The Real Most Powerful Educators



So the Forbes Magazine came out with a list of the World's 7 most powerful educators.  Looking at the list just shows how little they know about education and what really makes a powerful educator.  And, truthfully, why would they even have a clue as to who makes a strong effective teacher because those that make them are the unsung heroes, the ones sitting in a school, working with children and not having time to run around and get their faces on the front covers of magazines.

Ms. C, a teacher at Packemin is a powerful educator. When I began teaching at this school, Ms. C was working in the ISS department.  She is a former nurse and was running a successful nursing program for extremely limited students.  Several days a week she brought these children out in the field where they worked with nursing home residents and youngsters who were even more disabled than they were.  I remember a young woman who could not even ride the bus because she couldn't make change telling me how grateful she was not to be like the kids she worked with.  Ms.C gave her a reason to hope for a better future for herself.  Ms. C gave meaning to her education.

As with all good things in the DOE, Ms.C's work with ISS children came to an end.  A new administrator decided he only wanted ISS licensed teachers in his department and he transferred everyone teaching there without the certification.  (He removed two living environment teachers, one math teacher and one English teacher.)  Ms. C was upset but went on to teach living environment to mainstream students and she quickly found her niche working with the students who had a difficult time in most classes, many who didn't even like to come to school.  Ms. C spent (and still spends) hours finding songs and games to help them remember concepts and facts needed to pass the regents.  She gave (and still gives) hours of her free time helping these students achieve.  Ms. C is a tier I teacher.  She could be sitting at home, collecting her pension, but she isn't.  She is still in a classroom every day, reaching the hard to reach.

Forbes Magazine doesn't really care about who is a powerful teacher.  They care about who looks good on the cover, who will buy the magazine and who business people want to see because they see education as a business.  Children are commodities that count for nothing as far as they are concerned.  They have never heard of Ms.C and have no desire to ever know anything about her or the countless teachers like her.  The probably sold a lot of issues with these 7 powerful educators making headlines, issues that missed the truth by  miles.

Stone Soup

Dirty Talk Needed

I used to teach in a tough school, a really tough one. The school was one of the first one closed when the city started doing that to bad schools years ago. We taught with locked doors and avoided certain stairwells between classes. Kids were often found with weapons and more than one fire was started during a fire drill. (Our kids liked the real thing.)

In spite of it all, I loved that school. I loved the kids and I loved the teachers I worked with. I only left because of its distance from my house. Having two babies, I needed to be close to home, available for emergencies. I also did not have time to travel.

Packemin HS was a country club in comparison. I felt that the first minute I stepped in to interview with the principal. I thought, surely I had found the perfect place and was thrilled to be hired on the spot.

Unfortunately, my happiness did not last long. The teachers were not as friendly as the ones I had worked with in my previous school and although no one was mean, I just felt out of place. And then the reason for my unhappiness hit me--NO ONE TALKED DIRTY! I'm not talking about sexual harassment or pornography dirty, I'm talking about innocent flirtations, sentences with double meanings and a few off color jokes. In the few years I stopped working to be a full time mom, things changed. Political correctness was the new thing and everyone worried about saying the wrong thing and being brought up on charges.

It took me a long time, but I found my crew, the group as warped and sick as I am. I found the group I can have my dirty conversations with and not worry about anything. I finally found myself at home at Packemin.

This Guy Should Not Be Teaching

Gina is every teacher's nightmare. She is either the sweetest, brightest, hardest working student around or she is Rosemary's baby. There is very little in between behavior and there is no way of knowing which Gina is around at any time.

Lately, the Rosemary's offspring has shown up in class. I had a major incident with her last week and had to call a dean to have her removed from class. Since then, she has been sitting in the back, reading a book, but leaving me and the rest of the class alone. I know I am accountable for her learning but I don't care. I'm glad she is quiet and I am not going to deal with her. Hopefully her other self will return soon and we can get back to education.

This morning I ran into one of Gina's other teachers and what he said, shocked me:

Gina is definitely bipolar. When she graduates from here, she is going to have a major breakdown and destruct. I'll be glad when it happens. I don't like that girl at all.

I tried to reason with the teacher. I tried telling him that she was a child, a sick child and that kind of thing should not be wished on anyone. He said he didn't care and he would be glad to be done with her in a few weeks.


I just stood there with my mouth open when he walked away.

We Don't Have Super Powers And Merit Pay Won't Give Us That Power Either

I'm no Anne Bancroft and neither are any of the teachers I know. We don't have super powers. We can't make learning disabled students smart. We can't engage the sleeping student the who has been awake all night listening to his parents fight. We can't force them to come to school when they would rather go to the mall and we can't get them into class when they prefer roaming the halls. We can't make them open a book and we can't make them study.

We can and do do our best to reach every student every day but sometimes our best does not work.

Mr AP says:

If you have students who are getting below 40’s on exams, please take some time to find out the reason. It is best if you can find a way for him/her to work harder and get better grade. If it is in the best interest of the student to be in another class, please take the time to get in touch with the Guidance Counselor. Maybe there is another class in which the student will function better. I don’t believe in leaving a student in a class knowing he/she has no chance to pass. It is late in the term, but it is never too late to do something to help a failing student.

It is time we try to take care of the students who are struggling. Please find a way to teach what they need to get at least a 65. If they do not come to class, you should speak to the Guidance Counselor right away. If they come, please work with them.

The guidance counselors don't know what to do with these kids. For most of them no other class exists. Every ninth grader must pass algebra, we can't get around that. And, many are already in the lowest level so there is no where for them to go. Sometimes working harder is not the answer. I know that if I work really hard, day and night, seven days a week, I will still not be able to do anything about curing cancer or ending the war in Iraq or getting jobs for all the ATRs. As far as never being too late, well, for some it is too late, especially for a math class where all the new work depends upon previous knowledge.

The above memo was from a very nicely written memo. No teacher was threatened, berated or humiliated. Unfortunately, the message here is the same as it has been in every other memo.

IT IS YOUR FAULT THE STUDENTS IN YOUR CLASSES ARE FAILING

Grades are due Tuesday. I am in the middle of marking a geometry test I gave on Thursday. The grades are pathetic. I want to cry. I don't even feel like going back to those classes ever again. I can't come up with a way to get some of these kids to get double digit grades, let alone a 65. My first marking period geometry results are not going to be pretty. Mr. AP will not be happy.

I don't have super powers. I can't go to their homes and make them do homework. I do my best to get them to work in class, but for many that isn't enough. I can't control the cutting even though I call homes, speak to guidance and roam the halls myself looking for my students. (I only do this because I am hyper and can't sit still. I also prefer the kids in the building to most of the adults.)

I'm not Super Teacher. I'm just a mortal doing the best I can. Obama might think merit pay will make me stronger, but I disagree. All the money in the world won't give me the power I need to succeed with them all.

You Get What You Pay For

Before Mr. Retired Principal retired, he paid a visit to a veteran teacher. At the conference,he told Mr. Veteran that his lesson was not entertaining.

Mr. Veteran answered calmly, "For $500,000 a year, you get Johnny Carson, for $40,000 a year you get Vinnie Veteran."

For the first time in his life, Mr. Retired Principal was speechless.

You Were Wrong

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am not a defender or a fan of "Suits." Once the word "administrator" is in their title, my radar is up, looking for the problems and stress they are bound cause.

To all you teachers who were late to staff development and got a letter:

Tough! You were wrong! Whether you like staff development or not, whether you think it is a waste of time or not, you have to be there and you have to be there on time. If you got a letter for being late or not there at all, too bad about it. You are getting paid to be there. You were wrong. Suck it up, admit you were wrong and vow to be on time from now on. No one letter is going to adversely affect your career.

And, don't whine about the starting time being e-mailed to you. It was your obligation to know what time to report on Monday before you left on Friday.

Even with my big mouth, I have never gotten one of these letters. I've avoided them by following the rules, even the stupid ones. If the admin is looking to get you, following the rules doesn't matter, but why supply a extra ammunition? Why do anything to help them do their jobs? Is the extra hour of sleep really worth it?

I Realize I Am Just Rambling On Here...

One of the things I love the best about teaching is getting to know things about my students other than the difficulties they have in math. When one of my students is on a sports team, I try to attend at least one game during the year. I know you teachers in small towns do this all the time but NYC teachers usually head for the door as soon as the last bell rings.

When I was young, I attended every after school function and had fun at all activities. When my kids were young they came with me. Every play, every ball game, every student helped shape their formative years. Even as a burnt out Suit hater, I attended soft ball games and soccer games. My son played on a neighbor school's team and I would run from side to side to cheer, depending on whether he was in the game or not.

Joe is one of the stars of the basketball team. For two years he drove me crazy and while I am glad he is with another teacher this term, I will never stop caring him. He is a senior and I am off this week from the college so I decided this is a good time to watch his game. This kid is dynamite on the court. His guidance counselor thinks he might make it to the pros. It is a shame that he messed up academically and blew some opportunities for college scholarships. Joe is one of the smartest kids I've ever met. (I felt terrible about not being able to pass him last term.) He is a fine young man. I hope he gets picked up by some college preparatory school and ends up with a big career.

Drew is one of my current geometry students. He was not doing well in the beginning of the term but about two months ago he got bitten by the study bug and his grades have drastically improved. This kid was dynamite on the court. He and Joe passed the ball back and forth and made the other team look like the Washington Generals being played by the Harlem Globetrotters. Drew's dad was at the game. In fact, he goes to every game he can. Drew is his dad's sun (no, I did not spell this wrong) shine. With a dad like this, it is no wonder that Drew is as special a kid as he is. Aside from his basketball skills, Drew is a truly fine young man. When a member of the opposing team got knocked down, Drew was the first one on the line to help him up.

As teachers, it is important to recognize that not all our students are created equally but they all (yes, even the crazy ones) have some special talent. Recognizing it and praising it can go a long way in helping them succeed in school and in life. I know this is not an easy thing to do. Believe me, after 30 years of teaching I have seen many kids whose redeeming values are almost impossible to find. But, if you can find it, and build on it, you have a chance to help save that child. You don't have to go to a game or after school activity to do this. Praise the girl who wrote an article for the school newspaper. Praise the kid who showed up in class 5 days in a row. Be creative. Look really deep. Find the good in everyone.

It's Mine

So much to write, so little time. I could fill a book but this and the other little blog will have to suffice.

We have a chair shortage at Packemin High. Classes with 34 kids often only have 31 chairs. (Thanks Bloomberg--Keep It Going NYC Public Schools). Being resourceful, we scrounge around and borrow chairs from other rooms.

Mr. P is in the room next door. While I am short three chairs, he has at least four empty ones, so I send my students to get chairs.

Today, Crissy came back all upset. "That man won't give me a chair unless I give him my ID card", she said. I couldn't believe my ears and went to check it out for myself.

Sure enough, Mr. P said "I need my chairs. How can I guarantee they will be returned if I don't hold some identification."

I calmly told Mr. P that the chairs would be brought back, no ID needed. He often leaves the room before the period is over and he leaves with the ID card. He said, "Send your kids out a few minutes early." And then, Ms. Calm lost it. "You teach bell to bell but my kids should lose instructional time to return chairs that don't belong to you. That is not going to happen." I took the chairs and left.

The conversation continued again later in the day but by then I realized as I was talking to Mr. P, I was talking to someone with a pea sized brain and just left.

Many years ago I had a similar problem with a teacher who would not give my class chairs. I solved that problem also. I made sure I arrived much earlier than he did and emptied the room before he arrived! He never even knew the chairs were missing.

Gee, I know things are tight but do we really have to get so possessive of chairs?

All Kids Need Help--Not Just The Ones With IEPs

I didn't think the IEP post would cause so much outrage. Thank you teachers for all your support.

I just checked. It is only November and I have already written 25 individual letters of recommendation for my students. I'm only counting the letters, each letter has at least 3 or 4 applications attached so the amount of work involved is incredible. There have also been countless forms filled out for the college office. That number will increase once scholarship applications begin.

Before I write a letter of recommendation, I read over the student's resume and personal statement. I also question them as to their goals and interests and try to find the one or two things that will make the subject of the recommendation stand out from all the others.

As I was writing this post an e-mail came from Macaulay Honors Program. They are collecting all their recommendations online this year. So that is another thing I must do. Since I have no computer access at work, those are done at home.

As for brighter kids not needing attention, think again. Would you be happy if your honor child came home from school saying the teacher had no time to help him with a problem? Or, how about, forget that scholarship, Johnny needs me more and I don't have time to fill out your recommendation. Bright kids are just as time consuming, albeit in a different form.

So, all you parents out there with kids with special needs--I feel for you but I feel for these other kids too. They are just as entitled to help and special treatment as everyone else. Too bad there is no federal law protecting them. Don't judge me without having a clue as to what I do! And, as for telling me what I would do if your child was in my class, SORRY, THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!