Happy Holidays

(Origami Tree--Museum Of Natural History)



Count the number of "ifs"

December 6, 2012

There will be Algebra Regents tutoring on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 am.  Please apply if you are available to work on Saturday(s). Please encourage your students to attend tutoring if they are signed up to retake the algebra Regents exam.

CUNY does not consider a student College-Ready unless s/he scored 80 or higher on at least one of the Math Regents exams in high school.  Therefore, students who are currently taking Algebra II & Trigonometry and scored lower than 80 on MXRE or MXRG have been notified to retake the Integrated Algebra Regents exam.  If you are teaching MRF42/QT2, it is likely that more of your students have been notified to retake the Integrated Algebra Regents exam.  Please encourage them to take it and ask them to attend the free Saturday tutoring.

In calculating the grades for this quarter, I included the 1^st quarter if it helps a student. In mathematics, the work gets harder and harder. I do not wish to give too many N’s to discourage my students. Remember, I am teaching MEF81QC. My students do not speak English and they do not know a lot of math either, some even have problems speaking Chinese.

There are basically three scenarios I can think of - a student’s grades have been dropping from the 80’s down to the high 60’s or lower; a student’s grades have gone from the 50’s up to the 70’s or higher and a student’s grades remain basically the same. Counting the previous quarter(s) might help some students. I would not pass anyone who has not passed any exams during this quarter.  If you have any questions, please contact me before you submit your grades. Do not assume.

If you have students who have been absent more than four times this quarter, please contact their parents and set up a meeting with me. I would like to speak to them so as to improve the attendance rate in your class. If you cannot reach the parent, please let me know right away. I will try to reach them for you. We have very high passing percentages and the only way to maintain it is to get every student to attend his/her math class.

 If you wish to have any students removed from your class, please call me before you call the Dean’s Office.  And if you have any students removed from your class, you must contact and speak to the parent. And if this is not the first offense, you must also ask the parent to come in for a conference.

If you have any questions about Skedula, Mr. LoBone will be here on 12/11 from periods 5 – 8. A light lunch will be provided. I have the sign-up sheet. Please come in and sign up just so we know how much food to order.

I would like to see your exams before you give it to your classes if you are teaching MEF, MGF and MRF classes. I have not seen the exams of some teachers. Please do not give unit exams just so all students are prepared for the mid-term, final and the Regents exam.

I plan to keep our department’s tradition by ordering Chinese food to celebrate the holiday seasons.  I would like to have the celebration on Thursday, December 20, 2012. If you have any objections, please let me know. I would like to ask people to chip in for soda, desserts, etc.  Once again, the food should get here about 11:30 am or so.

Thank you very much and have a great weekend.

Memo_102

I went to a great exhibit at the Met today--Andy Warhol and 60 other artists.  I don't get a lot of modern art, no matter how much I read and listen to docents. (I still enjoy looking at it.)   I feel the don't get these memos.  Thank goodness I don't have to worry about them anymore as they bring no one pleasure.  (picture not from that exhibit as no photography was permitted)

These keep getting better and better.

 

If a student has not shown up in your class at all, you must put an “I” under the exam column - they certainly intervention right now! In other words, any students who would have received a failing grade should get an “I” in the exam column.

 I have not met with everyone regarding the exam average of your classes even though I asked to meet with everyone. Please do so no later than Friday, October 12, 2012.  When you come to see me, please bring your grade book and know the passing percentage and the exam average of your students by class, etc.

Please inform your students of the tutoring opportunities during periods 2 – 8. Some students have come in to inquire about tutoring and I checked their attendance in your class. They have not been absent at all. So, either you did not make the announcement about tutoring or they did not hear you when you made the announcement.

Active participation everyday is the key to our success and it can no longer be generated by using such comments as “Let’s …” or “Why don’t we …”, etc.  It is nice that you tried to get everyone’s attention by involving them verbally in the lesson but you must find a way to evaluate constantly whether your students are following you on.  If you know your students do not understand what you are teaching, let’s say you wait until after an exam (bad idea), what are you doing about it?  We all must work on finding ways for students to participate covertly and overtly.

 We discussed the following point during the last department meeting as well. I asked everyone to teach equation solving using transposing terms. There are still teachers who do not bother doing it. You can expect to have the lowest passing percentage on the Regents exam. Furthermore, can you at least pretend that you are using transposing when I am in your classroom?  No one will argue with me that I can get the students who are not willing or capable of doing math to pass the Regents exam. The reason is very simple – I find a way to get through to them and teach them a skill that is technique based. If I share with you effective ways to get students to be able to solve problems, why are you not willing to try? Why do students take math? They have to learn how to think from their math teacher. Most of them will never use the quadratic formula, the law of Sines or Cosines once they pass the Regents exam. But they will have to think for the rest of their lives. Are you teaching your students how to think?

 

Please continue to monitor the hallway during period change and get your students into your classroom before the late bell while encouraging the others to move along.

 

Have a great Friday and weekend.

 

 

Memo_102

Reading Between The Lines

 



Instead of the usual posting of the memo, I decided to post my own interpretation.  Hopefully the grammar and spelling are better.  If the message is slightly incoherent, remeber, it is an interpretation of something that often makes no sense.

To all you lazy, stupid math teachers:

I can't stand the sight of many of you.  You are just too stupid to do what I tell you to do.  I specifically told you to see me with your grades, and to know all your exam averages and student  averages.  Most of you did not show up.  It is my right as an assistant principal to bully and berate you and to make you want to crawl in a hole and die.  In fact, I live for the moments when I corner you in my office and put you down.  I know most of you can't understand a word I say, I can't understand them either, but that doesn't matter.  You are nothing and I am everything.  I constantly tell you that I am the best AP in the city and how lucky you are to be working for me, but this message does not sink into your thick brains.

Now, lets get on to tutoring.  I told you to tell your students where to find help, but they still come and ask me.  If they can't find the tutoring sessions you should  make it your business to personally escort them to these sessions.  If teenagers don't know what they should know, you must be doing something wrong.  We all know they listen to and absorb everything you say in class.  You make much more sense than I do.

Your students need to participate actively in class.  Try using electric shock or crashing whips next to their desks.  If they don't understand, you are doing something wrong.  You better figure this out and fix it.  If I can get all my students to learn, you should be able to do the same thing.  So what if I can get rid of students that don't work?  I'm the boss and you better not forget this.

Now let's get back to what we talked about at the last meeting--solving equations by transposing.  If you aren't doing this, you are stupid.  I don't care that this method might not help them in college.  I know I tell you that you should teach them to think, but I don't want them to think and I don't want you to think either.  I want everyone to follow what I say blindly, even if you can't figure out what I am saying.  And, if you don't want to do what I say, at least pretend to listen when I am in the room.

You are mostly a bunch of losers and I am stuck being your supervisor.  I may be stupid and incoherent.  I may lack people skills and the ability to recognize good teaching when I see it, but I am in charge and there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it. 


Have a good day tomorrow and enjoy your weekend.


 

The 100% Story



The memo with the department statistics just came out. Although names were not included, most people recognize their classes. The cover letter told the teachers to compare and reflect. A teacher who had 92% needs to figure out what he did wrong and whatbhe can do better as other teachers had 95%, 96% and even 100%. Notice, it is always the teacher who did something wrong.

Comparisons such as this do nothing to enhance education. While classes start out randomly, they don' end up that way. I know I used to get the most trying students in my classes because I had more success with them than many others. I even volunteered to take failing kids hoping I would be able to make a difference, something I did sometimes. But, my stats were often low because I could not reach them all. Mrs h, a woman who retired year ago was always celebrated for her stats. No one discussed the class cleansing of failing students. No one praised the teachers who succeeded with many of those kids. They only looked at the number at the end.

I heard one teacher had three kids fail the regent. There could be a hundred reasons they did not pass, but if there were only three, she had to be doing something right.

All this emphasis on stats and the comparison of one teacher's scores to another's will do nothing to improve education or teaching. This ttitude will turn teacher against teacher which will ultimately harm the kids we are supposed to help. I don't understand why no one stops this? Could it be no one really cares? I cannot believe the people that can do something are not bright enough to stop this harmful practice.

(Guidance counselors also got slammed.)

The memo:
I am sorry I did not get to say good bye to everyone. The good news is that we improved our passing percentages on all three Regents exams. The passing percentages of MG22 and MR22 classes also went through the roof. Last year, MG22R’s passing percentage was 50% while MR22R’s passing percentage was even lower. Look at this year’s numbers! I would like to congratulate and thank everyone for their part in our success. While we enjoy our success, we should also self-reflect and see what we can do differently so that we achieve even greater heights next year. If you did well this year, savor the moment.  If you did not do as well as you would like, think about what you can do differently so that you do better next year.
 
There are many factors to our success this year - Everyone worked hard in the course they taught; Teachers talked to each other and shared regularly; We moved almost all the students out of the wrong math classes and; The G.C.s did not have a great deal input as to where students should be this year since we gave them our recommendations; many teachers offered tutoring, etc. We can do even better next year since the G.C.s had no input as to where students should be next year in math (I kept a record of what we uploaded and it will be very easy to find out if a student was moved from where we recommended to a different class). 

Now, we must think of what we can do differently to help every student learn. The second attachment shows the passing percentage in descending order of each course. The teacher’s name and section were removed so that others could not identify which classes you taught. There is enough information there for you to identify which classes are yours. If you have trouble, you can email me and I will tell you which ones are yours. I need you to look at the numbers in yellow. These numbers should reflect that your passing percentage is lower than that of the departmental average. So, I need you to think of what you can do differently to help get these numbers to the department average, or better yet, higher than the department average. If you had low passing percentages last year, it is more important that you come up with a plan. Telling me you will work harder won’t change a thing and telling me students must do their part won’t work with me either. You must figure out what you can do differently so that you can improve your passing percentage. For example, a student failed your class because he or she did not regularly attend. The question becomes “Did I have a meeting with the parent, student and the AP regarding this issue?” If not, you must do so next year. If you “wrote off” a student, then he or she decided to stop working, you need to learn not to do that - Every student is our responsibility because our Principal is held accountable for each and every student. Or if you tend to be loud with your students because the noise level is too high in your classroom, you need to speak to me and find an alternative way of managing your class. Like it or not, raising your voice regularly is a sign you have major management issues. During your career, I hope you learn to say: “I was not able to get that student to reach his/her potential. Let me try a different approach!”

If you cannot come up with anything you can do differently to help you improve the passing percentage in the course(s) you have taught, you should talk to me or you can tell me what classes I can give you so that you can bring me passing percentages that are near or above department passing percentages.

From the bottom of my heart - thank you. Enjoy your summer vacation and I am going to miss you all.

Memo 55

Dear Student:


If you did not get a 95 or better in algebra please give up on the notion of ever taking advanced placement calculus.  You just aren't smart enough.  We are trying to build a very elite group of students who will do well in BC and you are not one of them.  We cannot waste school resources by allowing you to double up on math courses in your junior year.  You certainly are not honor material so don't even think about trying to get into one of those sections.  You just aren't worth the money it would take.  Besides, your grade of 92 means you are incapable of succeeding.  And, those of you that got in the 80's, stick to English or history.  Math is not for you.


Those of you who aren't good enough for AP calculus might not meet the requirements for AP statistics either.  Don't bother asking me.  You should know that you don't make the grade.  I don't want to waste my time on you.


Sincerely,


I won't waste a signature on you guys.  You probably can't read it either.

Okay, I know the above is a slight exaggeration.  But, it is what I got out of the memo posted below.  You can read it and decide for yourself.  I spent years trying to make the AP classes more accessible to more students.  I see nothing has changed.  Actually, not nothing.  Things might have gotten worse.  Just think what a memo like this would have said to Einstein.

May 14, 2012

Please open the classroom windows during the day. It is very warm in some classrooms and students are dozing off. Fresh air also does the mind good.

Please announce to your students that the Math department final dates will be June 1, 2012 for long questions and June 12, 2012 for short answer and multiple choice questions.

Please spend some time talking to your students as to what math classes they will be taking next year. You already know what we programmed them for.  I have seen many students, particularly from the upper level classes wanting to know if they could take AP Stat, etc. Please make sure you communicate with them so that they do not come here to ask me. They either meet the requirements or not.

Students in ME22 should only be recommended for MR21H if they have a 95 or above average, meaning they will score just as high on the Regents exam, and have an overall average of 95 or higher.  It is my mission to build the AP Cal BC program and these students are certainly good enough to be in that class. If you gave a student a grade lower than 95 in ME22 and their academic average is below 95, there is really no need for the student to double up during his/her junior year.

I have seen a number of teachers regarding the recommendations. In some cases, only two recommendations were changed and it was because the teacher was trying to be nice by giving a grade of 55 instead of 50. In other cases, more than ten changes were. The G.C..s would have programmed these students for the wrong classes. Remember, students were programmed based on the second marking period grades you gave them and if your grades do not fall in within the guidelines, some students will be incorrectly programmed. I recognized a while back that some of the programming errors were caused by math teachers who fail to follow the guidelines. We must work together from this point on and avoid these kinds of issues.

I will meet with the G.C.s tomorrow (maybe).  I would like to give them the recommended program by tomorrow. So, I would greatly appreciate it if you will just look at the students with the very high and very low class grades and make sure my recommendation is correct. I would appreciate it if you could give me everything by tomorrow morning.

If you are not sure what to do or say to your students, please stop by to see me.

Thank you and have a nice week.

Gibberish or Memo_41 Continued

I'm not an administrator and I never took a course in administration but it seems to me this:

To be in compliance give the Acuity test to all ME 42 and ME 44 classes tomorrow.  Directions are attached.

Would be much better than this:

 We have to give the Acuity exam to students in ME44 and ME22 again! If we did not give the exam now, we would be incompliance. I would like to get this done as soon as possible. The materials will be picked up on May 2, 2012. I tried to avoid doing it to no avail. And I have to no other option. I will have the materials ready by tomorrow morning. I will send you the directions under separate cover or maybe as another attachment.

(Memo_042 is out.  That will be posted soon.)

Memo_041 Or Double Talk In Writing

 

After the faculty conference yesterday, I began to think of how we grade students on efforts. I honestly think that it is not an option in our math classes for students not to put in the effort, at least for most of us. The final grades students receive reflect how much effort they put in, provided they are in the correct math level. Unfortunately, some students could not pass their pass math even though they put in the effort. Some of them fail because of their lack of basic skills which have nothing to do with effort. Others fail because they lack the abstract thinking ability which also has nothing to do with efforts. We are also bound by the Regents exams. So, if you are one of the few teachers who allow your students to sit in your class and not put in effort, you need to find a way to get them to focus. There are many strategies to get students to participate and I will be more than happy to share them with you. There are many math classes that have close to 100% attendance. Why? Because the teachers give students hope – the students believe they can learn and pass the Regents exam with the help of their teacher. If you have attendance issues in your class, it is a good idea for you to begin re-examining what you are doing with your students. If you change or modify what you do, it is likely that more students will attend your class regularly.

I had to read the above memo several times before it made any sense and it still doesn't make much sense to me.  Is he saying teachers should count effort or they shouldn't?  And, if kids are in the wrong class, exactly how does one encourage them to attend and put in the effort?  Previous memos stated students had to do more than just pass the regents to pass the class but how do you get them to put in the effort if they have been told the effort might not be enough.

There might be many strategies to get kids to participate but, it is almost May.  A goosd supervisor might have used conference time to share these strategies and demonstrate how they work.  If the kids lack the basics, there is no way they can comprehend what is going on now.  Credit recovery and social promotion is a big culprit.  As for attendance, I would bet big money on the classes with good attendance also have higher functioning students.

I know the teachers at Packemin.  They don't allow their students to sit and do nothing. They've done all that is humanly (and super humanly) possible to get them to do well.  At this point, it is hopeless for many.  If a boy is reading a book instead of doing math, he is not disturbing others.

Memos like the one above do nothing but demoralize the people they are addressed to.  And, the amount of time figuring out what is being said could be spent on doing things to improve the class.

The Kids Appreciate What The Administration Does Not

I know Mr. AP is glad to have me gone and I know he has zero appreciation for the work I did, but the kids I helped still value what I did for them.  He even said, in this memo, that the school's rating had nothing to do with kids in the upper classes.  The implication being, the only ones that counted were the bottom ones who moved up, even when they knew nothing.  (If you can get through his atrocious grammar you will see what I mean.)

The following statement, from Facebook, was written by a girl I taught last year, a girl who only got into the class when I suggested we create the extra class that gave me a ton of extra work.  Bob was also in that class and also would not have had the opportunity if not for me.

everytime i don't do well on a piece of calculus work, you have no idea, i feel like i'm letting you down. i just wanted to let you know that you still inspire me to do well. hope everything is well with you, xxxbaby! 

            (bob wanted me to tell you that he got an A in calc last semester)

Memo_033

 

From the latest memo, sent out March 14.

Happy Pi day! We will celebrate e day on 2/17/18 (if I am still working here).

Oh, I am sure lots of people have stuff to say about his still working at Packemin.  I won't comment about it here.  While e day only occurs once in a life time and pi day happens every year, I can understand why its celebration is more important but you'd think a math department could celebrate both.  In all my years at Packemin, I never remember any special activitives on March 14.



            Please do not issue a passing grade to students whose average is below 65 or those who has more than 5 cuts or unexcused absences from February 1, 2012. A grade of 60 might be more appropriate. Bear in mind that you can always raise the grade of a student if they begin to do what is right, yet, you will have a very hard time to lower their grades later.  I have many of these students and I tell them that I would consider giving them a passing grade in June iff the pass the Final exam and the Regents exam.

If you can raise a grade, why can't you lower one?  Shouldn't kids get the grade they earned? Why should kids keep working and studying just to be considered for a passing grade?

            If you have students who missed one exam, please do not count it against them if they were absence was legitimate and they passed the other exam.  For the students who have a failing average who miss exam(s), please give them their average and let them know you will calculate their final average without the missing grade, provided they pass the Regents exam and/or final exam in June and attended class regularly.


This last sentence needs interpretation.  Why work only on the promise of consideration of a passing grade?

No wonder the kids are confused about what is expected of them.  

Memo_032

Do you remember the days when your mom cleaned the house extra good, made a special dinner and dressed you in your finest outfits because company was coming?  She polished silverware and took out the best china too.  All this was stuff she never did, but the visitors had to be impressed.  She also wanted it all to appear to be everyday occurrences.

The people that trained your mom must have also trained school administrators because they are preparing the same way.  All the best stuff is being put out.  Necessary lessons that can't be finished are being put on hold, much like the dirty laundry that didn't get done but got shoved under the bed.  Rooms that haven't been decorated in years are now being spiffed up.

Memo_032 is just a little reminder for all of what needs to be done.

We will go through with Quality Review next week.  You are allowed to give exams on our exam days.  Please make sure you teach lessons that can be finished.  Please make sure you do what you regularly do, which is to walk around instead of standing or sitting in the front.  Please also engage in bell-to-bell instruction. Please decorate the classroom for both the Q.R. and Parent-Teacher Conference day/evening.

And while we are on the topic of mom, remember all that nagging she used to do and does continues to do..  It irritated you then and it irritates you still.  Now, not only do you get to hear mom's nagging, you get to read it in department memos.

We have all received a ladder of referral from the Principal.  Please pay attention to the following:

 Some teachers ask their students to put their cell phone away when they see one.  When students refuse to do it, they then ask for the phone.  I have been around for quite a while and I have not met a single student who will give me their cell phone after they refuse to put it away.  If you choose to ask the students to put the cell phone away, you should deal with the consequences when they fail to do so.  Calling for a dean is not the solution.  I have stated this many times before that when you see a cell phone, you should ask for it.  When a student refuses to give it to you, you can then call for a dean because it is no longer a classroom management issue.  The student is breaking school rules and being insubordinate at the same time.  I really do not wish to discuss it any further because there is no point.  Please just do what I ask you to do and I will support you.  In addition, please only call for security when there is imminent danger.  For other issues, please call and ask for a dean.

Memo_024

 

There are twenty-two seniors who must pass the Integrated Algebra Regents exam in June in order to meet the graduation requirement for math.  A class will be put together just for them four days a week (Monday through Thursday).  We can make it period 9, 10 or 11 so that it will fit into your day. You will be compensated at per-session rate and it is pensionable.  If you are interested, please let me know.  It will start next week or so. I understand many of the math teachers are taking classes after school and that prevents them from taking the job.

It seems to me teaching a sixth class should involve more than per-session.  The four day week probably skirts this requirement.  Still, it seems like quite a bit of work for this little money.

Before agreeing to teach this, ask:
1.  What happens if the kids don't show up?
2.  Will I be required to call parents and track them down?
3.  Will I be compensated for the time it takes to call parents and track them down?
4.  How will I be affected if they don't pass?

I've taught these at risk kids before.  It takes a special talent to get through to them because they don't see things the way others do.  The late logs, the no hat rule, the homework policy, the attendance requirement don't work with this group.  To teach them successfully, you need to break almost every rule, something that young, inexperienced teachers have been trained not to do.  Being successful with kids like this is an art, something it takes years to master. You have to be able to relate to these kids.  Traditional methods have not worked int he past and will not work now.

Several years ago I taught a double period class of seniors who had not passed one math class since freshman year.  It was a class I volunteered to teach as teachers weren't being rated by statistics back then. I got 27 out of 29 through.  It took all the effort I could muster to keep these kids going.  As a per-session class, this would have been impossible.  Unfortunately, the kids in that group, while passing the regents never learned math.  I see them still, years later, floundering around the community college campus, their biggest nemesis--MATH.

Mr. AP wrote in a previous memo that it job is to move these kids ahead,  It is not moving them ahead that counts but moving them out.  These administrators want to keep their bonuses coming.

Memo_023



Please continue to monitor the hallways between period-change and teach bell-to-bell.  If you feel that you “finished” teaching a few minutes before the bell, you can ask your students to take out a sheet of paper and work on an Exit problem or a quiz to check and see if EVERYONE learned what they were supposed to have learned.

Since reply to all, I've gotten more copies than ever of the department memos.  This time it was 6, some from unlikely sources.

I'm glad I am gone.  Now everyone must teach bell-to-bell and then run into the hall between classes.  It is a good thing math teachers have super human capabilities.  And that EXIT problem is going to be a real hit with kids itching to get out the door.  It shouldn't be necessary anyway.  An effective teacher should know what they learned. Besides, history has shown that the final exam trumps everything they have done all year.  As for the quiz, what is a little extra paper work for these extraordinary people.


Thanks again to all who forward these memos.  Remember, there is strength in numbers and the readers of this blog are enjoying the education they are being given.

Let’s keep a close eye on the students whose grades are around 55.  With a little help, they can still pass.  All of our students in the required courses will sit for the Regents exams in June.  Keep reminding them that the Regents exams are easier than what we teach in class and that if they pass the Regents exam, they will have opened the door for a discussion about a passing grade, provide they attend class regularly and try to do all the work.  Bear in mind that we are here to help our students move ahead in life.

I especially like the last sentence here.  Helping the kids move ahead in life while telling them the regents exam is easier than anything they have done in class and then passing them on to college where they lack both academic and study skills to succeed.

Memo_022 Continued

• Please continue to get familiar with your  students.  I would imagine knowing your students in periods 4-8 are more important since you will likely be observed during these periods.  You may wish to know how many students have an IEP, how many are ESL and how many have free/reduced lunch.  Knowing their 8^th grade standardized exam scores in math and English is important.  If you are teaching trigonometry, knowing their MXRE scores will be more important than the 8^th grade scores. 

Ah yes, its dog and pony showtime!!!  Screw the kids in the classes that won't be visited.  Appearances are all that count.

Memo_021 Or The Brilliance Of An Administrator (Sarcasm Intended)



This memo was disappointing--not too much fun stuff, but one line stuck out so I will share it here:

Spending two weeks to review old topics before teaching the new topics is probably not a great idea because you will have less time to teach the lessons.  Review also only works for students who forgot not those who did not learn

The man is brilliant. He knows review doesn't work with kids who know nothing to start with.  An AP, the master teacher of the department should have an answer. But, his students don't have this problem.  They all learn.  And, when they don't, they magically get transferred to another class.

(According to Yogi, he was smarter than the average bear, an overestimate of his intelligence.)

Memo_015 In Its Entirety



There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone.

—Rod Serling

Entering the Twilight Zone of Packemin H.S. Math Department

For the students who only showed up for one part of the final exam, please prorate the part of the final they took and calculate the average if you wish to pass them, but leave the exam field blank. But if a student gets 38 out of 40 on Part II and their average is below 90, I would not count the final at all.

Nice, huh?  You can count the good grade for a 90 student but not for a student who hasn't done so well in the past and now has studied like a dog to make the grade.

 No student who failed the final exam in my class had a passing average because the grade we give is a performance indicator. 

Wow, isn't he wonderful.  I don't even know why he bothers to make his students take the final since he has magic powers to know who is passing before hand.

In some extreme cases, the only exam a student was able to pass was the final exam.

This is what happens when the same exam is given all day long--kids get the questions and answers in advance.  And, what message does it send the kid who studied his behind off and still fails the class?

 If a student’s average is in the low 60’s and the student has passed some exams during the term, s/he can be given a grade of 65 provided their final exam grade is at least 65. For students with a passing average who failed the final exam with grades higher than 57, you can give a grade of 65.  For students whose final grades are below 57, a grade of 55 should be given.

A child who scored a 57 is so much more prepared and knows so much more than the one who scored a 55 or a 56.  That 57 is such a meaningful number.

If a student is absent more than 15 times and you wish to issue a passing grade, please make sure you speak to me first. Such students certainly did not participate in class while they were out. The question you should ask yourself is –“if a student is absent so many times and the student is doing ‘satisfactory’ work, what have I taught in that class?”

There are kids that can pass, even when out.  We have all seen it. 

You have to decide on the 55 or 65 based on how much harder they will work when they see the grade. After all, you know your students.

Some teachers might actually have brains. Besides,  grades should be uniform and not based on what you think your students will do.

Once again, I would like to thank all the grade leaders for the work they did on the uniform exams. There are some issues with a few exams - not indicating clearly our expectations on how to solve a problem, easy problems and errors on the exams. Directions should always include “show all work whenever possible to receive credits.” I will check next time.

I can't believe Mr. Micro Manager actually missed something. 


And printed in its entirety so anyone wishing can view this memo without commentary:

January 23, 2012


I would like to wish everyone a happy lunar New Year to those who celebrate.


Once again, I would like to thank all the grade leaders for the work they did on the uniform exams. There are some issues with a few exams - not indicating clearly our expectations on how to solve a problem, easy problems and errors on the exams. Directions should always include “show all work whenever possible to receive credits.” I will check next time.


I would like to remind everyone of the following when giving grades for this marking period in the required courses (for graduation). If you are teaching an elective, please speak to me directly if you have any issues.





Thank you very much.


Memo_015

Blindness Instead Of A Senior Moment

I just read memo_015.  The title of this post is the subject of that e-mail. (I guess you had to be there to understand this.)  Thanks to the many people forwarding these beauts.

Get ready for a good one.  I have no time to do it justice now, so I will post it later.  These things should be in Ripley's Believe It Or Not.  I guarantee they are unbelievable.

Memo_012 Part III

Please get familiar with your class rosters so that you know roughly how many freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors.  If you teach MM!PPC (Pre-cal), you should not have any seniors in your class.  If you teach MG21, your best students are probably freshmen or sophomores.  And if you teach MR21, your best students should be sophomores and your weakest students are probably seniors.  In other words, the more freshmen you have in MG21 and more sophomores you have in MR21, the higher the passing percentage should be.  Please make sure you also know how many students have an IEP in your classes and who are entitled to extra time and separate locations for taking exams.  You should also follow the recommendations in the IEP.

Imagine, the best students, the ones you  should expect the most from can be determined by their year in school.  If you have seniors in your trig class, don't expect much from them.  It is not probable that a child who has not advanced to be bright.  But, if your stats are bad, don't use any of the above as an excuse.  Just call the parent and maybe they can change the child's birth date to make them younger and smarter.

Memo_012 Part II

In case I forgot to mention it during the last department meeting you attended, our mission is "To prepare students to success in College, Career or Life."

And to test and retest and then test again so they may squeak by with a 65 in a subject they know nothing about.

Memo_012 Part I

My former colleagues know how much I loved the department memos and they arrive in multitude.  Thanks guys for sending them so I can share them here.  The latest, memo 012 is so good it will be displayed in three different postings.  This time, the word please was only used five times.  Don't think it was ignored just because you don't see it in this paragraph.

In order for us to improve as a department, everyone must contribute.  That means the teachers with the higher passing percentage continue to make sure the passing percentage is above the department passing percentage and the teachers with lower passing improve their passing percentage. [What it really means is that Mr. AP will continue stacking classes, putting the good kids with his friends and giving the more difficult ones to the senior teachers and the teachers he would like to leave.]   It is vital that we communicate with, not sending a letter or leaving a message, parents of those students who come everyday and try, yet, they still have not passed. [This sentence isn't in English but what I think he means is teachers should call and call again until a parent is reached.  After all, every child, even the ones with 70 IQ's can pass if the teachers make enough phone calls.  Mr. AP would be chancellor right now if some teacher had called his mom and dad.] It is also important to communicate with the parents of chronic absentees.  [Kids would never be absent if the teacher called.}  The Quality Reviewers are only interested in knowing that we try our best to reach everyone, not just those who want to or capable of learning.  [I don't think that is the only thing they are interested in. I wonder who gave him the inside information.]  The American educational system is about trying to help everyone to learn, not just those who want to or capable of learning. [Let's not forget getting everyone to pass the test, even if they know nothing.]

The next segment of this memo will be posted from sunny Aruba.  Mr. AP probably did me the biggest favor of my life since his actions helped me make the decision I should have made a long time ago.  But, I haven't forgotten him and I will do my best to make sure no readers forget him and what he is doing to education today.

Is There A Prize For Who Says Please The Most?

Memo 011 just came out, barking orders for the uniform final and for end of the year activities.  Every paragraph starts with the word please but the tone is Hitlerike all the way.

Term after term we have all pointed out the folly of uniform midterm and final exams when the same exam, or two slightly different versions of it are being given all day long.  By 4th period, the kids have the exam in advance and I've seen countless students put down answers without even reading the questions.  Sure there are cell phone restrictions and calculators are supposedly cleared but since the beginning of time kids have found a way to beat the system and the system at Packemin is very easy to beat.  And, to top it off, the overworked teachers often use exams from previous years, and questions from an exam generating program, questions they have done many times in class.

Mr. AP likes things his way. Even though his way is not an academically sound way, he never changes.  And, why shoud he, he gets away with this time after time after time.

Here is memo 011.  Why should the math department of Packemin be the only ones to feel the love.

January 3, 2012 Welcome back and happy New Year!

 If you are a grade leader, please make sure you communicate with every teacher teaching the course before you make up the final exam.  It is impossible to change the final.  Please submit all copies to me on or before January 11, 2012. 

Please make sure you use proper headings.  Part II should be 40 points and Part I should be 60 points.  Please make sure there are at least two versions of each final. Please make sure there are instructions going on at all times.  No parties should be held during a math class. I suggest you give a multiple-choice exam on the last day of this term.  You can substitute one low grade with that exam grade if it is higher.  Unless you are teaching a class that terminates in the Regents exam, trying to teach the last day is going to be very difficult. 

If you are teaching ME41, ME21, ME43, MG21/R/H or MR21/r/h, you must give a grade at the end of the term.  If you are teaching an elective, you have the option of NC or CR.  Please discuss with your individual students how you intend to grade them. Too many of the students in electives have come to me with great concerns.  Please address their concerns with them instead of sending them to see me or take no actions. 

Please be advised that Regents tutoring hours have been extended for Algebra and Geometry.  Please let your students know. 

Please make sure you communicate with the parents of the students who are failing your class.  We still have one more exam and the mid-term exam to hopefully bail them out.  Let the parent know how their child can correct the situation and that we will never give up on their child (some of them might have). 

Thank you very much and have a great week.