I am JUST a teacher

Recently, I caught myself saying that very statement when my husband and I were opening up junior savings accounts for our two offspring.  I hate hearing that and I even hate hearing myself utter those words.  

A few days later, a student of mine informed me that “teachers have it so easy, all you have to do is grade.” 

“All I do…is GRADE?” I asked.

“AND you get winter break and summer’s off too!  You have it so easy!” 

Maybe it was the lack of sleep from my 8 month old teething.  Or maybe it was the fact that I have been so busy with trying to be a good mom, a good wife AND a good teacher that I was placing my own personal needs (i.e. jogging) on the back burner.  Whatever the reason, I literally ran through the gamut of emotions.  I was stunned at first, because this kid was a sophomore and I was shocked at the audacity.  I then was angry.  Angry because his statement clearly didn’t stem from his own observations and it more than likely, probably originated from his parents.  Then I was livid.  Livid that because of all the things I do throughout a day, a week, a year mean nothing because the public perceives me as my profession and apparently, grading is the extent of what I accomplish.

My initial reactions used to be rage, but now I matter-of-factly comment, "If you think we get paid so much to do this piece-of-cake job, why aren't you a teacher?"  

Being “just” anything needs to be eliminated from our lexicon.  Completely.

Being “just” a secretary or just a teacher or just a firefighter degrades not only the profession, but the people who are dedicated to being those things.

I am more than just a teacher.  I am a counselor, a mentor, a researcher, a leader, a copy repair woman, a coach, a collaborator, a multi-tasker and an advocate for children.  We have the patience of saints most days and bladders made of steel because we are not permitted to leave children unsupervised in our classrooms.  We are excellent at wolfing down lunch in the 30 minutes we are allotted while responding to parent emails or grading lab reports.  We assist kids with discovering what it is they want to do with their lives and where they can do to make it happen.  We are shoulders to cry on when break ups happen, when their parents lose their jobs and when reality falls short of their dreams.  We are social workers who purchase classroom supplies and clothes with our own money for kids who are homeless (true story).  

 We are not just workers within a building, we make the school a school and an institution of higher learning.  And we are not as dumb as some might think, as the majority of teachers I work with have masters degrees and accreditations beyond.  We are experts in our craft, managing classrooms of up to 30 teenagers, engaging them in thoughtful discussions and showing them where to find the right answers without telling them.  I dare those who believe our jobs to be easy to walk into a classroom full of hormonal teens, eager to test you on your content knowledge, all the while texting on their phones and thinking more about the weekend than the phases of mitotic division.  Taxpayers send us their most prized possessions during the day, entrusting us with exposing their children to information and knowledge no one else has.  It’s an interesting notion to consider that we “just” teachers spend more time with your children than you do.  

Yet, we are “just” teachers and all we do is grade.

I do not expect others to fully comprehend what it takes to do my job, but I do expect others not to be so judgmental and assume that a particular job is simpler than another.  I do not assume being an electrician is easy.  Or a lawyer.  Or a car salesman.  I’m positive there are layers upon layers of responsibilities those professions have that I am unaware of.  

My colleagues and I work very hard at what we do, yet I am constantly reminded that the public rarely has a clue as to what our days entail.  I’ve read that teachers, on average, work 9 to 14 hours a day, so by the time winter break rolls around, we have actually accrued enough time to justify our summer vacation.  We chose to be teachers – it wasn’t like we couldn’t cut it in molecular genetics or sociology or economics.  The majority of us actually enjoyed those courses and that’s what propelled us into this profession: to share our enthusiasm for learning with others. 

It is interesting to note that I actually was accepted into a nursing graduate program and a masters education program the same year at Ohio State and I had to make the decision of which profession to pursue. 

Teaching was not my plan B.  It was my first choice.

We are not just teachers.  We love what we do and we chose this profession knowing full well that we would not be millionaires.  We enjoy the challenges that are thrown at us every day and we celebrate the successes and milestones with our students.  We enjoy the breaks and vacations just as much as our students do because it gives us time to recharge our batteries and regroup before we get to start all over again with a new batch of kids.  I always joke with my students that vacations are for the teachers, not the kids, because I am mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted by the time June arrives.  And that’s because we work hard at what we do – we take this profession seriously.  And it’s about time the public took us and our profession seriously too.

The Problem(s) with No Child Left Behind

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.

Kids never cease to amaze me…

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/s² for 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.

To My Everyday Hero

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.

And so it begins. . .

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.