Today was our last McREL training for the year. This multi-session training has been supposed to teach us best practices for integrating technology. Overall, I've been disappointed with the things they've shown us, having used many of them for years - things like a delicious account for bookmarks, twitter, google docs, LinkedIn, etc.... Other sites they touted looked great but required a fee for use, or had a 30/60 day free trial period. A whole other set of apps were specifically for iPads or iPods, even though our entire ISD which was the target audience for the PD sessions just got netbooks for all students 7-12, NO iPads on the horizon. The presenter showed us how to use Word - insert tables, cut & paste pictures, track changes, etc... All things most teachers can and do use already. It was a canned, one size fits all approach which was itself anything BUT best practice.

I suffered through the first sessions, gleaning bits and pieces of useful stuff but nothing earth shattering, but overall, the trainings were OK, despite the redundancy of the material to things I had already learned.

But today... OH GOOD GRIEF... today was BRUTAL (the word used by my principal), torture, unbearable.... useless....

The other sessions we met in other locations with other schools and at least had a presenter present. Today, I suppose in an effort to save money, the program was a webinar. Not a well-done webinar. We basically saw the view you get when you take a screenshot of your computer - you know.. that minimizer, not quite right view... with lots of dead air time, no way to engage in the conversation - she kept talking about a way to give our input, but I'll be darned if any of us could figure out how! We couldn't individually see the webinar on our screens, instead, it was projected on the screen in the cafeteria, which meant we couldn't read MOST of what was on the screen.

Others at other locations - was she maybe presenting live somewhere to a real audience??- were able to interact with her. But we were like the black sheep, just there, listening, not a real part of the process. And one by one, we all tuned out, and found other ways to engage ourselves. How sad for all the money spent on that with our budget the way it is.... what a brutal shame.

Funniest website ever:
http://writingenglish.wordpress.com/2006/09/12/the-25-funniest-analogies-collected-by-high-school-english-teachers/

The 25 Funniest Analogies (collected by high school English teachers)

I SOOOOOO want to teach English now!!

Tutors, especially peer to peer tutors, can be a great thing for struggling students. Having someone your own age, or even just a few years older, explain the concepts for students can often be a motivator for success. Near age tutors often bring to the table a unique perspective on how to help students grasp difficult material.


With that said, I struggle with the pervasive attitude of some students and parents that getting a tutor will solve all their academic struggles. A tutor won't help a student who is doing nothing in class, by choice. A tutor cannot take the place of time set aside at home to do homework, read, work on projects,etc... A tutor should be someone who helps with specific skills or problems, helping that student over the rough places.

Too often students who are failing, when asked about their game plan, or how a teacher can help them, just give the pat answer, "I'm getting a tutor." I spoke with one young high schooler recently who is failing all his classes, and tried to get some insight into how I could help assist him. His answer, "I'm moving in with my dad this summer and there's tutors there." OK, great.... but right now, you sit in class with your hoodie up, listening to youtube videos, even during classes where there are two teachers begging to help you. A tutor won't fix that. A tutor won't make up for all the missed hours of instruction you've intentionally chosen to avoid.


Another young man, who passed only one class on his recent report card, when asked what he needed help with to be successful, said, "No worries, I'm getting a tutor." When I asked about his English class, in which I am a co-teacher, he said he doesn't do the work because his computer is broken often. I suggested paper and pencil. He said he doesnt' have either. I pointed out where he could get those. Then he said he doesn't understand what to do. I said I'd be happy to help him. To this he said, "Nah, I still won't understand. I'm just getting a tutor," as if a tutor is magically going to make it all perfectly clear.

Again, I am not anti-tutor at all. I've seen some students experience great success working with tutors, but ALL of those successes were students who were already taking advantage of the opportunities for help that were presented to them. They came prepared to class, they asked questions, they participated and tried to the best of their abilities. They just needed a little extra oomph of help to make it through.

Students who are not making an effort on their own, at all, are not going to magically 'cured' by a tutor. A tutor cannot fix all their problems until they themselves accept some responsibility for their own success.

I'm a minion.

I admit it.

Minions willingly do the bidding of others.

I'm a minion.



But.......

Am I a good minion?

Getting to be less and less 'good' as the years tick by.

Another teacher and I were talking the other day and we came to the conclusion that we are getting old. When we first started teaching, we were go-to girls. "Sure, I'll do that!" "That sounds like fun!" But as time has gone by, while we've continued to say yes, even if not as often, but we've become more disgruntled about the process, and the feelings that maybe our eagerness to say yes should be rewarded with a bit more appreciation and acknowledgement.

I think as young teachers, we come in excited and determined to do 'what's best for kids' and are willing to overlook the unpaid part of tasks shoveled down the pike to the minions. But as time goes by, you still are willing to tackle projects that snag your interest, but the reality that that willingness to say yes tends to bite you in the butt becomes apparent. The unappreciation and expectation that you will just automatically step up and take care of things takes its toll on your enthusiasm.

Minion-hood becomes a burden.

Is there a way to make the burden lighter???

• true acknowledgement of effort is free - an honest thank you for all your hard work goes a long way
• little perks, monetary(OK, maybe unrealistic in today's educational financial crisis) or otherwise.... a box of doughnuts at a staff meeting or pizza in the lounge on Friday can soothe a lot of ruffled feathers..... an extra comp hour or 2 for extra effort.... just some little bone tossed your way can make all the difference
• a say in how things are done- not just on the surface "what do you think"but an honest to goodness chance to initiate and mantain change within the school

In the good old days, new teachers were being hired regularly so the minion supply was constantly being replenished, but these days, when layoffs are more common than new hires, the new minons aren't coming to replace the burnt out ones. What's going to happen when all the minions give up the fight??

We've all been there. One more meeting. One more agenda to waste our time. One more bore who monopolizes the conversation with their negative comments and tales of woe.

I am thrilled to report that today's meeting was NOT that meeting. I started the week after spring break with meetings Monday and Tuesday morning. Yesterday's was a bust because the new IEP program we are using is apparently not going to be operational until NEXT WEEK. Thanks for letting us know THAT before our meeting. hmmm... yeah... welll... let's just move on from THAT wasted morning.

After yesterday's fiasco, I was skeptical about today's math department meeting. Sometimes, these are productive, but often times, it turns into a argument about who isn't teaching what where and why don't these darn kids just do their homework and blah blah blah blah blah.. and we leave, or *I* leave, feeling disgruntled and downtrodden, wondering why I even bother to show up.

The morning started with our K-12 monthly staff meeting, which I won't go into, but sitting next to a middle school math teacher, found out, she had forgotten the meeting (no criticism... the only reason I remembered was I saw my day off on the sub calendar when I logged in to see who yesterday's sub was...) But she found out that not only had she forgotten, she did not have a sub. I left the staff meeting and headed to the meeting room, where there was no one. Hmmm... Another teacher caught me and said he'd forgotten as well. (we must have spring break minds still...) but he was off to write lesson plans and would be right back. So there I sat alone... wondering if anyone else was joining me. Finally, they all straggled in, from their various locations. The people leading the meeting, from the ISD, got there, and we got underway, analyzing data, looking at kids, trends, scores, how we've changed over time in different areas. We had some honest conversations about curriculum, and where we need to change how we do things.

Frankly, I don't care if some people were just giving lip service to the process. I have no idea if they are on board or not, and as bad as it sounds, I don't care. I just appreciate the positive outlook and discussion points made. Too often, the negative Nelly at the table makes the folks who are willing to look critically at practices and make changes are stifled by the constant barage of negativity and despair. If you can't be a part of the change process, at least don't hamper it.

Today, I left the meeting feeling like we have a long way to go to be where we OUGHT to be for our kids and their math education, but I left feeling as if change is possible, and change is likely. What a refreshing feeling :)

Record breaking temperatures. The last week before spring break. Adolescent hormones.

'nuff said???

Things to do before I retire....

Maybe it's because I'm having a tough year... maybe it's because I am getting old ( or have gotten old...).... but retirement has suddenly zipped onto my horizon. I always said I couldn't imagine retiring, I was going to teach for forever, or at least until it was no longer fun. I honestly couldn't imagine my life without my job. Thanks to a variety of reasons, I am rethinking those statements and considering my options. I even went to the state retirement website to look at the calculator for benefits! I couldn't log in because I don't have a user name and password, but I started the process. Will I do it soon? probably not.... but for the first time in my career, I am considering my options.


As I consider the reality of retiring, I am thinking of all the things I want to accomplish before I actually leave. What footprint do I want to leave behind at Tahquamenon Area Schools? What do I want to be remembered for here?

• a lifelong learner, an embracer of new knowledge- I want my students to remember me as someone who learned alongside them, someone who was enthusiastic about what we were learning and was willing to learn new ideas with them. I want to be remembered as someone who embraced new ideas, tackled the tough tasks thrown at them, and was willing to admit when I was wrong and learn from those wiser than me.
• a positive attitude - It is easy to get sucked into the 'woe-is-me' cesspool so I hope that overall, I am remembered as someone who stayed clear of the turmoils that impact education, at least in my classroom, and did not let those negative thoughts and attitudes impact teaching and learning in my day-to-day existence. I want my students to remember me as someone who greeted them at the door with a smile and a positive outlook and sent them on their way with a sense of accomplishment and purpose, a feeling they can go on to do great things.
• caring and generous - I became a teacher because I enjoyed working with kids, and as time went by, I discovered a particular alliance with middle schoolers. I hope to have imparted this sense of self on my students, so they know that always, I did care about them, not just as students, but as unique individuals, with their own strengths, shortcomings, and interests, giving them unconditional love and support along their journey.
• the ability to change and think on my feet - Life seldom falls into neat, tidy little plan books. I hope my students remember me as someone who went with the flow, embraced the teachable moments, and didn't get rattled when things went off course. I hope they learned how to let the things that don't matter fall by the wayside, and always focus on the goal at the end, the big picture, instead of letting all the little piddly irritations get them down.

I started this post yesterday but ran short on time, got busy with something else, and forgot to finish it last night. When I opened this morning and read my list so far, the first thing I noticed was there was nothing content related in my list. Does that mean I don't want to leave my students with more subject matter knowledge than they came with? NO! Not at all, I just think there are more important messages I want to stay with them. If they forget where Madagascar is, they can look it up online. If they forget how to find the area of an octagon, I sure google will help them. But I think there are more important things I can teach them than just the hard dry facts... things that will last them a lifetime, beyond algebra, beyond world history, beyond writing a memoir.... things that will help them embrace the challenges they are certain to find along life's path. THAT'S what I hope they remember.... THAT'S the legacy I hope I am leaving in my wake as I think about retirement.

Another long and frustrating day, which seems to be the norm lately.....

2nd hour geometry leaves me overwhelmed. The multitude of steps to remember to solve the problems, with their ever increasing complexities, are simply too much for many students to remember. When you are still struggling with the basics, the trig functions themselves, basic algebra, understanding/remembering a triangle's angles add to 180 degrees, etc.... Trying to use the apothem and perimeter to find the area of a hexagon is simply too much to tackle. But the reality is, these kids MUST master it, and master it by the end of the marking period, the end of the course, whatever. It is a constant uphill race of information slamming into them, day after day and I feel inadequate to help them, as the hill grows ever steeper and the pace quickens.

3rd hour - For the most part, we've finally found our groove and the work gets done. I can manage to keep zipping from student to student, prodding, pointing and keeping them going. I can keep them on task and working towards their goals for the day in most cases. Of course, there are always exceptions... the one girl who is worried about her upcoming hearing for probation, and the court ordered community service she will be doing. The other young man who got in trouble at home so is now grinding his pencil to a stub into his table.The one who won't/can't open his book to the correct page without constant supervision. The other one who is several assignments behind in several classes for a variety of reasons, but is suddenly wanting to get caught up so needs everything RIGHT NOW. The one who needs help with systems of equations but struggles to balance a 1 step equation. The one who is mad because he lost his computer privileges. The one who brings nothing to class and refuses to go get anything. The one who is researching Alaska for a project on the Iditarod, but thinks she can simply google the questions and find the answer, so that is what she does - and writes whatever pops up in google on the first link as her answer. The one who needs help with every single worksheet question of his history assignment. The one who left early because he was throwing up. AND, AND, AND..... our groove we've found in Guided Study is more like a razor blade riddled rut. But we're making it....

4th hour - Compass Learning for math should be easy. But again, one issue after another crops up. Either students click, click, click.. as fast as they can through a lesson, take that darned quiz at the end and are done... or they refuse to wear headphones, refuse to even try... or they spend the hour belching and farting, trying to be irritating as possible to those around them. I would honestly rather TEACH them math than do it on Compass. It is such a waste of time. Maybe when a motivated high school student is using Compass for credit recovery, and has some vested interest in their own success, maybe it can function as an alternative math program. But for this group, it is largely a waste of time. The only advantage I see is students are at their own level, instead of me trying to meet them in the middle somewhere and having them all floundering. I know that Compass is an individualized program but unless students are individually motivated for success, the chances of success with it are nil.

I'm just tired of the games, tired of the no accountability on the part of students, parents, anyone but me, for their success. I am one person. ONE PERSON. I cannot make them learn. I cannot make them want to learn. I cannot make them come to school. When they are here, I can try to help them, try to encourage them, try to find ways to individually spark their interest in learning. But my magic wand is out of fairy dust, long out of fairy dust.

The Met Life Survey of the American Teacher was recently released with the graph to the left included in the report. The report is full of interesting information but this graph spoke volumes to me personally. 2008 was probably the peak for me as far as job satisfaction, as well. It has plummeted since then for a variety of reasons.



My biggest source of personal frustration with my own situation comes from budget cuts which have eliminated our middle school progam. For years, our middle school was top notch, with top notch teachers who did wonderful things for kids. Then, due to budget cuts, we started getting whacked apart. We lost our principal. Now there is a K-6 principal and and 7-12 principal, who both run back and forth between buildings, but neither of whom spend the majority of their day with middle schoolers. This impacts behavior, discipline, instruction, curriculum, and most of all, morale. We lost programs that made middle school students feel safe, secure and valued. We went from a community setting where we were a family, where we supported each other, where kids felt a sense of belonging, where test scores were the highest in the district (That IS what school is all about after all, isn't it??).


Now our test scores are in the toilet, kids are out of control, content is sketchy at best, teachers are tired and frustrated, feeling unsupported in their efforts, and no longer does middle school seem like "It's Great to be in the Middle" which was our old motto and way of life.


We are take some of the blame for sure. When our last principal left, the last middle school principal... he left us with a story about each person holding onto their stick, reluctant to put it on the fire, and as a result, everyone froze to death because the first went out. I honestly think we all DID give up our sticks, tossing them onto the fire, trying to keep us all warm, trying to maintain what we all valued. But eventually, we all ran out of wood, and the fire died, and so have our spirits.


I spend more time running, chasing, trying to deal with ridiculous issues than I do teaching. I spend time trying to make kids care - kids that don't care - kids that have missed 30+ days of school, kids that are suspended for poor choices, kids that know they will always fail, kids who spend a large portion of their day in the hall or office kicked out of classes. I am not educating them. I am herding them. I deal with threats, accusations, bullying, insubordination, lying, etc... much more than I do with actual academics.


Do I still make a difference in the lives of students? Sometimes, I think I do. Other times, I am not so sure. I feel like I am so out of touch with their realities, I am forging my own new reality instead, for me and for them.


Another teacher commented that we've all become just a check off on their sheet that says all the boxes are filled in. It isn't even just special ed bean counting anymore that feels that way, it's across the board. We're just names to fill spots, no big picture in mind of how it should all fit together to best meet the needs of students.


Does it all come down to budget issues? I'm not sold on that excuse. I think we just make decisions that make it easy for adults, not really concerned with how those decisions impact our students. We put teachers in spots to fill the schedule, instead of looking at our kids and where their needs truly are. Schedules are complicated, no doubt, but creating a good schedule that works IS possible.


Will teacher satisfaction continue to decline? I think so, unless things change. It is easy to focus on our own school, our own situation, but I find it sad and telling that the issues exist across the board. We need to reclaim our schools, reclaim education, reclaim our students' futures. The question is, who is leading the revolution??

The 'move' has been almost as treacherous as I imagined in many ways. In other ways, I guess we've survived. But tomorrow, we get to pack up and go back HOME and we will all be relieved.

Day one - one of my students got so stressed out, he ended up going home before lunch. Another was so tense he walked out of every class all day, upset about something not going the way it should go. Others were on edge, snapping at me, other kiddos, over nothing, anything, everything.

Between first and second hour today, I ran into a middle schooler on 2nd floor of the high school looking for Spanish class. "WHERE IS MR. WHITEHOUSE'S CLASS NOW?" she yelled. I pointed her up to third floor. She responded, "WHY IS HE UP THERE? HE WAS RIGHT HERE YESTERDAY!" I laughed and shooed her upstairs where he had been all along.

Lunch time, the one normal time of their day that hasn't changed, still was a bit weird it seems. Yesterday, I scooted through the lunch line but was snagged by several girls who needed to vent. I sat with them while they ate. This morning, another girl who'd seen me there yesterday, begged me to come eat with her today. I agreed to meet her at lunch. Unfortunately, she got in trouble before lunch and had to eat in solitare in detention. I promised her tomorrow....

The internet in the room I am sharing in the hodgepodge schedule works sporadically so Compass math was a nightmare. But thanks to our great tech person, we today had ethernet cords. What a HOOT! I don't think the kids ever realized you can get online like that. We huddled around the hub all attached, with them AMAZED at how fast their connection suddenly was with a cable linking them instead of air :)

So there... we are going to make it ... I think! We only have to survive the morning. A science assembly in the afternoon and then moving HOME :) YAAAYYYY!!!!

Stupid decisions abound in education.... no debate there. We try something new, it works, it doesn't work, whatever.. we move on. The next 'great' idea, we hop on board that train and on to the next station we journey.


But once in a while, an idea so stupid comes along that I am just speechless that we try it.


This week our high school juniors will take the ACT/MME tests Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Of course, those scores are important for them as they apply to colleges, and they are important to us as a school district because funding and teacher evaluations are now so closely linked to test scores. Wwwwoooohhhhooooo....


SO NOW, someone has decided we will disrupt the ENTIRE middle school to allow the test takes to test in the middle school instead of on 3rd floor of the high school as has been done in the past. (forget that we don't afford the same concern for any other level of test takers in our district... ) So for the upcoming 3 days, middle school teachers will be shuffled to various rooms in the high school, scattered from 1st to 2nd to 3rd floor. We will haul students and their locker contents over there last hour today. Oh wait, there aren't enough lockers to accomodate all of them so some of their stuff will be stored in a classroom. And for the next 3 days, students will mingle with high schoolers between classes, trying to remember their new scheduled class locations. Teachers will try to haul everything we need to our new classrooms, some of which are being shared by staff with staggering schedules, trying to make sure we have everything we need to help our students be successful these next 3 days.


Let's not forget that middle schoolers by nature like routine, fairness, things that make sense and are logical. Let's not forget that we have many kiddos with ADD, ADHD, OCD, and other anxiety issues. Let's not forget that even a 'normal' middle schooler has days they forget which locker is theirs, or who their 3rd hour teacher is.


Today will be spent touring the high school, learning where rooms are, moving their stuff to their new locker, which they may or may not get, which they will be sharing with another student... trying to cram books, winter coats and boots, all into a locker too small for one, much less for two. The next 3 days will be chaos with us and the high school on different lunch schedules, tramping back and forth annoying each other. Many teachers are abandoning routine lessons in favor of movies or other "keep them busy" activities. Then we will move back. A week of instruction lost for 6th, 7th and 8th graders.


I hope for the juniors it is a great experience. Test scores will be higher than ever before and college scholarship offers will flood the local post office. In the meantime, these poor middle schoolers are stressed beyond stress. And the teachers aren't much better....

It's been a crazy crazy CRAZY past week. I have been out of my classroom for 5 days in a row. Last Thursday I was at Project PRIME training, a math program to help teachers with the transition to the Common Core. Great stuff. I am totally geeked about the rest of the program.


Friday.. just an allergist appointment scheduled long ago..


Monday - School Improvement Team meeting, in house, looking at data, looking at where we need to head as we try to realign curriculum, trying to make decisions as we start the shift to the Common Core.


Tuesday - morning PBIS session working on our ODR forms for discipline referrals and our matrix of expectations. Then we left at noon headed to the Common Core Institute in Detroit.


One of the most difficult parts of living in the UP is how far it is to anywhere. Driving 6 hours to a conference just seems ridiculous. But that's the way it is. I won't go into all the excitement we had, though it would make an interesting post.. maybe another time.


The conference was Wednesday. The one obvious component was it was not put on by the State Dept of Ed but by a for-profit organization out of Illinois. They were trying to sell us their packaged program.


Lots of information, lots of good information... lots of overwhelming information.


The most interesting thing to me was the approach they suggest to make the shift to a curriculum driven by the Common Core rather than our current one which is supposed to be aligned with our state standards. Any other time I've done curriculum alignment, we've taken what we do now, and tried to see how it fits with the new game plan.

According to this model, no.. we need to start with the Common Core Standards and work backwards, plugging in things we have that fit, rather than the other way around, trying to make them fit.


What a concept... WHAT A CONCEPT. Honestly, how often have we gone about it the other way around, stretching to make our favorite lessons, the tried and true we already do, fit the direction we need to be going.

NO, we need to analyze what we SHOULD be doing and work backwards. We need to critically think about how to meet those new standards, their rigor, their depth of understanding of the material. If we have somethings in place that work, great. But we have to realize that we may be digging for new things, recreating/redesigning what we already use, because chances are, we are not going to be able to just slide those lessons into the new plan.


I am overwhelmed considering the magnitude of the task ahead of us, but I am also geeked at the possibilities of this blank slate we have been given to restructure our teaching to best meet the needs of our students.


Did I drink the Kool-Aid?? for their canned for purchase program, no, not at all. There are many resources online available for free for us to use to snag, adapt, use to fit our needs.

Did I drink the Kool-Aid for the Common Core Standards themselves?? Big time.. I am excited to be a part of this movement to increase student engagement and learning. I'm terrified of the process and the impending doom of trying to get everyone on board. I am terrified to think of the massive changes we need to make and the fact that the success or failure of our efforts will have an impact on my paycheck. But I know the direction we are headed, to a more individualized approach to learning, to a more in-depth level of understanding of concepts, to a more engaging educational experience for students, is the right direction to head.


Will it be easy? No. Rarely is something worthwhile easy.


Will it take twists and turns along the way? Probably. But it will be a learning paradigm shift for educators as well as students. Drink the Kool-Aid with me!!

Being a special education teacher means my teaching role is different from a regular ed teacher. I've done both roles, and I know the pitfalls of both. I know that in this position, I have fewer students, fewer assignments to create and assess, and fewer parents to deal with. I know that to a regular ed teacher, looking at that huge stack of papers to correct over the weekend, my handful of students looks easy.

But let me tell you what it's like.... Every single one of "my" kids thinks I am theirs, singley, wholey and without fail. They think when they need help, are having some crisis, real or perceived, I should be THERE, NOW. My relationship with those kids is different from a typical teacher/student relationship on many levels. I am there go-to rescue person, their safety net when things are falling apart, the person they feel they can be honest and open with, the person who will go to bat for them in any class or situation. I am the one person they feel comfortable venting to, taking out their frustrations and angers on, the shoulder they want to cry on.

When a regular ed teacher has those same students in class, they may sit, quietly, complacently, pretending to work, trying hard to look like everyone else, even when they are overwhelmed. They just want to fit in. Or on the other end of the spectrum....They may be the opposite, loud, obnoxious, disruptive, trying to play the part of the class clown instead of being a 'dummy'. Either way, they don't want the 'normal' kids to realize they themselves aren't 'normal'.

But when they come to my room, it is a group of special ed labeled kids all together. One of the biggest arguments against resource room programs points out the tendency of these situations to bring out the worst in these students. They feed off each others' problems, exemplify and exaggerate their own worst traits, and just create a haven of mismatches, all thrown together, fighting for attention, wanting to just be themselves for awhile.

Just today, my third hour guided study period, a group of 11 kids, all with their own unique set of issues, was a whirlwind of chaos and confusion. One didn't want to do the assignment he needed tomplete for science, a simple look up vocab words in the glossary assignment. Another was upset at me, himself, the rest of the world because he didn't have a netbook because he intentionally destroyed his last week and needed it to do an assignment, so he kept walking out, slamming the door behind him. Then, another was mad at his sister because she took his iPod so he was in BIG TIME refusal to do anything mode. Four were trying to complete their science fair posters, but have no idea individually how to do it - no idea what a hypothesis is, variables, etc.... -demanding my constant help, even though they have not really completed a true science project to create their posters from, they all expected me to figure out how to write their hypothesis, make their graphs, etc... Another was working on a science worksheet and needed help finding answers. In the meantime, the one with the science vocab to do, is usually allowed to play games on iPad for 20 minutes but he'd taken it home over the weekend and left it, so he was upset about not having it to use. Another needed a computer to print a paper for a class, as if I am to just wave my hands and create one. Another needed to go to the library but mostly just wanted to wander. The poster kids have markers and glue and are creating major messes of paper and stickiness everywhere. And thank goodness, one was absent.... but it was still a typical hour of chaos and some productiveness, but where I felt like I was juggling bowling balls or flaming torches. trying to keep them all sort of on task, without injuring each other.

Every parent, every student, thinks THEY, THEIR child, is the most important one. I get that. I totally get that. But keep in mind, I have 16 students on my case load, another dozen or so special needs students I touch base with over the course of the day in various cotaught classes, as well as the regular ed kids in those classes who turn to me for help and support. I cannot babysit one student all day. I cannot always be there for every little crisis and event. The best I CAN do is help your child learn to be independent on their own, learn to be responsible for their own decisions and actions. I will do everything I can to help your child be successful. I will. I promise you that. But.... I am one person. Ultimately, you and your child must take some of the load on your shoulders as well.

Mike needed a partner so I am sitting next to him. He keeps asking me to sniff his shirt, but there are some lines I will not cross, and sniffing students is one of them. It is blogging time in 8th grade English so if I am going to sit next to Mike, I have to blog along with him so if this entry seems a bit out of context and the norm for my posts, please just read along, laugh when appropriate and enjoy.

Poor Mike cannot get his netbook to log in for some reason. The WELCOME logo is simply spinning. I should get up and get his notebook so he can blog the old fashioned way, but watching him sit and sweat is too amusing.

Casey just got detention for talking during blogging time but she says she won't show up in Mr. Krehbiel's room before school for it. I hope she doesnt' end up getting suspended for it.

Mike's computer is still trying to log in but he needed tunes so I hooked him up to my iTunes account The Band Perry singing You Lie, which was all going well until Mike pulled too hard on his earbud cord and then the music blared for everyone to hear so now I am embarassed.

I wonder why his computer is soooooo slow today. Sometimes having netbooks is more trouble than just not having them at all. I wonder if anything is to be gained by blogging online over the good old fashioned pencil/paper method. If their blogs weren't set to private, so others could read and respond, I could see a greater value for sure, but the way it is now, I am not sold on the idea.

10 mintues is up!! bloggging done...

Our district was part of a great project that put netbooks into the hands of all students, grades 7-12. Woohoo. Great idea in theory but in reality, it has become many issues that are inhibiting teaching and learning.


For some teachers, the netbooks have not changed their teaching. Other than having students type a paper here or there, nothing innovative or engaging has been done on the netbooks.


For other teachers, they have tried to explore new ideas for effectively integrating the netbooks into their classes, using various applications or projects. The actual effectiveness of these efforts varies from teacher to teacher. Some are using wikis with great success to encourage students to communicate with each other collaboratively. Some of using interactive programs to engage students in math, social studies or science.

Some classrooms boast they are using the computers for research, but in reality, students are just cutting and pasting content from online sources without understanding reliable sources, plagiarism issues, etc...

But the most frustrating part of the program is the LACK of responsibility on the part of students to bring their netbook to school every day, charged, ready to go. A teacher that WANTS to use them effectively, who has a great plan, still finds 10% of the students without them on any given day. We've had parents take netbooks from students as a punishment. Some can be convinced to let the student bring it to school to use only for educational purposes. Others simply insist the netbook will stay at home. Wait... it is school property. Well, how do we fight THAT battle??

Students, for the most part, are usually fairly responsible about what they are doing online, but unfortunately, in many classes, students are facebooking, skyping, playing online games, etc.. instead of doing their work. Some teachers try to monitor but it becomes a constant fire fighting expedition to keep track of what every student is doing every single moment.

I love technology. I love using online experiences to engage students. I just feel a sense of waste in the amount of funding being used inappropriately, ineffectively.. right now.

I've always been a bit skeptical of online learning platforms, thinking students need the interaction with a teacher and other students to actually learn successfully a topic with the in-depth knowledge they need to retain the information and have the ability to apply it in new situations.


For a variety of reasons, I have a group of 5 students now using Compass Learning for their math instruction. These are students who have no experienced success in the regular classroom curriculum, even with a wide range of instructional strategies explored, with changes of teachers, venues, etc... So in a last ditch effort to offer them success, the decision was made to try Compass Learning. The crew was enthusiastic, at least somewhat. I think a large part of their willingness to try it was their lack of success in other attempts.

The jury is still out. We are into week 3 of the experiment. For most of them, it has become one more way to fail. Whether the material is too difficult, or they simply are reluctant to actually listen and try the lessons in the way they are intended to be used, the botttom line is - they are rushing through the instruction, taking the quizzes and failing them.

One young man needs constant help, asking about every single question, every single concept. Another clicks through, almost seeming to make it a game to see how quickly he can go through the modules.

I'm not sold on the online learning platform yet. We'll see how it goes!

My daughter sent me the article What Teachers Really Want to Tell Parents by Ron Clark, an article that missed my radar when it came out last September. Clark's honest, straightforward thoughts about the relationship between parents and teachers struck a chord with me. It seems too often, teachers are put on the defense by parents who assume the worst about us and the decisions we make.

Granted, there are 'bad' teachers and teachers who are out to get kids, but those cases are rare. Most teachers are doing the best they can to think on the fly, to teach a classroom full of students, to make school the best experience possible for every child.

In many years of teaching, most of my interactions with parents have been positve. However, those aren't the ones I remember. The handful of meetings where I was attacked by parents are the ones which keep me awake at night. I remember the one mom & dad were upset because *I* actually dared to look over their son's shoulder as he completed math problems, as tell him which ones were incorrect, and show him the right way to do them. Another mom sent me a seething email accusing me of calling her son lazy in front of the entire class. (In actuality, I had made blanket comment to the entire class that some of them had gotten lazy lately, as we started a new marking period. I pointed out that missing assignments make for lower grades, because math is sequential, building on itself. I encouraged them, as a group, to get off to a fresh, good start with the new marking period.) However, son had gone home and told me I singled him out and embarassed him. Instead of asking, mom's email was irate, accusatory, rude, berating. When I emailed her back with 'my story' I heard nothing back for days, weeks... then finally, about a month later, she emailed me with an apology, telling me her son had come clean with what really happened.

Thankfully, these type of meetings are rare. Usually parents are supportive, reasonable and want to be a partner in their child's education.

Another part of the article that caught my eye was the comments about teaching giving high grades to avoid dealing with the fallout of low, accurately earned grades. I've actually had teachers tell me they make sure everyone passes their class so they don't have to deal with angry parents. Too many times, I see teachers 'give' points to artificially inflate grades. Points for a parent signature, points for bringing in supplies, points for donations to a can drive, points for just doing something, not for the quality of the assignment, but the just doing it. Grades need to be an indication of something real, something accomplished, something 'learned', not just points to fluff the gradebook. A parent once commented to me how smart her daughter's class was. Her reasoning? 4 of them earned a 4.0 to be class valedictorian. hmmm.... OK. If those 4.0's were actually indicative of a viable curriculum, consistent grades that reflected student achievement, but unfortunately, too often, 4.0 students don't demonstrate mastery when it comes to the ACT or other measures of school success. They go to college, flounder in remedial classes, learning skills they should have learned in high school.

So back to the article... what would I like to tell parents? I don't do my job for the money. I don't do it for the prestige. I do it because I want to help your child be successful in becoming a productive member of our society. What can you do to help? Be supportive. Encourage them to be their best self, every day. Expect them to be their best self, every day. Never accept 'good enough' when you know they are capable of more. Work with me to find ways to help them be successful. Work with me to expect appropriate behaviors and work habits. Together, we CAN do this. But only.... together.

Semester One... done, finished, grades closed out.... progress reports printed and handed out... report cards come out next week.


Whew................


It's been a rocky half a year, no doubt. The bad days have outweighed the good, at least two to one.


Is it getting better? I don't know! Somedays, I think YES, maybe, just maybe, I am making progress, if not with all of them, at least some. Other days, I think NO WAY. I check my retirement possibilities. I consider a job application at McDonald's. I ponder just moving away, far far away.



Some of the problems are politics. Others are the kids. I've never felt so overwhelmed, so inadequate, so like I cannot get a handle on what needs to be done to help them be successful. I've never struggled so to manage classroom 'control', maintain a safe and productive place for kids to learn.


But once in a while, once in a great while.... the little moments make it all worthwhile. One young man today.... and he's a frequent office flier.... far from a model student. This guy announces at the end of his second hour in a row in my resource room, "I don't know what it is Mrs. George, but after two hours in here, I just feel relaxed, like school's gonna be OK." and even better, than that.. and I will admit, THAT was amazing.... another kiddo, one who butts heads with me CONSTANTLY about everything - yes, EVERYTHING - to the point if I said the sun was shining, he would point out the one lone cloud in the sky.... he piped in, and said, "Yeah, don't you wish we could be in here ALL DAY?"



I didn't know whether to cry, or hug them, or just let them go to lunch as the bell rang.... But here I sit, with a smile and a sigh of relief, that maybe, just maybe, it isn't ALL bad.

I've always been the teacher with candy in a tub, given out generously for positive reinforcement, random "have a piece" tossings, and a treat for everyone just because. I've often kept soft drinks in the fridge to give out for special occasions. I bake cookies and muffins, treat my classes to breakfast, or pizza parties. To me, all that is just one more way to show students I care.

Tuesday, I spent the day in PBIS training learning about the new program we are going to implement at the middle school and high school level. Parts of it appeal to me very much. I like the idea of catching kids doing good and giving them positive reinforcement for it. I need the reminder of saying 5 positives for every negative interaction. I even like the idea of large scale rewards when the group is getting on the ball with doing the right thing.

On the other hand, I am concerned we are creating citizens who will expect to be rewarded simply for doing the right thing. It seems to me, this type of system should be a starting point in changing behaviors, one that naturally weans itself down to where students have gotten the hang of what is expected and are now routinely practicing those habits just because, without the constant need for a token of appreciation.

I fear we are setting ourselves up to teach kids the always want to up the ante with rewards. I recently took the role of 'check-in/check-out' person for a 6th grader who is struggling to be successful. Nice kid, funny kid, likable kid. He just needs a little boost to keep himself on track. Great... the idea is he takes his check-in/check-out sheet to all his classes each day, and if he earns the preset requisite points, I give him a small prize, a candy. I also told him for 5 days of good reports, I would give him a pop. So, what does he do? He asks for a pop each day instead, and McDonald's for lunch when he has a 5 day run.

The other young man I know that is on a similar program with another teacher, counts his points each hour, figuring out when he can start to "be bad" and still get his points.

I just want to make sure our ideas for positive reinforcement are matching our ultimate goal of teaching students to become responsible citizens because that is what they ought to be doing, not because of the piece of candy or the pop or the special prize.

It's exam time. The end of semester one. The critical time for high school students to find out did they earn that credit they so desperately need, or will they be reserving a seat in the same class next fall.

It is a point of controversy in our district. Does the exam determine credit? Does the course itself determine credit? Is it some combination thereof? It seems with every change in the wind, the answer changes, leaving staff and students confused and frustrated.

I am torn as to my personal stance. On the one hand, if a student can pass the exam without doing any of the course work, doesn't s/he deserve credit for the class? If your exam truly measures proficiency on preset standards of learning for the class, why wouldn't you give a passing exam grade course credit? On the other hand, are there activities/projects/classroom discussions that lend themselves to proving proficiency as well? If a student opts out of all the 'experiences' in class, can they still prove mastery with one grade? And what about the student who does everything all semester, completes every assignment, completes all the readings, the projects, the papers, but fails that final? Does that student deserve credit? Is 'test anxiety' a viable excuse?

I think we need more accurate ways of proving proficiency than one test, one overwhelming, end all/be all test. Tests have their place, granted, but I think teachers need to find other ways to measure, accurately measure, student achievement. I don't want to create a utopia where everyone passes just because they show up, but I do think we can find more effective ways to show student growth.

Maybe we need to spend more time aligning our assessments we use throughout the semester to our outcome standards, and rely more on the continual process of assessing and remediating, instead of waiting for the chiming of the final semester clock.

The ubiquitous, yet never to be seen.... PENCIL

I've always believe a kid doesn't have a pencil, you give you them one. It doesn't need to be an issue. Make it a non-issue.

Until this year..... I can go through 20 pencils a day without ever blinking. And keep in mind... I only have 12 kids in my room, one hour a day. The rest of the day, I am in co-teaching assignments. Those 12 kids can go through 20 pencils without blinking. Either the pencil sharpener grinds it to nothing, sometimes, through no fault of the student... or the kiddo just keeps grinding away until the pencil disintegrates into oblivion.... Or the kid loses said pencil between #3 and #4 on their homework... Or they break it into a gabillion pieces... Or... I have NO IDEA. I accuse them of eating them at times.

The worst part? We are being told by the powers that be we MUST give them pencils. Well, then. FINE. You better adjust your budget and plan for more pencils because once the word is out pencils are flowing freely, the problem is going to compound. At least now, some are forced to 'look' for their own pencil when teachers insist they are out.

At what point do schools insist on some responsibility on the part of students and parents?

I'm all for helping them be successful. I've loaned/given everything from pencils, to paper, to notebooks, to food, to clothing, etc... over the years. But there must be a limit to the generosity of, or rather the REQUIRED generosity, of schools.

It’s been a while since I blogged… for a variety of reasons, some were tech issues, others just an overwhelming sense of despair and resignation of some situations. Today’s entry will be threefold – 2 accolades of things you might enjoy, and then, I will end with some closing thoughts for the 2011 year. Enjoy…


First I want to start with a short book review/ recommendation. I just finished Where the Sky Doesn't End by Ron Nichols. The book parallels two middle school students, each a social outcast for their own reasons, and how their lives become intertwined as they search for their own dreams. The two characters were believable middle schoolers who both tugged at my heart as I read about their struggles. I found myself immersed in their lives, anticipating the conclusion/resolution. This would be a great read-aloud for middle schoolers. While some students might be able to navigate it as an independent read, much of the vocabulary would challenge any struggling readers. I was intrigued when Nichols sent me the book, and delighted when I finished it. I look forward to more similar genre novels from this new writer!


My next recommendation is for a cool new online math tool called Percentage Calculator. This simple but multi-faceted tool will help your students learn how to calculate percents in the form of _____ % of _______ is ________ by allowing the student to enter any 2 of the fields to have the other calculated for them. The tool is followed with a succinct explanation of the process.


It is somehow reassuring to start this post with positives that are happening peripherally to education. I find myself more negative, overwhelmed and disenchanted as time goes by. My biggest frustration now is inclusion. I’ve been a long time advocate of inclusion. I think all students benefit from being a part of the greater whole, learning from those ‘smarter’ and those who struggle. I see the plusses for both sides. However, inclusion is NOT always the best solution, not always the ‘least restrictive environment’ for a student. For some students, trying to force them to keep up academically with their peers is liken to torture. But now, with states going to the Common Core, with NCLB requirements rampant, schools are being forced to squeeze every student into that perfect mold. On paper, that all sounds swell. Every kid deserves every chance to learn every skill. Wait…. Make that every kid WILL learn every skill. How unrealistic is that expectation?? So now… we have students of all abilities thrown together floundering along, trying to master skills so far above their higher possible thresholds all we are doing it creating chaos. We’re forced to reach so far above, we cannot meet their true needs.
In the meantime, we are also doing a disservice to students who COULD master those concepts as we try to drag along the struggling students, holding back the others. We can try to ‘make accommodations’, provide support, but we’re just putting a bandaid on an amputated limb.
Moving beyond academic struggles, we have students now ‘included’ in regular education classes with severe emotional issues that are posing a danger to all students. The last day before Christmas break, a student became so distraught over a small issue, he picked up a student desk and threw it across the room. Luckily, no one was injured, but this is an ongoing problem, not an isolated incident, and one which will continue, I fear, to replay itself until someone IS hurt.
Inclusion is NOT an end all answer for education. It’s like expecting every student to play varsity basketball. No matter what coaching is in place, no matter how much practice time they get, there is simply no possible way EVERY student will ever make that team.


We wonder why parents become disillusioned with schools and search for alternatives – homeschooling, charter schools, etc….


As a parent, I wonder if my own children were in school now, what choices would I be searching for, because the choice in front of me as I walk in the doors of school each day is not one I would be proud to have for my children.

It's that dreadful time of the year again. "Buck fever' is running rampant in the school with over half the high school students gone for the day. This terrible virus is such a deterrent for education when it is so highly contagious.

I could argue policy - should we, like so many other districts, close school for opening day of deer season? It seems a waste of 'education' to hold school. With a majority of students gone, most classes are 'free time' or 'study hall' today, reluctant to go on to new material. Is that in itself part of the issue? Do we create an atmosphere where it is ok to be gone today because students and parents know teachers will allow it to be a slough day?

With deer season such a economic boon to our state's economy, with nearly 700,000 hunters predicted to hit the woods, each estimated to spend nearly $1000 each, maybe need to embrace the tradition and call today a statewide holiday!

We've spent a lot of time lately, as a staff, talking formally and informally, about insubordination. By and large, we are in agreement that it doesn't matter if we are talking about hats in school, computer usage, or simple directions, students have decided they are in charge and the rules may or may not apply to them.

I'm not sure how this change occurred, or even exactly when... But I see a pervasive digression in simple compliance. Maybe it is something each generation of educators feels/perceives? Does it actually exist? I'm not sure. I do know when I was in school, I would have never dared to speak to a teacher the way these students consistently talk to adults. I would never have dared challenge their authority when asked a simple directive.

But now, students have the audacity to refuse to comply, think nothing of saying, "Don't talk to me" to a teacher, or walking out of class or the building when things are not going their way.

Do we, as the adults in charge, hold part of the blame? I think so. We've become more lax with our own adherence to rules as well. Teachers show up late, don't have their grades done on time, don't take attendance regularly, skip meetings, etc.... We've backed down from our stern exteriors my teachers had, the unbending, black and white rule enforced I was taught by, trying to make school more 'student centered', make rules more 'student driven'. Have we gone too far down that road?

We can talk all we want about core curriculum and increasing accountability but until we change the climate in our schools, none of that will matter.

"Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something to eat.. THANK YOU. "

My 2 1/2 year old granddaughter has been practicing what to say this afternoon as she goes door to door begging for candy. She's all excited to be dressing up as an ice cream cone. She really doesn't remember trick or treating last year, when she could just barely get out the words "trick or treat" but she knows today is a BIG day and she knows candy is in her future.

School is a lot like trick or treating. We knock on the doors of our students, hoping to get something back in return: participation, completion of assignments, sharing of knowledge, respect, effort.

How often do we as teachers take the time to say, "Thank you" when they deliver? How often do we show our honest appreciation for a job well done by them? I wonder if more of us consistently showed our appreciation of their efforts, would they be willing to give more? Just food for thought....

Exciting news for my regular readers, or someone who just happened upon this post!

I am hosting a book giveaway for 2 copies of Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans. Evans is a #1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author. Michael Vey is the first in a new series by best-selling author Evans (The Christmas Box), published by Simon and Schuster in partnership with Mercury Radio Arts, a multi-media production company started by popular talk show host Glenn Beck.

The following is quoted from the email I received from Motive Outreach offering the book for giveaway on this blog:

Parents, teachers and community leaders concerned with the dark and
violent content in today's popular young adult novels are enthusiastically
embracing the new best-selling book, Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25.
Michael Vey tells a story of an unlikely teen hero who, despite struggling
with Tourette Syndrome, has special gifts and powers that help him overcome evil
forces threatening to take over the world. The book's "good story, good values"
approach has both adults and youth applauding.
"The message of Michael Vey is
one every parent, teacher and administrator will want their children to read,"
said Ann Harkins, CEO of the National Crime Prevention Council.
"Our students went nuts over Michael Vey. I'm not exaggerating to say that Michael Vey is the most popular reading we've ever assigned," said Bill Glisson, principal of Miami Valley Middle School in Dayton, Ohio.

Teachers can find resources for using the book in their classroom in 56-Teacher Resource Guide for Applying Michael Vey reading and lessons in the classroom.

Are you excited now? Do you want a copy of this book to read yourself, share with students, or use in your classroom?

NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 4: Email me @ cossondra@gmail.com to be entered in the drawing to receive your copy of the book. I will contact you for mailing information when I inform you of your winning status! Good luck!

It was an AHA moment and an OH SH*T moment, all rolled into one.

History class - assignment: Read the following article: The First Christians. Then, answer the following:
On the first page, near the bottom of the firs paragraph, the author state that "what began as a grassroots movement of Jewish peasants would become a powerful institution and a dominant force in Western culture." What does he mean by the statement? Support your answer with evidence.
Things you might consider and include:

• the expansion of Christianity into Asia Minor and Rome


• the shift from a rural to an urban religion


• the direction of expansion of Christianity

A tough assignment? Yes.. no doubt. An impossible assignment for the average 10th grader to complete? Not at all.

The previous days had been spent outlining how to complete such a writing essay. They had the format for writing down.

Blank looks. Across the room. A few feebly attempted getting started.

Finally, out of desperation.... I interjected: IT'S A FOCUS QUESTION GUYS! JUST LIKE IN ENGLISH CLASS. IT'S A FOCUS QUESTION.

(In English II, they've been reading The Crucible and answering focus questions on various parts following a very structured approach. Restate the question for your topic sentence. Write several sentences which support your answer. Then close, usually with an opinion based on the text.)

When I said the magic words FOCUS QUESTION, some of them sat up straighter. I started outlining on the board... using the FOCUS QUESTION format. Suddenly, they GOT IT.

Even Student X, the one who NEVER gets anything said, "I GET IT!!"

I think often, we teach in isolation from subject to subject, we do not use the same terminology, and we do not make those connections for students, the connections they fail to make on their own, the ones we think are supposed to come automatically to them, but in reality, they not only fail to make but fail to see.

We, as educators, need to take the time and effort to show them HOW to make those connections on their own by making a concerted effort on our parts to work across the curriculum, making the way we do things uniform from grade to grade, from content area to content area.

Some may criticize and suggest we are making students conform. Some may accuse this of teaching to the test. But in reality, we are just showing them the way things work. It about creating reasonable expectations, showing them how to meet those expectations, and creating opportunities for them to meet those expectations in multiple settings and situations.

I think some of the most important things we teach students in school have little to do with academics. That is one of my concerns about homeschooling. Where will those students learn the skills they need to be successful in society as a whole?

Some things are obvious: work habits, getting to class on time with the materials you need, or the simple act of showing up on a regular basis.

Other skills can be more ambiguous: working as part of a group, learning to be polite and respectful, and acknowledging authority.

Some students come to school understanding that adults are in charge for a reason - the greater good for all. Others come defiant, leary of all authority figures, determined to make their own rules in every given situation. These are the kids who constantly have to be asked to remove their hat, day after day, hour after hour. They have to be reminded to not speak when the teacher is talking, don't bother other students, ask and answer questions or give comments respectfully.

Through the years, I've had a multitude of students who are unwilling or unable to follow the basic rules of school. Many of these, I've encountered later in life. They are struggling to hold a job, even at McDonald's. One young man didn't understand why HE had to wear the same uniform as everyone else. He got angry and threw his uniform in the garbage, and ultimately lost his job. Others find that employers are much stricter with their tardy policy than the school was. Others find that employers expect you to show up at the job with the necessary tools you need for that particular job and without them, you no longer have a job.

Other students lack skills to interact with others politely and respectfully. They are constantly making comments to their teachers and other students, interjecting little jibes here and there that make everyone's life miserable. When confronted, they claim they didn't mean it, didn't mean anything by it, or flat out deny they even said it. Unless they change their ways, these students will also struggle in the work force.

I think schools need to spend more time and effort on these issues. Too many students come from homes where these skills are not valued. We must teach them. Someday, it may not matter if they can balance an equation, understand the influences the Romans had on our government, or be able to dissect a frog. But it will certainly matter if they can hold a job, be a productive member of society, and understand the social mores of our groups.

The structure of the hour for my class varies..... from year to year.. from one group of students to another. I wish I could say I've found the perfect way to teach math, but I haven't! But since the question was posed, I will take a stab at some things I've learned that work, most of the time.

For me, having a Math Starter really sets the tone of the class. In a perfect world, this activity bridges what we did yesterday with the new material we will learn today. In my reality world, it is often simply the short set of questions that comes with the textbook. I download this PDF to project on the board. Other days, I use a problem I have written, or even a math puzzler that has nothing to do with the lesson. It could be a problem in the book, vocabulary words to copy(YIKES!) or a prerequisite type of activity. But whatever... I try to choose something that takes about 5 minutes and engages their math brain in gear while I take attendance and deal with any other little odds and ends. Depending on what the activity was, we may go over it immediately, or save it, especially if the activity bridged yesterday and today together.

Then.. we move onto homework/classwork from yesterday. I really seldom give HOMEWORK because honestly, most students do not complete it, so what's the point? I try to assign enough problems to cement those skills, but just enough so students, at least MOST of them, should be able to finish in class.

When we go over homework, I read answers quickly, then stop, ask for repeats. Then I allow questions. We do any problems students struggled with. If I get NO questions, or very few, I choose several problems I knew they struggled with based on the problems during work time the day before, or problems I anticipated students would struggle with. I work through problems asking for "what next" etc...

Then, if I feel we need more work on that topic, we do more problems.... often Day Two is the more complex problems on the topic.

If not, we move on to today's material. I think it is most important to bridge yesterday/prior knowledge with what we are doing new. I seldom teach from the book, preferring to 'show' my way. Then, we work through problems together. Students are expected to copy each example, show the steps, etc... as we go. Then we work through the begining of the assignment together, and then independent work time.

Depending on the topic, that schedule may vary significantly, with group work to 'discover' how to tackle problems, or some experiment or demonstration.

I LOVE individual whiteboards for classwork. These engage more students much more easily than paper. When they have that board, marker and magic eraser (paper towel) in hand, they are much more eager to attempt problems. I try to wander during this time, having one or more students at the board working out problems. We always have 'phone a friend' options when they run into problems when working on the board.

Sometimes, I feel too traditional, too structured and try to be more creative with more open ended activities. However, it often seems students do not always 'discover' what I need them to and we end up with more structured activities anyway.

I wish I could find the balance to teach math in a more 'creative' classroom where students develop their own meaning but I struggle with time management because these activities always seem to take more time.

I love group activities, especially graphing. Giving them a large poster size graph paper to create a graph as a group always seems a hit.

I try to weave as much technology into lessons as I can. I love interactive sites like National Library of Virtual Manipulatives or Shodor. Illuminations has some great lessons as well. Anything you can bring in different and engaging will be a hit...

Hope that helps. I am always looking for great ideas so please SHARE!!

Today marks the end of the first 6 weeks of school, what, until a few years ago, would have been the end of the first marking period. Now we are on 9 week periods, so we still have a bit to go before the first round of report card grades come out.

I feel scattered still. It seems the year won't fall into place, into its routine, where my day becomes a logical flow of what to expect. Maybe it is the hodgepodge of students I have this year, maybe it is me. I don't know.. all I know is at this point, I still feel as if I am juggling bowling balls trying to make sense of it all.

For some of the students I have this year, just trying to keep their behaviors from getting them kicked out of classes is overwhelming for me. It feels as if I am more a fireman than a teacher, constantly stomping on outbursts, trying to keep them under wraps. It seems every time I turn my head, am not in the room, or look away for a split second, one of them does something inappropriate, disruptive. Forget ever worrying about academics with them. It is all about behavior.

Some of them are responsible for their actions, telling the truth, admitting their part in the occurence. Others toss blame at anyone and everyone but themselves.

At this point in the year, I am just wondering if we will EVER find our groove... if things will ever fall into a predictable routine....

Today, because of the MEAP's, I am letting my Guided Study kids watching Toy Story 3. You'd be amazed at how 'attentive' they CAN be when it is something entertaining instead of something school related. They are focused, quiet and still. Hmmmmm......

Wouldn't it be amazing if school, all their classes, could be this engaging? Do I need to dress up as a cartoon character every day to get their attention??

Which leads to another question.... are we creating a generation of non-attenders? With all the video games, tv shoes, internet... all of which are highly engaging, fast paced, and bright/loud... are we teaching students/children that if it is not 'fun' they do not have to attend?

How many times are you stuck in a meeting, a training, something, that is less than engaging, but knew you had to absorb the information? How many times have you had to read a manual or some other informational text that you really had little interest in, but knew you needed to get all you could from it?

Life cannot always be engaging. School cannot all be exciting. Sometimes, learning is just boring.... sad truth....

Oh joy. MEAP's start today. As I sit watching my crew, I am confident I know their scores will be reflective of their effort. Wait... I didn't say the score will be reflective of their KNOWLEDGE or what they learned last year.... I didn't say their score will in any way indicate how well their teacher last year taught..... I said their score will be reflective of their individual effort.

We are less than an hour into testing. So far.....

• one young man farted loudly, intentionally


• two are asleep (one stayed up late last night to watch the Lion's game.. not sure why #2 is asleep. I have gently woken both twice.)


• one had a loud outburst, screaming shut up to another student and asking to go take test in office


• one was done filling in bubbles almost before I finished reading directions. I don't even think he opened the question booklet


• one wrote '1948' the blank for school name, even though the school name was written on the board


• two didn't know what year they were born to fill in that information

Please... base MY pay on their scores.

The ridiculousness of it all is so absurd I cannot even fathom it.

I was reflecting on yesterday's negativity in my post and trying to sort out the reasons I feel so frustrated. Is it me I am upset with? Is it my students? Is it school in general?









And perhaps the biggest question...


What can I do to change my state of mind?





The bottom line right now is many students do not see the connection between education and their future. For many, too many, the goal of graduating from high school is overwhelming. They have no fantasies about anything past graduation if they possibly make it that far. College is not something they perceive as a reality possible for them. They see themselves as failures before they even start.





Believing in my students can go a long way in setting them up for success. I know that. I acknowledge my role in that part of the process.





Just believing isn't enough though. I have to transfer that belief into a reality for them. There is where the disconnect lies.





One young man in English 2 is bright, gregarious, bubbling over with knowledge and ability. But he is also a self-proclaimed "ass". He has no intention of passing the class, even though he could easily with minimal effort. He will somedays participate in discussions, contributing amazing insights into the conversation. Other days, he can't be bothered to show up on time, can't be bothered to put pencil to paper, or fingers to keyboard. For all the knowledge I *know* he has, there is little evidence in the grade book to substantiate that knowledge. Maybe he will surprise me and Ace the mid-term and final and manage to pass the class, get credit and move on. Maybe... I hope so. Either way.... it seems my encouragement falls on deaf ear with him. He acknowledges his potential, but chooses to let himself down. He claims to want to be a doctor someday, and I have no doubt he is capable of achieving that goal, but with his current work habits and defiant attitude, that goal is not achievable despite his extraordinary intellectual ability.





Another young man... in my math class. He cannot be bothered to grab his book, bring his assignments to class, even grab a pencil off my desk to use. He refuses to open the book to the page we are on, refuses to copy notes, try problems. He is sooooo determined he is going to fail, he refuses to even try.





Another young lady... so intent on her social life and the ensuing drama there on a constant basis, cannot focus on work in any class. She is constantly worried about someone else and what they are doing, where they are, who is making comments about them. She has potential, but it is unrealized.





When I first starting teaching, I could have stopped there. THOSE would have been my challenges this year. But unfortunately.... that is just the tip of the iceberg. It seems more and more students come unready to learn, unready to be a student....





I keep trying. I keep tackling them one student at a time, one day at a time, one class at a time, one assignment at a time...






There's always a mountain in front of me
Seems I'm always climbin' and stumblin'
And then fallin'
And then climbin'
But I keep on tryin'
~Trace Adkins

Maybe it is the time of the year, maybe I am getting old.... but I feel a sense of discouragement and dismay at the tide of education today. It seems we've made a paradigm shift, or several of them, in the time I have been teaching.

Some of the changes have come from above, forced down upon us - increased accountability in the form of standardized testing and a uniform curriculum. Those issues are beyond our local control and have been debated in the greater educational arena to the point I am not sure I have much to add.

The bigger paradigm shift I see is the school culture/climate change. We've become so dictated by fear we no longer create the culture which is conducive to learning that once seemed the norm in schools.

Dress codes are not enforced. Rules in general have become more lax. Students seem to have more say in the social mores of the school community. On the one hand, it is important to allow students the opportunity to make decisions that impact themselves. It is a life's lesson to create rules and consequences. But as the majority starts to shift from those truly interested in education, to those more interested in finding ways to be a catalyst for chaos, I fear our schools are changing, swinging so far from an 'adult-ruled' society to one run by students with an agenda not guided by rationale and a drive for learning, that we have lost the true purpose of a public education in the process.

Students get in trouble in one school so they are booted to another. Students don't like one classroom teacher's rules so they change their schedule. Students choose not to be learners, so we have no choice but to allow them to wander that path, dragging others along behind them. Classroom teachers' hands are tied when it comes to discipline and enforcing consequences. Yet, our worth is judged by the achievement of students in our classes.

If you want to judge my worth by the productivity of my last year's students, then allow me to autonomy to create a learning environment conducive to actual learning.

I don't have the answers. But I do know what we are doing, where we are heading, gets further and further from a true education with each passing day.

I've always been a HUGE fan of technology at school. I love using it teaching, I love using it at home, I love how engaging it can be for students.

But with the onslaught of online distractions, I am becoming the ogre of netbook usage. I feel as if I spend more time monitoring what students are doing on their netbooks than I do teaching.

For some students, chatting online with another student can be engaging. For some students, chatting online with another student can be a great resource to get help with an assignment. For some student, multi-tasking comes naturally, even enhances their ability to accomplish the work they have in front of them.

For those students, I applaud the use of social networking. I applaud and encourage them to collaborate. Utilize these tools to their maximum potential!!

Unfortunately, for many students, putting a netbook in their hands is a straight line to disaster. They are unable to self-monitor their time and are constantly distracted by the overwhelming volume of games, chats, music videos and information available at the click of a finger. They simply are unable/unwilling to NOT do those things when they should be attentive to their school work, the teacher, or the assignment they need to be focusing on. They are inundated by Skype messages from friends, or enemies. They have to check Facebook to see what is going on.

Research shows that students who Facebook regularly score significantly lower. This article acknowledges that each generation has had its distractions, it calls Facebook a 'unique phenomenon'. The magnitude of the pull of knowing the every going on of other students seems irresistible for many students.

Couple all of those with the potential for cyber-bullying and the issue becomes even bigger. Students threatening students on Skype and Facebook is rampant. The conversation threads draw parents in as well. A small issue quickly accelerates out of control.

I've come a full turnaround. I always wanted, or thought I wanted, students to have unlimited access to the internet with all its joys. I thought it was our responsibility to teach students to use it appropriately, to help them self-monitor, to teach them social responsibility. However, I've come to realize that for most students, the temptations to stray are simply too irresistible.

We need to take back our schools. We need to gather back our students' attention to the learning.

Recently I was contacted by Lindsey Wright of Online School who requested to do a guest blog here. After much consideration, I have decided to share her post which has some interesting thoughts:

Students Must Remain the Focus in Wired Classrooms
There is no question that new technology has a place in the modern classroom. Children are growing up in a technology centered world where knowing how to use new technology will be necessary for more and more jobs as time goes on. As such, technology in the classroom has the potential to increase learning opportunities when used correctly. Conversely technology alone is not enough to allow students to excel. Thus, teachers must find an appropriate balance between keeping their classrooms current and meeting the needs of their students.

Changing the Focus in the Classroom

Recently there has been a lot of focus on getting technology like additional computers, laptops and interactive whiteboards into the classroom. In fact, some intuitions have even gone as far as letting students attend school online. However some would argue that there is too much. Individual students have different learning styles and needs, and amidst the excitement over new technology, the students must remain the priority.

One of the main benefits discussed in relation to using more technology in the classroom is that students can learn at their own pace. Yet this type of thinking has some flaws. Computers and the Internet allow students to explore topics that interest them and learn in their own way, but teachers must be careful to maintain standards and ensure students are still learning the basics required for that grade level.

The “do-it-yourself approach” also ignores those students who have trouble being independent and learning on their own. These students need the regular guidance of a teacher to keep them on task. There are many different ways to use technology in the classroom and schools and teachers must be careful to design the classroom so that the needs and learning styles of each individual student are being met. It is imperative the focus in the classroom remains on the students rather than on using new technology at all costs.

What Can be Done to Make Sure Students Needs are Being Met?

The Educational Technology Journal, emphasizes that computers by themselves are not going to appropriately teach students. School districts must recognize that in addition to providing new computers in each classroom, the computers must come equipped with high quality educational programs. More importantly, schools need to ensure that all teachers are trained to use the technology in their classrooms in an effective manner that will meet the needs of every student.

Evidence that technology alone will not change education for the better can be found in an Arizona school district.The district offers state of the art classrooms with laptops, huge projection screens and interactive whiteboards. Yet even with these innovative classrooms, the test scores in that district remain unchanged. Evidence like this suggests that something might be wrong with an approach that focuses too heavily on providing new technology and possibly neglects the needs of students.

Luckily there are several ways teachers can ensure the technology that is being incorporated into their classrooms works to the advantage of their students. For instance, teachers can arrange classrooms in away that ensures the focus remains on teaching and learning, rather than the technology in the classroom. If there is one computer available, the teacher might connect it to a projector and use it to supplement to a lesson. On the the other hand, there are many different ways to design the classroom if there are several computers available. The teacher might arrange small groups of computers together so students can work in small clusters at different computer stations or spread each computer to a different place in the classroom, using each one for a different purpose.

Technology is changing the world we live in, including education. However with the focus on getting as much new technology into the classroom as possible, educators must be careful not to neglect the needs of the students.

Lindsey Wright is fascinated with the potential of emerging educational technologies, particularly the online school, to transform the landscape of learning. She writes about web-based learning, electronic and mobile learning, and the possible future of education.

Parent meetings are always interesting. You just never know what to expect the first time you meet a parent. Some are mirror images of their children; others, you wonder how they possibly share the same DNA.

Some parents make every excuse possible for their child and their school issues. Others bend over backwards to make your life as a teacher easier.

Some parents make you realize the special little something you've missed seeing in the child. Others make you more determined than ever to FIND that special sparkle and enhance it.

Of the gazillion parent meetings I've had over the past nearly 20 years of teaching, most of them have been positive and productive. It is a rare conference that ends with the feeling we've missed the connection between parent and teacher that is so crucial to student success.

I wish I had the magic formula for making them all positive but I don't.... on those other days when the meetings end in a less than magic, I am left questioning what my purpose as an educator is.....