Posts (page 2)
Swine Flu has become the phrase that makes many freeze with fear when they hear it. Me, well it makes me smile. I know this is a serious epidemic but I can't help but laugh at the name. Swine flu? Really? You couldn't come up with a better name? However, practical and accurate the name is, they still could have come up with another one.
Laughing aside, the swine flu is a serious matter. States are doing their best to insure the safety of all its residents. I appreciate the efforts set forth by the school district in Texas. Ensuring the safety of our children is the number one priority. I commend that school district for closing school even though they are in the middle of state testing. It was the right decision. If that were my school I would do the same thing. If I had several confirmed cases of the swine flu in my school district, my first thought would be containment. And you cannot contain if students are having constant contact with each other, possible spreading the epidemic even further. I am not sure what they will do about the testing. They will probably have to take it at a later time this month or even sometime in the summer. I am also not sure what the state protocol is for state testing during a state of emergency - and that is what it is and emergency. It will be interesting to see what the state and school district decide. Until then, I believe they made the right decision. Is a state test worth the lives of thousands of students and employees? NO. This school district got it right. It may seem premature but with the threat of an epidemic running through your district you can never be too cautious, especially with children in your care.
Strip-searched at school? I am appalled and disappointed in an administration that would take a “witch hunt” that far. They left that child scared for life. Strip-searches on young children have lasting psychological affects that can be equated to the psychological affects of sexual abuse. The bottom line is that these people had no right to search that student. They are not trained. If they suspected drugs they should have called the authorities; let the police handle. Another point is that they didn't have anything to go on besides one students word of where she got Ibuprofen. An over-the-counter drug for mild headaches and pain. I would hate to work in a school district where they strip-search students. As a teacher I know it is our job as educators to protect our students from all harm, including drugs. Therefore, I have no problem with searches of backpacks and lockers. I do, however, have a problem with having young children take their close off in front of unqualified people. Since when is a nurse and secretary equipped with the skills for a strip-search?
When I was in high school we had frequent locker searches and a few book bag searches throughout the school year. I went to an urban critical needs high school, where the problem of drugs and weapons was prevalent. The police were a familiar face at my school. Yes, there was tension at times. Especially, when we'd have a lockdown and be in class for hours while they searched our lockers, but there still was that trust. No one felt violated. We all understood that our locker and book bags were "fair game." I think it would have been a different story if strip-searches were allowed, more kids would have dropped out of school and there would have been a distrust of the administration and teachers.
If students are afraid to come to school, for fear of being strip-searched, the focus shift from teaching and learning, dramatically affecting curriculum and instruction. I'll be honest I am not actually entirely sure how and curriculum and instruction will be affected by strip-searching. Curriculum will not change much if any. I think perhaps schools will be sure to impress the importance of being a good citizen and in that maintain a harsh drug free policy. I do know that the relationship between student and teacher will change forever. Students must feel as if they can confide in their teachers. If they feel that they cannot trust their teacher there will be much anxiety and tension in the classroom, making instruction more difficult. For the students' sake and teachers and administration's sake I hope that the Supreme Court rules that this kind of action is inappropriate, unjustified and illegal. Schools have no right to order strip-searches of students. I look forward to seeing the ruling of this case.
Yea, for alternative testing! Now we are talking about progression in the education system and the way that we assess academic success. The video from Edutopia gives us an inside view of authentic assessment and what it entitles and requires from our young minds. Authentic assessment is a performance task in where students are asked to apply real life application to a specific skill or subject. This truly is an authentic assessment of each students ability to problem solve. Each assessment requires students to think critically and work on a team as well as to be able to formulate their ideas for their peers and others to understand. These are all skills that are necessary for an individual's success in the real-world. Authentic assessment is a push away from multiple choice test to performance task that require students to apply real life skills and application. This country is stuck on the idea that a standardized test makes an individual and measures their knowledge and skill, but all it really does is measure how well they can take a test. How often do you take a test in the real-world (academia aside)? How about never. We are setting up our children for a huge obstacle. How can they apply their knowledge to the real-world if they do not know what is going to be asked of them?
Teachers have a unique advantage and disadvantage. While what goes on in our classrooms is our business we are still held accountable by the same standardized tests our students are. Teachers are less likely to try out this authentic assessment for fear of consequences such as loss of employment. As time closes on standardized test my assessments look like an imitation of the MCT2. This summer is a time to try new things and with new things comes new assessments. However, most performance assessments are over a period of weeks, giving each student ample time for their project. Weeks is summer school is the entire course. I have chosen that for summer school the 7th grade math class will have to pass on an authentic assessment. They will have a few mini performance tasks that you can equate to a science lab.
In 7th grade, MCT2 is everything to the school and administrators, and unfortunately, they do not like things that deter from MCT2 type of assessments. There is so much pressure on teacher and students to succeed that it takes away from much, even childhood. I recently read an article in USA Today by Bruce Kluger called “No Child Left Alone.” This article talked about the extreme amounts of stress and anxiety placed on young children to do well on these tests. He's right we as educators place so much weight on these standardized test at the end of the year. We feel the pressure and we transfer it to our students. Sherry Cleary, executive director of the New York City Early Childhood Professional Development Institute as City University of New York , says “what is at stake is the children's perception of themselves as learners. Kids are supposed to ask questions; schools are supposed to provide the path to answers. But now we're looking to the children for the answers – and the accountability. We're telling them that if they screw up, they don't have a future.” Teachers are under pressure and it should stay that way. Our children do not need to be stressed over one test. Authentic assessments give students a chance to showcase and present their many talents and skills, yet simultaneously achieving mastery of the same objectives in the frameworks. Hmmm..... But because administrators are so unwilling to change their mind that intense remediation of MCT2 practice questions leads to success teachers are restricted. Administrators leave little leeway for teachers who teach state tested subjects. But that's not going to stop me from mini performance tasks or projects; instead of a roadblock, I'll think of it as a speed bump. Summer school will be a time of experiment, a trial period, where I will be able to see what performance tasks work best. Summer school, here I come!
Yea, for alternative testing! Now we are talking about progression in the education system and the way that we assess academic success. The video from Edutopia gives us an inside view of authentic assessment and what it entitles and requires from our young minds. Authentic assessment is a performance task in where students are asked to apply real life application to a specific skill or subject. This truly is an authentic assessment of each students ability to problem solve. Each assessment requires students to think critically and work on a team as well as to be able to formulate their ideas for their peers and others to understand. These are all skills that are necessary for an individual's success in the real-world. Authentic assessment is a push away from multiple choice test to performance task that require students to apply real life skills and application. This country is stuck on the idea that a standardized test makes an individual and measures their knowledge and skill, but all it really does is measure how well they can take a test. How often do you take a test in the real-world (academia aside)? How about never. We are setting up our children for a huge obstacle. How can they apply their knowledge to the real-world if they do not know what is going to be asked of them?
Teachers have a unique advantage and disadvantage. While what goes on in our classrooms is our business we are still held accountable by the same standardized tests our students are. Teachers are less likely to try out this authentic assessment for fear of consequences such as loss of employment. As time closes on standardized test my assessments look like an imitation of the MCT2. This summer is a time to try new things and with new things comes new assessments. However, most performance assessments are over a period of weeks, giving each student ample time for their project. Weeks is summer school is the entire course. I have chosen that for summer school the 7th grade math class will have to pass on an authentic assessment. They will have a few mini performance tasks that you can equate to a science lab.
In 7th grade, MCT2 is everything to the school and administrators, and unfortunately, they do not like things that deter from MCT2 type of assessments. There is so much pressure on teacher and students to succeed that it takes away from much, even childhood. I recently read an article in USA Today by Bruce Kluger called “No Child Left Alone.” This article talked about the extreme amounts of stress and anxiety placed on young children to do well on these tests. He's right we as educators place so much weight on these standardized test at the end of the year. We feel the pressure and we transfer it to our students. Sherry Cleary, executive director of the New York City Early Childhood Professional Development Institute as City University of New York , says “what is at stake is the children's perception of themselves as learners. Kids are supposed to ask questions; schools are supposed to provide the path to answers. But now we're looking to the children for the answers – and the accountability. We're telling them that if they screw up, they don't have a future.” Teachers are under pressure and it should stay that way. Our children do not need to be stressed over one test. Authentic assessments give students a chance to showcase and present their many talents and skills, yet simultaneously achieving mastery of the same objectives in the frameworks. Hmmm..... But because administrators are so unwilling to change their mind that intense remediation of MCT2 practice questions leads to success teachers are restricted. Administrators leave little leeway for teachers who teach state tested subjects. But that's not going to stop me from mini performance tasks or projects; instead of a roadblock, I'll think of it as a speed bump. Summer school will be a time of experiment, a trial period, where I will be able to see what performance tasks work best. Summer school, here I come!
Summer school the term that makes all students cringe. It's a dirty word in the academic world. Yay or nay, is it effective or just another money pit? The simple answer is it depends. Summer school should be cohesive and complementary to the previous semester or school year of the student. Too often summer school lacks direction and vision and winds up being ineffective and insignificant. In the article, "Summer School: Unfulfilled Promise," it urges for academic change. Bottom line, summers schools aren't cutting it; they're a joke.
The section "Year Round School" on page 17 caught my attention. It stated that year round school "may be a promising option for policy-makers who are seeking ways to narrow achievement gaps between successful and failing students." During the summer break, students lose much of what they have learned the previous year, some even regress. As a math teacher, I face the challenge every time we have a break, my student forget what they have previously learned. If they forget things over one/two weeks I know that they lose a lot more over a two month break. I like the recommendations for state policies on page 18. My favorite, of course, is the year round school; summer school should not be an afterthought, but rather it should be used as a time for growth and enrichment. Another recommendation that I liked was emphasizing math and reading. Those are the weakest skills of our student and if we want to tighten the gap we are going to have to work to include those skills in the courses that are taught in summer school.
I look forward to the summer school in Holly Springs. My vision for summer school is to have it be motivative, inclusive, integrated, and fun. In order for any summer school to be sucessful there have to be a few things set in place. Summer school must be organized, have clear expectations and standards, and, lastly, have passionate and invested teachers. I believe I have designed a cohesive and inclusive course. I expect all my student to succeed and will do my best to make sure that that will happen. Success for my summer school students will be defined as mastery of more that 85 percent of the objectives covered. In order to ensure the success of my students I have planned the course so that it is comprehensive, continuous, and encompassing. I have also been sure to focus on the objectives covered in the MCT2 for 7th grade math. By focusing on those objectives I am making ensuring that they get the most effective instruction. In order to measure or identify this sucess there will be a pretest and post test given to the student. The pretest and post test will be the same. This will measure their growth. Overall, I look forward to this summer in which I will be implamenting my own curriculum and pacing guide.
Sources:
"Summer School: Unfulfilled Promise." Southern Regional Education Board. (2002): 3-19.
I live in the port city, Greenville, MS and I LOVE it! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but in the Delta. The culture is so rich here. There are a few museums in the area (25 mile radius). In fact they just opened up the B.B. King museum in Indianola, MS. That's about a 30 minute drive, not too bad considering some people have a daily commute longer than that. My community...
In the Greenville school district we have a vertical/horizontal plan for 7th grade math. On this map vertically, the course it outlined briefly. Horizontally, you have years 3-8th grade. I, personally, have found that having this map is very very useful. To be able to see what your students should know and what they will have to know for the next year has aided my vastly in my planning, saving me time. The only thing about it is I would change is I would accompany the map with a pacing guide which has dates and the estimated time you need/should spend on each objective/standard; the current map leaves too much freedom for interpretation.
I have a lot of plans for the Summer 2009. Having already taught this course in the 2008-2009 school year, I feel as if I have a good grasp of how long we should spend on a standard. One roadblock is time. Time, time, time, summer school is so condensed. How can I possibly teach all of the material in the 7th grade math frameworks? hmmm... well, how can I teach most of the material in the 7th grade math frameworks? Am I ready to make that call? Yes, I have taught the course and I know the standardize test, but isn't every objective in the framework equally as important? Don't I need to teach them all? I know this is impossible to do in one summer. It's barely possible to do it in one full academic year. This is a lot of pressure and responsibility for one person; boy, am I glad I have a partner. Even though I have serveral concerns I am ultimately excited to map the curriculum for 7th grade math this summer. I belief this well help me plan and map out the entire school year for 2009-2010. It will help me plan more efficiently.
Source(s): 2007 Mississippi Mathematics Framework Revised (www.mde.k12.ms.us)
I'm alive! No really, it's been a challenge. I am truly grateful for the support and advice from MTC. I cannot image teaching without having the support of this great program. I have encountered several struggles and i haven't figured them all out yet but I have confidence that by the end of my first year I will have it all down or know what to do to fix it. My major problem is assigning appropriate consequences to certain behavior. Am I too tolerant? Or too strict? Are my kids truly learning? Am I a good teacher? How do I measure those things? I think now its just a matter of finding a balance. Finding my teacher voice. Is it coming? Or have I found it? I am forever changing. I haven't quite gotten into a groove. There's a routine but it's not one I like. It's my classroom shouldn't I make it fit me or should I try to fit it? It doesn't feel naturally to follow my schools classroom structure of constant worksheets and simple recall. I expect more from my kids. Should I just close my door and do what I want in my classroom? Is it time to ask for forgiveness instead of permission? Maybe. Major reconstruction will happen after this christmas break.
Okay so I had a adventurous, movie-like day. Let's start at the beginning. At some point this morning my lights went out, and I lost track of time. Because of this, I was running, not late but hurried. I had twenty minutes do get to work. Plenty of time for my fifteen minute drive. I locked up my apartment and loaded thing in my car. Then a closed the car door with my keys in it. I was locked out. At this exact time, Michele, a second year, came rolling down the street with her lunch on the roof of her car. Got Lunch? At this point, I am not so panicking as in utter disbelief that this could be happening to me TODAY of all days. Anyway, although Michele presented some much needed comical relief she wasn't much help, and left to go to work after I handed her her lunch.
Not to worry, I am a college graduate and a critical thinker. I can figure this out. I had twenty minutes, and the clock was ticking. What to do? How was I going to get into my car? I do have another set of car keys, but they were in my apartment which I had already locked. Luckily, I had left my window cracked from the previous day. Thank you, Rosei. Now all I needed was a wire hanger or something else that I could use to open the door. Across the street there was a pile of branches; maybe that would work. So I ran across the street and got a few branches and brought them back to try. On try three I managed to unlock my car; I was finally in. VICTORIOUS! I now had thirteen minutes to get to school. I quickly jumped into my car and sped safely (oxymoron, I know) to work. I got work with two minutes spare. Yea for me!
Now, to the actual school day. I had a great first day of teaching. Objective: The students will practice rules and procedures, and we did. Homeroom/1st period lasted almost 3 hours. Lunch/5th period was so long, maybe 2 hours. Side Note: I really like my 5th period class. I only have 6 students. It's so nice. My other classes ran smoothly. I know the first day/week is the time when the students are on their best behavior, but I have to say my student were great. At least until the end of the day they got a little restless. 7th period winded up be an hour and a half; it is supposed to be 52 minutes. I actually had to give out a couple of writing assignments. All day the students in my class sat in their seats quietly, did what I asked them to do, and listened to me. It went well. I expect and hope for the same tomorrow, but I am prepared for the worst. Until then...
Training? What training? I unfortunately was not able to participate in the professional days. However, I was able to go to the district meeting, welcoming new teachers, last Thursday. But besides that we were not allowed to go to the much important meetings. We weren't even allowed to go into our rooms and hang poster. We weren't allowed to do anything. My school district had a recent switch of superintendents so they were unable to hold a board meeting until the day before classes started (today). I would have liked to go to training, but I guess I will get that information later. Luckily they were able to meet otherwise they would have had several teachers in the district not reporting to school. Anyway so today was my first day. And again, luckily I had set up my desks and cleaned my room prior to being BANNED from the premises. Luck, luck luck, read my next blog for my first day adventure. Until then...
