Meaningful Fragments

Come Join in the Fun - Be a Teacher!

2011-11-22T18:29:00.005-05:00

As our community just failed a school levy, I was puzzled as to how in the heck this happened. I contemplated the why's and the how's: Why would people not support education? How could they do this to children? Why do they feel this resentment towards teachers? How can we (the school system) recover from this?

As I was getting my morning iced tea from a local breakfast restaurant (Before you judge and say something asinine like "How can you afford that everyday but you can't afford whatever else it is that you need", I get them free), the lady behind the counter gave me a tongue lashing about how she was GLAD the school levy had failed. Her reasoning? "Those teachers make enough money. I make $16,000 a year and I support 5 people in my household - a fresh out of college kid can make $37,900 AND they get summers off!"

I was stunned. I was beyond shocked. First off, this lady knows I am a teacher and not once did I ever say "We teachers do not make enough money." The Westerville City School levy was not for teacher raises. It wasn't for teacher's retirement. It wasn't for teacher anything - it was for kids to play sports, for elementary students to keep art, music and physical education. It was to offset our glorious governor's state budget cuts. John Kasich claims he balanced the state budget without raising taxes when in reality, all he did was pass the buck to the city and local governments to fund their education systems. Yeah, I am not a fan of Governor Ka-sucks.

I was fuming at this point. Here was this lady, who I see every morning and get my chocolate chip muffie every now and then from, and she was telling ME that I had it easy! And that she was glad the school levy failed! I thought to myself, "Do you have a college education? Do you have a college loan that was used to obtain a Master's degree that you are currently paying off? No, you probably don't."

What I would have liked to say to that individual was, "Lady, you make bagels for a living. I make a difference."

I realized that the reason why our levy failed was because of the amount of uneducated individuals living in this community. And I don't just mean the people who do not have a college degree - you do not have to go to college to be intelligent. I mean the amount of misinformation that was portrayed throughout this levy campaign. And how the uneducated individuals believed it. Also, look at the population. The majority of the people living in this community are older, do not have kids or their children are grown, and do not feel the need to pay for a school system they do not benefit from. Here's the sad news folks: those kids that you didn't support, those are the people who will be filling your prescriptions at the pharmacy, who will be taking care of you when you are sick and who will protect you when you call 9-1-1. Way to go - those kids should feel abandoned and pissed. It was like the entire community said, "You're just not good enough. The $200 more a year on average that I would be paying for my property tax is just not a good investment. Who cares that the value of my home will now drop? I want my steak dinners!"

Now, after the smoke that was spouting from every pore in my body has settled after the breakfast restaurant run in, I want to say to her, "We are always looking for motivated people who love children to come join us." Please, come jump through the hoops, please pay the money it takes to go to college and get a degree, please pay the money to take the certification tests, please come buy things for your classroom out of your own pocket, please come and give kids lunch money all of the time because their own parents don't, please come and buy kids socks and shoes when their parents can't, please come deal with the clinically insane parents that have nothing better to do but plot out ways to try to have you fired, please come try to break up a fight without touching the kids because you might get sued, please come try to teach what feels like 100 standards to kids who do not want to learn.

Seriously. Please come join us.

You might understand how rewarding this profession is. And you might understand then why summers off is really a time for teachers to reflect on why they love their jobs.

The Problem(s) with No Child Left Behind

2011-11-22T17:50:00.004-05:00

Back in January of 2002, then President George W. Bush signed a 670-page act into law that was supposed to raise the quality of American public education.

Problem #1 – One of the main authors, Margaret Spelling, who later was nominated to become Secretary of Education in 2004, never worked in a school system. Never. She holds a B.A. in political science and had never received formal training in education.

Problem #2 – The Bush Administration underfunded No Child Left Behind (NCLB) yet required states to comply with NCLB or they risked losing all of their federal education dollars. This resulted in states making budget cuts in field experiences, textbooks, and non-tested curriculum (because you know, those non-tested subjects don’t really matter and kids don’t need art/PE/music in elementary school).

Problem #3 – Many educators feel that NCLB encourages teaching to the test, so that students score well on the test and therefore earn rewards by doing so. Teachers feel that there are many valuable lessons involved with a variety of activities that cannot be measured by a standardized test, but those valuable lessons won’t matter and teachers will have less time to teach those lessons with the vast amount of information that “might” show up on the test. Last time I checked, a valid assessment for teachers to use is one that does not trick the student, and the students have a clear and concise set of targets (or objectives) that will be assessed on the test. It isn’t a point and shoot method or a hope and pray method. How are WE as educators supposed to implement this sort of strategy when even our own state standardized tests do not?

Problem #4 – Which brings me to my next problem – the standardized tests. Each state has their own set of standards, therefore they have their own standardized test. Comparing how students score in California cannot possibly be compared to how well students score in Mississippi. It literally is like comparing oranges to crawfish. I just do not understand how a school can be judged strictly based on test scores alone. States can compensate for inadequate student performance by setting the bar low and making the tests easier. Many times, the tests are flawed and are used to then identify schools as being successful or as failures. Instead of provide those failing schools with the support the students and staff need, they are “punished” with counterproductive sanctions. From my experience in the south, as schools were labeled as being unsuccessful, good teachers left because they can go work for an “A” or “B” school and be more likely to earn the bonus money the state provided from the FCAT. I know that teachers did not get into the profession to become millionaires, but if a teacher is working as hard as she possibly can, then why not be rewarded for her hard work and go somewhere else where the parents are involved? Because typically, when parents are involved in their child’s educational experience, the students are more successful and the parents support the school system because they themselves are college graduates. If the child has his basic needs met (breakfast in the morning, for example), he will perform better and make your job as a teacher that much easier.

In theory, NCLB should work. Teachers should be held accountable. Standards should be set for teacher qualifications. I do not oppose a merit based pay system (see previous posts), but I have yet to see one that will work across content areas and will include valid measurements of success. If states are hurting economically, I am not sure if a merit based system is also the answer – just ask North Carolina why they don’t adhere to that pay system any longer. From what I understand, it cost the state more money than what they were paying based on seniority and level of education.

What is and what is not formative assessments

2011-08-19T20:57:00.002-04:00

About 5 years ago, I sat in a professional development training at Sarasota Middle School and was literally scolded by an administrator in the district on how we were using assessments incorrectly. I had been applying and receiving grants for about a year at that point, and I always filled in the formative and summative assessment portions just fine apparently. But, I don't think I actually understood the VALUE of a formative assessment until later. Much, much later.

So what is a formative assessment? It's many things really, but the main purpose of a formative assessment is for teachers to modify and validate their instruction. It provides us teachers with information during the learning process, before the unit or lesson is over. We as educators are supposed to use formative assessments to improve our instruction; it's not supposed to make our jobs "easier". If anything, formative assessments help us hone in and fine tune what it is we want students to learn or accomplish, but yet this can in essence create more work because we have to 1) grade (or assess) more often and 2) provide feedback.

It seems that a lot of teachers miss the mark with #2. Providing meaningful feedback offers descriptive and vital information in regards to the project, the product, the lesson or the work and relates back to the learning targets or objectives. Meaningful feedback focuses on the learning objectives, lists or identifies student strengths as well as what needs improvement.

When I think about feedback, I think about how a volleyball player will ask me what they need to do to improve their serve reception or what they need to work on in order to be a better blocker - I start with what they do well (focus on the positives), then I discuss what they need to do to improve and then we talk about a plan of action (what she can do to improve). Obviously, if a player who is 5'3" could probably not become a middle hitter (never say never), so you have to be realistic with WHAT they are capable of accomplishing, as well as limiting to the plan of action to one or two skills as a time.

Here are some examples of meaningful and appropriate feedback:

I really like the topic you have chosen to experiment on; your hypothesis needs improvement because it's an explanation. Remember, we write our hypothesis in an "If" and "then" statement.

Nice description of how viruses and bacteria are similar but try to also include key differences in your response.

Examples of formative assessments include lab reports, observations, quizzes, class discussions, and outlines or rough drafts. A question that tends to be a little tricky is "should formative assessments be graded or scored?" Some people tend to lean to the side that they should never be scored based on the argument that if a formative assessment is graded, it automatically becomes a summative assessment. Others believe that some students are motivated by good grades; they need that good score to try hard because then it's worth it to them. I'd say I agree. Not all students are extrinsically motivated, but some are. And if we are given the charge of teaching and reaching ALL of our students, then periodically grading formatives is something we should do.

Utilizing formative assessments enables teachers to alter and adjust instruction in a timely fashion (before the learning process has ended) and it creates a student centered learning environment, where students take some responsibility of their own learning. Formative assessments is where the teaching and learning process blend.

Making the Cut

2011-08-13T17:04:00.007-04:00

I know it's been awhile, but I've been rather busy...had a baby (need I say more?!), moved back to the MidWest, started a new job, started another new job and am now coaching a varsity team. I also prefer to not blog about just about anything - I like to blog about something that is significant.

Which leads to me my newest post.

As a coach, making cuts is probably the single hardest task we have to do. There really is no easy way for us to do it. As human beings, we hate feeling like we have broken kids hearts. We hate to see kids cry. But the reality is this: not everyone can make the team.

I have announced who has made the team several different ways. When I was a high school athlete, the varsity coach read off the list of kids who were to report to practice the following day. He didn't read who was cut, but rather, who was on the team. I appreciated that he wasn't cowardly and didn't just post a list up on the gym door after tryouts.

When I coached for a middle school in Florida, I was told I HAD to post a list. I hated it, but the AD was technically my boss. So I complied.

When I coached for a high school in Florida, I had to pull kids aside during drills and inform them that they didn't make the team. One on one. The kids in the drills then would see the student athlete leave in the middle of practice in tears. They would dread you calling them over.

When I started coaching back here in Ohio, I took the route of my former high school coach. I felt I owed kids the respect of reading off the list. I felt like I was able to say things like "All of the coaches are so proud of you for being here, regardless of the risks" and "We wish we could keep everyone" and "If your name is not called, don't give up. This can be looked upon as an opportunity - an opportunity to improve. Michael Jordan was cut from his JV team in high school..."

This is the 6th year I have done it this way, and this was the 1st year a parent complained. The parent was upset because she felt as if we were being cold and harsh and disrespectful. She claimed we didn't know how fragile these 15 and 16 year girls are and they needed to be told in private to avoid seeing their friends, etc. And the kicker - her kids didn't even know why they hadn't made the team. She requested a meeting and even though we validated her feelings and apologized for her kids feeling "worthless" (her words, not ours), there was no adequate solution because we couldn't turn back the clock and have a do-over. I usually ask parents in parent conferences when they are upset and have vented what it is they want me to do. In this situation, I wasn't going to pose that question because I knew her solution of letting her kids play on a team wasn't going to be a possibility. We thanked her for alerting us and told her we would take her complaint into consideration for next year, which was all we could do at that point.

In my head, I wanted to say, "Really? Your kids didn't know why they were cut? It's plain and simple - they weren't good enough." Now, after the initial reaction that I had in my head, I thought about providing meaningful feedback (like the type you are supposed to do with formative assessments), but how would I go about doing that? After reading the list to the kids, I asked to speak with a few of them to clarify what their roles were going to be. Let me remind you, these were kids who made the team - and when I spoke to them, all they wanted to do was leave. They don't want to be around the coaching staff; they want to go home and see their parents or talk to their friends.

I asked a few of the freshmen girls how they would prefer to be told if they made the team or not. They proceeded to tell me how they were told while in middle school for other sports. Answers ranged from being handed an envelope and being told not to open it until they got home to the coach posting the list on a website (love how we use technology to just do the exact same thing with a piece of paper).

Now, my next thought was, "Are we doing these athletes a disservice by being 'cowardly' and tip toeing around their sensitive feelings? Are we raising these kids to be wimps?" I recalled reading an article about just that: A Nation of Wimps in an online article (there is also a book by the same title). Recently, I overhead another coach say that athletes today are "soft". I heard of one team having two JV teams (an A and a B); next year then, they will have 20 seniors. Is having 2 teams allowing all kids to gain valuable playing time experience or are they leading on 20 kids that will be vying for 7 spots next year?

How are we helping them learn and develop by not allowing them to fail? Isn't there value in falling down and then getting up and dusting yourself off?

If parents constantly fight their child's battles, how is that child going to be ready for adulthood?

Are we teaching kids that if you just throw a big enough fit that you will get what you want? Excuse me for being naive, but I thought that was something most kids grew out of by the age of 4 or so.

Aren't kids supposed to learn through experience? For example, when my daughter learned how to walk, we knew she was going to fall and potentially bump her head (which she did, multiple times. And you know what, she's ok!). We knew that when we became parents, she was going to skin her knees and shut her hands in drawers. That's part of the learning process - mistakes are valuable when you learn what NOT to do.

After having a few days to ruminate, the coaching staff and I met and came to the conclusion that we would personally call each girl next year to let her know yes or no, and if no, we would provide her with the areas that she needed to improve on the most. It might be time consuming, but then they wouldn't be around their friends, they won't be embarrassed if they cry, and they can then be comforted by their parents at home right away.

So I pose this question out there to cyberspace - how would YOU like to know if you made a team? Or how would you like a coach to announce who was on the team when your child tries out in high school? How do or did you feel as a parent if your kid didn't make a team?

Another One Bites the Dust

2009-08-03T21:17:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow morning, I will officially be depressed.

Another friend has decided to vacate Sarasota for greener pastures. Actually, it's more than one friend - it's two. And they will surely be missed.

Both were teachers. One will continue her teaching career up in Pennsylvania while the other will be pursuing another career after attending graduate school in central Florida. Sarasota County needed these two, and they couldn't keep a hold of them due to budget cuts, not to mention the way our school "system" is run. We were lucky to have them for as long as we did.

As I sit here, trying not to cry over MY loss, I am reminded that they will be much happier where they are going. They are starting over, and that is an experience I can truly relate to. Had I never left Westerville, Ohio, to start over and reinvent myself, I never would have met my fantastic husband and I never would have met these amazing people.

It's hard to not be saddened though. For whoever said, "It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all" has never had their heart broken numerous times. I remember when it first happened, when our first friend from our tight circle decided it was time to fly the coop. He was in our wedding and claims to be the cupid that brought my husband and I together. He left 2 years ago for Philadelphia.

Then, it was like dominoes. One of my very best friends that I had worked with for 2 years decided he needed to move closer to home and left for DC. The same year, the person who I felt like was my sister moved to Nags Head because her husband relocated. I remember sobbing in the school office, asking her who was going to be here to understand me. I still get choked up when I find the walkie-talkie watch in my desk drawer that my DC friend gave to me our first year working together.

As if there wasn't enough salt in my wounds already. Now, a dear friend who I collaborated with for the past 3 years has decided to join our friend in Philadelphia.

It's a wonder I keep any friends at all, for fear that they too, one day, will leave Sarasota and me behind. Or maybe it's just a sign of what I am supposed to do next. One by one, as our friends move on, they look back and my husband and I as if to ask, "Well? Aren't you coming?"

Who knows. There are times I think I want to move closer to home, and there are other times when I am so grateful to be in the sun and 1200 miles away from family drama. No one knows for sure what will happen a year from now, so I try not to think that far ahead.

What I do know for sure is that I will cry tonight. I will miss my friends as they start a new chapter in their lives and I can only hope they find what they are looking for.

Teachers Will Be Held Accountable...Someday

2009-07-26T18:10:00.002-04:00

Recently, I read that President Obama provided the Secretary of Education with $4 billion of federal aid to help speed up change within the American education system. In order for states to be eligible for a portion of the $4 billion, they need to expand who they allow into charter schools (not to mention close failing charter schools) and they need to implement a better way to track student achievement so that the teachers of students who demonstrate growth are "rewarded". This reward system is a type of performance pay for teachers.

I will admit, I am all for this performance based pay. I am unsure how they will exactly measure student achievement when the state standardized tests are given only a few times throughout a child's educational "life span". Science is only tested 3 times (5th, 8th and 11th grade). What if I teach 7th grade science - how will they determine if I am eligible for this bonus pay? I am not sure what the answer is or what it will be, but if bankers can be given a $700,000 bonus for doing well, why can't teachers be rewarded the same way? Now, I know we all didn't become teachers because we thought we were going to get rich in this profession, but a little additional income every now and then would be nice for my unborn child's college fund.

As of right now, teachers who are ineffective are not necessarily penalized. In Florida, if your school achieves a certain grade according to FCAT scores, the entire school receives a bonus. The unfortunate part is this: if YOUR subject area shows improvement or the overall percentage of students who are at or above grade level but another subject area that is involved in the equation to determine your school grade does NOT have a high enough score, your school will not receive as much of a bonus as it could have.

Here is an example: my friend taught Language Arts and with his 8th grade students, they earned a 94% at or above grade level. That's fanstastic, especially since the type of students he teaches are not gifted and talented.

Now, his science teacher, who was placed there last year due to surplussing and bumping (due to the reduction in students enrolled in the district) earned a whopping below 10% at or above grade level.

Her reaction, knowing that my friend was not going to have a job next year due to job cuts, was, "I don't care."

Yup, she's a tenured teacher and she doesn't care. She doesn't care because she knows nothing will happen to her. She will have a job next year and she will continue getting paid and she will have money going towards her retirement and she will have health insurance. She will not be reprimanded or penalized for her student's low performance.

So, why should she care?

This is why I support a performance based bonus for effective teachers. Because there are teachers, young and old, new and experienced, who do care about their students' educational experience and should be rewarded for using best practices.

What is fair, is not always right. What is right, is not always fair.

2009-05-10T16:38:00.001-04:00

Last week, our school district had some tough decisions to make as well as some tough news to break. With the state of Florida cutting back on the budget and school spending, Sarasota County had to cut positions. A lot of them.

As positions were cut, teachers with seniority bumped those teachers with less seniority based on hiring date (and even for some, application dates). It was a cascading or waterfall effect. As a position was cut at one school, if that teacher had 5 or 10 yrs in the county, they were placed into a different position or a different school, or both, and bumped the former teacher out of their position. That bumped teacher then bumped another teacher in another school, and so on.

At the end of the day Thursday, 130 teachers suddenly were unemployed.

It was a sad day for many. I know of a teacher (who is phenomenal, by the way) who was bumped last year but then the teacher who took his position really didn’t want to be at his former school. So she left and he was able to get his job back. This year, he wasn’t even placed at another school. As of right now, he doesn’t have a job for next year.

Our math teacher found out that she was bumped from her position at 2PM on Thursday by reading the mass email that was sent out to all district employees. She opened the attachment and found her name listed. It came as a surprise to all of us as she was told that she “safe” less than a week prior.

Another friend was also given no indication that she was going to be let go because she was told 2 days BEFORE the news broke that she was safe and would be teaching her same reading course for next year.

I understand that the school district doesn’t have enough money as it has had in the past and I understand that there are people out there who believe that just because they have been employed for 20+ years grants them the privilege to continue teaching even though they are no longer effective or good for kids.

You also hear of stories from teachers at other schools who tell you of co-workers who show up to work drunk or who do not show up at all (meaning they don’t even bother to tell the school they won’t be coming in today), but they are still employed by the district. You hear stories about teachers who get convicted of DUIs, fraud, etc and yet they are still standing in the front of the classroom. Not to mention the teachers who it on their butt all day, hate kids or perceive worksheets to be a form of instruction.

It just doesn’t seem fair. Some of the teachers who were bumped or let go are quality teachers, regardless of their small amount of year’s experience. They are vibrant! They are energetic! We may seem young, but we love our jobs and we want to be a good teacher for the kids.

But, what is right is not always fair. And what is fair is not always right.

I say do away with seniority.

There are several districts in this country that have done this and I think it might be a good thing for schools to adopt everywhere. Why shouldn’t the best teachers be kept in the schools while those who fail to perform their jobs adequately are let go? I could care less about bonus pay or being paid more to do my job; I already work my ass off, so you think by dangling some additional income in front of my face is going to make me work even harder? I CAN’T. I already give you my all, so can I possibly dig deeper?!

This is not to say that there aren’t some fantastic teachers out there who have taught for 20, 25 or 30+ years. I know of a few. And I aspire to be like them when I have been instructing students for as long as they have. I don’t want to be this crabby old woman who complains about children and the job constantly. I want to still feel passionate about helping children succeed.

It’s sad to think that of the teachers who were let go, there were many in that pool who could do a better job than some of us who are still employed. I keep my fingers crossed that they do not lose hope and that they do not lose themselves. I pray that those teachers are able to get their jobs back before next August or are able to keep their heads above water and find a job in the school system, even if it’s not their original one.

I am grateful that I still have a job for next year. And because I do, I am going to continue working my ass off, because that is the least I can do for those who are not able to.

School Climate Surveys... does my opinion really count?

2009-04-20T21:19:00.004-04:00

Every year, our district asks us (the school board employees) for our opinion. I am not sure how much of our opinion really matters, but I don't mean that the school district ignores our pleas. What I mean is that I don't think ANY opinion really matters that much, unless you are a registered voter and are voting in an election.

And even then, if it is a presidential election, you really aren't actually voting for the candidate, but rather someone to cast THEIR vote for the candidate.

Anyways, these climate surveys are touted to matter. We are told the union uses our comments as ammunition against schools, principals or district policies. It's not that I don't believe the union, because I am a member of the union, although there are times I question my membership due to the other individuals who are also enrolled.

I think unions are valuable. I think there should be a system in place to protect teachers, but I think that unions should protect "good" teachers. The reason I question my membership from time to time is because the union also protects bad teachers.

Seriously, I could sit at my desk, have students do only worksheets or textbook work, never stay more than 30 min after school and do a sub-mediocre job, and I would still get paid the same salary as the individual who spends their weekends grading, planning and researching ideas for their kids to work on for the following week. There are times where I wish I could be those type of teachers, because my job would be a whole lot easier.

But the truth is, I can't be one of "those" teachers. I would be miserable. Kids deserve better than that.

So back to the climate surveys. This is my 5th year, and I was brutally honest. I listed specific people on our campus who I felt deserved to be recognized as one of our school's strengths. I also reported that I was glad that I have the type of relationship with my principal that allows me to speak the truth and tell him what I think, but whether he takes my thoughts into consideration when making decisions is HIS job and once I pass on my thoughts, it is no longer up to me. I just have to hope (and trust) that he makes the best decision(s) for our school based on what is best for our children.

Which is something I think a lot of people have lost site of: what is best for students. This job wasn't meant to be easy. If you don't like the way the school is run, go find another school or better yet, become a principal yourself and see if you can do it better. I believe there are a lot of "things" that go on behind the scenes that we as teachers are unaware of, reasons that determine a principal's next move.

Regardless, I am not sure if my climate survey is truly taken into account or is taken seriously or is even looked at. I don't care if it or if it isn't. That isn't my job to worry about such things and I can't waste my time or energy on something that is beyond my control.

An athletic director used to ride my ass about the way I was coaching volleyball, until I told her one day that I was offered a job at a different school. I also told the administration it was because of our difference in coaching philosophy. What I really wanted to tell her was, "If you think you can do so much better, my position can suddenly become available." Me arguing with her wasn't going to change anything, all I could change was where I would coach. I think she got the message though when I left and never looked back.

So my point is, you can't worry about things you can't control. All you can change is YOU.

The Case Against Homework

2009-01-13T14:23:00.004-05:00

It always seems like things in education wax and wane; my parents always comment, "Oh, we did that like 10 year ago! And this guy is calling it something new?" From the best teaching practices to teaching character education, it is apparent that ideas are recycled in this field and re-packaged in some bright and shiny new label.

An article I came across today is about how parents feel that their children are being assigned too much homework. Remember how when we were kids, homework was expected every night? It was as if homework was just part of education - it's like peanut butter to jelly.

Let me set this straight: I do not disagree with homework. But I do disagree with assigning homework for the sake of having kids do work that is not relevant to the current topic of study (i.e. busy work). I am all for homework that allows kids to practice concepts or to research topics more in depth. I am not one of those teachers who assigns much homework, and it's for a couple of reasons:

1. Most of the time, I doubt many of my parents would understand what we are currently studying. So if a kid is struggling with the homework, who can he go to for support? Ok, so if that's not a good enough reason, I have a handful of kids who live in single-parent homes with parents that work night jobs - so NO ONE is home to get them to even do their homework, let alone help them.

2. I only assign homework if it is meaningful. Memorizing vocab words is not an efficient way for my students to learn science. I will assign homework if it is to practice a concept (example: punnett squares or calculating physics problems) or to research a topic for a class discussion (example: to collect data on global warming to discuss IF it is actually happening and what can we do about it).

3. These kids are in my class, right now. They are not yet in high school. Period. I don't care if they are expected to read 100 pages of textbook a night while in high school. I am not going to do something purely because some crummy high school teacher ONLY assigns textbook reading and worksheets (as opposed to actually teaching the kids or conducting hands-on activities). Why should I deprive your student of a memorable experience simply because a few high school teachers are lazy?

Note - I know that there are these same type of teachers regardless of grade level everywhere. I am only using high school as an example because that is the argument I receive from parents being a middle school teacher.

4. Kids are kids and they need time to be kids. I feel like more than ever, students are expected to not only be a 4.0 student, but they also need to be a starter on the basketball team and first chair in the school orchestra. Kids need time to play with their friends, to enjoy their life, because they are going to grow up fast enough. I want kids to enjoy their childhood, not resent it.

5. Extra homework does not mean challenging a student. Please refer to #2.

The reason I am writing about this topic is because I can distinctly remember a conversation I had with a parent at open-house. She was upset that I do not use the textbook enough and that I do not assign homework enough. I think I was professional (as least I hope so), but I just had enough of parents riding me about how I needed to "challenge" their kids with more homework. I responded to her pressing query with, "I don't think it is my job to prepare your child for bad teachers."

So if you are interested in reading this article that I am referring to, please click HERE.

I am not Ron Clark

2009-01-12T15:38:00.007-05:00

So today was a professional day. Translation: no kids = time to grade papers, sit through important meetings, enter grades and plan out some new "stuff". I love professional days, I really do! I enjoy coming to school in jeans and an old t-shirt, getting right to work, with my iPod blaring hits from the 80's or just some David Gray (depends on the mood). I get SO much done!

Well, today was a very good professional day, but not because I was able to get a whole accomplished in my barren and quiet classroom.

Ron Clark informed me that I "smell absolutely wonderful."

Ok, so let me back up for a minute. Our community foundation was able to get Ron Clark to come and speak to our district at one of the local high schools. There are no words to describe how full of energy this guy is - dynamic, animated and powerful do not even scratch the surface of how much enthusiasm this man exudes. He's more like... nuclear.... or just atomic.

So on top of being energetic, he is also absolutely passionate about his profession and about his students. The stories he recounts from his early teaching years are so heartfelt and real. You can truly see why this guy is so darn good - he cares deeply about his job. His recipe for success does not entail any fancy schmancy theories or the latest and greatest teaching and learning philosophy. And even though he has written a book (The Essential 55) on rules all kids need to learn in the classroom in order to be successful in life, you don't absolutely need to purchase his book in order to get the message. He doesn't have any secrets that are revealed when you open the book - it's really just common sense. Care about kids and do whatever it is you can to help them succeed.

I remember when I informed my assistant principal at a differentiated instruction conference a few year back that our team was going to use the Essential 55 book in class. She was sitting with some other jaded educators who curtly responded with, "Well, isn't that their parents should be doing?!" It was at that moment that I realized not all teachers in this noble profession like kids. I wanted to respond with, "Well, yes, but they aren't. So why should we just sit around and not do anything about it? That's why the kids need us and that's what we are supposed to be doing - TEACHING THEM." But instead, I probably made a raised eyebrows-bug eyed face to display my disgust and shock.

Anyways, after the very animated presentation by Ron Clark, there was a book signing. My husband and I stood in line for over an hour to get his autograph, and the autograph wasn't even for us - it was for my husband's principal. So we HAD to stay in line, you know? I mean, we could have just ditched the event and told the principal to go get an autograph herself, but really, who wants to say that sort of thing to their superior? I'd be fearful of being moved into the classroom that doubled as the custodial closet, with spider webs and water stains on the ceiling, and that pungent smell of smoke mixed with cleaning materials.

One of my fellow science colleagues was in line ahead of me and asked me to be in a picture, so I happily obliged. As I walked up to Ron, I sarcastically asked him if I could jump on his back (this was after my husband and I were joking around with each other saying, "I am going to ask to get a picture of Ron Clark but I am going to say that he has to put me in a headlock." or "Ron Clark, will you do a ganster pose with me?"). After being asked if I could climb up onto his posterior, Ron Clark, very non nonchalantly and matter of factly replied, "Sure." He's was all for it.

First off, I was joking, but I also wanted to see the type of response I would get from him (you know, like how you look under the hood of a car when you are about to buy it - you really have no idea what you're looking at, but it makes you seem THAT much more knowledgeable). I know, I am an idiot for having such a ridiculous request, but that is what I particularly enjoy doing - saying ridiculous crap to see if 1) anyone notices or is even paying attention and 2) to be funny. Thank God for sarcasm.

I, of course, refrained from giving the guy a realignment of his lower spine. So after the quick photo op, I got back in line with my husband. 1 point for Ron.

Now, you might find it amusing that I actually contemplated what it was I wanted to say to him when I met him while I was jogging 8 miles with my husband last night. I thought about asking him a profound question that he wouldn't be able to answer with a simple yes or no, or maybe I should ask him something about his teaching practices or about what he feels is the biggest downfall of the American public education system. I was really trying to come up with something intelligent, something engaging, something significant. So when it was finally my turn, I walked up to Ron and handed him my book. Just as I was about to speak, Ron looked me right in the face and said, "I just have to tell you, that you smell SO good!"

In my finer moments, I might have responded, "Well, I DID shower today." But he caught me off guard - Ron Clark did something that truly doesn't happen very often (my husband can vouch for me on this): I blushed and was speechless.

Yep, the girl who has something to say to just about EVERYTHING didn't know what to say next. The joke was on me.

Point 2 for Ron.

Ok, so besides the fact that my well-muscled husband was standing right behind me, I just smiled and laughed. As my husband and I walked away, I smiled to myself about the entire experience. The presentation was so comforting to me. It gave me hope that there are still people out there who do truly care about kids and do whatever is best for them and want to teach them in a manner that is memorable. I also thought about the ways in which Ron reaches his target audience. You don't have to be Ron Clark or do what Ron does in his classroom (rap and dance with the kids, for instance) to be successful or to make an impression on a child. He's just found a fantastic way that works for him and his students. I also know I can't change what goes on at home for these kids, but that doesn't mean I don't try to make their time here at school worthwhile. For some children, you are their mentors, their heroes and the only mature adult in their lives.

One of the best pieces of advice my father told me before I departed to teach my very own class for the very first time was, "Know that you can't save every child, but that doesn't mean that you don't try." I think about that statement every single day while I am on my way to work, while I am preparing my classroom for the day's activities, while I am walking my kids to lunch and while I am seeing them leave for the day. My father was a phys ed teacher, by the way.

So I leave you with this question: what is it that you DO for YOUR kids that makes your classroom memorable?

Experienced... or a new low?

2008-12-06T17:30:00.002-05:00

"I want to come to work, teach my subject and enjoy my job! I don't want to come to school to babysit turds!"

This is an exact quote from myself when I was disciplining 3 students at the end of the day, in my home base, on Friday afternoon. "Disciplining" might be the adult term I would use to describe what I was attempting to do. I actually feel like I was ripping them a new one.

One of the students had not one, but TWO cell phones confiscated from him during class throughout the day. This was actually the 2nd student in two days in which I had taken multiple phones from. I had a similar discussion with him the day before, so you can believe my frustration when I had to go through this whole scenario again with him. I accused him of not listening, of having a hearing problem and of purposefully disrespecting me. The other children in home base were surprised, and couldn't look away when I was yelling. Because I never yell. I don't have to. I feel that I can get just as much, if not more, accomplished without raising my voice THAT high. I take the whole "I am so disappointed in you" approach because it worked on me when my parents would say it.

But the truth is, it doesn't work on some kids.

For some kids, you have to use their language and you have to get in their face. Maybe it's because that is or isn't the tactic their parents use. Maybe their brains can't wrap themselves around the words "deceitful" or "immature".

So after the "disciplining" was over, I digested the encounter. I looked back at how I disciplined these kids in front of their classmates, which is something I don't typically do because I feel that the kids deserve a certain level of respect and privacy when dealing with these matters. But, lecturing them, pointing my finger in their faces and using an octave that startled these boys might have prevented other students from making the same type of stupid decisions because none of them have truly seen me freak out. And I used the word "turd" instead of "dumb shit" because that was the word that was going through my mind, because it did adequately describe their behavior. But using the word turd was probably better than using the alternative because I like to think it demonstrated restraint on my part and it displayed my own maturity level (because I might have cussed at student when I was 24) and it revealed my level of expertise with middle school kids. So I like to think of this episode much like attaining a new level on Super Mario Brothers. But, I also used a synonym for poo, and that's nothing to really write home about.

Team Lazer Explosion

2008-10-25T18:22:00.004-04:00

My friend Rita and I have decided to start our own movement. A revolution, if you will. A philosophy of teaching, even.

It's called: Team Lazer Explosion and we want to do what's best for kids, no matter what. We believe that everyone can get along amicably with everyone if we all focus on the positives in our lives, love our jobs, do our jobs well, and treat others with respect (including the students).

We believe.

We've only got one question for you: are you in, or are you out?

Cannibalism in the Schools

2008-10-19T10:49:00.004-04:00

My sincerest apologies for not posting anything in awhile. I am unfortunately going to have to rely on the same 'ol excuses everyone else in the world uses: I am just too darn busy. I am busy teaching an extra class. Busy taking a course at USF. Busy training for the Miami marathon. Busy coaching volleyball. I am busy and I love every minute of it, but it can be rather exhausting at times.

I am disappointed to admit that I haven't been too busy to notice how teachers are treating each other at school. It is very disappointing for me to see this noble profession reduce to "only the meanest survive." I know that there are the usual suspects for this type of behavior, one of them being the sagging economy and the stress it puts on our profession. Yes, I know we don't get paid THAT much, but we kinda knew that going in, right? I know it's difficult for teachers to be able to afford a house here, but that's Sarasota (my husband and I just went through a short sale - it was not a pleasant experience). Most teachers I know aren't married to another teacher (only a few come to mind, like Doug and Jennifer), so those whose spouses work elsewhere have the odds stacked with them in that they are potentially pulling in more money than my husband and I.

I also know there are the things people carry with them everyday to their job. Trouble at home, parents are getting old and/or sick, spouse has lost their job, college is expensive for the kids, etc. I get that, I really do. I am amazed my parents were able to do what they did and I admire them for doing so. I understand how difficult life can seem and the added pressure of standardized tests, principles breathing down your neck for your lesson plans and misbehaving kids only adds to the already elevated stress level.

But I feel like it's gotten to the point where experienced teachers (some of whom I once looked up to and respected) do nothing but complain. They complain about the kids, how they don't know anything and how their parents don't do a good job raising them. And they criticize other teachers on campus because they don't teach the same way, because they are lazy or because they simply just don't like them. Let me tell you something my mother always said to me that might help you get out of this vicious cycle - YOU are the only person YOU should be concerned with. YOU. Not others, YOU. You can't change how others teach and you can't control other people - the only person you can change is yourself. So, instead of blaming other teachers on campus for not preparing the kids correctly for your class, why don't you prepare the kids - that why the kids need you. Worry about your own classroom and your kids. .

I also feel like some of the older, wiser and more experienced teachers do nothing but complain about some of us "younguns." They bitch and moan about our teaching styles, how we don't use the textbook enough and how we need to be teaching to the FCAT. Or that we are there only to be "friends" with the students. (No offense, but the day I am concerned with being friends with 13 and 14 yr olds is the day that I need to be admitted to a mental institute. My happiness does not depend on the friendship of these kids, contrary to what you might believe.) Apparently their philosophy is this: if the kids enjoy your class and like you, then you must do something to get them to like you, so you are only doing you job simply to get satisfaction in knowing kids are your friends. Well, here's another one of my hairbrained ideas - how about instead of complaining about us, you help us! The young teachers on campus that I know do not walk around like "cock of the walk" and we do not claim to know everything. We know we are not perfect. We know we have a lot of learning to do. But we also have a lot to offer too. We were in college not that long ago and have been taught some news ways to reach kids - that doesn't make us experts, but believe it or not, you might even learn a thing or two from us as well. So instead of trying to make our lives miserable and by acting like we are back in high school and shunning us because you feel like we just aren't good enough to eat at the same table as you, take us in and work with us, not against us. We are on the same team! We both want what is best for kids! It's not "us vs you"! We're not trying to make "you" look bad! When we lesson plan, we plan with our kids in mind, not how we are going to show all of the old fossils on campus how much better we are than you!

I also have a difficult time looking up to and respecting the more experienced teachers when they themselves do not behave professionally either. And no, I am not talking about what they do on the weekends, because that is their business; I am referring to their actions while in school. For instance, there is a teacher who I have apparently pissed off, and, ironically enough, I am not sure exactly how I managed to do this. I actually liked the teacher a lot last year and felt like they were someone I could go to for ideas and/or suggestions. Unfortunately, this teacher has not told me what I did wrong, like a professional and grown-up adult should, to ensure that I wouldn't do it again. Instead, this individual complains to their students. Yep, you read it right, their 13 yr old students. I went through the gamete of emotions when I found this out - shocked, surprised, upset and then the "oh well, I don't live my life to make her happy" feeling. This person has gone so far as to criticize me for not wearing my helmet every time I ride my scooter (sorry Mom) but why is that any their business what I do with my life? I am not running for a political office - I am a middle school science teacher! What does not wearing my helmet have to do with me being a decent educator? No offense, I could do much worse than by not wearing my brain bucket (i.e. helmet), but honestly, why would someone be thinking about me that much... does this person lie awake at night and think of this crap?! There are many more important things to be concerning yourself with instead of me. Don't be pathetic and don't waste your time and energy being pissed off at me. Think think about what you can for your own children or your own students. Think about how lucky you are to have a loving family and a job that pays you decently. Be grateful you even have a job right now as I am sure there are hundreds of people out there who would love to trade places with you for they have lost their own jobs. Be grateful you even have a roof over your head or a fridge full of food, for that matter.

The other day, my friend Debbie asked me what is was like to be 29, because she loved it when she was 30. She liked feeling more responsible and liked that people didn't coddle her like they might have when she was younger. I actually thought about her question for the rest of the day and I think I finally have an answer. I enjoy it, because I feel like I am looked at like a real adult. But what I miss about my early 20's was that I was naive. I thought teaching was one of the best professions to be in. I thought everyone was in education for the right reasons. I thought teachers treated each other with respect and kindness and were open-minded enough to accept those of us who are different. And I thought the kids were always put first. I know that all of these things just aren't true for the most part and I wish I could go back to believing that they were. I wish the experienced teachers would embrace the inexperienced teachers just as the newbies would embrace the wiser, more experienced veterans. I wish we would all do what's best for kids. I wish we could all just get along. I know this life and this profession is not perfect, but I can only worry about myself and my kids and my classroom. I can only do the best that I can to provide the type of education I wished some of my former teachers had provided me. And I am also aware that sometimes, your best just isn't good enough. But at least I try.

All Things Considered: The Resurrection Parents

2008-05-14T17:46:00.003-04:00

Truthfully, I know I shouldn’t pass judgment on parents when I myself have never experienced the pain, trouble and work that go along with raising a teenager, but sometimes, parents drive me crazy. I’d like to think I was a pretty good teenager, and I am sure my parents might agree or disagree, depending on how they were feeling about me at that particular moment or whether or not I had pissed them off that day. I think teaching middle school is one of the most difficult yet rewarding grade levels to teach – of course I am fully aware that teaching middle school is my ONLY teaching experience, but hey, I have coached high school volleyball for 8 years, so that counts for something, right? But the end of the year stress for myself (and others, I might add) may not actually be the children in my classroom. It’s the parents of those children that tend to drive me insane.

Why is it that parents who hadn’t been involved ALL school year (or were involved at first, but then drop off the face of the Earth) now suddenly decide to parent and email the teachers demanding to know why their child is not earning an “A” in their classrooms? They are like those resurrection ferns you see while hiking in Myakka that look like they're dead in the heat of the summer, all dried up and brittle. But the moment it rains, they wake up out of dormancy and come back to life. I know it’s never too late to get involved, but I just love it when parents freak out with only 12 days of school left once they’ve realized their child hasn’t turned crap in all quarter and ask why we can’t make a special exception for their child because little Johnny just doesn’t have the self esteem to earn another zero.

I especially enjoy it when parents ask us why we grade the way we do and try to provide suggestions, like giving a grade based on effort. “But little Johnny would have handed it into you if you had told him that it was due.” You’re right lady, I make sure your kid is beyond earshot or in the bathroom shitting his brains out and THEN I tell the rest of the class that the assignment is due the next day. Not to mention that information is written on the frickin’ board in the same freakin’ spot everyday. But hey, it’s never little Johnny’s fault, is it? It’s because I’m a rotten teacher.

I also really enjoy meeting with parents, coming up with ideas and strategies to help their child, and then the parent never following through on any of them. Then when you call them on it, it’s like they never agreed to do any of that anyway. NO WONDER your child has an 80 IQ, for the love of God!

Truthfully, I feel sorry for the children of these parents, because their parents are not consistently involved in their education. And kids know when adults aren’t being genuine. I think this parental behavior is a source of empowerment for the students, because if they aren’t receiving enough attention at home and notice that their parents appear to give a crap when their grades slip, then they put 2 and 2 together. They begin to let their grades slip on purpose, JUST so they can get the attention they crave, and more importantly, need from their parents.

I know for every neglected child I have in my class, there are 75 kids who are blessed and lucky enough to have parents who care and who are willing to do whatever it takes to help their child succeed on their own. For all you good parents out there – thank you for being supportive and involved. Keep up the good work. Your child will thank you someday.

18 days, but who's counting?

2008-05-03T16:21:00.002-04:00

The end of the school year always seems to be rush by you like a blur. Remember when you were a kid, sitting in the back seat of the conversion van (complete with “Disney World or Bust!” handwritten sign that you made the day before left), counting the minutes until you finally can be more than 5 feet away from your younger and annoying sibling, and watching the numerous motorists speed by your window? Depending on the angle at which you are looking, that car could just look like a colored brush stroke that is there for a fraction of a second, and then it’s gone. That’s how quickly the end of the year is for me. This will be my 4^th experience with “end of the year” activities, end of the year stress and end of the year excitement. I always mention this, but I feel that you knowing how many years experience I have greatly influences not only my perspective, but it also provides you with a background on my somewhat limited teaching experience.

The kids are working on a fantastic collaborative project called “The 20^th Century: The American Experience”. The name is schweet – I made it up myself. As you know, if you are an avid reader of this blog, I absolutely adore integrated units. My mentor, Debbie Shults, showed me what a true collaborative unit should look, smell and feel like for student and for a teacher. I just can’t get enough of those darn units! They take an immense amount of work and time for each teacher on the team, and sometimes there are disagreements, but we put our egos aside and do what’s best for children.

So thankfully we have that unit to keep the kids busy and to keep us preoccupied with actually teaching. Seriously, I am just as anxious for school to be out as the kids are, and it’s not because I hate my job, but it’s because I just need the break! As I age in years with this profession, I begin to see what my retired teacher parents have said for years – breaks are not for the students as much as they are for teachers. But then again, why should I have ever taken anything my father said seriously, especially when he would tell me that flies would come out of the ceiling fan in the bathroom and eat your hair if you didn’t wash it? My dad, by the way, has no hair on the top of his head. He would use his baldness to scare my brother and I into cleaning ourselves well, hair included, because apparently the bugs and flies ate his hair at some point in his life.

My dad also said that the 3 best things about teaching are June, July and August.

If you would have asked me 2^nd quarter what I thought the 3 best things about teaching were, I probably wouldn’t have answered the same way my father did. I probably would have deliberated on it for awhile and would have tried to say something honest and profound.

Right now though, I’d say June, July and August are starting to sound like a rather intelligent response.

The planets need a job

2008-03-18T10:33:00.004-04:00

So while my kids were toiling away with their state standardized tests the past 2 weeks, I was given the opportunity to work on some planning. I have to admit, I have been extremely busy with completing my National Board portfolio the past 2 weeks, so my month-ahead lesson planning had fallen closer to being only a week ahead of the kids. I know, bad teaching etiquette, right?

I don’t think so and the reason is this. As I have a unit plan in place, there will come times when I need to make adjustments, create time for deeper learning experiences or even make time for teachable moments. I like being prepared, don’t get me wrong, but I also have learned to become flexible and have evolved with my students.

So for my next unit, my students are going to create planetary resumes. You read it right, folks. Resumes of the planets. In Mr. Simoni’s social studies class, the students will be introduced to personal economics and will actually begin writing their own resumes. The boys who have already informed me that they plan on applying to Publix this summer are already ecstatic about writing their own resume to accompany their stellar job application.

What I noticed that while I was creating this mini-project is that I cannot possibly plan any other way than backwards. I have seen the promise land and will shout from the mountain tops on how beneficial and effective backwards planning can be. Ok, so I don’t have a mountain, but I do have a blogspot.

Anyways, I created a rubric, a sample planetary resume on Pluto (who knew Pluto could be so useful?!), a chart of Human Resume sections compared to Planetary Resume sections (e.g. work history vs. planetary history) and even a data table example of what students SHOULD copy down in their composition notebooks. For the last project, I provided students with some website examples but let them explore the web using numerous search engines. Well boys and girls, the scaffolding structure needs to be removed – my little munchkins are using Google, NetTrekker and any other search engine they can think of (and isn’t blocked on the network) to complete their quest to make a planet’s resume. After they research all 8 planets, they will be paired up with their new shoulder partners (thanks to Kagan) and will each complete 4 resumes, combining them to create a packet of the solar system.

Pretty nifty, eh?

I thought so, given I have never done this type of activity before. I have created a few sample templates using Microsoft Publisher for the students to choose from on my science website that they will download into their network folders. If students feel creative and adventurous enough, they can create their own.

We start tomorrow.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

The Verdict Is In

2008-03-06T20:53:00.004-05:00

Ok, so Monday was the last student presentation on Work & Power. I have to admit, while my students were ready for me to return to my position of the whole "song-and-dance" gig in front of the classroom, I too was just as eagerly chomping on the bit. I missed being in front of the kids, helping them with their work and watching their a-ha moments. Honestly though, I think I missed feeling needed.

On Monday they also received a self and peer evaluation form. They were to first give themselves a grade for their work, effort and participation with the group project. They then needed to assign a grade to each of their group members. It was hilarious to see just how they viewed themselves and how they had some very high expectations of themselves and of their peers. Some kids willingly gave themselves a "C" while giving their group members "A's" and "B's". Some kids were brutally honest and were tough as nails when filling out the peer evaluation forms, while others would sacrifice their grade in order to keep their friends happy. It was entertaining to read their reasoning (for example, one student wrote: She was the best leader I have ever worked for in a group project!) in order to support their peer grades. I cracked up at how they commented on what they learned:

"I learned how to work with people I don't care for very much."
"I learned that teaching is a lot harder than it looks."
"I realized that Newton's laws really weren't that difficult to understand - you just had to have someone explain it to you in English."

Cute, right?

I am not sure if every student learned all that they could have about physics through this project but I do know they learned something. Whether that something will help them pass the FCAT, I'm not certain, but I am sure they learned that my job is not a cake-walk, physics is a rather difficult topic to teach and Sir Isaac Newton was definitely a weird dude (he invented calculus and then didn't tell anyone about it for 30 years).

I still can do some fine tweaking here and there with this activity, but overall, I would declare this project a success.

More kids are ruined at the dinner table

2008-02-28T21:42:00.005-05:00

I am a former collegiate athlete and I can vividly remember working my butt-off to have the chance to play volleyball for a Big Ten school. I remember my father pushing me to be the best that I could, but he did it in a way that never made me resent him. I loved volleyball and I loved the fact that my dad did too. He never talked much about me and my mistakes on the court while at the dinner table or on the way home from a match. I consider myself lucky, considering he was the varsity girls coach anyways. He always said that “more kids are ruined at the dinner table than out on the court.” I didn’t really get what he meant until this year.

After I had retired from the 5 hr practices, the long weekend away matches and the persistent excruciating pain in my left knee, I decided to give coaching a try. Believe me, coaching is not as easy as it looks. Just because you are a great player, trust me, that doesn’t always equate to being a great coach.

I started out coaching freshman volleyball and then middle school track. I absolutely loved it. It allowed me to still be involved with sports that I love, but I didn’t get as sore as I used to. I would still practice with my kids and demonstrate stuff, but it just isn’t the same as being out there for games, you know? Anyways, this year marked my 10^th year coaching girls volleyball. And you want to know what? I finally feel like I knew what I was doing. Not bad, I suppose. It only took me 10 years to get here!

No matter the amount of experience you have accumulated or the number of victories or the number of tournament trophies, you will always have to face at least one parent every now and then who feels like their kid just isn’t being given a fair chance. Honestly, I rarely experienced this whole parental –confrontation thing until I was here in Sarasota. I am NOT saying parents are worse here than they are in Westerville, because my dad has some real hum-dinger stories about crazy parents from up there too. The most recent incident remains fresh in my mind because I interact with the parent just about once a day while I am at work.

I hate keeping more than 12 kids on the volleyball team because I just feel like if the kids are there everyday practicing, then I need to reward them with playing time. If I keep more than 12 players on the team, then those extra kids are competing with each for that slice of valuable playing time, which equates to everyone getting to play less. But on the other hand, I absolutely hate cutting kids from the team. It breaks my heart every single time. I tell myself not to keep more than 12 because it only brings problems. I give the girls the whole “Michael Jordan was cut from his freshman basketball team” speech and how if I could keep all of them on the team, I would. And I mean it. I wish I could. It’s such a Catch 22. When I hold the parents meeting, I tell parents that I do not promise equal playing time because playing time needs to be earned. I also created a list of ways that parents could become their child’s cheerleader, and not the overbearing, nagging and confidence-crushing parental type.

So the most recent episode was in between matches. Two parents came charging out of the stands to have it out with me. I didn’t even see them coming until they were on the court, jaws clenched and heads shaking back and forth. Their child hadn’t played yet that day and I was honestly going to play her in the next game. But how could the parents know that? All they saw was their little girl looking depressed and defeated while on the bench. I am not a parent yet, so I can only imagine what it is like for them. I also have rarely sat the bench as an athlete, so I can only imagine that too.

Regardless, the parents accused me of playing girls with half of their daughter’s talent and this and that… And I let them speak, nodding my head, saying “I understand, but I will not discuss other players on this team with you. I will only talk to you about your daughter.” As she continued on, I reiterate my original statement and I told her that I heard her. She then says, “If you weren’t going to play her much, then maybe you shouldn’t have kept her on the team!” And I responded, “You’re probably right.”

The truth is, this little girl was a last minute add on. I had originally cut her from the team, but on the last day of tryouts, I saw some real potential. So I decided to take a chance. Unfortunately, she didn’t improve and instead, her dedication, her enthusiasm and her effort just went downhill. The asst coach and I tried to work out why, but we just couldn’t help her. She would come to practice late because she would be socializing with her friends after school instead of changing in the locker room – which I never told her parents because I was truthfully afraid they were pushing her too hard in this sport anyways. I also absolutely refuse to put an athlete into an unsuccessful situation - how is THAT going to help her self esteem when she commits social suicide on the court with her team mates shaking their heads and questioning why she is even there in the first place? The last thing I wanted to do to was to make this young athlete hate volleyball even more. So I tried to protect her.

After the parents stormed off, I stood there with the asst coach, digesting what had just happened. I thought about sending the child home with her disgruntled parents. I thought about not playing her at all. But then, who was I really “punishing”? The young female athlete or the parents? But what if the parents thought what they said to me actually made me play her in the next game?

At that point, I didn’t really care what they thought. They had never played volleyball before and why should I be concerned what they thought of me? Just because the parents were acting like butt-heads didn’t mean I needed to treat their daughter like one.

After we won the next game, the father tried to apologize. He hugged me and said, "No hard feelings, right?" I smiled and pulled away from him and responded, “Regardless of how I feel about you and your wife, that doesn’t affect how I feel about your daughter.”

Boo yah.

I have to admit, I felt a little proud of myself for being much like my father. He was always good at those kind of things. One-liners, calming parents down, 400+ victories… you know, the usual. I am just glad I acted more like my dad in that situation than my mom.

Lord only knows what my mother would have said. My kids would have been taught a bunch of new cuss words, that’s for darn sure.

Kids never cease to amaze me…

2008-02-22T12:19:00.003-05:00

Alright, so I am going to be the first to admit that I am not very knowledgeable on the topic of physics. Granted, my undergraduate degree is practically in Biology and I have difficulty with math, so I am probably not the best candidate to be educating the youth of Sarasota on Newton’s laws, force and acceleration. I am actually probably doing them a disservice by even attempting to tackle word problems to produce some random number with the unit of joules attached. (Or Newtons or m/s²for that matter.)

So I decided to try something new. I decided to jigsaw the physics portion of the curriculum by dividing it up into 6 topics – magnetism, kinetic & potential energy, Newton’s laws, simple & compound machines, force & acceleration and work & power. Ok, so the concept of jig sawing is not a new technique but I have truly been apprehensive in the past because of class dynamics, constructing set guidelines or expectations and, for lack of better terms, lack of teaching experience. I just didn’t feel like I had enough know-how to implement a jigsaw activity AND have it be an effective learning experience for my students.

I really wasn’t able to put it all together until Monday. I had my assessment in mind (the kids were going to create 2 low, 2 medium and 2 high level questions) so I knew what I wanted them to cover. I then made a rubric, a self evaluation form, a peer evaluation form, a student checklist and the project description sheet. The students had a set of guidelines they needed to follow in order to earn full credit. They had to present a 40 min lesson to their peers and had to include the following: essential vocabulary, equations, practice problems, visual aides, a demo, a hands-on activity, use of technology and an in-class assessment. I was trying to get my students to hit as many of the learning modalities as possible, as well as getting them to work effectively together within a group.

So on Tuesday, I introduced the project, went over the rubric and answered questions. I had at least 3 different textbooks on the desks and I put all of the laptops away. The first 2 days consisted of gathering information and teaching themselves on their topic. One of my students commented to me after looking through the books on the first day, “This is going to be tough! We have to learn the material before we can teach it!” I smiled and asked my students if the lights were getting brighter in the classroom, because I saw the light bulbs going off above their heads. I was still concerned though. I was worried my 4 day time line for research and presentation construction wouldn’t be enough. Don’t get me wrong, I am ok with extending deadlines IF (and it is really a big if) the entire team is experiencing difficulty.

I allowed students on day 2 to work on the computers to gather more information and to begin putting their presentations together. I even showed them how to save pictures and place them into the backgrounds of the Power Points (PPT). I also reminded them on how to hyperlink websites to their PPTs and for a moment, they looked at me like I was the most intelligent human being they have ever seen. I have to say that it was one of those few times that I felt more knowledgeable about technology than they were. The really great thing was, my kids were working. They were working together to accomplish the same goal. They were focused. And I was bored. During a few periods, I wandered from raised hand to raised hand to clarify directions or to say “Yes, you can use the restroom.” It was a rather dull and uneventful day.

Day 3 was even more amazing. I showed my students how to download video clips from United Streaming and then hyperlink them into their PPTs. They were so ecstatic!

And the boredom continued to worsen. I was no longer needed, with the exception of a few questions such as “How does this look?” or “What if we did this…” or “We want to do this demo. Do you happen to have iron filings?” I brought my laptop in with me every day to help kids locate sample worksheets or video clips or information. But they didn’t need me. I guess I should be proud of them, like a momma bird pushing her fledglings out of the nest, my students were learning on their own. The thing was, they really didn’t struggle and have difficulty like a baby bird would – they were efficient, strong and ready. Almost too ready.

Day 4 was even better than day 3. My kids polished up their presentations, practiced demos, and even practiced giving their presentations by using stopwatches to see how long they were presenting for. They looked through the textbooks for sample problems and ideas for hands-on activities. They perused the Bill Nye DVD collection I have, in hopes of finding a 3 min video clip that could supplement their lesson.

I was so proud. My kids were finally there. They were independent learners, the objective I had been trying to accomplish all year long. You would think that I would be excited and relieved. And I was. I really was. It’s that Catch 22 thing – I was proud but I was also bored.

Next week, the kids will be giving their lessons to their classes. I am already impressed with their work ethic and their excitement with this project. I cannot wait to see how it goes. Yes, some will flounder, but so did I.

And I think I turned out ok.

Life happens

2008-01-31T17:39:00.004-05:00

Wednesday night, I had to deliver a speech at my grandfather's funeral. On Wednesday, the gods did not bless me as I was bumped from my flight and forced to take the next flight, putting me in Central Ohio about a quarter past 5. Not a big deal, right? Well, the service was to begin at 6PM. Once my plane touched down, I grabbed my luggage, dragged it into a handicapped stall in the ladies restroom, changed into my black suit and hoofed it to the curb in my open-toe black heels. Note #1: it was 20 degrees. Note #2: I do not wear heels all that often and dragging luggage to the passenger pick-up was an adventure in itself (imagine a Steve Martin skit). Note #3: IT WAS 20 DEGREES! Yep, you read it right folks: open-toed heels. I swear, they don't make closed-toe heels in Florida. There's just no need!

Ok, so my brother's godparents swiftly sweep me off the curb and jet off to the funeral home. I arrive 5 minutes prior to the beginning of the service and I hadn't been able to print off my speech because I thought I was to speak on THURSDAY. I mean, that's how my brother's funeral was and no offense, that's really my only frame of reference.

Yeah, so here I am, walking up the podium, laptop in tow, to deliver my speech from my laptop. Needless to say, I felt like a giant dork. GIANT. Dorkasaurus.

After a few requests, I decided to post the speech on my blog. So here it is. I began the speech explaining why I had my laptop up there with me.

"...Regardless, I apologize – but as we all know too well, sometimes, life happens.

Last Thursday, I was actually preparing to embark on a charter bus to south county, Sarasota, for a volleyball match when I received the phone call that Grandpa had passed away. The assistant coach actually saw me leave the room and she said nothing. She knew. 2 of her brothers passed away within 3 months of each other. She has experience with “life happens”.

So when I asked to speak today, I have to admit, I was more than a little reluctant. I unfortunately have experience with this sort of thing, and I truly understand the statement “life happens”. I thought about what I could possibly say that would make this situation better, and would make everything ok. Unfortunately, I don’t think I am capable of doing that.

So instead, I would like to discuss the word that we as a society tend to use quite frequently in numerous situations, but doesn’t really describe death very well… Loss.

According to the dictionary, LOST has at least 8 different definitions. One of the definitions states, “to no longer possess”. I want you to think about how many minutes have you might have lost looking for missing car keys, sunglasses or the family dog?

This same word can be used to describe the Buckeyes not winning the National Championship two times in a row or when we finally have to go to the optometrist because we can no longer read the small print menus in dimly lit restaurants. It can even be used to describe when we are unable to find our way while on vacation and end up getting pizza for dinner because we just cannot locate that fabulous Italian restaurant our best friend just couldn’t stop talking about.

Has anyone ever told you a joke and you just didn’t get it? Or how about when you have called the cable company and they are trying to walk you through how to set up your brand new HD flat screen television, complete with surround sound speakers, DVR and a universal remote and you feel like the person on the other end is speaking Swahili?

Lost in battle. A lost cause. Lost in translation. All of these scenarios (and I am sure they are more than just these) are so frustrating that it can drive you to lose your mind.

To no longer posses. When we talk about losing someone we love, we no longer have them here with us, in this place, in this dimension or this time. But I feel that there has got to be a better verb out there to describe someone passing away.

When I have told my students that we lost my brother, on more than one occasion I have gotten the response, “Did you find him?” or “Where did you lose him?” “My mom lost me at the mall once…”

I can’t help but have a picture flash in my mind when I think about losing Grandpa. My family, complete with pajamas, hair rollers, slippers, robes and flashlights, are searching through a neighborhood in the dark, calling out his name. “Bill!” or “Grandpa!” or even “If you come home, we’ll feed you pancakes!” as if being motivated by food might just make him emerge from the bushes. Ok, so I can’t explain why my image is set in an episode of Wonder Years, but it still makes me smile to myself.

When people close to us pass away, our reactions always involve sadness, anger and regret. Why is that? When we cry, we cry for ourselves. We cry because they’re gone. We cry because we’ve lost them. We cry because we no longer posses them in our lives. But what have we really lost?

Let’s try to look at this from another angle – what have we gained? What DO we posses? From grandpa, I gained an unimaginable amount of laughter, kisses, moments and memories. My brother and I absolutely adored going over to the Buckingham’s house for Thanksgiving and Christmas because that meant great food, cousins to play with, and relatives who just seemed to fill the entire house with laughter and love. I may no longer have grandpa to give me a big bear hug when I walk into his front door any more, but if I close my eyes and take a deep breath, I can still smell his aftershave and feel his coarse 5 o’clock shadow against my cheek.

Now, here is a brief science lesson: We are made of atoms. We tend to take our atoms for granted because we are pretty much unaware that they are there. Granted, they don’t even know that they are there either. These atoms were made at the beginning of time. No new atoms are created; they are just recycled throughout the ages. You and me and everyone here is composed of the same atoms that were once stars, dinosaurs and even George Washington. It’s kind of a cool connection we all have with each other. Atoms adhere to a single, overarching impulse to make you YOU. Isn’t it remarkable that a clump of inanimate, non-living pieces of matter can come together to make something living? I find that to be truly amazing. Life just happens and it will continue to happen, long after you and I have left this Earth. No one knows for sure how these atoms and molecules that put us together know how long they are supposed to be “us” before they quietly break down and go off to become other things. But there is some truth to what people say when they respond “He’ll be around” or “He’ll always be there when you need him.” Because literally, he is.

I guess what I am trying to articulate is that we may have lost Grandpa in the physical sense, but we still gained quite a bit. We shouldn’t be upset with what we don’t have, but rather, be happy with what we do. We posses an immense amount of memories and love between family members that would not have been possible if the atom’s that created Grandpa had never come together at the precise moment and the exact combination to create him. Death is a part of life, we can’t escape it and it just happens.

If we are to be sad, we should be upset with no longer being able to tease Grandpa about his stunning style and choice in fancy, schmancy, 70’s style retro suits. It’s ok though Grandpa, even though my own dad can’t fit into your red plaid Jimmy Crum (see right) pants any longer (thank God), Eric just might be able to squeeze into that green plaid sport coat (complete with butterfly collar) and matching brown bell bottoms you have.

And life will continue to happen."

This is MY Life

2008-01-09T14:07:00.002-05:00

Sorry for not posting ANYTHING recently. Life seems to have passed me by rather quickly, that or I just became swamped with obligations I oh-so-obligingly agreed to... National Board Certification, ActivBoard training, Gifted Curriculum online course, volleyball coaching...

Anyways, enough of feeling sorry for myself. I found this SNL skit today while I was searching for a clip to use in my classroom on how to create valid questions. My students have written children's non-fiction books on dinosaurs for a local elementary school and we are going to read them next week to over a hundred 2nd graders. As part of this project, my students are required to write low, medium and high level questions that they will ask during this field trip.

This video clip is an exact depiction of what teaching can be like... just not everyday (Thank God).

Anxiety and the Classroom Walk-throughs

2007-10-10T16:16:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I was visited by several individuals from our district office. They were conducting “walk throughs”, an activity that is exactly as it sounds: administrators, board members, and superintendents walk through classrooms to observe what is happening within the classes of the school. They will sometimes ask students what they are learning about on that particular day, or they sometimes just slip into the classroom quietly, whisper to one another in a very conspicuous way, and then slip out again as quietly as they arrived. When you revisit those moments in your mind, you often ask yourself if they were even there – as if they were part of a mirage or a group of specters.

It can be a little intimidating to teachers, when superiors arrive with an entourage of people to showcase your classroom and you feel like you are under the microscope. Many times, there aren’t formal introductions because these individuals don’t want to interrupt your instruction, even though you feel like these people are getting to know you and your classroom somewhat intimately. More times than not, I might only recognize 1 or 2 people within the group of observers and I am left feeling like I was just involved in a one night stand. And you often wonder what they thought of you and your kids – were they impressed? What do I need improvement on? Were they completely appalled? Having a summary meeting with them all might be a beneficial venture because I am all for constructive criticism. Alas, there is no official (or unofficial, for that matter) wrap-up session because I can only imagine how overwhelmed these observers must feel after being chauffeured around campus into dozens of classrooms throughout a school day.

Most of the time, the administration will alert you to the district’s presence on campus, sometimes the day before or the morning of. They remind you to make sure specific actions are taken which not only makes you look good, but it also makes the school look good – and c’mon, don’t you want to look good to the people who make the executive decisions?

I think it is important for those “higher-ups” to visit schools and actually observe what is happening within the district. I hear people mutter all of the time, “What do they know?! We’re down here, in the trenches, working our butts off and they keep asking more and more of us!” Yeah, we might be where the action is (the trenches, so to speak – albeit air conditioned and technology equipped trenches), but you can’t tell me the administration and the personnel at the Landings don’t work their butts off too. I think visitation is important, but I also don’t believe that a walk-through can provide a clear picture to what a school is all about.

A 5 minute visit (at most in some cases) only provides a snap shot of a teacher, their philosophy, their methodology and the interactions between students. And they’re lucky to see just one of those! What if a group of administrators walked in to see me working one on one with a student who has Tourette’s – but they wouldn’t know this just simply by looking at her. Or what about the amount of time it takes to hand back graded papers?

What I am trying to convey is that yes, walk-throughs are essential but always not reliable or should we even venture to say VALID?

The act of running might be cheaper than therapy...

2007-10-10T16:06:00.000-04:00

... but the cost of the equipment might get you in the end.

I visited this fantastic running store called Fit2Run here in Sarasota and was amazed at the selection, the scientific procedures that we conducted on my feet and the knowledge the employees exhibited. I have been having knee troubles and I have visited an orthopedic doctor/surgeon only to be told that I can take Celebrex and be on a strict regimen of ice. I have had an MRI and x-rays done, with also the offer to get Rooster comb injections.

No thanks. I don't eat chicken, so I don't think I want any part of chicken injected into my joints. Besides, rooster combs just look gross. (PS - I know how vaccines are made using eggs, but that's ok in my book - I like eggs.)

So I walked into Fit2Run with just the goal of making sure I was running the right pair of shoes. They first analyzed my feet and determined how my weight is distributed throughout the foot. Then, they measured my feet. Lastly, they fitted me with a pair of fabulous shoes and conducted a gait analysis on the tread mill. It was pretty cool to see just your feet running on the television screen.

The good news was I am wearing the appropriate footwear for marathon training. The bad news was I ended up spending close to $300 on new equipment!

New running shoes: $120

Custom fitted orthodics: $60

Pink running belt: $25
(For my phone, keys, Gu and PowerBeans)

Chocolate Rush Gu: $8

Finishing the New York Marathon in under 5 hrs: Priceless

Running is cheaper than therapy

2007-09-23T21:36:00.000-04:00

On Saturday morning, a caravan of individuals made the trek to the Myakka River State Park to partake in the 1st Annual Myakka River Nature Escape, a 5K and 10K road run organized by the Manasota Track Club. It was a rainy, cool morning that turned muggy as the race continued, but it was in a state park, so the scenery was rather appealing.

I never knew how beautiful the Florida environment really is until this past year when my team taught the Florida Habitat Unit to our 7th & 8th graders. Honestly, I didn’t even know what a cypress dome or a roseate spoonbill was until last March. I couldn’t tell the difference between a red, white or black mangrove tree and I couldn’t describe how fires were actually beneficial to the survival of the scrub ecosystem. I know, I am a science teacher and I should have known this, but truth be told, I was too busy planning and teaching to actually go visit the park.

So while I was running, I wasn’t actually paying much attention to Huey Lewis and the News singing from my iPod or how my knees felt sore. I was looking at the trees, noticing the canopies we were running beneath, admiring the sunrise and the water off in the distance by the Bird Walk. It rained off and on for about 20 minutes, and normally I hate being rained upon, but on that morning, it really wasn’t that bad. I barely noticed it with my friend, Keith, running alongside me, smiling and singing to Bruce Sprinsteen.

I can't explain the way running makes me feel to those people who do not partake in a morning jaunt or an 8 mile therapy session with their dog. I love the feeling of accomplishment, the rush of endorphins and the ability to sleep the whole night through. To some, sleeping may come easy, but unfortunately, I have battled my inability to stay asleep for the past 4 years. So when I come home, exhausted and tired, sweaty and stinky, I am actually relieved to know not only that I finished my scheduled run, but that I will sleep well tonight.

So regardless that we had to each pay $1 to park outside of the entrance Saturday morning, or the fact that the race started at the North entrance (not the one off of Clark Rd), or how we arrived 10 min before the start and still had to put our shoes on, or how my knees felt after the run, I still have to admit that it was a pretty good morning. I would be hard pressed to find a better way to spend a cool Saturday morning than running with good friends in a beautiful park in Sarasota.

Running IS cheaper than therapy.

Advice for New Teachers

2007-09-01T19:19:00.000-04:00

I was recently honored to become a SCIP (Sarasota County Induction Program) mentor for our middle school, and our homework was to compose a letter to a new teacher. This welcome letter (with some help of Bill Bryson - the opening paragraph is from his book A Short History of Nearly Everything) could have taken many shapes and many forms, but I decided to write some good advice to help a newly hired teacher feel a little more aware of what they were getting themselves into. Your first year of teaching will be forever imprinted on your brain and no matter what, you will never experience a true first year again.

Please note, I have only been in this profession for a short time, and I am by no means claiming to "know it all". I am a life-long learner and I will be the first to admit that I have a lot more learning ahead of me when it comes to being an effective teacher. And one of these days, I just might know what I am doing.

Dear New Teacher,

Welcome, and congratulations. I am delighted that you have made it here, and getting here wasn’t easy. I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize.

To begin with, for you to be here now, hundreds of experiences have come together in an intricate and coincidental manner for you to have become an educator. Thousands of dollars have been spent on your education, not to mention the years that have been consumed with homework, research and soul searching to lead you to your desired place in the societal cosmos. For the next many years (we hope!) there will be plenty of more positive experiences necessary to fuel your passion and drive to continue on in this profession.

Why people choose to become a teacher has always been a cause of puzzlement for most who are not in this line of work. Why would anyone want to subject themselves to working late on the weekends, dealing with defiant and rude children all day long and fulfilling a state mandated curriculum within 180 days of school for a salary that seems to be minimal at best? The truth is, teaching is nothing compared to how others people assume it would be. It is a constantly evolving occupation that is exasperating, fulfilling, exhausting, noble, and oh-so-rewarding! I am elated that you have chosen such a valuable line of work and will begin your journey on your very first day, in your very own classroom.

With all of that being said, I want to share some words of wisdom that I have learned and received from the wise sages and fervent gurus of this worthwhile profession.

Know your students. Ask them questions, sit with them at lunch, have students fill out questionnaires or ask them to complete a personal reflection form. You have no idea how much your students “carry with them” everyday – many of your students may have parents going through a divorce, may have a parent in jail or are simply homeless. You have to be sympathetic to what is going on in your students’ lives because school may be the only safe place they have.

Choose your words carefully. Harsh words and degrading remarks can cut a child down with a slip of the tongue or raise them up to the heavens with a kind compliment and a smile. You honestly have no idea how what you say can affect a child for a lifetime. Try talking to students one-on-one when they are being rude or disruptive as opposed to raising your voice and humiliating them. If you are calm, not only will it catch your students off guard and keep you in control by managing your own emotions, but most importantly it demonstrates that you respect them. Many students have had countless negative experiences with other teachers before you, and sometimes, they may feel as if they have never been respected by an adult… ever. According to Henry Brooks Adams, "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."

Surround yourself with positive people. In every profession there will be individuals who will drag you down with their negative commentary on their students, the other teachers, and even the school in general. John Wooden once said, “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” Don’t allow those people to influence your attitude and remind you that you are a “young teacher” because you are a valuable asset to the school and are just as important as the teacher who has been teaching for 25 years. Choose educators who love their profession to be your guides, and ask them for advice when things just aren’t going the way you planned. Seek out the positive people in your school and they will listen while providing you with guidance you need most.

Not all children learn the same. Teachers tend to think too much about effective methods of teaching and not enough about effective methods of learning. Since each child is of a different mold, they do not all learn the same way and need to be taught with a variety of methods. If the child is not learning the way you are teaching, then you must teach in the way the child learns.

Reflect on why you are here. Think back to the 3 teachers who had the greatest impact on you as a student, regardless of the grade level in your school experience. Was it a positive or negative experience that affected you? What did they do that made you learn from them? What can you take from those personal learning experiences and apply it to your classroom? Who do you want to be remembered as?

There will be days where you feel as if you aren’t cut out for this demanding job and you question why you even thought you could become an educator. When that self doubt creeps into your mind, I beg you to remind yourself that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that there is an immense amount of opportunity for you to be successful within the education system. Never, ever give up because if this job were easy, everybody could do it! To think that you will be a proficient teacher creating valid assessments and meaningful lessons that fulfill state standards in such a short amount of time would be to insult this demanding and gratifying profession. You will have days that you will crash and burn, but you will find a way to learn from those experiences and continue on because those students need you. Just remember this: You haven’t failed until you have stopped trying.

You have been chosen, by fate or providence or whatever you wish to call it and as far as we can tell, to be employed in the best profession there is. If this letter were to have an objective, it would be that you are lucky to have an opportunity for such a large number of triumphs through teaching the future leaders, doctors, lawyers, police officers and teachers of this country. I wish you the very best of luck as you begin your journey of a thousand success stories, a thousand memories and a thousand friendships.

She said WHAT?!

2007-08-23T19:15:00.000-04:00

Is Mercury retrograde this month? Is there a new or a full moon? Is the Earth magnetic field reversing? Are dogs and cats laying together in harmony? Has the Wailing Wall fallen? I am not sure what is currently going on within my little world, or even within the cosmos, but I am completely speechless and shocked at the many attitudes, comments and energies which others are “putting out there”.

One of my colleagues mentioned how weird it can be when you are trying to do something nice for somebody and that somebody misinterprets your kindness as something completely different… not kindness, but something more imposing… more misconstrued and twisted. And it is so hard to walk in someone else’s shoes in order to see it from their point of view when you really truly believe that you are doing something nice for someone else. You have genuine intentions, but somewhere along the course of communication, there occurs this glitch of misinterpretation. We have all experienced this at one point or another.

And it is frustrating.

You go back over the scenario in your mind. Over and over again, trying to identify where the miscommunication occurred or where you screwed up. You begin to see and understand the opposite point of view, even if you have to laugh or even scoff at how someone could mistaken your generosity. I thought I had experienced this uncomfortable situation in its fullest extent this month, until I was told by my husband of a comment made today.

One of our friends had presented at a county school district welcome back event. She was absolutely amazing! I was so proud of her for being calm, confident and animated in front of hundreds of people in person with thousands of people watching on TV. She demonstrated not only her ability to utilize the technology our county has provided all teachers, but she demonstrated how teachers can use that technology in their classroom. I heard dozens of compliments on her performance by fellow teachers, counselors and administrators and ALL of the comments were positive ones.

All until the hum-dinger I heard today.

A former Phoenix teacher was offered a position at a high school in the county and she was asked by her new colleagues how she perceived the welcome back presentation. Actually, it wasn’t even stated that nicely. I believe the statement was: What did you think about that last speaker, the one that made you feel like you were such a slacker?

I will give you a moment to pick your jaw off of the floor.

My friend was the last presenter and her objective was definitely not intended to make other teachers feel like they were BAD teachers. I am 100% positive that her intentions were no where near those sentiments. But somewhere along the line, there were teachers who received her amazingly put together and phenomenal presentation as an opportunity to make them feel bad about themselves.

So I have to ask, are the teachers who feel this way actually bad teachers? Or are they overwhelmed with the expectation of completing a vast set of state standards before the state standardized test in the middle of the 3^rd quarter? Do they feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to complete everything they are required to do? Are these individuals the examples of teacher burn out that we hear about through the grapevine?

And let’s not even begin to broach the topic of technology… Are there teachers out there who feel like there is too much technology to learn and not enough time for trainings or practice? Do these teachers feel competitive with the younger models of teachers who know how to use iTunes, wikis and blogs effectively (and efficiently) in the classroom?

I will admit, I was astounded by the comment that high school teacher made in regards to my friend’s presentation. I felt several emotions wash over my body as I began to digest the comment in its entirety. I was shocked, then angry, then confused, and then astounded again. I kept thinking, how could somebody actually mutter those words when referring to that well planned and flawless presentation? How could someone possibly say that about her? That's my friend you're talkin' about!

But then, I began to wonder, why did that teacher say that? Are they feeling self-doubt about their talents and abilities? Do they feel obsolete?

What can we do to help that particular teacher find his/her spark again? Is there something we can do to help these people rediscover their motivations for entering this noble profession in the first place?

Whatever the reasons, I feel like we have an obligation to help teachers like those find their purpose in this very demanding yet gratifying profession. We need to help them realize that there are many of us out there who feel overwhelmed with the hefty curriculum and the state mandated testing. There are several of us out there who need extra time to try new technology and practice it. We already have a teacher shortage in this country and many individuals stay in teaching for less than 3 years! We are becoming "endangered" and we need to be placed on a "preservation" list!

I used to hate it when people would tell me, "You can't save them all."

They're right, you know. You can't.

But that still doesn't mean you at least shouldn't try.

Here We Go!

2007-08-08T18:14:00.000-04:00

It has come to be that time of the year again, when we begin to meet with colleagues in hopes of planning a exciting year for our students, when we start hanging posters and bulletin boards in an organized fashion hoping to reduce the amount of distractions our kids might endure and begin to situate our desks to fit all of the files, pencils, pencil cups, pens, post-its, paperclips, framed photos, printers, paper, note cubes, trinkets, novels, magazines and DVD players.

School is about to begin.

Again.

Can’t you just smell the fresh pencils?

My husband made mention of this situation once, where he didn’t particularly like a very specific portion of this profession because most teachers can’t wait until summer break. Almost as if they are wishing their own lives would go faster just so they can have 2 months of rest and relaxation. Before you know it, your life has passed you by because you kept wishing for 2 months out of the whole year.

I like to look at it the other way. I get to have 10 months with some of the best people I could imagine spending my time with. I get to work with my best friends. I get to laugh and interact with awkward middle school students. And I get to come home to my husband and share the ups and downs of that particular day over an evening jog, a homemade pizza or with friends while out at Metro. Before you know it, the school year has flown by and you have only 2 months to prepare for the next year.

I love this time of year, with the exception of getting into my classroom. I don’t claim to be an administrator and I don’t ever intend on becoming one (because of ALL of the interesting situations they have to deal with on campus), but they must have some really good reasons to move people around the buildings, between teams and into different positions. I have to trust them to do what is best for kids – and I do. Unfortunately for us though, our team was one of the groups that had to move. I will be honest, I don’t think any of us went about it quietly, but we did move and we did pout around like 5 year olds for about a month after it was all said and done.

So we moved, and my friends got new carpeting and now have their rooms all put together while I wait for my tile floors to be stripped then waxed. Once that feat is finished, I can begin to set up my oasis. I don’t want my room to be too cluttered, because then there is no room for growth and no room to hang student work. I don’t want my room to be bare either, because I love color and motivational posters and framed pictures…. Ahhh, can you tell I am growing anxious?

After only 3 short years of teaching middle school, I have a feeling that this year is going to be better than the last.

This one's for you Simoni....

HERE WE GO!

Book Reiview No. 2: Survival of the Sickest

2007-08-04T17:24:00.000-04:00

I saw this book while I was researching Natalie Angier's book, The Canon. Before I even read the insert, I was hooked - the title was enough for me. It is a quick read (only took me about 4 days) and very intriguing.

Dr. Sharon Moalem wrote this book based on a very interesting topic – why the human population needs disease. Before you begin to assume that this book is about disease being a method to eradicate the weak and thin out the herds of genetically inferior, please take a deep breath… because it has nothing to do with that. But he begs the question - why are there genes still being inherited that are painful and potentially deadly? His hypothesis: some of the diseases that effect humans (diabetes, high cholesterol and even sickle cell anemia) have actually evolved to help humans survive.

For example, there is new evidence that there was a very recent (in geological standards) Ice Age called the Younger Dryas, and it came about very rapidly. So rapid in fact that some animals froze to death while in the middle of enjoying dinner – so how did humans survive this deep freeze? Why, have you ever heard of ice wine? Or cryonics (biostasis), thanks to Ted Williams? When your blood or grapes freeze, the water inside your arteries expands and literally tears your blood vessels to shreds – therefore, cryogenics cannot possibly work just yet. With ice wine, grapes rid themselves of much of the water they carry, thereby increasing the sugar levels within the fruit, making it harder to freeze. Do you see where this is headed? Our ancestors who were diabetic were able to adapt to their extremely cold environments… here’s how:

When you live in a very cold environment, your body stores what is called brown fat. When your blood sugar is delivered to a brown fat cell, instead of being stored for future energy as it is in a regular fat cell, the brown fat cell converts it to hear right on the spot. The brown fat process creates heat without muscle movement; shivering is only good for a few hours and can cause you to become more exhausted. Brown fat can go on generating heat for as long as it is fed and it doesn’t need insulin to bring sugar to cells.

Back then, food was probably limited, so dietary blood-sugar load would already be low, and brown fat would convert most of that to heat, so the ice age “diabetic” blow sugar, even with less insulin, might never reach dangerous levels. Modern-day diabetics, on the other hand, with little or no brown fat, and little or not exposure to constant cold, have no use therefore no outlet for the sugar that accumulates in their blood.

So today, diabetes is not a useful adaptation. But it was useful at one point in human history. Isn’t it odd that the Pima Indians of the southwestern U.S. and people of Northern European descent are more likely to have diabetes than the rest of the world?

In one word?

Yes.

I truly enjoyed this book because I love studying evolution and the symbiotic relationships we foster with the rest of the living world. From plants to parasites to beneficial microbes, we are influencing and reacting to one another. Another interesting topic which Dr. Moalem touched upon was the subject of epigenetics – how there are literally genes upon our existing genes that can be turned on and off based on your environment as well as the choices your grandparents made. Weird, huh?

From cancer to hemochromatosis, Dr. Moalem writes with incredible insight and current research to bring forth a book that is both understandable and fascinating to anyone who reads it. He reveals a different and unique perspective on how we view disease and the human body. I strongly suggest this book to anyone – regardless of profession – who might be slightly interested in how human survival has adapted through time. This book will open your eyes to how the choices you make today will affect your grandchildren – before your own children are even born.

The Canon: A Book Review from a Science Teacher's Perspective

2007-08-04T00:43:00.000-04:00

Ok, so my husband heard about this book from a podcast to which he is an avid and devoted listener. He immediately brought me up to speed on the author (Natalie Angier), the book (The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science), as well as the book’s purpose (do I really need to write it?). I will admit, it piqued my interests.

So he bought the book for me and it became a member of my summer reading list. Well, I finished it while vacationing in hot and humid Hilton Head Island, SC. Now, either Sarasota is having an exceptionally non-humid summer or Hilton Head is just having a really sweaty summer. I guess I didn’t remember it being THAT bad as a childhood vacation destination, but then again, I guess I was too much of a tomboy back then to really consider how the humidity would affect my hair. Needless to say, I read quite a bit on that trip – lounging by the pool, lying on the couch, lying in bed, you get the picture. And honestly, I wasn’t really “hooked” like I was when I read A Short History of Nearly Everything. Now, in Natalie Angier’s defense, Bill Bryson is a really tough author to follow. I mean, REALLY tough. And it probably doesn’t help that I consider him my favorite author. So the odds were already stacked against her before I even read the first paragraph. Besides, I am in no way, shape or form, admitting to being a fabulous book reviewer. I could really suck at it - so proceed with caution - what you are about to read could cause bodily harm (especially if you are reading this while sitting cross legged on the baggage claim belt at Sarasota Bradenton Airport).

But let’s forget about Bill Bryson for just a moment.

Natalie’s book, from a middle school science teacher’s point of view, would be a great book for adults. It is not suitable for middle school students, and I would honestly find it hard pressed to find too many high school kids that would thoroughly enjoy her witty analogies and sarcasti humor. When I picked up this book, I was hoping to find it to be a tool I could use in my classroom, just like A Short History, because (ALERT - Sarasota County buzz words ahead!) I am always looking to enhance literacy in my content area. Unfortunately, my kids would not understand a fraction of her humor or sarcasm because some of the jokes are before their time. With that being said, she is extremely witty (and I mean EXTREMELY), enormously eloquent and really quite passionate about science. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her in her effort to create an entertaining guide to the basics of science. Honestly, her writing is poetic.

It’s only 264 pages long, has a reference section and takes you through the major scientific disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology, geology and astronomy, in that order. It is exactly what the title says – it describes the basics of those major categories of science. Now, I am just a science teacher, and it was a good refresher for me before the school year begins here shortly, but I honestly can’t say that I learned anything new. But, for the average American who probably struggled with physics and failed chemistry and isn't necessarily in a scientific profession, this book will make sense. I could also see it having potential with college freshmen or even for college students who are interesting in becoming a science teacher.

Sorry, I just can't find another book to trump Bill Bryson.

Bill Bry the Science Guy! Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!

Bill Bry the Science Guy!

What's the big deal? - Why cross curricular collaboration is so darn good for kids

2007-07-13T17:59:00.000-04:00

I teach with a phenomenal group of teachers on our team. And I mean PHENOMENAL. They are truly some of my closest friends and very much like those beautiful orchids you find growing in the old oak trees of the Florida scrub – rare and amazingly evolved. Did you know there are orchids who have evolved to have petals that mimic the color/shape of specific insects in order to propagate their species? There are orchids who look like bees or wasps, and these insects with either try to attack the flower or, embarrassingly enough, mate with it, only to be covered by the orchid’s pollen. Pretty ingenious, if you ask me.

Sorry about that. I get a little carried away when I take a moment to realize how amazingly diverse the planet we inhabit really is. Now, let’s get back to the real purpose of this post – team teaching. We teach our units through collaboration and integration. What does that mean, you ask? Well, the integration we utilize really is a representation of how we think rather than simply an intersection of curriculum. The terms “transfer” and “connections” are embedded in every portion of the vocabulary we use with one another as well as in our curriculum. Our goal is to demonstrate that transfer takes places when a student is able to apply knowledge in multiple situations – so not just while in math, but also using the same skills while in science or social studies. An example of this would be a student earning excellent grades in Spanish class for 4 years, but still not be able to communicate at an effective level if immersed in a Spanish speaking society. That is where learning is compartmentalized and provides a boundary or division between learning and transfer.

To compound our ambitions, we also employ the multi-grade model, where 7th and 8th graders are meshed together in a team area, all learning the same curriculum and taking the same assessments. There are several benefits of multi-grade grouping, including the formation of long-term relationships, continuity, and a family atmosphere. Our team embraces the philosophy of teaching our students to become self sufficient learners, as self-learning generates more confidence and autonomy in the students. Students on our team experience a stronger sense of community and security, especially amongst the younger students who are new to the team because there are older students who have the opportunity to mentor them and "show them the ropes" of our mutli-grade culture.

So what’s the big deal, right? I mean, collaborating with one another is very time consuming and who wants to do that, right? Well, it might take time, practice, patience and flexibility but it is SO beneficial to our students. And that’s why we do what we do, right? For the kids, I mean. The benefits to curriculum integration are very strong and time tested, such as:

1. Curriculum integration fosters the ongoing reinforcement of skills and information learned in one area of study when utilized in another area.

2. Curriculum integration provides students a richer academic experience by broadening the context and applicability of information and skills that are learned.

3. Curriculum integration maximizes the utilization of learning time by “borrowing” from one area to support another. This is particularly important in the public school system where educators face time pressures in all curricular areas.

What we want to make understood is that just because students read the novel Night in language arts and study the holocaust in social studies does not necessarily ensure that transfer is taking place. An integrated unit is effective and appropriate when it promotes progress toward significant educational goals, not simply because it crosses content areas.

Of course, as with any program, there are some impediments to implementation. But, we believe (and have witnessed) that meaningful interdisciplinary instruction can take place when motivated educators are provided with ample planning time to successfully create and construct integrated units.

To My Everyday Hero

2007-07-05T10:35:00.000-04:00

You always hear how people are brought into your life for a reason, and those individuals leave behind footprints forever embedded onto your heart. They leave their lasting mark, a reminder of who they are and what they meant to you when you were together. I have met such a person, and this post is dedicated to her.

I had only been teaching for 2 short years before I left SMS to propel myself out of my comfort zone. I remember the end of the school year 2006, when we had to clean up our rooms completely, and I recall looking around at the bare, empty, emotionless classroom and thinking that I wasn’t going to be here that following year. I don’t know what made me think that, but it’s honestly how I felt.

When I applied for a position at Brookside, I honestly had no clue what was to be in store for me. My only point of reference was SMS, and believe me, SMS was not a typical school by any means. So I really didn’t know what else was out there.

I was told the position was an 8th grade science position on the Academy of Technology. I had been teaching 7th grade, but I figured I needed to challenge myself some more. Also, the teams at SMS were named after animals – there were no strands, just animals. I always felt so left out when our team name was the Spinnakers. (It seemed like the Mustangs and the Tiger Sharks team names were more powerful and attractive to me.)

Needless to say, my interview went rather well when my future team leader shed a tear when she flipped through my portfolio and read the letters students had written me. One student who had written me a letter of appreciation was actually cut from my volleyball team, only to walk into my classroom and ask, “What do I need to do better so that I can play next year?” I put her right back on the team that afternoon. There was something about the team leader that really inspired me. She was a veteran teacher, but you could tell by the way she articulated the team philosophy that she was passionate about her profession. Far too often I have seen seasoned teachers lose the drive and determination because it just becomes too much work. I have taught with those teachers before and it is disappointing to watch because the kids are the innocent victims.

My team leader is absolutely amazing. I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with her for 1 year. She made me feel like my opinion mattered, which had never occurred to me or anyone else before because I was so inexperienced and many times my ideas involved too much effort. I have never felt more respected, valued and loved by a fellow teacher than when I worked with her. Her motivation, her insight, her experience – all of these things and more just motivates me to want to get to where she is someday and someday soon. She is like that wise sage who has tried everything, has seen the promise land and wants everyone to know how we can bring education there.

I know she feels like she could have done a better job this year, but what she demonstrated to me in those 180+ days was that she is an incredible educator. Thank you, Debbie, for being my inspiration, my coach, and my guide. I only wish I could have worked with you longer.

Argument for our Digital Learners

2007-06-14T21:47:00.001-04:00

I just finished attending a differentiated instruction conference this week and I feel my passion for teaching sparked up to a new level. We can no longer educate our kids in a "cookie cutter" format - we need to reach all of our kids by gauging their readiness, by making the instruction rigorous and by making our lessons relevant to their own lives.

Please click on this video from TeacherTube to watch a 7 min clip on why we need to evolve with our students learning styles. If No Child Left Behind is to be affective, we need to embrace our student's differences and adapt our instructional practices to their learning styles.

Opportunities for Success

2007-06-02T15:34:00.000-04:00

Albert Einstein said it best: In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

A handful of Sarasota’s finest educators and technology specialists have just completed a rigorous training on the newest tool that is being installed throughout our entire county. Promethean ACTIVBoards are an amazing addition to every classroom and also presents a new resource teachers can use to engage even some of the most stubborn and disinclined learners. Having this cutting-edge equipment installed in the schools presents an amazing opportunity for teachers and students to propel themselves into the 21st century. Ironically, installing the ACTIVBoards doesn’t necessarily pose the most difficult task for our county to tackle.

The biggest obstacle will be introducing the product to the disinclined teachers as well as convincing them that our schools NEED these ACTIVBoards. More importantly, it’s the students who need these interactive instruments the most.

If you take a look at Gardner’s 7 intelligences (linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, musical, interpersonal and intrapersonal), you suddenly realize that there needs to be an 8th addition: digital. Today’s students have spent over 10,000 hours on their cell phones and an additional 10,000 hours playing video games by the time they graduate college. 70% of our nation’s 4 to 6 year olds have used a computer! That statistical data alone should alert teachers to the fact that textbooks are not the only source of information which can and should be utilized in the classroom.

From my teaching experience, I have noticed the kids that have shorter attention spans and possess the need to get up and move around during class are becoming the norm. (Actually, the short attention span of today’s kids may turn out to be far from dysfunctional for future work worlds.) Students that are not engaged in instructional activities become distractions to others and negatively affect other student’s classroom experiences. These ornery kids are the ones that will benefit most from getting up out of their seat in order to demonstrate a skill using the ACTIVBoard pen or will enjoy taking an interactive quiz using the ACTIVotes. Check out the latest news report on a school here in Sarasota on Tampa Bay 10 to see what the kids say.

Yet another advantage to this county-wide installation is the ability for teachers to share their flipcharts, their ideas and their assessments with one another via the internet. It takes time to develop a great lesson plan and a valid, meaningful assessment. Having these resources on the school network or by employing the use of the Promethean Planet website, teachers have these fantastic resources at their fingertips which makes the development process that much easier when you can don’t have to “re-invent the wheel.”

Another learning characteristic we have identified with today’s digital learners is that our kids just dive right into new “toys”, such as video games and the Web. My parents (retired teachers, by the way) tend to not want to try new things, such as online banking, unless they already know how to use them. They are apprehensive about technology because they are so worried they will make a mistake and the computer will go through a countdown before it ignites into a fiery inferno only to die down to a puff of smoke. More experienced teachers and adults are the ones who enlist the aid of a manual whereas the students of today would rather jump right in, play around, “get their hands dirty”, and see what works and what doesn’t. By experimenting and watching others “play” with technology, our students are demonstrating that they are discovery learners.

So why shouldn’t today’s teachers evolve with their students? Isn’t that what goes on in the business sector, knowing your clientele? As hard as it is for me to admit, education is becoming more and more business-like. In order for educators and students to be successful, we need to utilize the valuable techniques used by lucrative businesses. In order for our students to have better opportunities to compete with countries overseas, we need to utilize the technology our county has so graciously bestowed upon us. Trust me, I have seen how the technologically prehistoric school district teach and it is a scary thought to wonder how these students would fare against the type of education we (Sarasote) are providing our kids.

I know many individuals (parents, students and teachers) question if this tool is necessary to educate the students of Sarasota County. In order for our students to be competitive in the real world following graduation, we must utilize tools that will help them become successful. More importantly, we need to understand our clientele of learners and continue to progress and evolve with them. We cannot ignore the pace at which technology is advancing daily and it is ignorant for us to believe that we can teach the students of today with materials from a decade ago. The installation of these boards presents an opportunity to be successful and if teachers, students and parents of this county continue to bury their heads in the sand then we are doing a disservice to not only the future success of our schools but the future generations of this country.

And so it begins. . .

2007-05-28T12:10:00.000-04:00

Another school year, another summer vacation. I remember hearing my parents joke around with their fellow educator peers about the 3 favorite parts of teaching: June, July, and August. Not until the end of my 3rd year in education did I finally understand their sentiments.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t better or more rewarding components to the teaching profession, it’s just that those 3 months we have off are not entirely meant for the students to shut off their brains from learning. Those 3 months are VITAL to the survival of teachers. Without a break, I doubt I would stay in this profession much longer.

Granted, this year wasn’t exactly easy. I can honestly say that I have never worked harder in my entire life, but I also feel that I have never felt a greater contribution or a have influenced a greater amount than this year. July of last year, I transferred schools. I was at a very accomplished middle school here in Sarasota County and felt that if I stayed, I wouldn’t be challenged (the school is 98% Caucasian) and I wouldn’t therefore be able to move up and accomplish much else. When I sit back and digest my 2 year stint there, I realized that there just wouldn’t have been much room for advancement. So I applied for a multi-grade position, 7th and 8th grade science, at a more diverse campus. After being notified that I was offered the position, I now had the new task of packing up my science classroom. You want to know what the weird thing is? I had a feeling I would not be back in my old classroom after school let out for the 2005-2006 school year, so I had taken down most of my things.

Oh yeah, did I mention I also got married last summer? That is in itself a major change, especially since I am an independent brat.

Before I was able to move into my new classroom, I hit a snag – the science room was not ready. I had packed up all of my things, loaded up my Trailblazer and drove across town to find that my room was for Arts & Crafts time for the YMCA summer camp. YEAH, my room was a freakin’ disaster. Luckily, my friend, the guidance counselor, allowed me to dump all of my crap into her office. Thank heavens she had a large office.

So the night before Parent Night or Welcome Back to School Night (or whatever the heck it is called, doesn't really matter), my floors were waxed and dried and finally ready for me to move in. I was at school until 10PM then back in the morning to finish at 8AM. We also had the last interview for the math position on our team. Yeah, the d-bag who was supposed to return as our math instructor decided to take a leave of absence 2 days before school started. Thanks a lot, d-bag.

Oh yeah, did I mention I had high school volleyball tryouts that week? We found out last minute that the tryouts had to be moved because they were resealing the gym floor. Then, we had to change the tryout time to the afternoon because the Boys and Girls Club had double booked the gymnasium.

Ok, so the whole transition between one school to the next wasn’t exactly smooth, but I was finally on a team that worked together to create integrative units of study! My team was awesome – we had a very experienced LA teacher who was ready to disseminate all of her collaborative knowledge, a young and hilarious Social Studies teacher who quickly became my best bud and a rocket scientist (literally) for a math teacher. We had the recipe for success.

When I look back on the all great things we accomplished with the students, I shake my head in amazement. Creating collaborative and integrated units takes a lot of work on each team member’s part. A LOT. I cannot even describe the amount of hours it took for us to plan out schedules to complete certain aspects of each unit. The good thing was, the framework was already done for us by the previous teams, we just had to tweak it and make it work for us.

We tie-dyed t-shirts for chemistry and studied Edgar Allen Poe. The students researched the gold rush, careers in science and created websites on our solar system. We transformed our classrooms into 4 major habitats found here in Florida and lead groups of 4th graders through our habitat museums. We read To Kill a Mockingbird, a Short History of Nearly Everything and My Brother Sam. Our students even reenacted the Ellis Island experience for our immigration unit, complete with checkpoint stations and costumes.

And just for the record, we didn’t have any gifted students, for those of you who wonder if we were able to achieve so much because of the caliber of kids we were given. All kids can be successful, it just depends on the environment you provide for them to learn.

Like I mentioned before, I have never worked so hard in my life but I have never felt better about what we were able to accomplish with our students. This is the first summer that I have truly needed so that I can recharge my batteries, collaborate with my peers (that’s right, plan for next year!), write grants for my classroom and just relax. It is so nice not to have a schedule to follow or papers to grade or lessons to plan. I can talk with my fellow educator friends about new ideas and gossip on who our principal will be for next year.

Well, I suppose I will have to take the “no schedule” comment back because our team has to move into new classrooms and we can’t move in until the walls are painted, the floors waxed and the prior inhabitants move out too. At least the YMCA won’t be in my room this summer. I am also taking classes for my gifted certification, am beginning my +45 courses, am being trained on the ACTIVBoard so that we can train the others at our school and am going to be presenting to the county principals on how to effectively use the ACTIVBoard in the classroom. I guess I am going to have to retract that relaxing statement too.

Ok, so maybe my summer won’t be as relaxing as it seems, but I swear to you, it is so nice to be able to do the things I am unable to do during the school year. Dentist appointments, pedicures and taking my dog to the Venice dog beach are just a few of the things I am able to do on my own time, without too many restrictions.

This is going to be a good summer.

The Animal Farm of Education

2007-05-14T20:32:00.000-04:00

On Friday, my best friend (Simoni) and I accompanied our 8th graders to Adventure Island for their “end of middle school” field trip. Within 10 minutes of being there, I got in trouble. Not 10 minutes later, Simoni got in trouble. It was great! We were worse than our students – pushing one another off of the rafts, tipping kids in the lazy river, and running up the stairs with inner tubes. My voice is still recovering from all of the laughing and screaming… and I don’t mean the kind of screaming you hear when our white trash, cigarette smoking, overweight neighbor curses at her own toddler for being loud (and those descriptions are an understatement). I mean the kind of screaming you hear teenage girls howling out when riding anything remotely frightening. Roller coasters, water slides, the occasional spider, you get the picture.

Somewhere in between the fun we had on Friday and today at school, something really got to me. I started to think about a comment someone made to me about making sure we “pass on” certain kids. I couldn’t help but be perpetually bothered by it.

When did schools stop focusing on what’s best for the kids and start functioning like a mindless and emotionally inept factory?

I do feel sometimes that American schools have eliminated the closeness and security kids might be feel in a classroom and replaced it with standardized testing and stricter standards. Don’t get me wrong, I think standards are vitally important for not only the students, but more for the educators because we need to know what exactly we are to teach them. But, somewhere along the line, I feel like we (teachers) are required to evolve into factory workers, churning out kids like machines in hopes that one day, those kids will move onto the next level of schooling. All of the requirements that it takes to become an educator is rigorous, time consuming and is very similar to a dog chasing its own tail at times, but once you are in, you’re IN. You then have a checklist of things you need to accomplish in order to earn tenure and unfortunately, there are people in this profession who do not take their jobs (or their own personal effort) seriously and therefore pass by the skin of their teeth. I have seen first hand how difficult it is for administrators to remove crummy first and second year teachers from the classroom and it makes me nauseous to know that I have the drive and desire to be good at what I do while these schlubs just do what they have to get by. I get sick to my stomach because these “factory workers” have too much of a negative influence on a child’s learning experience.

On top of feeling like we are to be essentially robotical, there are some individuals out there who feel that all educators are the same, as if we are interchangeable gears that can all perform the same task. No offense, but I know for a fact that I would not be a good language arts teacher and I know there are plenty of teachers out there who would hate to have to teach physics, human anatomy or even geology. The American education system needs to embrace the diversity EACH teacher brings to the classroom because that is what enhances a child’s classroom experience and encourages cross curricular comprehension.

I know America is different than other nations because we actually attempt to educate every child whereas other countries might educate the top 25% of their population. I have read articles stating that the national graduation rate is rising by 4 to 5% a year, so our high school graduation rate really isn’t that bad considering we do educate a larger range of students… but I have to ask, is our graduation rate higher because we have continually passed kids on? Have we lowered our standards for graduation so that we don’t have to deal with the problem students any more? I feel as if we are passing on kids because we don’t want to deal with them any longer because if the student earned a failing grade and more importantly, we record the failing grade (notice how I didn’t say we GAVE the student a failing grade), then more likely than not that student will end up in your classroom again. It’s like we are passing kids onto somebody else, so they are no longer our problem. I have a personal problem promoting a student when I fear for their future - would passing them on actually benefit the student when I know they lack the experience and the maturity to stick it out through high school?

Having said this, I am fully aware that not every one of my students will be college bound. Only 27% of adults over the age of 25 in the United States actually have a college degree, but I am not even using this data to support my awareness. Some kids just aren’t meant for college. Period. At least 1/3 of my students won’t make it to high school graduation, and sadly, I could probably identify those middle school kids in my classroom right now.

To address this problem, Sarasota has created an amazing school which I identify as a “pre-dropout” prevention program. The Phoenix Academy is one of the few schools I am familiar with who actually adhere strictly to the rules – if you don’t pass, you don’t move onto the next grade and you do NOT collect $200. They have a smaller school setting with a maximum number of about 150 students and almost 15 full time teachers. The student to teacher ratio is the lowest in the county (including the support staff who will drive to the student’s home and pick them up if they decide not to attend school that day) therefore they have probably the highest expenditure of any school in Sarasota county. Yes, it is expensive to run the Phoenix Academy. But is it worth it?

Hell yes it is.

Why, you might ask? Because they are doing what is best for the KIDS. (What a concept!) They do not promote students if they are not fulfilling requirements. They work with at-risk students to get them onto the right track and get them prepared for high school because the teachers and staff at Phoenix genuinely care.

It irks me when a teacher says, “If you were able to reach one student today, you need to consider yourself successful.” Ok, so if I worked at a car manufacturing plant, putting together automobiles and I successfully installed 1 airbag out of 100, don’t you think I would be fired? More importantly, wouldn't a normal human being have enough of a conscious to realize how many people I could harm or potentially kill? How on earth can we measure success by only reaching ONE student?! Would a doctor be considered successful if he saved 1 out of 100 patients? Would a lawyer be thought of as competent if she won 1 out of 100 cases? How about a plumber or a coach or a farmer? How is not alright for these people to have a higher expectation and definition for success but teachers do not? Was there some universal law created stating that since we don't get paid huge sums of money we therefore have the permission to be underachievers? We need to quit lowering our standards because what happens is, our students begin to lower their own and will do just enough work to get by and pass.

Can you imagine what this world would be like if we all did the bare minimum just to get by? What if we were all interchangeable parts? Why don’t we just put on our blue factory suits with our names stiched in cursive and work goggles to generate and build some average learners who have to fit the rigid mold that we make? (And if they don't fit the mold, they are labeled DEFECTIVE or IRREGULAR.)

I shudder at the thought.

Good-bye to You

2007-04-17T20:12:00.000-04:00

I don’t claim to be fully psychic by any means, but I believe that my body and mind are in tune with one another. No, I don’t mean that I have grown out of puberty and no longer bump my knees and head into things because I am still attaining body awareness and coordination. The in tune that I am talking about refers to how I feel things before they actually happen or I become aware of positive and negative energies, winds of change and sometimes, even death.

I remember the night my brother was attacked and murdered. I stayed up late that night, waiting for him until 1:30AM. I awoke the next morning to an empty house, my parents’ bed unmade and a car gone from the driveway. I didn’t receive the hospital phone call until 11AM even though what woke me up in the first place was my dad calling the house. I didn’t answer the house phone because it was never for me, we had an answering machine and if someone wanted to get a hold of me, they would call my cell. I remember everything not feeling right and went about my morning, went to work even, but things just felt different.

That was how this week has felt for me. I mentioned this feeling of restlessness and unease with a good friend of mine who I also believe is aware of these sorts of things. I told her that I feel like everything is in a state of change and things just don’t feel right… like I just felt uncomfortable and almost nauseous.

We had a meeting this morning at 7AM and that was when the gut-punch feeling really set in. Our principal, an absolutely amazing and talented woman, announced that she was moving to another middle school in the district. And not just any middle school, the school that I had in fact just left the year before. The entire staff appeared heartbroken when she spoke, happy for her but at the same time (and selfishly, of course) sad for ourselves. I absolutely adore this woman and I feel completely confident that she will be successful wherever she is placed. When my former principal asked how I felt about this transition, I replied “You have to place people where they will be most successful.”

And I meant what I said.

From what I hear, this lady really turned an entire middle school around. She implemented new programs and effectively improved the school’s writing scores with once-a-month Florida Writes practice tests. She hired fresh and talented teachers, and built up the team mentality amongst her colleagues. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this woman and she will be surely missed.

As for us, it is hard to tell who will step in and assume the principal’s position for the upcoming school year. We all have our favorites, and some will follow her to her new school, but ultimately, I still wish we had Karen back. I can admit that I am being selfish but I am positive that she will do a fantastic job wherever the district needs her most. Her secretary actually said today that we only need one day of mourning when tragedy strikes, and then we need to move on. She’s right, you know. Spending time mourning takes away from the time you have with your loved ones and time away from enjoying this beautiful experience called life. With that said:

Today is my day of mourning.

Tomorrow will be another day.

You have to place people where they will be most successful.

My Science Textbook is Written by Bill Bryson

2007-04-10T20:40:00.000-04:00

I just love reading the book, A Short History of Nearly Everything, with my students. Even though the terminology, the lexile and the humor may be a little over their heads for their immature minds, they simply enjoy reading about the crazy and interesting antics of some of the most famous scientists. Students who are usually a handful in the classroom and have attention spans like that of a mosquito, will literally sit there and read along as the audio book reads this novel in its English accent to them. Of course, as with every classroom, you will have a few that just do not seem to participate no matter what you do, but for the most part, my middle school kids just eat it up.

For example, so many students are just taken aback when they learned that Sir Isaac Newton, the man behind the Laws of Motion, stuck a bodkin behind his eyeball “just to see what would happen”. This genius also stared at the sun for quite sometime to see what sort of damage would be done to the human eye. Luckily for him (and us), nothing did happen, except for a sore eye and having to remain in a dark room for a few days until his eyes forgave him from the burning sunlight.

Or how about Hennig Brand, the German scientist who thought that he could purify urine into gold (the similar color must have been behind this idea). Besides making his humble abode probably smell like the inside of a kitty litter box, the urine eventually formed into a paste and began to glow. Brand had become the discoverer of phosphorus.

Today, the students learned how Carolus Linneaus, the Swedish born scientist and father of taxonomy, was a cocky and sex-obsessed fellow (he went so far as to name one genus of plants Clitoria). He was very comfortable with own greatness to the point of painting numerous, flattering portraits of himself, and declared his system of classification as “the greatest achievement in the realm of science.” Being middle school students, they were especially glued to the book when reading about how plants were previously named mare’s fart, hound’s pissopen arse. Whatever it takes to keep them reading, right?

We finished up today with the final chapter of book, Chapter 30 “Good-Bye”. Since they have such short attention spans, we had skipped around the book quite a bit, focusing on the chapters that coincided with whichever unit of study we were currently involved in. “Good-Bye” is about how humans have caused the demise and extinction of more animals than can possibly be counted. Students were dumbfounded to learn that the last and only remaining specimen of the dodo was ordered by the museum director to be thrown onto a bonfire because it “began to smell a bit musty” in 1759. We no longer have any idea what a living dodo looked like and have more evidence that the Apatosaurus was around, even though the bird lived in modern times. Bill Bryson continues with a description of the eradication of the Carolina parakeet, the Greater Koa finch, the Steller’s Sea Cow and the Tasmanian tiger, all animals that really didn’t cause any harm to human beings but were simply obliterated for the sake of being killed. How amazing is it that species can unlock the secrets of the universe yet still have the capacity to kill animals that haven’t done us one bit of harm?

What I find to be so interesting about this book is that it is a science textbook written for the typical modern American. Most scientific text are so mundane, can be rather boring and just don’t get into the nitty gritty details behind the scientific discoveries and inventions. Bill Bryson notes that the science textbooks he had read as a child were not only hefty and dull, but the authors appeared to keep the “cool stuff” a secret. This is honestly my reasoning behind not using the textbooks provided by the school district as much as some other teachers do. My kids actually enjoy reading in science with Bill Bryson’s book! I cannot count the number of kids who have informed me that they have asked their parents to purchase this book for them. A few of my students are reading this book for their book report in Language Arts too. I just think this book is an absolutely amazing teaching tool that all middle school and high school science teachers should utilize in their classrooms. and

Running on Empty

2007-03-29T08:42:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, March 25th, my husband, my best friend and I all set out to defeat the impossible: we were running in the ING Inaugural Atlanta Marathon. My husband had been injured since the Miami marathon in late January, so he hadn’t actually trained for about 2 solid months. Regardless, his awesome attitude was so refreshing – he just wanted to finish the half marathon. I was so proud of him because he is generally an extremely competitive individual. EXTREMELY. And I don’t mean competitive with just other people, he is competitive within himself. You would think that this is a good trait, and generally it is. But I have witnessed some grizzly bear-like behavior from him in the past because of this competitive streak. The man would probably eat his own young when in this competitive trance. I have to smile when I think about how laid back and relaxed he was about Atlanta though. He finished in less than 3 hours, which is pretty darn good given the fact that he didn’t train a lick the 2 months prior! Way to go Meat, I am proud of you!

As for Jason Simoni and I, the race definitely tested our limits. I am a goals oriented person, so I prefer to be running FOR something or FOR someone. The Miami half marathon, for example, I ran for me because I hadn’t run for myself yet. The Atlanta race was indirectly for me because I ran for my brother, Paul. Paul was killed 3 years ago in Ohio and the tragedy has forever changed our family dynamic. I do not have any other siblings. My parents do not have any other children. Every day is a constant reminder that we no longer have Paul with us here. He would not graduate college. He would not get married. He would not have his own children. He would not be there with me when my parents pass away. Paul is gone and he is not coming back.

The first 18 miles went well, given the fact that Atlanta is covered with hills. Simoni and I attacked the hills going up, and coasted/relaxed on the way down. The problem was, after you ran down one hill, you found yourself going up another… and another… and another. The Atlanta course was by far one of the prettiest and friendliest races, but it was also extremely challenging. I had on a shirt that said “FOR PAUL” on the back, in green to represent the organ donation ribbon color. My shoes were also green with a lapel green ribbon pin I had attached to the right one. My reasoning was that when I wanted to quit, I would probably look down at my feet. That pin was there to remind why I was doing this and whom I was doing it for. People would pass us and say such nice things like “C’mon girlie, you know Paul wouldn’t quit!” and “Paul would be so proud of you.” Every time someone said anything, I would get choked up and I would fight back tears. Simoni would literally hold me up (he was helping me walk for a few miles at this point) and there was a time, at mile 25, that Simoni was holding back the tears too.

Simoni is truthfully the real reason I didn’t quit. After stopping at a med station at around mile 24 or 25 (I truthfully don’t remember which because I was dehydrated, shaking and delirious. Papa Smurf could have been the doctor checking my pulse for all I knew) Simoni and I informed the doctor that I wasn’t stopping now. “I’ve made it this far” was my response. And Simoni wouldn’t let them take me either. After that brief pause, Simoni continued with his motivational speeches. He wasn’t necessarily yelling at me, but he would speak in an intense tone and use cuss words to express his seriousness. “I’m serious, Timmons. You’re not going to quit! If I have to carry your f*+%ing @ss across that damn finish line! I am going to punch you so f*+%ing hard!” What are friends for, right? At that time, I would just nod my head in agreeance, half wondering if he would in fact hit me so hard in the kidney that I would piss blood for a week and half wondering if the Snorks and the Easter Bunny would be waiting for me at the finish line. If I didn’t have Simoni, I probably would have laid down in the grass and wished for the slow van, an ambulance or the Mystery Machine to come pick me up. I am not sure if it was because of the hills or the heat (they had record highs that day. Go figure.) Or because people kept reminding me why I was there, but that event was the single hardest thing I have ever done. I have never wanted to quit anything so bad before in my life – and I am not a quitter. My mother would never let me quit anything I started (including softball, but repressed memories from little league sports might have to be its own post someday), so I couldn’t quit then and I wasn’t about to start now.

Upon finishing, I slammed on the brakes and began my staggering descent towards the asphalt. Yep, I was going to be one of those weenies who has to get wheeled off the finish line. I was shaking and couldn’t breathe because Simoni and I ran the very last mile together. He was so positive and strong; I have a tremendous amount of respect for him for what he did for me. As if being wheeled away in a wheelchair wasn’t embarrassing enough, a man with prosthetic legs beat Simoni and I and was being treated for his sores in the medical tent right next to me. There were people being given fluids with IV’s, people were getting ice wrapped to body parts and the man with no legs. There were 400 people treated in the med tents and I was one of them.

I guess the funniest thing is, once the marathon was over and we had a day or two of recovery, we already started discussing which marathon we were going to run next. I remember telling my mom that I wasn’t entirely sure why on earth I continually do this to my body, but somewhere in the depths of my brain and my muscles, I must like doing it. Otherwise, why would I want to do it again… and again… and again? Our next race will hopefully be New York. I hope you are proud, Paul.

Where does it get me?

2007-03-19T17:20:00.000-04:00

I was sitting at a student desk, waiting for a meeting to start today, when I announced that I had set up a new blog. My colleagues were interested and even one decided to read it right away. (I felt so special!) Rather than appreciate the blog in its entirety, the others simply asked what it was about. I informed them that I had an awakening, literally, on Sunday morning when I got out of bed and nestled into the couch to watch CBS Sunday Morning with my husband. I had come to the realization that teaching is just “hard”. It takes a lot of work to be good at what you do in anything, and I am not trying to convince others that my profession is more difficult than theirs, but we as educators are taking on more and more with the different (and sometimes difficult) situations our students are facing at home.

The “student and home life” situation will need its own blog entirely! Rather, the comment that caught me off guard is as follows: I was telling my fellow teachers that we have to work very hard in order to be good at what we do. A particular individual responded with “And for what? Where does it get you?” Where does it get me? It doesn’t necessarily transport or move me anywhere in particular, but I began to digest his comment right away and over the next few hours, it "got" me somewhere.

Why do we do anything? Seriously! I mean, why do I run marathons? When you really think about it, why on earth do I torment my body over 26.2 grueling miles in half a day’s time? Why do I spend the time and energy over months and months to train and prepare myself for just 5 hours? Why do I run so hard that I am sore for 3 days and my heel bleeds from running in the rain? Why do I set goals for myself? Why do I get excited when it gets closer and closer to race time, when they shove you into chutes like herds of wild mustangs waiting to be branded? Why do I even bother?

Maybe I’m just a competitor. Maybe I enjoy challenges. Maybe I like the sense of accomplishment. Maybe it’s all or none of these. But, knowing that I tried my hardest and did the best that I could on that particular day, well, I just sleep better. My mind is more at ease, my stress levels drop and I don’t beat myself up for not trying harder. There is nothing heavier than regret – regretting not to say something to someone, regretting not to plan better, regretting not taking advantage of a situation that could make use of your full potential. My college volleyball coach gave me some advice that still sticks with me to this day. I was just having a rough week in practice, and I guess I wasn’t performing up to his standards, so he called me into his office. He sat behind his huge cherry desk and informed me, very nonchalantly, of all of my shortcomings and imperfections on the court. I truthfully don’t even remember him saying anything positive. I sat there for a moment, stunned and trying to think of how I could defend my efforts, so I simply told him that I was trying my best. His response: Sometimes your best isn’t good enough. You know what? He was right.

Sometimes your best isn’t going to be good enough, but at least you have the peace of mind knowing that you tried. I am not sure if that is enough for everyone, regardless of their profession, but it’s good enough for me. I don’t need the mansion, the Benz, the fat bank account and the recognition… I just want to do my best.

When your tail is so short...

2007-03-18T10:52:00.000-04:00

It happened. I have been bitten by the blog bug so now people can finally take a glimpse into the simple and sarcastic world that my brain inhabits. I have given it much thought, about what to write today, and I have finally landed on a theme that I know some people will truly understand.

I am in my 3rd year of teaching middle school science. I absolutely love my profession and I readily enjoy working with my team of teachers and the kids we have. But (and there is always a BUT), I have never worked harder in my entire life to make meaningful lessons and projects, to ensure that I am reaching the most students I possibly can as well as creating applicable assessments. Our planning times are muddied up with meetings, student-parent conferences, training segments and committee obligations. Don’t get me wrong, I fully comprehend the importance of each and every one of these events, but it cuts into the time I feel is needed in order to me to “be” a successful teacher.

Regardless of the time constraints, the weekend planning and the late night grading sessions, I still want to be good at what I do. And honestly, I feel like I am finally becoming a real teacher. Experienced teachers always told me that you really do not start "coming into your own" as an educator until about your 3rd year. I remember brushing that advice off like a gnat at a barbeque, you know, as if I "knew so much with my tail being so short". I have no qualms admitting it now though, Dad - you were right.

Nothing prepares you for your 1st official year. NOTHING. No college degree (and no masters degree for that matter), no student-teaching interning experience and no amount of preparation even comes close to priming yourself for your own classroom with your own kids and your own activities. All of the above mentioned activities are simply warm-ups for what your classroom might be like.

I liken the 2nd year of teaching to your beginning teenage years. You still feel awkward, clumsy and question whether or not you are going to amount to anything, just like at that middle school dance where you wanted to slow dance with an 8th grade boy named Matt but you were too nervous he would say no. You want to be a good teacher and you want your kids to be good students, but there is still something lacking in that final equation: experience.

My 3rd year is coming close to its end and I can vouch that I have finally blossomed into something. Something great? No, not yet. But I will get there, someday. I think another important aspect of teaching is that you must never be completely satisfied, you must never feel like you are the epitome of the perfect educator and you can never stop teaching and learning yourself.

To all of you teachers out there, young or experienced, aspiring or retired…

Thank you and good luck.