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....