A Real Teacher

One of the benefits of retirement is the ability to take advantage of all the city has to offer and this week I did just that at the Lincoln Center Library for Performing Arts.

Wednesday afternoons, three wonderful opera singers perform in front of an audience and art song master Paul Sperry in the program Joy In Singing. The audience is not only treated to a fantastic afternoon of music but have first hand experience watching a coach bring out the best of voices that are already outstanding.

I am not an opera fan and wasn't even sure I would enjoy this performance but in my quest to experience it all, I gave it a shot and was not disappointed.  I loved the music but I also loved watching the teacher at work.  He did, what all great teachers do.  He praised all the performers, emphasizing their strengths.  And, when he found areas that needed correction, he explained what he wanted without putting down what they had done and demonstrated exactly what he wanted.  He never lost patience with one singer who didn't understand his corrections and worked with her until she got it.

As I watched the evaluation process I thought about teacher evaluations done by assistant principals and principals today.  Mr. Sperry is a master of his craft.  Those evaluating teachers are not masters and many can barely teach, having failed licensing exams and only being in the classroom a very short time. Mr. Sperry knew what he wanted and knew how to demonstrate this.  He was able to bring out the best.  Today's administrators only offer criticism, never ways to correct.  He knew how to do all this without shame and humiliation and every performer who left the stage left feeling good about themselves.  I don't think most teachers would say this after a post evaluation conference.

Every young performer at Joy in Singing learned something and will be better because of this experience.  This is what school administrators have to be able to do for teachers if they truly want the best for their students.

(Picture is sunset in Austin, Texas)

More On Evaluations

 

From today's Newsday

 

 

More On Evaluations

As a retired teacher, I have nothing to gain or lose from this new system, but our students have plenty to lose. This system does nothing to help teachers hone their craft, but does plenty to get rid of fine ones.

If the state cares about quality, it needs to go back to the days when administrators were master teachers. Their observations and evaluations meant something, and they taught my generation to become master teachers. Today they have barely been in the classroom and cannot help a teacher when they don’t know the subject matter themselves.

This evaluation system is only a way to stick it to teachers. It has nothing to do with helping students or creating better teachers.Linda Silverman

Today's NY Post

From Today's Daily News-More On Evaluations

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Bellerose Manor: As a retired teacher, I have nothing to gain or lose from this new evaluation system. But our students have plenty to lose. This system does nothing to help teachers hone their craft — but it does plenty to get rid of many fine ones. If the state really cares about quality, it needs to go back to the days when administrators were master teachers. Their observations and their evaluations meant something and taught my generation to become master teachers. Today’s administrators have barely been in the classroom. Linda Silverman

Evaluations



This whole teacher evaluation system and the "idea" that it is going to make better teachers is such a load of BS.  It makes me sick when I think about all the people that went into teaching to help children and now will spend all their time watching their backs to make sure they keep their jobs.

Evaluations like these do nothing to help a teacher become better.  These evaluations and observations do nothing to help.  All they do is emphasize what is not being done in some meaningless rubic.

If the state really cares about creating more effective teachers, they need to start with effective leaders.  When I first started teaching, my AP was a real nasty bitch but she did what the APs today cannot do--she knew how to teach and she knew how to teach teachers how to teach.  I started in that school at 20 years old, straight out of college.  I took a full series of math education courses, including student teaching at CCNY under the tutelage of Professor Posamentier, one of the all time great math educators.  But, nothing prepared me for being the sole person in a room full of 34 needy kids.  This AP observed three times a semester, always unannounced.  She stayed from bell to bell and wrote detailed notes on everything that transpired in the lesson.  The day after, we met and went over her findings.  While the meetings were not always comfortable for me, they were productive.  I learned classroom management, questioning skills, methodology and content.  This AP was ruthless.  In spite of her harsh demeanor, she loved the kids and would not tolerate a teacher who she did not feel was any good and she went after those with a vengeance.  I can honestly say our school, one of the first schools in the city to be closed down, had one of the best math staffs in the city.  Everyone went on to better schools, better because of location, parking and level of students.  Several became administrators, one a principal.  Everyone ended their careers teaching advanced classes and helping young teachers learn the ropes.  This AP did it all without a meaningless evaluation system.

Today's administrators have barely gotten their toes wet in the classroom.  Many are not experts in the field they are in charge of and teachers have no where to go with questions.  A special education AP I know taught math for several years before taking the job.  What can she possibly know about effective teaching in this field when she has almost no experience teaching it?  We had a math chairperson several years ago who could barely pass algebra.  When he observed my calculus class, a boy said, "that guy doesn't know much, does he?"

The media and everyone else ought to open their eyes and see these evaluations for what they really are, the thing an AP recently told her department at a conference--an easy way to get rid of teachers.

Into The Shredder



My husband, a product of the private sector, keeps insisting teachers should not be exempt from evaluations (the stuff the media is hyping teachers want) as everyone gets evaluated.  I've tried zillions of times to explain that it is not an exemption from evaluations we want, it is a valid evaluation. 

TEACHERS DO NOT WANT BAD TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM.

He doesn't get the invalidity of using test scores because he doesn't know how invalid they are.  He doesn't get stacking classes because he has never had to deal with an administrator who does this year after year.  And, he has seen me take the lowest kids in the school term after term, get many to pass and still have the worst statistics and he thinks this is valid because the schools will know the population I worked with.
He claims teachers haven't come up with a better system than the one being offered, but he is wrong there too.  Years ago, when Principals and Assistant Principals were real master teachers they could judge who was good and who wasn't.  Now, most of these people wouldn't know a good teacher if they feel on one.  They mistake noise for group work and chalk and talk, often necessary, for non student involvement.  My first AP was one of the nastiest, most hated people in the school.  But, she knew how to teach and she rarely went after someone who was good.  She is the one that taught me and countless others how to teach.  Data wasn't her motivator, learning was.  My husband claims that private industry has lots of newbies and incompetents in charge too.  It is the wave of the future.  I don't understand why, instead of trying to change this, he wants to see it accepted and spread around. 

Perhaps he is right and it is too late to go back and get people who actually know something to be in charge.  But, it is not too late to change the evaluation system.  If it was up to me, I would survey parents and children and find out what they think of their teachers.  Good surveys could be worded in a way to get honest answers.  When the majority come out good, or bad, that should say something.  Administrators should also have a say.  I would even go so far as to let security guards and school aides chime in.  They often know more about what is going on than the people in charge.  There should also be peer evaluations.  Put all these together and you will get a well rounded picture of teacher.   And then, the evaluation could be made.

No system is perfect.  Every industry has people in it that don't belong.  My husband is wrong.  Teachers want and need evaluations.  The evaluations are what make us better.  They point out or strengths and our weakness and show us the areas we need to improve upon.  Showing me test scores does nothing.  They can't tell me where I feel short, only that I might have.

Cuomo is doing the public a major disservice pushing his agenda as it will do nothing to help the children of New York State.  Spending Democratic Party contributions to air his harmful commercials is wrong.  Contributions were not meant for this and these commercials should stop.  I just got a letter asking for my donation.  It went straight into the shredder.

Sleeping Through An Exam

 

The boy showed up, almost on time for his exam in the 8:00 AM.  At first he attacked each problem, and put down precise answers to every question.  But then, I noticed his eyes starting to close.  Several times he jerked himself awake and continued working.  He even asked permission to go the the bathroom to wash his face.  It was no help.  He barely finished in the allotted time.

As he slept, I wondered why he was so tired.  Was he just tired from staying up all night on Facebook or with his girl friend?  Had he worked all night, slaving away at some low paying job to help his family pay the rent and buy food?  More kids do this than anyone would like to believe.  I am guessing from his accent, he is a fairly recent arrival in this country.

I covered the class for an absent teacher so I will never learn his true story.  I feel for him but rest a little easier knowing his teacher will not be held accountable for his grade and no one would write her up if they saw him sleeping at his desk.  In college, teachers are not held accountable for things they cannot control.

No Teacher Wants Bad Teachers In The Profession



Let's get one thing straight--NO TEACHER WANTS BAD TEACHERS TEACHING.  Doing clean up, after a child has had one of these is not fun.  It is impossible to teach division if a child can't multiply and you certainly can't teach Shakespeare if the student can't read.  It is painful to listen to kids term after term complain about someone who can't teach when you know that child is correct and you can't say a word in agreement.

The schools don't need a new way to evaluate teachers.  There always was a good method in place.  It is only under the reign of Bloomberg that things like value added data has become important.  Administrators, who used to be required to teach for 10 years before they became assistant principals knew their subject and knew how to teach inexperienced teachers how to teach.  They spent more than 5 minutes in the classroom and were master teachers themselves in the subjects they were in charge of.  When, for example, a math teacher is put in charge of a special education program there is bound to be trouble because the person has no idea what good teaching should entail.  The same goes for the guy who became a principal through the leadership academy or some other back road and knows nothing of academics.

It used to be teachers that needed help were given it.  Senior teachers took newbies under their wing, shared lessons, gave guidance.  Now, it is dog eat dog as one teacher's statistics are compared to another.  The teacher with 10% failing will be in trouble when compared to the one with 6% failing although the numbers themselves can't involve more than one child and no one bothers to look at the background of the children that fail.  It used to be that teachers who gave it all, who came in early, stayed late and gave up preps in an effort to help were rewarded and thanked for this effort.  Now, it is thanks for the effort but the numbers count more.  It is more important for a data specialist to help with numbers than it is to help with students.

One of the ways the colleges evaluate their adjuncts and new teachers is with student evaluation forms at the end of each semester.  If 30 students currently in a class say the same negative things about a teacher, maybe they are right.  In contrast, if 25 say good things and 5 say otherwise, that says something as well.  In addition, the teacher is observed by a colleague, a colleague who knows the subject and knows about teaching.  BAD TEACHERS ARE NOT REHIRED.  The college doesn't need a data specialist because it knows the kids come in as a mixed bag.  The college knows the data specialist does nothing to enhance learning.  The teacher can't make students buy the text, do homework or go for help.  The teacher is required to teach and engage, plain and simple.

Plenty has been written and said about that awful idea of grading and releasing teacher numbers so I won't go into it here.  I don't know if the system can even go back to hiring qualified administrators as most of the people qualified are long gone but there has got to be a better way than releasing meaningless numbers, numbers designed to hurt, not help.

New Evaluation System and Public Perception

Just got off the phone with a retired teacher, a person who has been out of the system quite a while and only knows what she reads in the papers.  She was under the impression that the new evaluation system was not so bad as only 20% of the evaluation would be based on scores.  We talked about several of the really bad teachers we knew in the past and she thought this would be a way to get them out of the schools. Of course she forgot about the few administrators who actually did their jobs correctly and got the bad ones out.  Most were just too lazy to do the work required.  A system was always in place to remove ineffective teachers.

It took less than two minutes to set her straight.  She didn't know that 20% was really two grades of 20% or 40% and she didn't know about he Principal's 60% that could override everything.  And, when I told her the 60% meant nothing if the teacher didn't make the 40%, a light went off.  You see, she retired from the math department at Packemin and remembers all the things Mr. AP did to her.  (This teacher currently teaches at the same college I teach at and is loved by the students and the administration.)  Her comment, "Oh my G-d, he will have a field day getting rid of people."  As for the 40% scores, she said, "Watch how the classes will now be stacked.  He did it before when it meant nothing."

The public has been fed a bunch of false and misleading information, scapegoating teachers for all the ills in society.  The general public has bought into it.  Right now, it is a terrible time to be a teacher and, if I hadn't retired last year, I would be handing in my papers now, instead of writing this.  I discourage young people from entering the profession as it is no longer a career to grow old in and to perfect and it is no longer one that is respected.  Giving 200% of yourself means nothing anymore in the entire scheme of things.  If an individual who has been through the system didn't see through this new evaluation system, how will others not so close get informed correctly?

Times will change and the economy will improve.  As in the past, bright young people will no longer go in for teaching. The city will have to go back to foreign countries to recruit teachers again.  But, no one cares.  A body in front of the room is all the politicians want.  Our kids aren't worthy of quality teachers.  If they were, this system used to determine effectiveness would not be in place.

Getting To Know Them



One of the things I don't like about teaching in college is that I only get to be with my classes two days a week.  (I do enjoy only working two days a week.)  It is hard to get to know the students in this short a time and I always find the more I know about them, the better they do in class.  I conjure up a picture to match the name on homework and exams to try to get in the heads of my students to help them better.  I can actually see Kerri smiling as she added the fractions correctly and Rolo's frown as he struggled over each question, knowing he should have paid more attention in class.

I won't reach all my students.  Heck, in this remedial class I will be lucky to reach half but they'll know I gave it my all to get them through.  Even for those who don't make it, I know I will have made a difference and that is something that cannot be measuerd by a test.

I can't make them buy the text book, do homework, or study.  Thankfully, the college does not measure my success as a teacher on the scores my students get on exams.  The college knows what I, and countless other teachers do for our students and that is enough. 

Go To Hell



Here's  a great way to attract quality teachers--Tier 6 Pension Plan.

Let's charge them more and give them less.  Let's face it, the politicians don't care about kids or any state workers for that matter.  All this stuff about teacher evaluations and a quality teacher in every classroom is just a load of malarkey as far as any of them are concerned.  This pension plan will keep quality people from ever entering the profession.

The GO TO HELL message comes straight from Governor I hate Unions Cuomo.

Evaluation Time



As students get ready for their final exams at college, teachers are also being evaluated and it is not a five minute visitation by a no nothing supervisor.  It is an evaluation by the students who actually sat with this teacher every day. 

The evaluation form begins asking the students about he course and covers questions about their interest before and after, difficulty, objectives, workload, homework, things the student must deal with on a daily basis.  The student is even asked to rate their level of effort which includes attendance, note-taking, reading, homework, studying and participation.  Since the survey is anonymous, it is hopeful that the kids will answer honestly and this will give insight to who is doing the evaluation, unlike the anonymous RMT.

The next section asks about the instructor and includes topics such as preparedness, knowledge, ability to explain, availability for help, encouragement, organization and then ends with rating how effective the instructor is.

The evaluation then asks the student to mark their year in school, requirements class fulfills, current grade and the number of hours spent studying for the course.  Lastly there are four more questions the students must write out answers to, including if they would recommend this instructor or take another course with him/her. The instructor can even add a personal question.

The teacher is not in the room while the evaluation forms are being filled out and does not even see the results until the students in the class are a distant memory.  I know the schools use these forms.  When I interviewed for my current position I was asked to bring evaluations from the other college I taught at.  I know these reviews were carefully read every term and if enough comments warranted, I would not have been rehired.

It is always good for me to hear what my students think and want.  I've read, listened and adjusted based on their comments which were often right on the money. 

Millions of dollars are being spent on evaluation methods but that money is being wasted when the best evaluators are sitting in front of us.  They are cheap (free), available and want to help.  These are the voices that can help make a difference in education.  It is time to start listening them an.d using what they say.

Student Rating Systems

The statistics unit of my college class spends quite a bit of time talking about valid studies.  As an extra credit assignment, I asked my class to make up a survey that could evaluate their teachers.  It is interesting that not one question in this study deals with test grades.  Kids are a lot brighter than the people running the school system.

Survey 1:

This is a confidential assessment that will help evaluate your teacher’s performance.

Consider each of the following statements below. Then, rate them accordingly to your teacher’s performance.

Statement	1           2             3                      4                      5 Never  Rarely  Sometimes  Frequently  Always
1. Is available outside the classroom
2. Provides clear lessons
3. Provides lessons with an objective/aim
4. Actively involves students into the lesson
5. Seeks constructive feedback from students
6. Knows and addresses students by name
7. Gives students sufficient time to finish exams
8. Values what students have to say
9. Communicates with students respectfully
10. Explains homework efficiently

Statement	1                  2                 3                      4             5 Strongly    Disagree  Neither      Agree      Strongly Disagree                      Agree/                          Agree                                        Disagree
11. Treats students equally
12. Assists students individually, if needed
13. Displays the enjoyment of teaching
14. Actively involves students into the lesson
15. Arrives to class late on  regular basis
16. Promotes  a great classroom environment
17. Teaches lessons at a reasonable pace
18. Informs students of grading policy
19. Speaks in an appropriate tone
20. Admits to mistakes and fixes immediately

Comments:                                                                                                        

Purpose of this assessment

The purpose of this assessment is to be reliable means of determining the quality of education a teacher gives. This assessment is designed to remove as many biases as possible. The confidentiality of the test ensures the participant is being as truthful as possible. And the comments section is used to identify any confounding variables. For an example, if a student mentions they have had teacher twice and failed both courses, we take this into account.

How to interpret this test

The Maximum points a teacher can receive on this assessment is 100 points,

The Minimum points a teacher can receive on this assessment is 20 points

Ranges

Excellent teacher =                                                                      90 – 100 points

Great teacher =                                                                              80- 89 points

Satisfactory teacher=                                                                  70-79 points            

Teacher needing a vast amount of improvement =             60 – 69 points   

Unsatisfactory teacher =                                                  20-59 points                                                                                                

Survey 2:

1. From a scale of 1-5, how affective are Ms. Lopez’s learning methods?

1         2         3         4        5

2. From a scale of 1-5, how hard are Ms. Lopez’s tests?

1         2         3         4         5

3. From a scale of 1-5, how easy are Ms. Lopez’s projects?

1          2         3         4         5

4. From a scale of 1-5, how much can you rely on Ms. Lopez for extra help during class?

1          2         3        4         5

5. From a scale of 1-5, can you trust Ms. Lopez with things you don’t feel comfortable telling to other teachers?

1         2         3          4         5

6. From a scale of 1-5, do you understand Ms. Lopez’s way of teaching?

1         2          3          4          5

7. From a scale of 1-5, do you think Ms. Lopez is organized with her lesson plan?

1          2          3          4         5

8. From a scale of 1-5, how much homework does your teacher give you every night?

1         2          3          4         5

9. From a difficulty level of 1-5 (5 being the most difficult), how hard is Ms. Lopez’s homework?

1          2         3        4        5

10. How much does Ms. Lopez show that she respects you as students?

1         2         3         4        5

11. How much do you respect Ms. Lopez as a teacher?

1         2         3        4        5 

12. Do you think Ms. Lopez cares about you enough to help you reach your goals, set your goals in life, etc.?

1         2        3       4        5

       13.  Does Ms. Lopez give you too much or too little discipline?

  1       2        3        4       5 

13. Do you think Mr. Lopez has fair control over the class?

                                 Yes                 No

14. Ms. Lopez listens to our opinions and things we have to say.

                               Yes                   No

15. I want to keep contact with Ms. Lopez when I graduate High School.  

                                    Yes             No

16. Ms. Lopez makes me feel welcomed in her classroom.

                                   Yes              No

17.  Ms. Lopez takes the time to get to know each student in our class.

                                  Yes                No

18.   Ms. Lopez lets our parents know how we are progressing in her class.

                                   Yes                 No

19.   Does Ms. Lopez take her time teaching you the topics so everyone in the class is able to understand?

                                    Yes               No

20.   Ms. Lopez encourages us to challenge our selves so we can fully understand a topic

     Yes              No