When Teacher Training is Not Valued

Like a lot of ideas, Teach For America sounds good, but in actuality? Well, that's a decision you would have to come to on your own.  As a nonprofit, TFA's stated slogan is "One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education." Who could argue with that? Creating a Peace Corps type model to work in the most needy of schools is a lofty and worthy goal. As a recently retired teacher from a school with a poverty rate hovering around 90%, I can assure you that teaching students from such backgrounds burns out even the most experienced. It is grueling, and it is exhilarating. Urban districts and other high-poverty districts need enthusiastic educators to reach students.What I object to is the attitude that seems to indicate if one is a stellar graduate or undergraduate in a chosen major, then one can teach without much attention paid to the art of pedagogy.  I will come right out with it - I vehemently disagree. It is insulting to assume that, the process, the science, the art of teaching seems so unvalued. A search of TFA's website shows a "training schedule" in the range of 4-6 weeks. From the perspective of a person who spent 4 years undergraduate, 1 year graduate, countless house in pre-practicums and observations, the message seems clear: anyone can teach and we'll show you how in 6 weeks or less.So why do I care? Well, recently I read a post on a professional list that I subscribe to indicating that the legislative aides of many of our members of Congress are TFA alumni. If that is true - currently I'm researching that using Members' staff lists and Linkedin profiles - then it will be no wonder that educators and education are under-valued and looked down upon.Stay tuned for future posts.

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.

A Chilling Story of Coaching Gone Wrong

Have you read this tale of horrors published in Edushyster? Amy Berard's post "I Am Not Tom Brady", published on July 22, tells of how her school and school district contracted with a group of consultants to improve student engagement and teacher performance. Make that, mostly "improve" teacher performance.Picture an experienced teacher being "coached" by 3 experts huddled around a walkie talkie in the back of the classroom. That's right, this is coaching, school improvement style.  Because if your school or district is targeted for improvements, there must be money for consultants - you know, consultants who have never taught, or are trying out their latest graduate school theory or something they heard from the TV experts filling afternoon airwaves.The group Ms. Berard posts about is from the Center for Transformational Teacher Training and the program - get this - is "No Nonsense Nurturing".I don't know, nor do I care, what the qualifications of the three people "coaching" Ms. Berard might have been, but I know this. Lawrence, like Lowell, has a very high population of students for whom English is not their native language. A teacher  speaking in phrases and incomplete sentences with robotic monotone is poor practice and modeling for English acquisition. And what can "no nonsense nurturing" offer? Nurturing without nonsense? What can that possibly mean?Because of high poverty levels, which, by the way, will not be fixed by employing teachers who speak like robots, urban school districts often are targets of these types of programs. Peter Greene writes of the dangers of using canned programs such as the  one described in Amy Berard's post in the Human-Proof Classroom. (You may need to register with Education Week - free - to see the whole text). Is this the education that our urban students need or deserve? Since when is a teacher making an emotional connection with students, especially impoverished and difficult-to-reach kids, an undesired outcome?There are so many wrongs here. The simple fact that private, money-scavaging "consultants" are empowered to find cash flow in urban districts by offering outrageous programs such as this one, should alarm everyone.And if you think it can't happen in your own school or district, think again. Amy Berard's tale of coaching gone wrong hits pretty close to home - literally. Lawrence, MA, a school district under state receivership, is a quick 15 miles from where I live and where I taught in Lowell, MA. Be vigilant.

The Toyota Principle: Collaboration

Educational leaders could take a page from one of the world's leaders in the automotive industry.Lately, educational leadership types keep trying to model education after industry. One of the problems with that idea is that some aspects of successful companies seems to be conveniently forgotten. For whatever reason, leaders at national and state, and sometimes local levels don't trust highly skilled and trained professionals to know what to do.Listening to "This American Life" on NPR this weekend, I learned about NUMMI which at the time of the original story was a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota. About 15 minutes in, we hear of the Toyota principle of teamwork.Elena Aguilar, a contributor at Edutopia.com,  describes the following characteristics needed by education teams in this article posted on Edutopia, Five Characteristics of an Effective School Team:

1. a common purpose or mission
2. a safe place to take risks
3. respectful disagreement
4. trust and
5. at least one strong leader

Forward to about the 15 minute mark in this link to the story of the Nummi Plant from This American Life. It is at this point in the story, that the lessons educational leaders need to take away from Toyota and the Toyota principle seem to intersect.In the Toyota model, when a team member appears to be struggling, the other team members will ask if that struggling member needs help. This astounds the visiting GM workers. In their California plant, no one offered help; instead the line manager would scold, yell or take other punitive actions.As the interviewees continue to tell the story, we learn about the collaborative nature of the Toyota assembly line.  If there is a problem, any member is expected to voice ideas for resolution. And the ideas are truly listened to; everyone is expected to be part of the solution. According to the interviewees, it was not unusual for a worker on the line to make a suggestion (based on their own observation) and a short time later, the suggested resolution would appear.  Imagine the power of that gesture: Your expertise and opinions are vital to our success.Let's compare that with top-down educational leadership today. Teachers are told what to teach, when to teach it, how to teach it, and how long to teach it. Not much room for listening or collaboration in that model.As I listened to this transformational story, I couldn't help but reflect on what happens in educational "teams" today. One must be very brave to let the schedules slip, even though the reason for missing a "deadline" (i.e., assessment) might have a basis in sound educational practice.So called ed-reformers emboldened by their own monetary success from their time in private industry need to take a look at Toyota's success and perhaps their own business models. Listen to the experts who are working on the front lines; be more of a partner and less of a boss. And let the educational workplace become an environment safer for innovation and solutions.

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.

We Need To Make Time for This!

I've been privileged to teach in a school that embraced the tenets of Responsive Classroom. If you've never been exposed to this program, explore this link. There is a calm sense of purposefulness in Responsive Classroom schools; it begins right from the first days of school when students are explicitly taught expectations for their own behaviors and treatment of other members of the community of learners, but also for the materials and equipment that we use in our classroom. Kids learn to manage conflicts and to care about each other.Unfortunately, much of what we used to do had to be let go. As it stands, the time demands in classrooms exceed the number of minutes in a school day. Something is always slipping out of reach. Unfortunately over the last few years, working through Responsive Classroom has nearly disappeared.The end of a school year is a time when many children feel stressed and worried. They are concerned, naturally, about leaving the comfort of their familiar classroom and teacher and sometimes their school. This is especially true for children of poverty or trauma. Any teacher who has experienced the end of the year with students with socio-economic challenges has seen the Two-Weeks-To-Go meltdowns. It is the overwhelming unknowns that create behavior challenges just when we'd all like to sit back and glide toward a finish line.I have had a challenging group of mainly girls this year. This last week they seem to be unable to stop themselves from being in each other's business. The final tip-off that things were about to blow came this afternoon when one of my students voiced that she didn't think anyone was her friend anymore and a nearby eavesdropper commented, "Well, I don't like you!". Wow! Even I was taken aback by this lack of a filter!So, we stopped what we were working on (Literary Essays), as Writing Workshop was no longer the most important thing to be accomplished. We had to fix our community so that everyone felt they were being treated civilly. We had to resolve those conflicts.Back when we "had the time" for Morning Meetings and community building, our days seemed to go better. Oh there were times when we needed to talk it out - my favorite conflict resolution activity has always been Ruth Sidney Charney's Pretzel activity - but mainly our days started and ended with warmth, calm, and a feeling that together we could accomplish most anything. What has been lost in our high-pressure, inanely over-scheduled days where we hit the ground running and don't stop until dismissal is the chance to work on interpersonal skills.Today was simply the point when students, already feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsure, let me know in no uncertain terms that they need something else. We used some of those principles that Ruth Sidney Charney advocates and cleared the air. My favorite part of today was at the end when one student asked if we could all try to "say something nice" about each other. I knew we were on our way to healing!Even if there are only two weeks left in our school year, we are going to pass on those mandated must-dos and find a way to become a community again. Every child in that class deserves to feel safe and welcomed.

Math, Flexible Thinking

My fourth graders had a burning question all year long: How old are you?I'm not so much embarrassed by my age, as I am shocked at how quickly I got to this ripe spot in my timeline.  However, having said that, I do not directly answer that question.Instead, I always give the students an equation on the last day of school. It usually involves a cube root. "But you didn't teach us that!" they complain. And my reply is, "When you learn what that means, you'll have earned the answer to your question."This year one of my fourth graders told me she didn't need to know a cube root to figure out my age. Curiosity engaged, I asked her how she proposed to find the answer to her question."Easy. You told us you were in sixth grade when John F. Kennedy died, so I can figure it out without a cube root." And off she went to find a JFK biography in our class library.Which reminds me of two things. One, be careful what personal facts you reveal. And two, being flexible thinkers in math is just as important as working through an equation.   

And so it goes...

Yesterday, after 360 days together, my students and I said good-bye. From here on, they are off to Middle School and, in all probability, we will not cross paths again. It was, for me, a bittersweet moment. And perhaps it was for some of them as well.We've had our share of challenges and our share of triumphs. In our Morning Meetings over the last week, the kids and I shared what we are most proud of accomplishing and the times when we've been embarrassed. Sometimes I'm grateful Teacher does not see everything.For me, I am proud that the kids have learned that I expect them to persevere. We don't give up. I think that was embodied by their effort in our school-wide tug-o-war. The kids had a strategy for pulling together this year and, even though one class member might have wanted to be in the coveted anchor position, together they decided who, for the common good, would be the best in that position.During the awards assembly, they clapped for each other, congratulated classmates from other homerooms. They made me proud to know them, even for just a little while. When I took a last snapshot with my phone yesterday, the kids insisted it wasn't a "selfie"; it was an "us-ie".So, we go on about our lives. We take different pathways and maybe once in a while we will stop to remember each other and the special two years we spent in each others' company.

Be Extraordinary

Some of my favorite episodes from Grey's Anatomy were those in which Ellis Grey, in real life Sybil Burton, appeared.  The bristly nature of that character often led viewers to think Ellis Grey, who on the surface seemed hard and unfeeling toward her daughter, Meredith, was without maternal instincts.However, in one of her final appearances, Ellis's true feelings for her daughter become apparent as she charged her with the words: be extraordinary.As the mother - or is it the queen? - of Room 206, I find myself cajoling students to take risks and chances in learning situations. And, unfortunately, I sometimes end up accepting mediocrity.Time, outside forces beyond my control, arbitrary rules and regulations, can impede the vision of what I want for "my" kids. I know that given the same opportunities that students from more comfortable, language rich environments, my students can fly, they can be successful at whatever their heart desires. They can be extraordinary.And for that to occur, I need to be extraordinary too.

Change is good

Like lots of teachers, I am burnt to a crisp mentally by the time June arrives. Some years, this happens sooner - usually those are the years that can be identified as curriculum change years.This year has been a particular challenge. You see, this year, everything was new again. I have been teaching for a l-o-n-g time and while I never teach the same things the same way twice - which makes sense, the kids are different and have different needs - one would think there would be something that would be connected to prior years.Not true of the academic year that has just ended. We were charged with changing our math curriculum, our science curriculum, and our English Language Arts curriculum. The level of discomfort with curriculum was pretty high.The amount of time preparing was off the charts. Why? Because anyone in the education field can tell you that those Grade 3-6 materials suggestions are often (mostly) directed toward students in the middle of that grade span.  In other words, we - my grade level team and I - spent inordinate amounts of time trying to find comparable materials to teach our students.My husband tells me that I'm a "magic bullet" kind of person. I am continually looking for the just right solution.  To this end, I discovered a great book by Mike Anderson and published by ASCD: The Well-Balanced Teacher.  If you are a study-guide kind of person, here is a link you might enjoy. FB fiends (guilty!) might like this page.It has been an eye-opening read. And somewhat comforting to know that there are plenty of other educators feeling the same way I do about the need to work smarter and be more balanced.  Ten months of 10- to 12-hour days does not make for a happy, creative teacher.Summer is a time of renewal. A time to reset those parts of my life that have gone out of balance. It is time to make change good.

Life's Lessons in a Commencement Address

Recently I happened upon a video of Steve Jobs giving the 2005 Commencement address at Stanford University.  Having sat through a number of such addresses - and well aware of how rare is the speech that is remembered 30 minutes afterwards - I was curious what, beside the celebrity of the speech-maker, might be the substance that made this video worth watching.If you have 15 minutes, the video is posted here, but there is also a transcript link here.The take-away? Three of life's most powerful pieces of advice - trust your own instincts; don't settle, pursue your dreams; live your life as if today was to be your last.In the current education environment under which I work, it is difficult and near impossible to follow this advice. My instincts tell me that trying to squish a load of (ahem) stuff into the heads of young learners isn't working. It is making for miserable kids who don't excel in the learning mode that is required to perform "successfully" (quotes on purpose). I wonder what the percentage of students who just plain give up might be.I worry a lot about the future of education. Imagine a time when a student being able to pursue the study of something like calligraphy either in high school or college, just because. There is far too much pressure on students and on their training to be successful after graduation(s). Had Steve Jobs not taken the path through college that he did, Apple's dedication to elegance of design in all things Apple, from fonts to hardware, may not have happened.I am at a turning point in my career - I don't have many years left to do this thing that I love so well. "Don't settle, pursue your dreams...." and "live each day as if it were your last." Is what is happening in classrooms today the way I want my students to remember their early education? When the answer is no, there is work to be done.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Do You Loop?

This week my principal approached me with an intriguing question - would you be willing to loop to fourth grade with your students?I needed a little time to think about that, but not for the reasons you might assume. My hesitation had nothing to do with a repeat year with my students, some of whom have been quite a challenge this year.You see, I've been in my classroom space for the past 6 years; the thought of moving (again) was just depressing. Imagine the amount of treasure I've saved in those closets "just in case". Secondly, not all of our classrooms have been equipped with the projection and MOBI technology that we have been using this year. Would my "new" space - because I would be trading classrooms with a colleague from Grade 4 -- have this technology installed?In the end, of course I said yes. The fourth grade teacher with whom I will share this adventure is similarly excited and we've already begun to meet to toss around ideas for making transitioning easy for both of us.I look at my students differently already. I know I get an opportunity to start a school year with them at an advantage: they already know me (and my limits) and I know them too.So while I needed a moment to consider this idea, I am excited to start planning and preparing for another year with the same students. And I am looking for advice from teachers who have done this. Do you loop?

Monitoring Language

Teaching in an urban educational setting has many challenges. Of course, there are challenges associated with trauma and with poverty and other social problems.One of the greatest challenges, in my opinion, is to work with students whose primary language is not English. In my current classroom, the ratio of native English speakers to English Language Learners, or ELLs is about 1:3. Just to be clear, 17 of the 23 students are acquiring English and learning in English simultaneously.I have a lot of admiration for my ELLs.  First of all, I attempted to learn a foreign (to me) language - and not just as a whim in high school.  After about 30 minutes of the teacher speaking to our group in the new language, in my case Italian, I thought my brain was going to burst. Hanging on to my minimal grasp of Italian and understanding about 10 percent of what was being said is exhausting! By the end of a three-hour class, I could have curled up into the fetal position and never come out.In a classroom with such a large percentage of ELLs, we accommodate English and English acquisition all of the time. We work with realia, we check in and monitor when vocabulary is incomprehensible, we shelter our students' learning as they acquire the language in which they are expected to work and perform.One of the most important things I think I do for my students is insist on speaking. If that seems like a "duh" moment, realize that when managing 23 personalities in group discussion and activity how easy it is to accept a head shake or pointing or some other gesture in place of using words.I - and we - accept gestures in communication all of the time. The importance of using verbal communication is in learning the constructs of English and in increasing the vocabulary word bank of my ELLs.Even after so many years in this teaching environment, I catch myself accepting nonverbal communication from my students. It is an easy habit to slip back into - for both of us! But it is one habit that we constantly monitor because the success of my students who are acquiring English as they work in English depend upon it.

Blaming the Common Core?

This morning's Washington Post carried an Op-Ed piece by Deborah Kenney, founder of Harlem Village Academies. Unlike many charter schools run by large (overseas) conglomerates trying to turn education into cash cows, this charter appears to have pedagogy and students at the center.The question Ms. Kenny poses? Is the Common Core causing school experiences to become rigid, developmentally inappropriate, prison-like experiences? Or is it poor pedagogy? Or is it something else?I started examining the Core when it first came out - partially because of my interest in mathematics curriculum development.  I do believe having the road map for instruction that comes out of the Core is beneficial. I know I may be lulled into subtly lowering expectations for my students because the topic is difficult or because there is some roadblock to students' learning. Checking adherence to the rigor that is expected of most students at grade level serves as a reminder of the goal and expectations.The contrasting examples Ms. Kenny cites - a Kindergarten class learning about verbs through interactive and directed play and the class where students didn't speak except for a rote response to a drill activity on the same topic - point to what I believe is the giant release the core gives teachers. Or at least what it should give us: we are free to address the standards in whatever way our students need. This is the aspect of the Common Core that excites me, the potential to address the curriculum as creatively as I want.Instead of relying on a textbook, series, or program, what if we plan collaboratively with our colleagues for the students we have in front of us without fear of reprimand for not using some mandated materials? Instead of using a textbook as a Bible, use it as a resource -- go to it when necessary? Unpack those standards, understand what happens vertically as well as in our own grade level.Raise your hand if you've seen large textbook publishers "correlations" to state or Common Core standards. Did they make sense to you? Well, most of the time they didn't to me either.  It seems as if those correlations are marketing materials aimed at purchasing agents within districts. The connections to what we are teaching seem truly fuzzy. Okay, I'll say it..... they are bogus. A lot of the time.As one of a team of teachers aligning our available materials to Common Core math standards, I frequently hear teachers complain that they have to go looking for materials. That's a fact, but it is a fact by design. There are many inventive teachers out there who relish the chance to tap into their creativity and deliver meaningful and memorable lessons.Our students deserve a rigorous education. They deserve one that is not stifling, or rigid, or devoid of the joy of learning. What we need is time to collaborate, time to research best practice, time to unpack standards.  

Well, That Was Ugly

I have always thought it important for students to learn to work cooperatively. When I worked in the private sector, we worked as teams or groups - almost never without some kind of interaction with colleagues.  Kids need to know how to work in collaborations, too.  And so, we set out this week to work in cooperative groups to create "rules" for defining two-dimensional polygons.I modeled the expected outcome (a chart listing the attributes of the four polygons each group was investigating). I semi-randomly created groups of 4 students with one eye on creating a heterogeneous group. Defined and had students take on group jobs - recorders, materials, etc. And sent the groups on their merry way to focus on the task.Which failed miserably. Why? Because despite our attention to polite dialogue (one student ended up telling her group to "shut the hell up"), the task of working with others needed to be broken down further. Even the simple - or so I thought - task of choosing one out of the four to record on chart paper was unattainable. I ended up spending much of the period on how to choose a recorder, what the responsibilities might be for the materials manager, etc.Clearly, this is something my students and I need to work on aggressively. After we re-gathered in our meeting spot to talk about what was not working, I knew we needed to work much more diligently on getting along in a group so that the task (remember that?) actually is completed. Yes, this is a very egocentric group; many try to have private conversations with me at the same time! But we need to learn how to get along in a group and how to negotiate working under group dynamics.And that, my friends, was the take-away from that math lesson.  

Music To The Rescue

In a past life I was a musician and a music teacher.  While I lacked the talent and drive to become a professional musician, music has always been something I've enjoyed.In our classroom, when students need to complete a transition from one activity to the other - for example, universal breakfast clean up to Morning Meeting - we play music. We began the year with Pachelbel and are working on Bach at the moment.My students love to talk - usually to me and all at once -  they talk a LOT. And while I understand and encourage this as part of their processing and language acquisition, it can get pretty loud. When we're in Writing Workshop, there are definitely times I want them talking out loud, but there are times when I'd like them "talking" with their pencils and pens.One day this week, as I was preparing to release my students to their writing tasks, I started explaining to them that I would like to begin experimenting with background music during Writing Workshop.  As I write - even now - we have classical music playing in the background so why not?  This was, as many things about teaching are, unplanned.It was not an instant success -- it took a couple of starts before I could convince my students that they didn't need to try to talk over the music. But over the course of the last three days, the background conversations - the ones that were not about writing - have been replaced so that Writing Workshop is most definitely a more focused work period.Yesterday, one of my friends approached me in amazement saying "we wrote quietly the whole time!" And so they did.  Music to the rescue.

What do you want?

A friend of ours posted this article from the Washington Post yesterday. The Post article largely relies on a piece by Arthur H. Camins, and in my opinion rightly so.  Mr. Camins explores two essential questions that should be driving the dialogue about education and teaching: when do you persist to do your best and what kind of experience do you want for children in school?It's that second question that has been on my mind. And the experiences that my students - "my" children - have today is nothing even close to what I'd want them to experience.  In the last 10 days, 17 of the 23 have endured 2 days of standardized English Language Learner (ELL) ACCESS testing in reading, listening, and writing PLUS an additional one-to-one test session to assess their speaking skills. When we finished up last Thursday, even the native speaking kids applauded!We've also had to test all of our students using Scholastic Math Inventory, District Benchmark, Unit post-testing, next unit pre-testing, and Scholastic Reading Inventory.Lately it seems that if we're not actually taking a test, we're getting ready for one.  This is definitely NOT what I'd like my students to experience. Can we put the No. 2 pencils down now?What would I like?More time to play at recess. Social skills and executive function notwithstanding, such little time at recess means kids don't have a chance to blow off some of that pent-up energy.Opportunities to teach inquiry based science and social studies.  With all due respect to a former superintendent of schools, no, children do not learn science by reading a textbook.  They need to discover it.A chance for a do-over when it is needed. Not every one "gets" a concept the first or even second time around. Lock-step learning is dumb on so many levels. When the children have a natural curiosity about exploring a topic we are in the midst of, we should be able to continue down that path without fear of falling behind.Accountability is here to stay. I get that. But between the constant assessing, distrust of teachers as professionals who know how to do their job and the climate of privatization of education, have we allowed the bean counters to take all the joy out of learning?I want my students to learn love learning and to question. That is what I want for "my" students.

Deciphering technology

Just before the holiday break, our new technology - Mobi 360 - arrived. Hopefully the wireless projector that is part of this system will have been installed before Wednesday when we return to school.  Hopefully I will be able to make it all work the way it was intended.We tried out the system the Thursday before going home.  The Pulse units operate like clickers and each student is assigned one to use for class.  I put our weekly vocabulary test into a Powerpoint slideshow and the kids took the test using their new technology.  Outside of two children who had pressed some combination of buttons and disassociated from the Mobi receiver, it was fun and quick AND yielded immediate data without hand correcting.I love it when technology provides an improvement in delivering instruction or in  gathering assessment data. I love when technology provides some motivation for students.Never a fan of single-minded programs, I've always thought of technology applications in education as part of a tool-kit.  After all, I use technology with a purpose, not just because it's there.Mobi is, of course, going to take some adjustment and preparation on my part. But so far, it looks like a powerful addition to this teacher's toolkit.

The Joyless Pursuit of Excellence

Last Friday as I watched one of my favorite weekly shows (Greater Boston's Beat the Press segment), I heard panelist Margery Eagan describe the atmosphere at the Boston Globe as the "joyless pursuit of excellence". In our local newspaper world, there is no doubt that the Globe is a superb paper and even when I don't agree with their editorial positions, the articles are well-written and in-depth.What I didn't know until Eagan's comment, was this phrase is commonly associated as the motto of (former) editor Marty Baron.The more I considered this phrase, the more powerfully I was struck by its connection to the educational environment today. So often educators - and administrators - talk about the stress of preparing students for assessments, or adhering to standards of achievement. I  don't know anyone really who isn't committed to their students and to helping those children learn, yet we are all always feeling as if what we do does not measure up.Even the joy of seeing a student who is (finally) "getting it" becomes overshadowed by the fear that it wasn't on the time schedule thought up by some faceless bureaucrat in a faraway place well-insulated from actual children.Certainly we all want to be excellent educators, and more to the point, we want our students to be excellent too. But as to joy? Those moments seem elusive.I don't have a solution except to become more cognizant that, along with the stress, we all need a lot more joy. I need to make my journey a more joy-filled pursuit of excellence.

Are we the Borg?

I have to touch the third rail: is education today more assimilation into a one-size-fits-all or is it about reaching a baseline of standards for learning? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZEJ4OJTgg8]I ask this because lately it seems that there is an underlying expectation that we plan or are given one lesson and asked to apply it to every student in a grade level or a district or state. Sometimes even the teacher's dialogue with the students is scripted.But my teacher self - the skeptic that I sometimes am - says this makes no sense. How can a lesson applicable to one set of students work flawlessly with another? The students who make up my classroom change from year-to-year. so shouldn't the instructional delivery also change? The ability to assess where students enter a lesson and how I deliver the instructional supports those students need - shouldn't that be as student-driven and tailored as possible? Wouldn't the teacher in front of those students be the best at reading the room and knowing what to do -- isn't that what you pay me to do?Levels or distrust, disrespect, demonization. Those trends in our popular culture seem to drive the rush to a scripted, and lock-step curriculum. Silly me, I thought a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and a 25-year career might provide me with the tools to at least figure out how to move students from point A to point B.Students deserve more than a scripted curriculum, one that is often developed by profiteers lurking on the edges of education ready to swoop in and make a profit by manufacturing a crisis in education that often is not real.Resistance may be futile - for now. But as long as I'm allowed to teach, I will covertly or overtly continue to resist those one-size, scripted curricula.