Finding time for a good idea

Good ideas are not easy to come by. Let me specify--the idea is the easy part. The logistics are the hard part. I can come up with some ideas, but figuring out how those ideas are going to work in my classroom is something totally different. I have had the great idea that my students need to podcast about their newest literature circle books, a nonfiction text. I am sure that they have little to no experience with podcasting. This is something I will have to scaffold carefully in order to move them along at a good pace, but also ensure that everyone works in their ZPD. One minute of frustration and this balancing act can collapse. There are not a lot of lesson options with podcasting out there. I have experienced this before--I have an idea for a lesson, I know what I want it to look like, but I can't find exactly what I am looking for. I can get lost for hours on the Internet looking at things that don't quite do what I need them to do. I am not quite at ground zero with podcasting. I did fine a great PBS lesson that lays out great steps for scaffolding a podcast lesson. Now I just have to take my own materials and merge the two for the perfect podcasting book discussion lesson!

My Grown-Up Christmas List

Here is the newest scenario that is making public education look ineffective. Instead of counting students who enter in ninth grade and graduate in four years, the powers that be are counting students in the eighth grade that graduate in five years in order to calculate graduation rates. Fair? Before you jump to say yes, of course, think about this...

If the student moves between 8th and 9th grades, he/she is considered a drop out.

If the student has to take a year off for one reason or another--pregnancy, illness, car accident, anything--he/she is considered a drop out.

If the student screws around during the freshmen year and takes an extra year to get out of high school, he/she is considered a drop out.

Public high schools are ruled ineffective on a daily basis by people who believe that they know what is best. Many of these people have never stepped in front of a classroom. In fact, Bill Gates even weighed in recently on how public schools should pay teachers. (FYI, it wasn't favorable for teachers.) Everyone believes that he/she knows what is best when it comes to educating children. None of these people have stood front of the classroom.

The sad fact of the matter is, there are kids who aren't cut out for the public classroom. For some reason or another, the four walls and desks don't mesh with some students' personalities. These students need an alternative form of education. These students may need to learn a trade in order to contribute to society. We want to believe that no child will be left behind, but the fact is that every child on this earth is special and unique. As a classroom teacher, it is my job to reach them all. All 150 of them that I may teach in any given year.

Where are the educators running education? Too often, administrators spend very little time in the classroom in their rush to get to the top. Elected education officials often have NO EXPERIENCE in public education at all. When they do, which is rare, it is typically less than ten years.

This Christmas, I wish for the pendulum to swing back the other way. I wish for teachers to once again join the highest echelon of respectability. I wish for people to understand that, while you get to check in to your nice cozy office, I get to teach in a coat for most of the day because the thermostat is turned low enough to save money. Understand that over the course of the day, I serve breakfast, clean up breakfast, mediate arguments, supply peppermints and tissues to sick children, dry the tears of broken hearted teenage girls, keep lunch detention for unruly boys who need attention, guard the halls against students looking for a place to hide out, discourage loitering, take cell phones, pull down hoods, and try to be engaging and entertaining. On really special days, I get to jump in the middle of actual fist fights.

All the while, people like Bill Gates get together and try to find reasons to pay me less.

For Christmas, I want us all to remember that none of us would be where we are today if it weren't for a teacher in the background, juggling all of her responsibilities and still finding time to tell us that we can do it. We can do anything we put our mind to.

Finding the Disconnect

How many times have we, as teachers, stayed up late at night to develop engaging lessons? We're so sure that they're the best lessons ever, but when we get the tests back, the grades range for so-so to oh-no. If you're anything like me, this has happened more than once.

Teacher reflection is the key to finding where the breakdown in learning begins. I sat down with a teacher recently to look at her tests. There were a variety of questions--matching, multiple choice, document-based, and essay. And the grades ranged from As to Fs. After pouring so much time into making the lessons engaging and hands-on, it was more than a little frustrating to see such an obvious breakdown in comprehension. So what caused it?

We sat down together to do an item-analysis of the tests and found where the biggest weakness was (besides student aversion to studying once in a while). Basically students were struggling with the bar graphs. This didn't show up in the lessons, but was glaringly obvious on the tests. All it took was a little time and even less effort and we were able to see one of the biggest barriers to student success.

Teacher reflection is key. We often blame the students for everything and sometimes we assume they know things that they, in fact, do not. I'm headed into that teacher's classroom today to do a little mini-lesson of graph reading. And the students will have a chance to look at their tests again.

Our next challenge--content area vocabulary.

NBCTs do it better!

Or at least according to a new study reported on by USA Today. According to this study, students in classes taught by National Board Certified teachers make bigger gains on standardized tests than students taught by other teachers.

Interesting. The question, though, is the process of getting certified according to national board standards what makes teachers better or are those who are certified already top performers? What changes are the national boards process making to the face of public education today?

The number of teachers is growing, but is still fairly sparse. According to the survey, a mere three teachers in five schools are national board certified. States that supply additional incentives for those certified--such as South Carolina and its northernly neighbor--have high numbers of teachers who go through the process. However, teachers who are going through the process are less likely to work with marginalized learners, those students who need someone with passion, drive, and expertise.

So, are national board teachers making great gains or are they in a point in their career where they get to work with the kids who would pass the test anyway? It is an interesting question. I know some NBCTs who aren't changing the face of education dramatically. But what they are doing is reflective practice. One thing that the process is good for is forcing teachers to become more reflective in their teaching. The journal entries and videoed lessons help teachers look closely at what is and what is not working in the classroom. Teachers learn to look back at themselves when something doesn't go quite right instead of always looking back at the students for the answer.

Should you run right out and get certified if you haven't already? Not necessarily. If you live in a state that gives incentives, then it sure does help with the rising gas prices. But you can be a reflective practitioner. Keep a journal. Reflect on the drive home. And for goodness sakes, stop looking outwards and start examining what you can do differently.

And he's still reading from that d@mn book!

Teacher reflection is important. In fact, its vital if you want your students to avoid statements such as the one above. If you want to know what is working and what is not, then just ask your students. They'll tell you. And no matter how important you think the material is, listen to what they are telling you--if they don't find the authenticity in your lesson, then they aren't learning anything.

There are some easy ways to avoid the pitfalls of thinking that you know what your students will find important. First and foremost, involve them in your planning process. This is much easier said than done, but not totally impossible. Teacher assistants are the best for this--its some one on one time with a young mind and you can pick it for free. You can also poll your students or have them create their ending project. Not every part of your lesson is going to appeal to your class and not every part of your lesson is going to fall flat. You can allow students to further their education on their own by looking for something that they are interested in.

Exit slips are another great way to see what is failing and what is winning. Have students give you two stars and a wish for your lesson. You'll see very quickly if that read aloud is as interesting as you seem to think it is.

My one last soap box for the day...don't be the student that you complain about. As a coach, I get to see up-close-and-personal why our students have the habits that they do. I have really tried hard the last few years to erase those habits in myself--they aren't very attractive. Its easier said than done, but its worth it.