible. I'm hoping this because I'm afraid for the state and city I live in. I seriously don't want to move...but if our state doesn't start to figure out what is best for us - I will be looking outside of this state for another job.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
our new governor...
As I read the paper and watch the news, I've become more and more anxious about what is going to happen with education in my state. Already our governor is introducing cuts to our preschool program...a program that, according to the paper, "hasn't shown any real growth". I was so surprised when I read this that I wasn't sure I had read it correctly. Hasn't shown growth? I'm baffled by this statement. When I talk to friends of mine that are preschool teachers and see my own nieces going through preschool programs and have looked at the standards that these early childhood teachers are trying to achieve??? The words just can't get out of my head fast enough!!!
While I understand that things can always be revamped and refreshed...I don't see how our legislators still believe that we're not making headway....that we're not trying to get young children more prepared to go on to kindergarten?!
I've become so frustrated with people that believe that it is the teacher's fault for everything lately. We've become the scapegoat...the ones who are supposed to fix the problems and issues of our students....the ones that are supposed to continue our education without some type of financial support occassionally....the ones that are supposed to "entertain" the students in our rooms while plying them with rigor and relevance....
I decided to blog about my teaching experience and speak for things that I see are hindering my profession because of this line...."Those who can do...those who can't teach...." I hate this line.....I loathe it with my entire being. People believe this to be true have NEVER once been in a classroom other than the time they were sitting in it. They have no idea what it takes every day to do what we do, to see what we see and to deal with the issues we do.
I love being a teacher. Simple statement. Are there times I don't - well, duh! But I like what I do. I love seeing the expression students get on their face when they understand something...and I mean REALLY understand it. I love the tenacity in which they attack a concept they like and want to know more about. I love the ones that come back and visit so they can tell you how well they're doing and they do this because you believed that they could. I love working with colleages that can surprise me with their creativity, flexibility and endless energy.
Teaching isn't about sitting and lecturing. It isn't about a "3 month break in the summer". It's about hard work and being able to think on your feet. It's about being flexible and really getting to know a group of kids. It's about trying like made every day to get them to learn something, get excited about knowing it and then trying to get them to retain it - not just for a test, but for life.
My frustration with our new governor is that he doesn't seem to understand this. He doesn't seem to get that this job is a constant battle. He's never had a middle schooler tell him to "f-off" in the middle of a class. This job has lately been a thankless, tiring struggle....a struggle to defend what we do. To defend our importance....
When that line..."Those who can't - teach" is heard.....remember SOMEONE taught you how to do it before you knew it.
While I understand that things can always be revamped and refreshed...I don't see how our legislators still believe that we're not making headway....that we're not trying to get young children more prepared to go on to kindergarten?!
I've become so frustrated with people that believe that it is the teacher's fault for everything lately. We've become the scapegoat...the ones who are supposed to fix the problems and issues of our students....the ones that are supposed to continue our education without some type of financial support occassionally....the ones that are supposed to "entertain" the students in our rooms while plying them with rigor and relevance....
I decided to blog about my teaching experience and speak for things that I see are hindering my profession because of this line...."Those who can do...those who can't teach...." I hate this line.....I loathe it with my entire being. People believe this to be true have NEVER once been in a classroom other than the time they were sitting in it. They have no idea what it takes every day to do what we do, to see what we see and to deal with the issues we do.
I love being a teacher. Simple statement. Are there times I don't - well, duh! But I like what I do. I love seeing the expression students get on their face when they understand something...and I mean REALLY understand it. I love the tenacity in which they attack a concept they like and want to know more about. I love the ones that come back and visit so they can tell you how well they're doing and they do this because you believed that they could. I love working with colleages that can surprise me with their creativity, flexibility and endless energy.
Teaching isn't about sitting and lecturing. It isn't about a "3 month break in the summer". It's about hard work and being able to think on your feet. It's about being flexible and really getting to know a group of kids. It's about trying like made every day to get them to learn something, get excited about knowing it and then trying to get them to retain it - not just for a test, but for life.
My frustration with our new governor is that he doesn't seem to understand this. He doesn't seem to get that this job is a constant battle. He's never had a middle schooler tell him to "f-off" in the middle of a class. This job has lately been a thankless, tiring struggle....a struggle to defend what we do. To defend our importance....
When that line..."Those who can't - teach" is heard.....remember SOMEONE taught you how to do it before you knew it.
Friday, January 7, 2011
safety....
It's hard to look at what happened in Omaha and not wonder about what could happen here. Yesterday, a former student was caught with a weapon at the high school. The high school is attached to the middle school I teach at. I've been thinking about this since we found out what was going on over there...
I know the student. I always remembering thinking that he was a goofball. He has a goofy grin on his face most of the time and was always messing around in the hallways. I know of another incident that wasn't so goofy...he and a friend of his in a high speed car chase that ended with them wrapping the vehicle around a pole. All of the things I know about this student and I'm still surprised that he brought a weapon to school....full loaded and in a pocket of a coat.
I can honestly say that I'm not afraid for my safety at this school. I've never thought that I would ever be afraid seeing a student in the public or having them know where I live.
It's disheartening to know that he will probably do some jail time, perhaps as an adult, and that it may lead to other levels of badness for him. I'm hoping not...I'm hoping that something clicks and he decides on a different path.
What I can say about this situation - it makes me sad. When the emphasis is still being put on testing and scores......education is not just about that...it's about the whole student - helping them make good choices is as important as any test. May the powers that be remember that as they talk about how poorly our students are doing on a test.
I know the student. I always remembering thinking that he was a goofball. He has a goofy grin on his face most of the time and was always messing around in the hallways. I know of another incident that wasn't so goofy...he and a friend of his in a high speed car chase that ended with them wrapping the vehicle around a pole. All of the things I know about this student and I'm still surprised that he brought a weapon to school....full loaded and in a pocket of a coat.
I can honestly say that I'm not afraid for my safety at this school. I've never thought that I would ever be afraid seeing a student in the public or having them know where I live.
It's disheartening to know that he will probably do some jail time, perhaps as an adult, and that it may lead to other levels of badness for him. I'm hoping not...I'm hoping that something clicks and he decides on a different path.
What I can say about this situation - it makes me sad. When the emphasis is still being put on testing and scores......education is not just about that...it's about the whole student - helping them make good choices is as important as any test. May the powers that be remember that as they talk about how poorly our students are doing on a test.
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