- It ultimately costs less to send a kid to a private school from k-12, than fund them later in prison for four years.
- No excuses, no shortcuts. (a motto I'd like to have in my class from now on)
- The first few years I was no good. I was better than a lot of other teachers, but it wasn't until my third year that I really started to hit my stride.
SecondaryEd Thoughts
Monday, April 2, 2012
Spring Break Reflection
Monday, March 19, 2012
So Thankful
Do I trust the union to look out for my best interests? Not really. On the other hand, if concessions were made, do I trust the district to reinstate concessions that they have asked the union to make if (or when) the money becomes available (as it has for the last 6 years)? Not really.In closing, I am thankful. I am thankful for all of you who have supported me in following my passion- changing the face of education. Thank you for encouraging me, and for spreading my humble words around. I am so grateful. If you have any suggestions for, or interest in, standing up for ourselves against the kids in the sandbox of politics, shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you.
What's really needed is new leadership from both sides -- top-level changes with the superintendent and his assistants, a clear, concise and understandable district finance and budgeting system (not the convoluted and mysterious one that's used now), and new union leadership, getting rid of the people whose backs go up every time the district puts out a press release.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Open Letter to Other Laid Off Teachers
Four for Four
Monday, May 2, 2011
Three for Three
Three for Three
These are my thoughts regarding my recently received third consecutive pink slip. That statement alone gives cause to pause and consider the epicenter of my concerns set forth within this piece.
It is an unusual phenomenon, I once thought, for a passionate educator to receive three years worth of pink slips in retribution for three years of service. In fact, I met a teacher with a multiple subject credential today who said that she received her eighth consecutive slip. I cannot confidently say that this makes any modicum of sense, considering the quality of work that a teacher deemed passionate would produce. On the other plane of this educational juxtaposition is the thought that for a person to earn more prestige (in the public education institution the definition of prestige is contentious), surely they must have produced more attributable work. In my most recent experience, I find this to be an either marginally or blatantly false assertion.
Often, when a recent college graduate finds themselves applying to and beginning their credentialling programs, they do not expect to make any type of sustainable salary. Indeed, it is arguable that the majority of teachers do not begin teaching because of the salary, the benefits, the prestige, or the vacation time. Some do, please do not misunderstand what I am saying. However, I firmly believe that there are three main reasons that a person goes into teaching: because they either can’t figure out anything else to produce with their college degree and becoming “qualified” to become a teacher is a mundane process, or because in this environment, no other private company would hire them, or because they are passionate about children and the process through which children must mature.
Not Everyone Who Goes Into Education Achieves Excellence
The first teacher, the one who was indecisive about the direction their studies and passions would take them, is the teacher who may not completely fulfill the role of the teacher you truly want with your students in the classroom. They are the teacher with passions outside of their classroom that may detract from their instruction, rather than add. They may be the teacher who loves studying the way the ocean lives and thrives but when put into a classroom with students, children add a different dimension and no longer does the teacher want to teach. An apathetic or over-out-spoken child drains the teacher of their energy within the classroom. It causes them to shrink back and stow away their passions within them and instead focus on classroom management and simply making sure that the students do not believe them to be weak or eccentric. They hide their terribly bright, well-intended passions from the students, frightened of the perception that they are not as worthy as they once considered themselves to be. It is a teacher with a weakened self esteem that most falls victim to this scenario, and it is this teacher that takes away from our institution.
We must protect our schools from this sort of teacher. This is not to say that this individual is an enemy. Their lack of knowledge is. We must provide more applicable, practical, hands on, in classroom instruction for these teachers. We must teach them how to control and manage certain types of children without detriment to that child’s learning. This can be in credential classes, or it can be during open arms sessions between experienced teachers and new teachers. We no longer have the luxury of believing that new teachers are meant to be seen and not heard, as a former coworker of mine still believes. We must listen to the concerns of the new teacher so that we can pinpoint the problem and directly control the situation of the societally-labeled “problem child.” A mentorship is one option to root out the problems that the first year teacher brings or experiences. There are others, including raising the bar on our teaching programs. A fully online experience does not provide the same caliber of readiness that a classroom-integrated program does. Go figure.
Unfortunately for our schools and our children, individuals make it through the credentialling program, acquire their teaching certifications, obtain a job at a school, and are even trusted with 9 months of between 24 and 180 individuals’ education. These students, in a secondary setting, sit in this individual’s classroom for between 1 and 2 hours a day, for 180 days. That is 180-320 hours out of any given school year. If the child has only one of this sort of teacher, the numbers stand as I’ve set forth. However, if the student is assigned to multiple teachers like this, the enormity of the situation has much more gravity and potential for destruction. Imagine the chaos inside the walls of these classrooms. In essence, in the doom and gloom scenario of the ill-prepared teacher, lives are altered forever.
Calling for More Rigor. Again.
Yes, I call for rigor. Seasoned teachers scream for it. University programs can’t give it properly. The ways that teachers are taught vary from school to school, state to state. We need a formal system that prepares our teachers for the jobs they’ll actually get. They won’t get the white kid sitting in a class, fingers laced, and notebook at the ready. No. They’re about to be thrown into a classroom (or six) of 42 diversified children each with their own baggage and needs. Some will lie for attention. Some act out, seeking negative attention because they desperately need to know where the boundaries are- something they’ve never experienced at home with their fractured relatives. The new teacher needs to know not what issues every single prospective student will bring with them to class each day, but rather how to reach out to them appropriately so that this gaping gap is finally closed. Closing that Achievement Gap is not possible without the teacher willing to work outside of their training. Then again, we pay them next to nothing to do just the basics of their job.
Why, in this country, do we allow our children the least of what we collect? Yet, we expect our teachers to bear the brunt, to work the extra without the support? And teachers do it. They stay late for the kid without a ride, they provide after school tutoring, they encourage students to go beyond what anyone else ever told them they were worth. Teachers are lied to by students, parents, and central office personnel. They are taken for granted by school boards, community members and the federal government through budget cuts, slander in the press, and a lackluster approach to rights and appropriate expectations. We give them a week of appreciation, the obligatory Christmas gift, and perhaps they are honored as teacher of the year. Some give absolutely everything they have to give, including their families, their marriages, and their own children. But, they aren’t paid for any of this. They do it because it’s what makes them think they are making something of a difference in this world. It gives them a greater purpose. And every time they're given a pink slip, it is an outright, well-aimed slap in the face from someone who doesn't understand the sacrifices that the teacher made just to make it through the last three years. My cheek, and the thousands of other cheeks, still sting from the blow dealt by the powers that be (right now).
I recently posted a piece I composed about our views on education, and I find it appropriate to close this commentary with those thoughts:
What if... October 2010
What if kids were not freely handed the opportunity to forget what they learned all year over the extended summer vacation?
What if teachers left the profession the very moment they felt disconnected to the students, and didn't waste classroom space just to wait out retirement and pension?
What if the government truly realized that they wouldn't exist without funding education properly?
What if we treated schools like palaces instead of less than prisons?
What if instead of making little changes here and there, we made monumental, gigantic changes to the HeartCore of the institution?
What if we made the teaching profession fierce, and paid teachers six-figure salaries?
What if we made schools incredibly expensive for the government and absolutely free of charge to the citizens, just like national defense? (thanks West Wing)
What if we held a whisper of a moment in our guilty, tired, sodden hands--stopped throwing stones at the sinners, finally ceased our incessant bickering over blamegame roles, metaphorically annihilated those that seek to uphold corruption over education--and actually transformed our dialogue-anger-depression-madness into action?
What if, indeed.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
What if...
What if teachers left the profession the very moment they felt disconnected to the students, and didn't waste classroom space just to wait out retirement?
What if the government truly realized that they wouldn't exist without funding education properly?
What if we treated schools like palaces instead of less than prisons?
What if instead of making little changes here and there, we made monumental, gigantic changes to the HeartCore of the institution?
What if we made the teaching profession fierce, and paid teachers six-figure salaries?
What if we made schools incredibly expensive for the government and absolutely free of charge to the citizens, just like national defense? (thanks West Wing)
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Four Weeks In; Reflection on Differentiated Communication
GoogleDocs
Objective: To create an excel spreadsheet that contained sortable contact information that could be used for virtual communication about individual students, or mass communication about classroom needs or events.
Implementation: I created an online form for parents to fill out, providing their name, student's name, how best to reach them, and an extra space for them to fill out additional information about their child. I posted a link to this on my website, as well as in my oblig sig on my email. I also opened up the laptops on back to school night and had parents fill this in. (I had papers out as well, just in case the tech died...which it did.)
Pros and Cons: While some parents filled it out successfully, most at B2SN opted for the paper version, especially once the computers began to fail. I ended up taking those sign in sheets and entered the information myself- very time consuming, but still worth it for me to have the sortable list I envisioned at the get-go. Unfortunately, some parents still haven't been reached to fill out the form, so it's not a 100% attainable method of collecting parent information. But then again, what is? I am still waiting on phone call returns and info packets to be brought back from home.
Twitter for Homework
Objective: For students to "follow" so as to receive daily tweets about homework, or reminders for class. Also for parents to follow for up-to-date information in case students were absent.
Implementation: I posted a link to this on my website for an auto-updated gadget so that if parents access the site, they can see on the homepage (and on the "tonight's homework" page) that the homework is listed in an easy to read format. This is also written in the syllabus and in students' planners. I update it daily and haven't missed a day yet- something of an accomplishment, to be sure.
Pros and Cons: I created the site. I'm up to four followers. Enough said? I guess not. In researching the demographics behind twitter users, I found that many students don't have a twitter. Most users are between my age and 35. I could be wrong with the specifics, but I'm correct in saying that not only do my students not have twitter accounts, but nor do their parents. This is a frustrating dilemma considering the ease with which I use it and the convenience that it affords me. In reflection, I'll continue to use it. Parents are coming around and actually creating twitter accounts just to follow me, and I assume that many are seeing the updates on the home page of my site, since the "most visited" page is that very one. I'll continue to ask parents as well, to see what their reaction to it is. One stark difference between last year and this, related or not, is the homework completion rate. Perhaps parents are holding kids more accountable because of their access to this tool, or perhaps I'm just getting into my teaching groove, so to speak. More on that in a few weeks, I suppose.
WordPress- Class Site
Objective: To create an online arena where all class information is posted, distributed weekly for subscribers, and a place where pertinent school information is available.
Implementation: I began building the wordpress site over the summer, and am still creating new pages, adding content, and accumulating resources for parents. I also linked this site to the school web page and to our "team" web page where other teachers' materials are also posted. I sent the link to several community members, parents and other teachers before launching to see if it was easily navigated and clear in its content. If you would like the link, please email me at mrsryansclass1@gmail.com. I can send it to you, so long as you're legit.
Pros and Cons: So far, I have yet to see a downside to this tool. While it reaches only about 50-60 views a day, accounting for only half of my students, I can't see who is viewing it yet. So it may be parents, students, or even other teachers borrowing content and resources. I hope it is indeed parents, since I have received 11 subscribers and several emails about certain content they would like to see on the site. But this all boils down to differentiated communication. Am I reaching all parents? Are their other tools that I could be using more effectively? Or others that I could use in addition to these?
Final Thoughts:
Any input from my readers would be greatly appreciated. Any ideas for more tools that are easily used in class? Or tools that could be added to better reach non-tech parents? How about more person-to-person tools? By the time I next post on technology in the classroom, I'm hoping to have used a wikispace or evernote or stixxy with the students to see what works best for online collaboration and journalling. Please follow me on twitter.com/jryanteach for more updates, tools and resources.