Attending Conferences: A Pep-rally for Professionals

This past Monday I had the luxury of attending my first conference for professional development. It was sponsored by the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress (MDSC) and was held at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA (beautiful campus btw...).  The theme of this conference was teaching students with Down Syndrome, and more specifically, teaching them using the Common Core Standards.

Upon arrival I felt like a kid in a candy shop - teacher resources (BOOKS!) and two exhibit spaces with agencies and specialists promoting techniques and strategies and answering questions about how to be better at the job we've been charged to do.  And all of this was before the first speaker took the stage.

There is nothing more empowering for a teacher than hearing the success story of a student - from the student herself.  One of the keynote addresses was from a successful, 28 year old woman who has Down Syndrome.  She passed all of her MCAS exams, graduated high school, and is is one class away from finishing an associates degree.  She works, has a social life, and does everything a typical young woman would hope to do!  She described how her parents pushed her to be successful and did everything they could to educate her teachers so that THEY could push her to succeed.  In high school she gave her teachers an annual PowerPoint presentation of her strengths and weaknesses, goals and fears. (could our typical students even accomplish this?!) Listening to her speak was a message of never underestimate your students and always strive to make them achieve high expectations.

Image - www.business2community.com

So, it's 10:30am (on an average school day I'm already reaching for that 3rd cup of coffee!) and I'm amped up, ready to learn, and excited to engage with my peers in some real professional development.  The rest of the day was a whirl of great teaching strategies, research-based methods of instruction / behavior modification, and decades of insight that, as a new teacher, I only scratched the surface of.

By 2:30pm the Conference is over and I find myself disappointed that it has to end (even though it's 40mins past the last bell of the school day...).  So many unanswered questions, but too many new ideas to keep track of.  I again feel that same feeling of anticipation and excitement I felt the first time I stepped into a classroom.

I hope I'm able to attend at least one conference each year for the rest of my career.  Thus far, there has been no better refueler for me than this.  My recommendation to you would be, if you haven't attended a professional conference recently - go to one; you may well find that extra boost you've been searching for.

-MB

Managing Classroom Behavior... So Easy With ClassDojo

As a new teacher I'm all about learning - learning how to develop a curriculum, work with colleagues who've been doing the job for decades, learning the ins and outs of a public school, and of course how to be a good teacher.

Image - learningtales.wordpress.com

There are skills that all teachers need, but one that is most evident when it is missing is classroom management.  You can easily picture that classroom with students blowing spitballs, paper airplanes flying across the room and a group of kids in the back corner with their chairs tilted back talking about what they will do this weekend.  It's a teacher's worst nightmare (or at least the worst one I've had so far... but again, I'm new)!


Every teacher I've ever had or worked with has their own system and style for classroom management.  You've got your "I'll be your friend," easy going teacher; your "If I could use corporal punishment, I would" hardliner; your "so desperate to have these kids behave that I call the principal daily" pass-the-buck educator; and your average, middle of the road, "do your work and I'll try to let you have fun" educator.

In special education there is a particular need for structure in the classroom management style you choose; and student-based incentive is never a bad option for special ed or general ed.  Enter - ClassDojo.  This website (with linked iOS and Android apps) allows the teacher to create a set of classroom behaviors you WANT to see in addition to a set of behaviors you DON'T want to see.  Each student can create a profile with their own avatar (think Monster's Inc character...) and they can access it to see daily / weekly scores (percentages) of positive and negative behaviors.

This app, like all apps / programs, has its pros and cons.  Personally, for my sub-separate special ed classroom (6 students) it makes tracking and modifying student behaviors easy and fun (I have just as much fun using it as my students).  For a class of 25 - 30 it might be more cumbersome than productive.  The fun avatars can make or break this app for you depending on your students' ages.  For many high school students this might be considered a childish program (although I know some high school students who would find it very entertaining...).  My middle-school aged students would've spent 20 minutes of class-time designing their avatars if I'd let them.

Fun avatars can make or break this app depending on your students' ages

The most exciting behavior change I noticed within the first few days of using the app was an INCREASE in positive behaviors such as class participation and paying attention.  Students who would otherwise have been perfectly happy drifting through their own daydreams were attentive and begging to participate (worth 1 point each time they're called on in my setup) because they didn't want to fall behind in points.  Some of the students with negative behaviors are becoming more self-aware of the consequences of their actions, but it is MUCH easier to pick up a new good habit than to remove an old bad habit. (I look forward to updating this post in a few months!)

The best part of all is how easy it is to setup and use! I got my class setup in about 10 minutes and had the program fully implemented in my daily classroom routine by the second day of use.  If you have an existing classroom management style but want to spice it up a bit, this app is for you.  If your classroom management style isn't working at ALL, this app is for you (but it doesn't work miracles or run your classroom on its own... you do have to still be an effective teacher).  If nothing else, it's FREE so there's no risk to giving it a shot, you might be as pleasantly surprised as I was!

-MB

P.S. Found this app thanks to a good friend's husband.  It's one of his many good finds! (check out more HERE)

What's in a Grade?

As the first term of the school year comes to a close, questions arise about grades, how one earns a grade and what that grade really means.

Grade Inflation is a term that is thrown around a lot in both secondary and postsecondary education, but what is it?  Any time we hear the word inflation we immediately think that something is now worth less than it was before.  (The only time we like the word inflation is when it refers to balloons, or a raft that you can lay on all summer in the pool).

In schools across America an average student used to be expected to receive a "C" in their classes; nice and simple located directly in the middle of the 5 point scale A, B, C, D, F. (don't even get me started on leaving out the letter E... system already makes no sense)  But in today's reality, the average student is expected to receive grades of A's and B's.  C's are for underperforming students, and if you receive a "D" or and "F" then you must be a delinquent causing problems in class, and there's clearly no hope for you.

With our expectations skewed to the upper end of the scale, how do we sift through the sea of 'A's and determine the truly high achieving students from the new average student.  Students from the "every kid gets a trophy" Millennial Generation expect A's, want A's, but only in some circumstances (definitely less than the 50% who receive them) deserve A's.

In reality the question is whether or not it matters at all, as long as students are learning.  Do grades, typically based on teacher-made assessments, reflect real student learning or simply the ability of students to regurgitate the information provided to them by the teacher.  What is a genuine assessment of student preparedness for college? Career? Life in general?

So as you fellow educators finalize your grades, send out your comments (equally questionable in their purpose or purposefulness), take a moment to consider what they mean; are you too harsh, too lenient, or just stuck working within the confines of defining student progress with a meaningless number.

-MB

For additional reading on grade inflation from people who actually did research click here:

ASCD article "Research Says / Grade Inflation: Killing with Kindness?"

A Fall Day

A Fall Day

Image - guardianlv.com

No sun today.
No rays reflecting off the reds, yellows, browns, and greens
     of the fall landscape.
Misty rain falls momentarily from gray clouds which hug
     closely to the earth link a blanket.
Wet leaves underfoot slip and slide across the sidewalk as
     the car meanders on its monotonous journey to work.
Cold, drafty windows whistle with the wind and
     the chill wafts through the classroom.
Sleepy students sit silently studious;
But I've got my coffee.

-MB

Special Ed Teacher: Why I Feel Uncomfortable Being Called a Saint

I have now been working as a Special Education Teacher in a sub-separate classroom for two months.  I am loving every second of my job; the good, the bad, and the ugly.  But as I've been talking with a variety of people about my job, the population of students I work with, and the challenges I face daily their response (both educator and non-educator alike) is, "Wow, you're a saint."

Really?!

While my daily routine and student challenges might not be the same as a high school math teacher, or a middle school art teacher, they are just the challenges that come with my job.  Every teacher faces challenges each day working with students regardless of the discipline.  As far as I'm concerned, a high school Math teacher is a saint for teaching Algebra 2 to students who would rather do ANYTHING else than learn math.  Or a high school music teacher who has a band or chorus class with 60+ high energy students whose sole raison d'être is to make noise! (really though, have you met band kids?)

I am not saying my job is easy, or that there aren't days where I, too, wonder how I made it through the day, but please withhold the canonization ceremony until you look at the other candidates, some of whom might be in your mirror every morning (I'm talking to you, fellow teachers).

-MB

5 Things I Never Thought About Being a First Year Teacher

Welcome to Columbus Day weekend, the first respite for teachers a little over one month into the school year.  As a first year teacher in a substantially separate special education program I have already learned so much, discovered how little I was prepared for, and have set my sights on achieving so much by the time my students leave for the Thanksgiving break in 2 months.  Reaching this first milestone seemed like a good time to re-ignite the reflective nature of this blog and post about what I've learned that they DIDN'T tell me about in college.

1. Young does not equal inexperienced: As a new teacher you have to ask questions, get advice from more experienced teachers, but also be confident that what you know is useful, you didn't spend 4+ years in college studying this stuff for nothing.  Take the skills and run with them!

2. Ask lots of questions, but not too many: Don't be afraid to ask questions of administrators, veteran teachers, other new teachers, secretaries (keepers of all knowledge), etc.  Try, however, to find answers on your own first, and when asking questions, don't always go to the same person for an answer, there are plenty of people to build relationships with, ask them all.

3. Contact parents early and often: This is more applicable in the special education setting, however, it can be done in various ways in a general education setting.  Sending home weekly emails about student progress, both positive and negative shows parents that you care, that you have their child's best interest in mind, which goes a long way when issues arise.  Parents can be your best advocate or your biggest critic, make sure they bat on your team.

4. Eat lunch with your colleagues: The social environment in a school provides great opportunities for teachers to let go, relax, and re-energize.  Nothing is better than lunch.  Perfect mid-day vent sessions, counseling sessions, advice giving sessions.  Eat lunch with a group of like-minded teachers to keep you going throughout the day / week / year

5. Laugh with your students: Building a rapport with your students is a must!  Sure there's more to teach than there's time for, and some students are so behind you're not sure they'll every catch up.  And there's the students with behavior issues.  But if you spend a little time each day getting to know them, making them laugh, it goes a long way to creating a positive learning environment. (not to mention eliminating the majority of behavior problems!)

-MB

Co-teaching: Is It Working for You?

Generally when people think of co-teaching the first thing that comes to mind is really called "Team-Teaching" where two educators work together in similar roles to provide comprehensive and differentiated instruction to a class of students.  This is the ideal in an inclusion classroom where varying approaches can help meet the needs of students on IEPs.  However, there are also other forms of co-teaching that can be effective in certain situations.

In some cases, especially in a classroom where the ability range is not drastic but there are a couple students with additional needs, a complimentary approach might be best.  This is where one teacher takes the lead role and the other provides supplementary aides for the students who need it such as additional notes or re-wording instructions/questions.  And there are a variety of other co-teaching strategies in between.

However, there are a number of things that are simply not co-teaching.  For example, just having two bodies in the room does not constitute co-teaching unless both are actively engaged in the course material and are consistently and continuously providing support for students.  Also, having someone in the room is only effective if they know the course material enough to provide the supports needed for students.  Co-teaching is most effective when both teachers can work off each other and know the make-up of the classroom to provide a safe and structured learning environment.

Image - teachingdreaminglearning.blogspot.com

If your school has co-taught classrooms ask yourself these questions and determine if your the structure needs tweaking in order to be most effective for the student population you serve:

1. Are the needs of all students in the classroom being met?
2. Do both teachers feel they are being effective aids to students in the class?
3. Do the teachers communicate effectively with one another to lay out a plan for the day's lesson?
4. Could each teacher effectively implement the lesson alone?
5. Do both teachers know the needs of all students on IEPs?

If the answer to one or more of these questions is NO then it might be beneficial to sit down and determine what needs to be added or changed to the co-teaching plan to make it an effective system for your classroom.  Co-teaching works (multiple studies have shown significant improvements in learning) however as with all teaching, there is a continuum and more effective co-teaching has better results.

-MB

For more information about effective co-teaching search for articles by Marylin Friend and Lynne Cook

A Moment of Thanksgiving...

... for the 7:15 am bell (ok... more like the 1:50 pm bell)

... for the students who make sure the days aren't too consistent

... for the ridiculous, off-topic conversations, and the great moments of intellectual discourse

... for the days after the day it would have been so easy to give up but we didn't

... for walls that we hit, and breakthroughs we make

... for colleagues who share their experiences, both good and bad, to help us grow
... for the students who remind us not to lose perspective
... for the countless days where waking up means another chance to enrich someone's life
... for the days they say "I can't" and the moments when they realize "I can"
... for parents who push their children to greatness

... for all the time I get to spend teaching and more importantly the time I spend learning.

-MB

Feel free to leave a comment this week adding what you're thankful for

The Importance of Community to the Success of Schools

It is not often that you find a student who excels in school, participates actively in extracurricular activities who does not have parents who are concerned with their student's success.  Teacher's spend less than half of the year with students, and during that time, about 1/4 of the hours in the day.  Learning is a 24/7 process that must continue at home.

That being said, if a student isn't performing well in school that doesn't mean their parents aren't involved or concerned about their success. (As we learn in Philosophy 101 - just because one thing is true doesn't make the opposite also true)  I think most educators agree; parental involvement in the school community is a huge factor in student success.

However, recently I've been thinking about how the school community impacts students' out of school life.  Sure, it is great for parents to attend school functions, communicate with teachers about their students achievements, but what about the converse?  What about the effect of teachers knowing about and actively participating in the community in which they work (but don't necessarily live).  If a student sees their teacher participating in other community events, it makes that student's connection to school even stronger.

I'm not saying teachers should spend their weekends going to every public event in their community; but showing an understanding for the community your student's live in can have countless rewards in making a connection with them that shows them you're putting in the effort, so perhaps they should too.  Teachers who are involved in sports, community service, the arts, etc. in the community have a connection with students that the teacher who is only seen in school during school hours doesn't have the opportunity to make.

-MB

see also The Importance of Letting Students Know You Care (9/8/12)

Thought Provoking Video...

The following video was created by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts (see their site HERE).  Whether you agree or disagree with the content of the video, it definitely gets you thinking about the many issues in education in the United States. - Enjoy

-MB

Teacher Evaluations: How Do We Quantify Success?

As we well know, there is a new teacher evaluation system being rolled out in states across the country.  This  was a highlight to the Chicago Teacher's Union strike a few weeks ago.  In an interview, Ed Payne from CNN asked members of the CTU about their objections to a new teacher evaluation tool:

Image - www.nytexaminer.com

Q. Why are teachers objecting to evaluations tied to performance?

A. The union says student performance is directly linked to conditions in the home or neighborhood, making it unfair for teachers to be punished if students don't do well in the the classroom for those reasons.

(click HERE for the full interview)

And herein lies the quintessential question that surrounds all teacher evaluations - how much can student performance be measured and appropriately linked to teacher performance?

Despite popular opinion, I do not think most teachers are opposed to being evaluated, nor are they opposed to having their performance determine whether or not they keep their position.  Teachers, especially younger teachers, understand that there are many more people applying for jobs than there are positions to be had.  If you're a low man on the totem pole, you're going to WANT your evaluation to help you keep your job, and you probably wouldn't mind if someone at the top had to work just as hard to keep theirs.

Where teachers are concerned is, just as the CTU members stated, the relationship of student performance to their own ability to teach.  There will always be that one student or couple of students who are almost impossible to reach.  Even a master teacher, who's been teaching for 25+ years can have a student that they're not sure how to help.  Does this failure equate to them being inadequate as a teacher?  Of course not, and the new evaluation system wouldn't hold a small percentage of the student population against them.  However, what happens in a school district where the majority of the student population is underperforming?  Is the entire teacher population at risk of losing their jobs because their district isn't making the grade?  

This is where the CTU has some ground to stand on in making their case.  In a district with a large number of at-risk students, it would be concerning to base your teacher evaluations on the performance of these students.  At the same time, there are teachers who have great success with at-risk students across the country, so would it be terrible if these school districts only looked for the best?  (are there enough of these teachers who don't burn out after 5 years...)

I don't think there's a clear answer in this debate, but what is clear is that teacher new teacher evaluations are here to stay and the best way to deal with it is to make sure that you're doing the best you can in your classroom.  Any teacher who honestly puts their all into their work (which most teachers do) has nothing to worry about.  On the other hand, if you're a teacher who has been riding the wave letting students come and go without putting in too much effort to update your curriculum, or develop new strategies for working with students who struggle, maybe you should take a closer look at your career and find a way to fix things before the evaluation becomes an issue for you.

-MB

Next week: Merit Pay

The Art of the Special Ed Paraprofessional

Note: As I sat down to write this blog post I realized that I had to clarify the misnomer that is my blog title.  Currently, I am not working as a history teacher but as a special education paraprofessional in a high school while completing my Masters program.

Most people in the education world know (or think they know) what a paraprofessional is doing as they travel from class to class either exclusively with one student, or with a cohort of students who need additional assistance at school.  However, in one month of work I have learned a few things I didn't know that could make all the difference in being successful.

The first is that if you're working exclusively with one student as a 1:1 aide, your relationship with that student is essential for the success of that student.  They need to know that you care, that you're confident in their ability to achieve great things, and that they can trust you to help them when they need it.  I would go as far as to say trust is the most important part of being a 1:1.  The moment that the student believes you will do everything in your power to help them be successful, you're on your way to a smooth year.

But there's another piece that is equally important and also follows the principle of trust.  The relationships between the para and the classroom teachers are critical.  The teachers need to know and understand that you are there to help the child succeed within the parameters of the class.  You can provide additional assistance on classwork, help the student with strategies to study for an exam, and most important, keep the student on task and paying attention.  Para's should engage in regular conversation with teachers before or after class or the school day to make sure they're on the same page with the plan for success.  Get a rundown of the game-plan for a lesson so you will know when and where your student might need your help and you can prepare for it in advance.  Teacher's appreciate knowing that you care and that you're assisting the student, not simply doing the work for them.  Also, don't be a distraction in class.  While you're clearly not invisible, and most students aren't given extra help silently, it is best to be discreet and at the same time if you're able to help other students around you, it can't hurt to use the extra adult presence in the classroom to help maintain order and keep all students on task.

My job also gives me the opportunity to work in a classroom as an aide for a large contingent of students who have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).  Communication between the teacher and para is even more critical in this environment because you're not tied to one student, but really to all of the students in the classroom.  In a high school classroom, you don't often see all of the students with IEPs hanging out in one corner screaming "we're over here and yes we need your assistance."  Instead, one of the great successes of inclusive education is that they're dispersed among their peers.  In this environment, the best tactics that I've observed/used are using almost a co-teaching method.  While your ultimate purpose is to be an additional support to those key students, you're also helping out with anyone who might have a question.  The teacher is up front, leads the lesson, gives instruction and begins to walk around while the students engage in the activity, the para then kicks into action and can help any and all students complete and achieve the daily goals.  Don't single out the students with special needs, they feel enough pressure as it is.

Again, creating a bond with each student so they feel your job is to help them succeed is the best way to achieve success as a paraprofessional.

-MB

P.S. If you're a general education teacher, don't hesitate to ask the para their opinion about differentiating the lesson, or adapting a project to meet the needs on the IEP.  Hopefully they have enough experience either with that specific student or in special ed in general to help create a successful plan.  Engage them to help create a positive atmosphere in the classroom, they'll appreciate it.

Don't Be Afraid to Learn From Your Students

We live in a digital world where things change rapidly and no one has the time to keep up. (especially not teachers)  Students today have grown up surrounded by technology and it is well known by now that they will always be one step ahead of the generation that came before.  This is old news, and by the standards of the digital age where news is old after 27 seconds (according to common AT&T ads), this is ancient news.

www.cartoonstock.com

So why even bother talking about it?  

As a tech savvy 90s child who grew up with a lot of technology, I find myself falling further and further behind in the race to comprehend the uses and abilities of today's technology.  I'm taking classes on the use of technology in schools and the curriculum for the class is outdated even before it's printed.  How are we, the educators, supposed to keep up with the latest trends and understand the technology that our students are using on a daily basis?  The answer is simple: let them teach us.

The effort is being made by older teachers to modify their lessons and incorporate technology into the classroom.  But many of these well-meaning teachers have spent the last 5 years or so developing amazing lessons and getting accustomed to technology that is now obsolete and needs to be updated again.  SMART Boards seem to have already been replaced in some ways by iPad and Apple TV technology.  Teachers can't possibly adapt and change their lessons to keep up with the demand for new and improved.

The better solution is to develop lessons that work using a variety of technologies and then let the students decide how they are going to best complete the assignment.  If the student has an iPhone or iPad and wants to make a movie using some app - let them.  If the student is not quite so up and coming and wants to use the seemingly outdated PowerPoint - go for it.  Or if the student wants to find a technology that came out somewhere in the middle like a Prezi presentation - why not.  The important part of the lesson is the content, not the method.  Giving students the freedom to be creative and use technology that you might not even know exists is a leap of faith, but it is one that will be rewarded time and again because you will learn new things from your students.

I like to think of myself as current, up to date on Facebook, Twitter, I've used an iPad, I have a smartphone, but it's also important to remember I can learn a thing or two from the students myself, they're the ones with the free time to learn it all.

-MB

The Importance of Letting Students Know You Care

image - www.frameworkinstitute.org 

When a student is struggling in class, every teacher hopes and expects that that student will come forward and ask for help, and many times they will.  However, if the student doesn't believe the teacher cares about their success, or even worse, would help them when they ask, then there is little chance that the student will say anything at all.

As teachers, we all care about the well-being and success of our students.  We would all like for each and every one of them to succeed and move on to bigger and better things.  Yet, we understand that some students will not succeed through no fault of their own unless we give them that extra boost to help them on their way.  A good teacher is available and willing to help any student who asks for it, a great teacher knows which student needs help and goes to them without being asked.

Life happens, it often gets in the way and it rarely proves to be an easy road to walk down.  Balanced adults can handle the curve-balls and still hit home-runs, but the average teenager is going to strike out a few times before they get on base.  Help them with their swing - show them the techniques that will enable them to succeed in your class.  If you were going to be a student in your own class how would YOU take notes?  How would YOU prepare for the test?  It's not cheating to provide the tools that they need to succeed.  Remember, just because they've already been in school for several years doesn't mean they've figured out which strategies work best for them.

School is about learning more than just the material in the curriculum.  School is about learning interpersonal relationships.  Its about learning respect and decency that is required of all human beings in society.  Its about  discovering that caring for someone else can be even more gratifying that simply caring about yourself.  Show your students you care, share in their successes and hold them up through their failures.  If they know you care, maybe (not always) they'll care a little more too and their drive to succeed will inspire the students around them to do the same.

-MB

NEXT WEEK: Don't Be Afraid to Learn from Your Students

Remembering that Our Parents' Childhoods are Today's History

With the passing of one of the greatest members of the greatest generation, it is easy to forget that the average high school student hasn't learned much about what happened in the years after World War II.  Neil Armstrong was a pioneer of the last frontier and was also a great example of humility and devotion to one's country and to personal ideals.  He is an icon that students should look up to, but one that many students have either never heard of, or only in passing.

If you're a teacher, and have been teaching since you graduated college in the 1980s then there are about 40 years that you would consider "present day" that the average student knows barely anything about.  If you've been teaching since the 90s you forget that students now have no idea what the First-Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) was, only that George W. Bush "finished what his father started." If you've been teaching since 2000, you're about to find out that students have always lived in a post-9/11 world and believe that every act of violence can be linked to terrorism. So why is this important?

History classes have to add more and more information each year as the history of the world gets longer and longer.  It is impossible, even in a high school where four years of history are required to cover this wide range of information.  In many high schools U.S. History is covered in a two-year curriculum.  The history of the United States, which typically starts with some type of understanding of the groups that lived here already, and the first European settlers in the 17th Century.  That means history teachers are being asked to cover over 400 years of information in 360 days.  (I'm not a math person, but even I can see that you have to cover more than a years worth of information per day)

Recent history is the first to get cut out, simply because by the time you get there, you've run out of time to teach it.  What we're left with is a group of students who, despite having so much information at their fingertips in this technological age, don't know some of the great figures of history that are still living among us.  Neil Armstrong is NOT the guy who rides bikes and had cancer.  (Yes, I have actually heard people make that mistake!)

While it is becoming increasingly difficult to fit the copious amounts of information into such a limited time-frame, using tools such as "This Day in History" to start your class, or finding the birthdays of major figures of the past 50 years and having a 5 minute discussion on why they are important is critical to not letting the recent past be forgotten. It is our responsibility to take the legacy of our parents' generation and turn it into the lasting history that our grandchildren will continue to study.

-MB

In Honor of a Great American

image - lunarscience.nasa.gov

State of the Race: Where Romney-Ryan and Obama-Biden stand on Education

This morning after learning of Romney's decision to have Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate, I decided it was finally time to do a little perusing through the issues.  Of course the first issue on all websites is the economy and the tit-for-tat between the candidates and political pundits on this issue has been rather nauseating the past few months.  I decided to pick a lesser discussed topic and do some light reading on the candidates' websites: Education.

Let's start with Barack Obama (see Education Policy) as he has already had 3 years to implement some type of Education policy.

1. Making college more affordable: He's doubled Pell Grants, helped students deal with student loans and has "plans" to reform community colleges to provide a better pathway to jobs.
   
   - for the most part, as a recent college grad I like to hear these things, college is becoming more and more expensive and any relief or assistance is appreciated, however where is this money coming from when the government can't afford the programs they already have in place?
   
2. Reforming No Child Left Behind: President Obama allowed for states to create their own, more efficient and productive plans and apply for waivers from NCLB.
   
   -might be a good thing, might not, all depends on the state.  For instance, Massachusetts has always had good education, before NCLB, despite NCLB and it will continue to have a good education system after NCLB.  But the law wasn't passed for states like Massachusetts, it was passed to help students in states like Mississippi and Alabama whose scores in Science and Math are in need of much improvement.  Generating an alternative as opposed to just negating NCLB might have been a better course of action, but the jury is still out on this one
   
3. Supporting Teachers an Students: President Obama wants states to "Keep good teachers on the job and keep students in school until the graduate or turn 18"
   
   -sounds good to me, how are you going to do it?  I don't think there's a single politician out there who would say anything different from this as part of their education policy (except maybe Ron Paul who thinks the government shouldn't have an education policy).
   

Biden's similarities and differences: at this point, he no longer has his own website and it would probably be a copy&paste from the President's website effectively removing his opinions from record

Now for Governor Romney's proposals (see Education Policy) most of which are based on the successes of Massachusetts education during his term as governor.

1. Expand access to charter schools: Governor Romney believes that charter schools allow parents to choose so they're not forced to send their children to failing schools.
   
   -when I read this it sounds like turning education into a Free Market system.  If your public school is failing, then shut it down by creating charter schools and sending all of your students there.  Is this really fixing the problem in public schools or just brushing it under the rug?  What about the students who cannot get in to the charter school for whatever reason?  Are they left to attend the now half-empty and definitely not well supported public school?
   
2. Making college more affordable: Governor Romney proposed a scholarship that would give free tutition to the top 25% of students if they attended a state institution.
   
   -this policy (though I don't remember it being Romney's idea) has been quite a success in Massachusetts.  As a recipient of this scholarship, the $4,000 it saved me over four years was just one less thing I needed to worry about. (note: just found an article while writing this and it WAS a Romney proposal see Article)  I'm not sure how this could work on a national level, but finding ways to help students attend college is always a good thing, so long as the budget can afford it.
   
3. Empower Governors to reform their education systems: Governor Romney believes that each state should set its own regulations and education reform should not be a national priority.
   
   -That's great, if the governor has the resources and wherewithal to do so.  I believe part of his reasoning for wording the policy this way is because he can say "I was governor of Massachusetts and our education system worked great."  The problem I have with this was that Massachusetts had a great education system long before Romney became governor, and nothing he did during his term really impacted the system as a whole.
   

Ryan's similarities and differences: Congressman Ryan doesn't say too much that is at all different from Governor Romney's policies.  He is also in favor of charter schools and believes that education policy should come from state and local government, not the federal government.

Those are the basics of what is coming in with whomever is elected president. Please add your own opinions and information to help fill out this article.

-MB

Countdown To Student Teaching

16 days remain until my first day of student teaching.  After successfully completing 3 1/2 years of my undergraduate degree, all means nothing without a successful completion to this semester of work.  Needless to say, the next two weeks will be spent in mental preparation for what I hope will be the #1 most important learning experience of my college career.

Each week over the next 4 months or so there will be a post in a new blog entitled "Student Teaching - Beginning a Career in Learning" which will detail the highs and lows of the semester.

image - coloradoea.org

Here's to the beginning of something exciting and new!

-MB

Apathy Doesn't Help Students

Back from my three-week hiatus, end of the semester craziness has finally come to a close!


When you walk into a classroom you can immediately tell whether this is a place of learning for students or a holding cell for the down-trodden, waiting to age-out or drop-out.  Anyone with experience in education has seen their fair share of both of these types of classrooms.  However, it is important to realize the fundamental difference between the two and its probably not what you'd expect.

image - www.savagechickens.com

Recently, while doing observation hours in an urban school district, I came across a teacher who said he could only accomplish so much because the students did not have support from home, had unstable and terrible home-lives, and were unmotivated to learn.  He made the honest and humble claim that he was not a miracle worker.  Surely, this teacher cannot be faulted if he does not have the drive and motivation to go the extra mile to engage these disenfranchised students, they're already counted as lost causes by society.  Which one of the two classrooms I mentioned earlier do you think this teacher had? Why?

Flip to another observation experience (it took four years but I've realized 20 hours a semester has begun to pay off), this time in a suburban school district, and the teacher is not only a teacher, but a coach for one of the school's athletic teams.  Motivator? Oh you know it, he could motivate someone to think that derivatives in calculus was entertaining!  However, this classroom of mostly middle-class students is sitting idly unfocused and unmotivated to learn while the teacher shows a video on the topic that day.  What's this teacher's reason for having disengaged students?

One more anecdote from an observation experience: this time in another urban school district.  It is a co-taught mathematics class and the general ed teacher and special ed teacher are working hand in hand to get this class of 30 students to understand how to graph a line using slope-intercept form (talk about BORING).  About 25 % of the students are on IEPs and there is a student who has a auditory deficiency and has an interpreter.  Every student in this classroom is engaged.  Every student is participating. and at the end of the lesson every student leaves with the satisfaction of having learned a new skill.  Oh, I forgot to mention that many of these students come from the troubled home-lives mentioned in the first scenario.  Why is this classroom any different?

Educators must understand that all students have an innate desire to learn, to better themselves, to improve their situations.  If the educator gives up on the student, who is left to look out for them?  Teacher apathy is what stands in the way of educational success and is what marks the major difference between a person who is teaching, and a person who is a teacher.  Teaching is a life-long vocation, not a 40hours a week job. No student deserves being given up on, and every student can be motivated to learn.  It's just a matter of finding their trigger and taking the time to form a relationship.

As I look forward to my student teaching experience, I hope to keep the energy and drive alive because students feed off of the energy of their teacher.  If the fire burns out, find a new profession because students need teachers who are motivated, driven and have a passion for learning.

-MB

Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims

While it is always fun to talk about how Squanto and the Native Americans helped save the colony in Plymouth and celebrated the first thanksgiving, it would be beneficial to students if they learned the real story of where thanksgiving came from and why we celebrate it today.

image - i-love-cartoons.us

Yes, the colonists in Plymouth celebrated a Thanksgiving feast with the Wompanoag tribe, however, this tradition did not stick with consistency through today.  During the Revolutionary War there were sometimes several thanksgiving days in a year marking key victories or achievements.  The "holiday" of thanksgiving didn't become a reality until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be a national day of thanksgiving.  However, it was not until 1942 that a federal law declared thanksgiving as the 4th (and typically the last) Thursday of November as a national holiday of Thanksgiving.

So as we teach our students the history of thanksgiving, it's perfectly ok to mention Squanto and the Pilgrims, but lets not forget to give credit where credit is due and give Thanksgiving to two of the most influential presidents in our history, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Happy Thanksgiving!


-MB

Where Does Bullying Come From?

When people start talking about bullying, everyone always starts with the schoolyard bully who is there taking your lunch money.  Now, with the attention being given to suicide victims in high schools and colleges especially, the bully is the student or group of students who are bigots and base their hatred on sexual orientation.  Then, of course, there is the focus on cyber-bullying, because as things go in the 21st Century, technology is a part of all aspects of life, even the negative ones.  But all of these conversations are related to bullying occurring with children, teens, and young adults, what about the bullying that happens in the professional world?

Here, bullying doesn't exist, or so people would have you think.  Adults no longer get accused of bullying unless they fall into one of these categories: sexual harassment, discrimination (racism, sexual orientation, gender) or slander.  Sure, these are really bad forms of bullying, possibly some of the worst in the adult world and are punishable by law, however, what about all of the other bullying that happens that ISN'T quite this bad and doesn't get prosecuted.  I'm just going to mention a few instances of professional bullying that I've witnessed in the past year... I know there's more so feel free to add your own experiences in the comments.


Teachers: According to many conservatives, teachers are overpaid, under-worked and ungrateful people who don't deserve any of the credit they are given.  People are allowed to say "people who can, do; people who can't, teach" on national television without any flak whatsoever.  This is bullying, however subtle.

Muslims: Remember the mosque and community center that was supposed to be built "within the shadow" of ground zero?  Remember how it was ok to say that they had no right to build a mosque so close to ground zero  because the 9/11 attacks were carried about by Muslim terrorists.  How can people be allowed to have such utter disregard for our First Amendment right of freedom of religion?  Why is guilt by association ok simply because a terrorist was from a specific religion?  Are all Christians terrorists when one person kills 85 people in Norway and has a religious reason for it?

image - politicalhumor.about.com

Politics: The presidential campaign is the #1 source of bullying examples in the United States every four years.  The candidates hire hundreds of people to "dig up the dirt" on their opponents and then go on million dollar smear campaigns to make the other person look as terrible as possible for whatever reason they can find.  If you are putting someone else down in order to make you feel better about yourself you are the classic bully.  So why do we accept it as a normal part of our electoral process?  What lesson does this teach kids? (if you're the best bully, you can be president)

According to Bandura's Social Learning Theory, children can learn behaviors simply by observing it.  Students are encouraged to watch and participate actively in society especially in the political process.  Put these two statements together and you are encouraging students to observe bullying therefore exacerbating the situation.  Let's put an end to bullying in the adult world because we can't ask our students to accomplish something we can't ourselves.