Out Of The Mouth Of Babes

"Closing schools is like spreading a bad infection. Kids have to go to school somewhere. The ones who are disruptive, who can't do the work will now go to other schools and those schools will be ruined."

The above was said by a Packemin HS student. The young man realized closing schools is not the answer. Too bad he isn't running the city.

A Few Questions

I was just thinking about that NY Times magazine article, Building a Better Teacher, and realized I had a few questions I would like to ask Lemov. Since I can't ask him in person, I'll ask him here.

1. What do you do with kids who are so many years behind where they should be that learning the material you are forced to teach is impossible for them?

2. What do you do with kids who have no decency, no sense of what is right and wrong?

3. What do you do about kids that don't care about consequences?

4. What do you do about parents who will defend their child, right or wrong?

5. What do you do about overcrowding, when you can find not a free inch of space to work in?

6. How do you get kids who just don't care to start caring?

Sweetheart...

I was about to post about Building A Better Teacher, an interesting article in this Sunday's NY times but my buddy NYC Educator did it better than I ever could. (The article offered no real help on dealing with difficult situations.

The one line I came away with is

“Sweetheart, we don’t do that in this classroom because it keeps us from making the most of our learning time.”

I wonder if that will work in my ninth period class?

Merit Pay In A Sitcom

My husband just yelled in, "You've got to watch this show." Since he knows I am not much of a television watcher, I figured it would be one I would find interesting and went to watch.

The show, Til' Death is about embracing merit pay and the problems that arise from it. A very bright young man will only get A's on exams if his teachers pay him and the principal, a mean, vindictive, teenie bopper, gives kids known to fail, to the teacher she does not like. The teachers all pay this kid to pass because pensions are tied to salaries and merit pay means higher pay checks.

It might be a sitcom, but it accurately portrays the problems of merit pay. Check it out. It will be available online probably tomorrow.

Problem Not Solved

Packemin has trouble with giving kids extended time to ISS kids on exams. The problem is logistics, we are just too big. I've bitched about this in the past, things were changed but things are still not running smoothly.

The new process has the teacher bringing exams to the ISS office where the exams are placed in the mailboxes of the resource room teacher. The teacher supposedly picks the exams up, gives them to the student and then returns them to the teacher's letter box in the main office on the first floor. The exams are supposed to be in sealed envelopes with all pertinent information (names of teachers and students, periods, etc on the front.)

Now, if your head is spinning trying to figure this all out, you are not alone. There are at least six different resource teachers, plus the inclusion kids whose school base is in another part of the building. Bringing exams for both groups of kids has the teacher running in circles. Trying to get all this done before 7:00 AM makes for a bad start to the day.

Some students start the exams in resource room and then finish them in their regular class while others reverse the procedure, depending upon their schedule. A child who has resource room say sixth period and class eighth period leaves the resource room teacher and the gen ed teacher no time to exchange papers. Occasionally students have been allowed to transport their own exams in sealed envelopes but there have been too many incidents of cheating along the way with this method for my comfort. Oh you might suggest that the child just finish the exam in resource room but the teacher that was in the room period 6 might be in a gym class or an English class period 8 and not available to proctor again.

A different bandage was put on the wound, but the wound is not healing. I don't have an answer. I only see a problem and I see kids not getting what they need.

Nightmare

I admit, I have weird dreams. I dream in color and even dream of smells, something that is almost impossible to do. I remember hearing this in a psychology class I took in college.

Last night's dream really takes the cake. I was standing outside my period 2 calculus class when my cell phone rang. Since it was very noisy, I walked outside (impossible in the building I teach in) to take the call. My best friend (who lives in Texas) was on the phone telling me my mother-in-law was in the hospital and the doctors were ripping her apart trying to save her life. (My mother-in-law has been dead for many years.) Since I didn't know what to do at the moment, I returned to class, only to find my students sitting in the hallway, with their desks arranged in groups of 4. When I looked in the room, I saw little Chinese children on small desks and a Chinese woman stood at the front teaching them. I went to my supervisor who told me it was for the day and I should just find a blackboard and start teaching. On the way back, I saw other teachers and classes in the same situation.

The next thing I remember was walking away from the class and seeing improvements being made to the school. There was a beautiful green outdoor area and an blue amusement type train was being built. I ended up in a huge auditorium where a speech was being made telling us that the school was going to be closed down. The fact that we were an "A" school did not matter. The principal, in his black suit and his red tie, was sitting on the side by himself, not saying a word.

We all left and walked outside. All of a sudden we were at a retreat in the mountains, but the fun of the trip was gone. There was a cloud in the sky so big, no sun could shine through. The heaviness of what was going on weighed us all down. We talked and tried to make plans but we knew all was lost. The controlling powers were just too much for us to fight. The only thing left was the trip home.

Evil

To quote a friend, "She is so fuckin evil....she even smells of evil!!!!! "

And then this appeared in Newsday...Pay special attention to the last panel.
(Click on it to enlarge)

What Would You Do?

You are an administrator and you know that a teacher in your department is going to leave in the middle of the spring semester to have a baby. The subject terminates in a brand new regents exam.

Do you?

Hire an inexperienced substitute to take over the class while the teacher is out on maternity leave?

Give the class to an experienced teacher before the new semester begins so the students can have continuity for the entire term? (Incidentally, these are the weakest students in that particular subject.)

Big decision--aren't you glad you are not the administrator making the decision?

Was A Mistake Made?

There is a rumor going around that ... Read about it here.

We can only hope.

The Little Dog Next Door

My neighbor's little dog was so happy to see all his little friends He was licking and wagging his tail, but, when he could not get his own way, he started barking at them and nipped one of the leg. A very mean dog lies beneath the sweet exterior.

Favorite New Line

"I had the lowest of expectations and I am still disappointed."

Line from The Middle, ABC, Wed March 3, as the family traveled an hour and a half out of their way to see a large tree stump.

Fire Obama

He ran on a platform of change, but nothing has changed.

The economy still sucks.

He cannot get his health care package passed.

Guantanamo is still open.

We are still at war on two fronts.

Obama wants to fire teachers at schools that are performing poorly. Teachers are the only variable in the equation, according to him. How about firing him? He hasn't lived up to his campaign promises. (Okay, he did buy his daughters the dog he promised.) Clearly, if we follow his line of reasoning, he is not completing his job satisfactorily and he should be willing to face the same consequences he expects teachers to face.

Torn

The English teacher told Tanya to come to school early for help with her term paper.

The Math teacher demanded Tanya to come to the library for math tutoring during her lunch.

The Social Studies teacher wants Tanya to stay after school for regents prep work.

The Science teacher expects Tanya to come to school on Saturday to make up labs.

Tanya's dream is to do well and she knows she needs the extra help but she doesn't know where to go first. She chooses to go no where. Can you blame her?

Senior Teachers Should Know Better

All teachers, but especially the senior ones should know not to say anything at a faculty conference that will keep it going on for an extended amount of time.

Pride

Pride
1.a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
2.the state or feeling of being proud.
3.a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self-respect; self-esteem.
4.pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself: civic pride.
5.something that causes a person or persons to be proud: His art collection was the pride of the family.
6.the best of a group, class, society, etc.: This bull is the pride of the herd.
7.the most flourishing state or period: in the pride of adulthood.
8.mettle in a horse.
9.Literary. splendor, magnificence, or pomp.

I used to take pride in teaching and in seeing my students graduate. I knew I helped them accomplish quite a bit and when they left high school, they left prepared to face college, the armed forces, and the world. Don't get me wrong, most of the students I teach are accomplished and I take pride in the work I have done to help them reach this point, but I say most, not all.

When I look around and I see kids graduating who can barely read, write and do math (yet passed all their required regents exams), I feel only disgust. I see kids who are graduating because they sat through a couple of weeks of "boot camp", late afternoon or evening school or summer school, where breathing was the passing requirement. I see these same people enrolled in college with no ability to solve a simple math problem or write a coherent paragraph.

Over the years, graduation statistics have risen. We are supposed to look at these statistics and feel proud of our schools. I'm not talking only about Packemin, I'm talking about schools all over the country. From reading blogs and newspapers, I know every teacher is facing the same situation, wherever they teach. Many years ago, I taught at Julia Richman HS. This school was one of the first ones to be closed down due to poor performance and graduation rates. Yet now, when I think of that school, and the students I taught, I seem to remember an overwhelmingly higher functioning group of students unable to succeed than the group we are passing through today.

There is no dignity in what I do when it involves pushing kids along so my school will keep its graduation rates up and not worry about being closed down. There is no satisfaction when I know the kids who have left my class are not prepared to do anything. I get no pleasure in pushing a calculator into the hands of a 17 year old student who can't multiply 8 by 7. There is no sense of a job that has been well done. A school can be the best of a group but if that group is worthless, what does being the best mean? Teaching is fast becoming a profession with no merit at all.

What I Learned At Today's Faculty Conference

I am not the most obnoxious teacher in the school.

Guidance

February 1, I sent an e-mail to the guidance department about one of my students.

February ...

Easy Mark?

My first thought, as I saw him pushing his wheel chair along Jericho Turnpike was "Oh no, not him again. He is always looking for a hand out and this time he's not getting one." And then, I looked again and thought "He can barely walk. He's pushing that rickety old chair through the snow so he can get some extra money for his meds or his next meal."

I don't know which thought was correct. All I know is the dollar I handed him is a dollar I will not miss and might have made this day a little easier for him. I'm glad I gave it to him and if he thinks I am an easy mark whenever he sees me, his thinking is on target.

I couldn't live with myself if there was something I could have done to help another human and didn't do it.

I Broke Down

I joined Face Book to have another outlet for sharing my photos. Don't look for any personal information there because you won't find anything more than a picture I consider interesting. Now, to figure out how to upload to that site.

Wave Of The Future

Got his/her administration degree from ...

Sounds about right? The wave of the future.

Advice To NYC Tourists

Snowman right near the glass steps, Times Square--Look close, my friend noticed he's anatomically correct.

Reflections in the sun.

The best advice I can give to any NYC tourists is to look up while walking around the city. Today was beautiful and although we didn't spend that much time walking around it was enough to see things we have missed in the past.

BTW, today's adventure included seeing Rob Becker's Defending The Caveman, a one man show about male-female relations. While it is not the best show I have seen, it is entertaining and well worth the $25 TDF ticket cost.

(I just found out I am running out of room posting pictures here. I am too cheap to pay for extra storage so I guess I will have to go back and delete some of the older shots, that is, if I can figure out how to do it. Meanwhile I am going to keep my shots here to a minimum.)

Contract Demand Discussion

Arthur Goldstein wrote a great piece on contract demands over at Gotham Schools. There is an interesting conversation going on in the comment section. Go over, take a look, and add your own take on the situation. I'm sure he would appreciate your effort.

Tenure and Test Scores

Correct me if I am wrong, but those standardized tests kids take in fourth and eighth grade don't just test what they learned that year, they test all they have been learned up to that point, right? So, when a child does poorly on the exam, if we are going to hold teachers accountable, not only should the current teacher be held accountable, but every previous teacher should be held accountable as well. And, while we are at it, how about the principals and the assistant principals that were satisfied with the work the previous teachers had done. They have got to be at fault as well.

There are problems in education and everyone, teachers included, need to be held accountable for doing their part to help students learn, grow and flourish. Test scores are not the answer.

A Commentary On NCLB

Mallard Fillmore says it all. Sorry, you'll have to click on each one to be able to read them clearly. I couldn't figure out how to post them bigger.

Those statistics we collect are really worth a lot.

Snow Report--Afternoon Update

I really have a problem wasting a day off so when I saw my neighbor shoveling her walk, I went over to help. We talked and then went to shovel the sidewalk of some elderly people on the block. She mentioned needing to go to the post office and I said "how about a walk?" She gave me a strange look as the post office is at least 1.5 miles away but said, "Why not? We can take the bus back." I said, I could always walk with her there and we could separate as I prefer walking. Well, she ended up enjoying the walk and we had a really great time.

The snow was better in some spots and worse in others. There were streets that were perfectly clean and streets that weren't even touched with a plow. Here, the snow report will continue.

My walking partner.

Hopefully no fires will break out.

This road was in severe need of plowing.

The snow makes the park look so pretty. It is still dangerous to be underneath these trees so I stuck to the other side. Good thing schools were closed. The bus stops on this block.

A Mickey Mouse snow man.

Slush is one of my favorite things in the entire world. I love putting on boots and sloshing through it. This brings back memories from my childhood. I had to cross two streets to get to school, streets that were always full of slush after the snow.

One of the sanitation trucks that went by was making really loud banging noises. This chain, we passed in the street, must have been the reason.

We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts. My friend had coupons which were going to expire. I didn't need the donuts but I can't resist a bargain. Hopefully the three mile walk and the shoveling this morning burned off the calories.

No lines in the drug store, no people either.

This guy did what I usually do--came in for one item and did not take a cart.

The parking lot was a mess, parking was available, but I am glad I walked.

A first--no lines in the post office

And the bank was closed.

These people hadn't gotten out yet.

Another rarity--no traffic on the Cross Island.

The sun was actually starting to break through.

Two Feet Of Snow

The Snow Reporter

I tried going back to sleep after the school closing announcement was made but I realized after 30 seconds that I was not going to be able to return to slumber land so I got up and shoveled and then took a walk. I wanted to see for myself how bad conditions were. What I saw was pretty, but not conducive to leaving the house. I kept thinking about why it took Mayor Money bags so long to decide to close schools. I just kept thinking MORON, IDIOT, HEARTLESS, INCONSIDERATE, CLUELESS, BASTARD, SELF CENTERED, CONCEITED... I welcome everyone to add their own descriptive words to the list. I'm sure there are many more that I missed.

I'm not the only one out taking pictures.

Would you believe this car was in motion? This guy has almost no visibility and it has nothing to do with the snow that is coming down at the moment.

This guy was just spinning his wheels trying to get out.

The sweetest person in the entire world was shoveling her snow as I walked by. She worries about her husband's health and makes sure to get up early and do all the shoveling herself before he gets up.

This person will have fun getting out of the house. You can't even see where one step begins and the next one ends. My own front door looked the same.

If a major street looks like this, you can imagine what the side streets look like.

Even the bus had a not in service sign.

You can see the snow is almost above my boots. My coat comes down to just below my butt.

The bus stop. You can see how deep the snow is by observing the garbage can right next to it. The stop on the other side is next to a park with lots of branches hanging low. We've been warned to stay away from parks but it took until 5:30 to decide to close the schools.

Even the taxi driver is taking the day off.

(I just added snow pictures to my facebook page a place I usually never even go to. It gave me another place to bash the mayor.)

Mayor Moron, Mayor Heartless or Mayor Lacks Common Sense

According to NY 1, branches are falling. Visibility is so poor you can't see more than a few inches in front of you. A news reporter showed the snow was up to her knees (and she is 5'4"). Another reporter talked about how the snow is just burning her face. A school bus driver was just interviewed. He said driving conditions were horrible and now he had to turn around and go home. Another bad thing is that if you are standing too close to the curb, you will get bombarded with salt from the trucks. (This happened to me during the last snow storm, but it was my own fault. I insisted on going out to take pictures.) The snow will keep falling all day.

All this, and it took Bloomberg until 5:30 to make his decision to close schools. Maybe he is smart and has some plan I can't figure out but, he has no heart and no common sense.

What I don't understand how we, as New Yorkers will forget this when he decides he wants a fourth term in office?

(We all forgot how he issued tickets to cars who could not be moved after the last ice storm. We forgot how he cancelled school buses on school children. We forgot all the other atrocities he has inflicted on this city in his tenure as mayor.)

311 finally changed their message to state schools are closed.

Just In...

Notification 1 sent 2/26/10 at 5:30 AM. Due to inclement weather conditions, all New York City public schools are closed today.

The sender provided the following contact information.
Sender's Name: Notify NYC
Sender's Email: notifynyc@oem.nyc.gov
Sender's Contact Phone: 2126399675


Of course, when you call 311, the message states all NYC schools are open.

Gotta love this city!