When Data Matters

As noted previously, the Commonwealth's Joint Committee on Education has taken up a discussion on whether or not to raise the cap on Charter Schools.  While I worked the entirety of my career in a non-charter environment (10 year private schools, 20 years public), I do have a bias on the topic. It concerns me when a corporation, such as Sabis or Kipp, runs the school. It concerns me that the funding of corporately managed charter schools comes from a local cash-strapped district. And it concerns me when the make up of the student body is not a mirror of traditional public schools in the same district. When charter schools adhere to what was their initial charge - to become incubators of innovations in education and to share their findings - that is a good reason to engage with charter schools.Suzanne Bump, Massachusetts State Auditor, testified before the Joint Committee this week. She was not testifying to encourage or discourage lifting the cap. The State Auditor wanted to exam the claims that counts of students on waiting lists were inaccurate, that there are inconsistencies in charter renewals, and the charge of lack of collaboration between public schools and private schools. Here are her words:

It had been my hope that an audit would examine not just the topics I mentioned. Another goal had been to get meaningful, unbiased, and complete data so that when this annual debate next took place, you and the public would have access to more facts. I have long believed in, and as State Auditor am committed to, the notion that better information makes for better public policy.We especially wanted to know whether the student bodies of charters shared the demographic characteristics of the sending districts, as the law requires, and whether there were measurable differences in the academic outcomes of the competing systems.

And the result?

As the audit indicates, however, we could not answer those questions because we found the data collected and published by DESE to be unreliable.

Is this the very same "data" that the Governor used to plead for increasing the cap on Charter Schools? Data that the State Auditor characterizes as "unreliable"?Please, please, please read the two-page remarks for yourself. My data mantra has always been "garbage in, garbage, out". That surely seems to apply here and it is not a good basis on which to make important educational decisions.One final quote from Ms. Bumps' remarks, sums it up:

This is the 21st century. We have the brain power and we have the ability to get the information necessary to inform our decision-making, so let's base decisions about the future of our kids, our economy, our society on facts

Yes. That is exactly when data matters.

We Reap What Ed. Policy Has Sown

So this week's head-scratching story of Ahmed Mohamed and his engineering project, a clock, brings us to the" why".  As in why didn't anyone recognize the use of a circuit board to make a clock in a high school engineering project.  There are, of course, the deeper, darker parts of this story. Prejudice, poor judgements, all had a large role in this student's treatment. Deny if you must, but had this object been a real incendiary device, the school would have evacuated immediately without waiting around for someone to make a definitive call on what it was.But there is, for me another undercurrent that impacted this event.  Why didn't the school, i.e., the teacher, recognize that this was not a bomb, that it was a physical science/engineering project?For most of the last 20 years that I taught in public schools, science was not part of the school day.  That's right - no time for science. Or social studies. Several years ago, there was a superintendent in my school district who told us to teach science through reading. Seriously. Sorry kids, no explorations for you.Time in the day that might have been spent teaching science or social studies was allocated to improving reading, writing, and math scores. Or test preparation.  To be fair, districts have begun to recognize that teaching science and social studies is essential to a good education and so, for the last 2 years, we have had district mandates for including actual science and social studies (experiments, labs, simulations - not "just reading about it"). Schools struggle to incorporate STEM and STEAM and social studies into school days, but the damage of ignoring these subjects has already been done.Is there any question that, after 20 years of being ignored, our students - some of whom are now teachers - don't have a basis in science to recognize when a clock is just a clock?

There Are Consequences

We teach students that there are consequences for their actions and choices. Well, there should be consequences for the INaction of adults as well.Teachers, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers and custodial workers have been without a contract in Lowell for over 450 days. My understanding - as I am recently retired, I no longer attend union informational meetings - is that this is driven by several factors. Included in the list of factors would be cancelled and perpetually postponed meetings of the negotiating teams. That in itself surely does not indicate that contracts are of high - or actually any - priority.I've heard the reports of concessions, not the specifics. However, it is an election year; it would not be unreasonable to think some who are negotiating the contracts with the Unions would like to make a grand political statement.With tight municipal budgets, no one is expecting exorbitant monetary increases, like the 15% pay raise I learned of for a first-year hire at a private corporation. And just as a point of interest, even retirees (not from this past June, but all prior retirees) received a cost of living raise of 3% from the Commonwealth's Teacher Retirement Board.  (The details and the history of which are found here.)I am concerned by the reports of demands in the negotiations. No, I don't know specifics, but asking for additional time (longer days? less preparation? longer school years?), giving back previously negotiated benefits, those things represent a disrespect for the talented people who make this school system one of the best achieving urban districts in Massachusetts.One financial impact of this is that, hard-earned pensions are calculated based upon a salary rate that has not changed for 450 days. For those who may not know, pension benefits are based on a formula which includes an average of three highest years of earning (for most teachers, that would be the last 3 years of service). Thus, the pension that recent retirees have earned will be impacted for the rest of their lives. That's not insignificant. Nor is it fair.The consequence?  I am a registered voter who is doing due diligence. I am watching the field of candidates for school and city offices. The consequence of inaction, will indeed be action.

Walking Manhattan, 02 September 2015

This week, in place of starting a new school year as I have done for the past 30 years, I escaped for a mini-break to Manhattan. We purposely timed this trip to coincide with the first days of school in hope that a distraction would, well... distract me.One of our days in Manhattan was a walking day. We started at the Brooklyn Bridge, walked across toward Manhattan and then through lower Manhattan to the site of the World Trade Center.Over 30 years ago, we visited New York and the observation tower of the World Trade Center. It was a magnificent structure and I remember feeling it sway with the wind.Standing on the site of the towers today, viewing the reflecting pools and WTC Memorial is an emotional experience. I spotted this poignant reminder that those who died that day just had the misfortune of going to work on an ordinary September morning, or as I discovered later by looking up this name, finishing up after an extra night's work.

Rest peacefully, Norbert Szurkowski.

Devalued + Demoralized = Teacher Shortage

The New York Times has a good read today stating what nearly every educator in the U.S. could have predicted: indications showing the beginnings of a teacher shortage in the U.S. Read the article here.According to the author, because there aren't enough teachers available to hire, urban districts across the U.S. - including Providence, RI right here in New England - are resorting to hiring teachers as "interns" who then are assigned a mentor (yeah!) and simultaneously complete a credentialing program at a university. Notice the word, simultaneously. That means the new teacher hired to be in a classroom has not been trained in nor exposed to such things as classroom management, child psychology, and pedagogy. Minor stuff, right?Here's something that doesn't surprise anyone teaching today. Many educators in classrooms are demoralized. The public has been convinced that educators are lazy, shiftless leeches unable to make educational decisions without a scripted lesson. Teachers are told that our students don't "achieve" as demonstrated by high-stakes, single shot testing created by a multi-national conglomerate with questionable motivation. And our worth as educators continues to be entangled with those scores quantifying whether or not we are effective teachers without regard to other factors. Factors over which educators have no control such as the poverty and eroding support for those with many hurdles to overcome. Demoralized? You bet.Devalued? Well consider for a moment that the candidates who are featured in this article go through a year's credentialing.  The amount of time spent in an induction (mentoring) program is not detailed, but anything less than three years is minimal. Personally, I feel that most of us would have benefited from five years of coaching and mentoring. So with minimal time spent learning how to become an educator and possibly minimal time being mentored to be an educator, what happens? The candidate is termed an "intern" - a technicality - so that person can fill the position while simultaneously learning to be a teacher. Does anyone see a problem here?Given this atmosphere, is it any wonder that there is a teacher shortage? University and college students must be wondering why incur student loan debts for a career in education. Experienced teachers who are well-prepared and, despite arbitrary ratings based on students' test scores, effective, are leaving the profession to retire early (as I did). And others are just plain tired of being trampled on by the press and corporate know-nothings and decide to move on.Teacher shortage? Did anyone really expect a different outcome?

What IS Important to Elementary Kids

The Daily Five Tip of the Week had a wonderful cover story this week. In it, Lori Sabo writes about the lasting impact Joan Moser had on a former first grader, recent high school graduate. In the end, the former student describes her current self through the books she loves.Beyond the well-deserved thanks that Joan received I think is a far more important message to all who work with elementary students. What matters to elementary kids, what they will take away, is a love of learning.Clearly, Joan's former student learned to love to read, not from the rigor of the Common Core (which was not part of our educational landscape 12 year ago), but through the nurturing environment created within the walls of the classroom. That environment included coaching this student through some reading challenges, instilling a sense of confidence and independence, and creating a safe and relaxing physical space to learn.Planning for the upcoming year will inevitably include achievement data and plans for improvement. And there will be pressure to meet incredibly (ridiculously) rigorous curricula. But, hopefully, it will also include some serious thought given to what's important - really important - to elementary students. A place and a space in which to learn to love learning.

Urban Exploring

A year ago, my patient spouse and I moved from an exurb to the city of Lowell, MA. Even though we lived in the center of this (formerly) small town, walking was not an easy activity. In fact the walk score for our former address was 24 - meaning most every errand requires a car.In addition to the advantages of downsizing at this time of our life and letting go of an incredible accumulation of "stuff", we are thoroughly enjoying the advantages of city dwelling. There are real sidewalks here! And the walk score is 94 out of 100.This summer I've made walking around Lowell a priority. There are lots of good reasons for this, not the least of which is walking is good (and painless) exercise.Armed with my iPhone, I try to notice and record at least one part of my walk each day. I'm certainly not a street photographer and an iPhone does not make me Henri Cartier-Bresson, but it's kind of a fun reminder to look around and appreciate what surrounds me.What follows is a compilation of walking around this historic and beautiful city. And we're off to more places to explore.

[embed]https://youtu.be/zVpjaSKU2Cc[/embed]

It's so easy, ANYone can do it

Recently the New York Times published an article revealing some of the back story about standardized test scoring.  Read the story in entirety here.Is there anyone else who finds the bar for test scorers a little low?This year our grade level team struggled to standardize both on-demand and project writing samples. Trust me, there is no sheaf of papers with rubrics that can prepare anyone, let alone a non-educator, for scoring student work consistently - and fairly.In the article, one scorer admitted that at the time of the interview - June 2015 - she was just beginning to get the hang of scoring a piece.  Consider that admission along side the window for test season. What does that statement mean for the other pieces that were scored ahead of this learning curve? Were the scores inflated or deflated?In speaking about the vetting process for scorers, a PARCC spokesperson said

Parcc said that more than three-quarters of the scorers have at least one year of teaching experience, but that it does not have data on how many are currently working as classroom teachers. Some are retired teachers with extensive classroom experience, but one scorer in San Antonio, for example, had one year of teaching experience, 45 years ago.

With all respect, are we to believe that just a year of experience makes one an expert in standards? Or that a former educator with 1 year experience 45 years ago, understands and has unpacked the Common Core Standards?So why not use experienced classroom teachers who presumably have expertise in the standards that are assessed? Well, our friends at Smarter Balance have an answer for that too.

Having classroom teachers engaged in scoring is a tremendous opportunity,” said Tony Alpert, executive director of Smarter Balanced. “But we don’t want to do it at the expense of their real work, which is teaching kids.”

So it's okay for a classroom teacher to spend inordinate amounts of time doing test preparation or proctoring high stakes tests, but participating in scoring would take away from teaching time? Feigning false concern for how teachers use their time - and possibly having to pay for scorers with expertise and knowledge of the standards?Oh right. Anyone should be able to do this.

Becoming Good Neighbors

Our Fourth Graders were charged this year with finding and executing a community service project. Luckily, we needed to look no farther than a small City park about a block from our school. Lincoln Square Park honors our 16th president with a monument erected by Lowell school children in the early 1900s and a small and pleasant green space in a neighborhood surrounded by businesses and multi-family houses right off one of the main roads in and out of the City of Lowell.Several weeks ago, students cleaned the park of a winter's worth of trash and planted a few flowers that we were able to purchase through a student penny collection. It was a great experience for our kids. That day they became park overseers - they are quite passionate when they go back to the park and find a dropped cup or wrapper.One of our community partners, Washington Savings Bank and Vichtcha Kong, learned of our project and gifted the students with a generous donation. This week, we put that donation to use. We re-stained the 6 park benches and added more annuals to the monument area. And the result?Well, the neighbors surrounding the Park are also getting into the excitement of restoring Lincoln Square Park into a slice of green community space.  Yes, there is still trash but it unofficially seems less.As we were staining benches, cars on nearby Chelmsford Street honked and  shouted encouragement to our students. A nearby business owner came over to help me open a container of stain and when the two of us didn't have the right tool to get the lid off, she involved the "guys" from a nearby car repair shop.  Grandparents wheeling babies stopped to ask us what we were doing and thanked us.  Sometimes we just got a smile or a nod, but the appreciation was loud and clear. And for the first time in my memory, we saw several folks just sitting in the park enjoying being outdoors on a pleasant mid-June day. It made me wonder: isn't this what the Park's designers intended?When a school becomes collaborator with the community, just look at what can happen! In addition to being centers for learning, schools must be good neighbors.

What Is Missing In This Era of Teaching

I am a retiring teaching and I am worried. Why?Well, not because of wondering what I'm going to do with myself. I don't know yet, but  that's okay.What I AM worried about is what will happen to our most needy of student populations. Will a public education be available to those kids? Is our education system  morphing into a place where education will not be the great equalizer. A place of opportunity.Recently, the New Orleans Public Schools shuttered the last five of its traditional public schools. That's right, New Orleans schoolchildren will be attending privately run charter schools. Parents must apply to the schools, negotiate school lottery procedures, arrange transportation, and hope against hope that the entity overseeing their child's education is not just in it for profit.Originally conceived as places of educational innovation - education laboratories - 20 years ago when the first charter opened in Minnesota, corporate America has discovered a new profit center. Corporations running charters, such as SABIS, do a disservice not only to the independently-run charters who do encourage innovation, but to students and families.The reasons for corporate American upping their involvement in education have nothing much to do with altruism. Read here about tax incentives and profit center opportunities that have made support of education a less-than-noble effort by corporations looking for a new way to make money.Public education has been my passion for the last 20 years. From where I sit, public schools are the opportunity center for anyone who wants to take advantage of it. Call me naive.Without an equalizing opportunity afforded to everyone, our society as a whole will suffer. Will the rest of education go the way of New Orleans? Time will tell, but the increased influence of corporations over education and education policy do not make me very hopeful.  We test our (human) students over and over and look at the data as if they are widgets on an assembly line. Education power brokers expect results no matter whether the student is hungry, or has been witness to domestic violence that morning.  Quality control, people.My hope for the future? That our leaders grow a backbone and with some conviction, somewhere, somehow stop this nonsense before the disenfranchised of our society have less hope of achieving the American Dream.

Best Teacher on Earth?

One of the joys of teaching elementary-aged students is receiving a card emblazoned with #1 Teacher or similar sentiments.  A few weeks ago, one of my students wrote out a card telling me I was "the best teacher on Earth."I'm not sure I feel about how deserved that honor is. You see, lately I think I might better be called a test proctor, not a teacher.Since we administered our first state test in the March Round - an 18 hour test extravaganza spread over 3 days - our students have endured a 40-question Math Benchmark, Math Module tests (3!), Fountas/Pinnell Reading Assessments  (administered individually), and SRI computerized reading tests. In the middle of all this testing, students also completed 2 days of state testing in mathematics.Now with 11 days until school ends, instead of enjoying a more relaxed class atmosphere, students are completing yet another Module test, a computerized assessment for a CAI program, and a progress monitoring Math test.With all this testing going on, when do we actually teach? I'm not sure I can tell you that exactly. In between?Take a look at all the time lost to testing in the last 2 months.  Staggering and concerning, isn't it?  And what does the assessment show? It shows we can give lots of tests and that the kids have a good level of stamina for testing. Beyond that, we're often so busy administering assessments that taking a thoughtful look at results and what they mean for instruction never seems to get done. If we can't learn anything about what is working or not working for our students, what is the point?This week, my colleagues across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are attempting to raise public awareness. We don't need all the time taken away from instruction to complete assessments show us what students need.We need #lesstesting.

Community Service

This year, one of our efforts as a school community was to engage our students in community service.  I personally think this is a great idea, especially for mid-elementary students who can be somewhat egocentric.  It's a big wide world out there!Fortunately for us, our service opportunity was within walking distance of our urban school.  Nearby Lincoln Square Park holds a monument to our 16th President and school namesake.  In 1908, Lowell schoolchildren raised money toward the monument's placement, so it seemed an appropriate connection to history to do something at this spot. This link leads to more information about the monument and its recent restoration.With the help of some outstanding community partners - Washington Savings Bank, Four Seasons Landscaping, and the Steve Purtell of the City Park Department - and our school community, students swept, raked, and picked up this beautiful gem of outdoor space in Lowell.  This was the first time planting experience for many of our students. They learned to dig in plants, tap plants out of containers, and even to use rakes and shovels.But most of all, our students learned that to make a public space pleasant and enjoyable, it takes effort and is the responsibility of everyone in the community.What better lesson could there be?

What We Have Here Is A Failure to Communicate

This weekend, our grade level was asked to give some feedback on communication, or lack thereof, in our school.  As further proof that everything in life can be explained by movies, these lines spoken by Stother Martin in Cool Hand Luke popped into my head immediately:

 What we have here is a failure to communicate.

Communication on every level is one thing that makes or breaks a school's culture. I've worked with some really great communicators over the span of 30 years.  Here are some things that I've learned are important: Is the message always top-down? Collaborative decision-making can be less expedient. Why are major decisions and messages always delivered by administrators? Is it for expediency of delivering a consistent message or is it because it's easier to just make the decision at the top?Group decision making takes extra time and effort because the group having the discussion must hear all the points of view and then negotiate the final message. I believe that a healthy debate of topics is a sign of a group/team that respects each other. We teach our students accountable talk, why is it so impossible for adults to practice the same talk moves? We need to stop the "pants-on-fire" method of decision making and allow vertically grouped staff to have discussions and make decisions that may not please everyone, but will allow all voices a time to be heard.Is the reasoning known? One of my relatives gave my son and husband each shirts many years ago. Matt's said "But why?" and Adrien's "Because I said so."For administrators and leaders, it must be much more expedient to say "this is the way it's going to go", end of story. But "because I said so" is a sign of the micro-management that signals a death knell for collaborative cultures. It dis-empowers (is that even a word?) those who are doing the actual teaching. It squashes any chance of finding a creative solution to a "problem", whether the problem is big or small. And it takes the voice away for the ones who are going to do the task. Sometimes those of us on the ground floor can see a problem that those with a wider view cannot.Is it timely? Last minute changes happen, everyone understands that. But a constant stream of last minute important information is not only frustrating, it makes people (me) resentful. As good as they are subs and paraprofessionals cannot deliver instruction the way a teacher can; teaching today and teaching with the Common Core standards is more complicated than "open your book to page 109".  Plans that are rewritten or simply rehashed on the fly are mostly a waste of time for students.I want to know how long someone has been sitting on the information.  This week I got a notice for a special education meeting on Friday - the day of the meeting. I got an email about it on Thursday. There was no time to prepare data for the meeting. How professional does that appear?What does success look like? In contrast, this week our Literacy Coach took time during Common Planning to step my grade level through all the (known) events upcoming for the last 6 weeks of school. While it makes my head spin, I appreciated how she communicated what was expected to be accomplished by year-end and now can approach planning more thoughtfully.  She also willingly adjusted some dates to accommodate year-end events our grade level wanted.  Collaborative? Check. Timely? Check. Reasoning explained? Check.  Now that's successful communication.

Cramming or Happiness?

I can't be alone in thinking that this stretch of the academic year could be better used.  We have been practicing for state tests, administering state tests, and administering district assessments since March. Here we are 2 months later getting ready for the next round of state assessment and end-of-year assessments.If you are ready to say "uncle", raise your hand.Recently I heard suggestion made that we should "double up" on our mathematics instruction so the students would have more math exposure ahead of the MCAS.  Think about that for a moment.I enjoy math and I actually enjoy TEACHING math. But I don't think force-feeding math standards down kid's throats in anticipation of state math assessments is good for anyone. Remember college and cramming for a final? Well, this is just as effective, except the people cramming are 10 years old.What makes my students happy and excited these days is science.  So far I've been able to resist the suggestion to bag science instruction and cram for a math test.  I'll continue to do this even in the face of state testing and suggestions that my class is "behind" the district schedule. Why? Because for some of my students, it is the highlight of their day.Why does school need to be so full of drudgery and test preparation and sticking to artificial schedules that do not reflect developmental learning? Ten year olds need to be filled with the excitement of discovering something new, of making sense of something; they need to learn to love learning. And if that something is science (or math, or reading or writing), then that's where we will be going.Learning should be happiness.

Help Wanted.

Our current Assistant Principal is retiring as is our Superintendent of schools.  Selection Committees, Blue Ribbon Panels, all are busy vetting candidates to find the best possible match for our school(s). So even though my own career days are numbered (and no one listens to the "old guy" anyway), I have a few thoughts.One. A school leader, no matter the level, needs to have a strong background in teaching.  More than 5 years, although I know of several outstanding administrators with less teaching experience. Those people are exceptions and exceptional - grab them. But for most administrators, a wide-ranging experience as a teacher is needed. Think of it as a reality head slap.Two. Don't be afraid to hire someone who seems "smarter" than you. As a 30-year-old, I learned to play tennis recreationally. Want to know how I got better at it? I played with people who could whiz a serve right past me. It was terrifically humbling and made me want to do better. Never play your game down, play it up.Three. Be a listener. If you don't understand what someone may be telling you, ask them to re-explain it. As many times as it takes. Then make your decision.  Early in my career, I disagreed voraciously with my then-administrator. We eventually agreed to disagree - after all SHE was the one responsible for the decision's impact. But I felt listened to. I felt I had a voice even if the ultimate decision was not what I would have wanted.Four. Get in there and get dirty. One of my favorite administrators did that my first year in a new school. She led by example and modeled exactly what she expected of each of us.  Taking the time to work with even an experienced teacher was one of my all-time career favorite moments. I learned and continued to apply those techniques even after she retired.Five. Research on practice is great, but be sure it has been judiciously applied. Not all research will be valuable to all students. Try. Reflect. Adjust. Be strong enough to tell the emperor he has no clothes on (that's a tough one on an "at will" contract).Six. Read your staff CVs. Who is it that is working in your building? What about that person's strengths and background can be used to greatest value? You may come away surprised.It is most difficult to be a school administrator. It's difficult to be any level of educator. You end up holding the responsibility for lots of things and sometimes leading a staff is like herding cats.But your students, parents, and teachers are all relying on your leadership to move us to reach higher than we thought possible.

To whom are you accountable?

We were asked that very question during a faculty meeting presentation yesterday.  Oh there are layers and layers of accountability in the education world in which we live: administrators, students, parents. Yes, we are all accountable to them. Family members, significant others? Those people too.My answer? I am accountable to me.I am accountable to me for what I do in my profession. And for acting to improve those things that need fixing in my own practice. If, on reflection, a lesson fails, it is on me to figure that out and fix it. If the students "don't get" what I'm teaching, I am accountable for finding another way for them to access those skills or that knowledge.If I disagree with how I am being told to teach or even what to teach, I am accountable to me. I need to read and research and seek out those who are expert so that I can persuade or disagree or (heavens!) go against the directive and do what is right. Even when it is lonely.Oh there are some "experts" who have the bully pulpit these days who would tell me that my job is to follow directives. Like a sheep.But sometimes I cannot do that.  I am accountable to me.

You are more than a number

We are at that time of the year when high stakes test prep is kicked into gear. I try to keep the required and inevitable test prep low-key and casual, if that's even possible, because, for goodness sake -- the kids are 10! Here in my urban classroom, however, the tension and stress can be seen in my students' actions and words. They have already endured round after round of mid-year assessment. Layering MCAS testing on top of that is like dousing your paper cut in hand sanitizer. Some kids are at the breaking point.To O who wondered yesterday if he hadn't been born, would the world (and I) be better off.  You are more than a number.And to A, a kid with a tough exterior, but so hard on herself that tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto her desk because her reading score "wasn't good." You are more than a number.To C who worries if she will "flunk the MCAS" and not go on to Middle School. You are more than a number.To N who just wants to get a 4 on his report card. You are more than a number.To all my sweet, hard-working students, who rise up to meet every challenge I throw at them in the best way that they know how. YOU ARE MORE THAN A NUMBER! And I apologize that you have to go through this.Torn between not giving a rat's behind and giving my students every strategy I can muster so they can get through this unfair and practically useless test is a non-stop debate I have in my head every day. MCAS tests our students on English Language Arts and Composition when we are barely three-quarters of the way through fourth grade. When my kids get their score - or number - how are they supposed to feel?So for you, O and A and N and all of "my" kids, I apologize. You are so much more than a test score to me. You are funny, and enthusiastic, and curious, and talented and challenging, and I would never have wanted to miss out on knowing who you all are. You are more than a number, you are infinity.

Private Sector Burnout - This sounds familiar

I was drawn to this article in the New York Times this morning: Why You Hate Work. Now, there is no way I can say I "hate" the work that I do. There is something uniquely satisfying about teaching even the smallest of skills or ideas to a child. Spiritually, teaching is an incredible opportunity to serve the greater good.But the current atmosphere surrounding educators and education is particularly toxic.Which made this OpEd citing conditions for mainly white-collar workers in corporate America kind of interesting.

Employees are vastly more satisfied and productive, it turns out, when four of their core needs are met: physical, through opportunities to regularly renew and recharge at work; emotional, by feeling valued and appreciated for their contributions; mental, when they have the opportunity to focus in an absorbed way on their most important tasks and define when and where they get their work done; and spiritual, by doing more of what they do best and enjoy most, and by feeling connected to a higher purpose at work.

As I read the article, I thought about how similar burnout in a white-collar environment is to burnout in education. According to this article posted in Forbes, 46% of all new teachers leave the professional within 5 years. Boomer teachers, like me, are finding it nearly intolerable to deal with the onerous working conditions brought on by mandate after mandate undermining what was once an honorable profession.I'm not at all comforted by the fact that those who work in white-collar positions are feeling the same burnout that most educators increasingly experience. I am alarmed. I hope you are too.

It's the poverty stupid

Remember when then-candidate Clinton - Bill, not Hillary - had a sign probably written by James Carville that read "It's The Economy, Stupid"?Well, to paraphrase in this age of educators-can-do-nothing-right, I'd like to say that as anyone who scratches below the surface of education knows, it's the poverty, stupid.The Alternet recently published an article summarizing some recent research concerning the effects of poverty on students. Read it for yourself here. The conclusion indicates that poor school performance is not about poor teacher performance. It is about hunger and trauma and the social ills that come from worrying whether or not your family will have a place to live when you arrive home or how hungry you will be because there is not enough money to buy food. Want to know more? Get your hands on Ruby Payne's A Framework for Understanding Poverty.Educators know that we are not the only factor in a child's academic "success", especially when that success is defined by those who would quantify learning by the correct number of answer bubbles on a high-stakes test.So many factors fall beyond an educator's control and affect our students: medical care, hunger, lack of housing, parents who must work multiple jobs and long hours, and social factors such as the ones mentioned in articles.This week my classroom has been battling the flu. Teaching children basic cleanliness routines, to use soap and water in fact, is not that unusual. Telling a parent that a child with a temp over 102 degrees that a trip to the doctor (or more likely the hospital emergency room) was in order - not a dose of Tylenol - is not that unusual.Poverty and trauma affect children at their core. Kids who are hungry, or worried about where they will get their next meal; kids who don't have a safe, clean environment in which to stay outside of school - those kids are not focused on whether or not Choice A or Choice C is the best answer to a test item.Unless we as a society are willing to tackle the ugly and difficult issue of economic equality, I fear the stupidity will continue. It's not just the teacher, it's the poverty.

Ten #whatifs for You, Mr. Duncan

On December 30th, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan posed a question to the Twitter-verse:

What if every district committed both to identifying what made their 5 best schools successful & providing those opps to all their students?

I'm not sure Mr. Duncan was prepared for the response he received from U.S. educators. But then, I'm not sure Mr. Duncan is even aware of what anyone outside of his inner circle might think. So, go ahead, Google #whatif and read some of the responses.I have my own list of educational #whatifs for Mr. Duncan and it goes something like this:

• #whatif local and state (and yes, even national) education administrators spent at least 50% of their time each week observing in classrooms. Real observations, get down and dirty and participate observations? Unescorted.
• #whatif educational practitioners had a voice in decision-making? And that voice was at least listened to? Could teachers be trusted to teach and make decisions about how and when something is taught?
• #whatif lesson planning was less about district-mandated formats and more about creating safe, thought-provoking conversations, experiences and explorations?
• #whatif January was not "test-heavy", but "teach-heavy"?
• #whatif MCAS English Language Arts testing happened at the actual end of an academic year instead of three-quarters of the way through? And by the way, #whatif less time was spent collecting data and more time spent figuring out what kids need through observation and analysis?
• #whatif school schedules allowed adequate time for play? One 10 or 15 minute break in a 6+ hour day? No wonder students act out!
• #whatif parents were allowed to leave work and visit their child in school without fear of reprimand or firing?
• #whatif the Arts were not just an after-thought or prep. What if we actually practiced Gardener's 7 intelligences and could honor students whose strengths and talents lie in different areas?
• #whatif teaching professionals had real collaboration time? Not just an hour or so out of class to give a cursory look at a teaching module.
• #whatif all my students had the basic necessities - food, clothing, a safe place to be before and after school, a roof over their head?

#whatif we all voiced our opinions on this? What would you add?