Team Lazer Explosion

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

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

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?

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

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

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.