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

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

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

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?

"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

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.