Molding the Next Generation of Citizens

I've always enjoyed reading middle level literature written by middle level educators.  Its nice to read about the level I teach at by others who understand the unique challenges of working with adolescents.  While I was reading This We Believe a few points caught my eye.  I kept seeing phrases like "high expectations," "taking responsibility for their lives," and "competent, self-sufficient learners."  This I think is the real challenge and mission of middle level educators.

As a middle level Literacy teacher I don't teach kids how to read or work on hand writing, instead we analyze literature and learn how to write to specific audiences through a variety of genres. At the Middle Level kids are becoming young adults able and eager to participate in the world around them.  Much like in academics, the social climate is much different then in elementary schools. These academic & social differences make it hard when districts bring teachers from all levels together for professionally development.  We work at our levels for a reason! We don't always understand where we're coming from, and unfortunately, not everyone cares to.

Anyway, I feel I'm getting off topic.  What I really want to say is at the Middle Level preparing students to be productive informed citizens in the world they live in is paramount.  To a certain extent this is, and should be, the focus.  I often tell people that what we do socially at the Middle level is just as important if not more important than academics, but really it all blends together.

All those phrases I mentioned, and often say myself, all point to one thing: we are doing a disservice to kids when we hand hold.  The more teachers & parents make excuses for kids, the less we expect from them, the less we demand they advocate for themselves, the more we stunt their grow toward becoming self-sufficient, responsible, competent, learners.

I ask educators and parents of these kids, isn't that what we all want? Don't we want 15-year-old students to advocate for themselves, strive to do the very best at all they do, and get to a point where they are independent of support systems that must end at some point?  

Imagine for me a world where these kids are grown.  A world where these grown kids think they only have to do half the work their peers do, but get the same pay on payday.  A world where these grown kids think they can't get fired from a job because they "have a right" to talk on a cell phone while on the job.

When we don't have high expectations for kids, they don't reach very high. When we don't teach and expect kids to speak up for themselves, they never will.  When we teach kids that if mom & dad yell loud enough they will get their way, they will become entitled adults.  When we become obsessed with accommodating for a child, they will feel as if they will only have to do half the work and work half as hard.  

When we start approaching education like their is no safety net, no second chances, then we will start producing students with high expectations for themselves that take responsibility for their lives, and are competent, self-sufficient learners. Because really there is no redo.  Holding kids back doesn't work and most of the time does more harm then good.  

So why no urgency? Why grip that hand tighter and tighter the older they get?  

Is it fear of an empty nest?  Is it fear that they will reflect negatively on us as adults in their lives?  

Come on, isn't that a bit selfish?

So on the count of three everyone let go of that hand.  One...two...

Parent Involvement: Honesty is Always the Best Policy

I've had the unique opportunity of teaching in two very different communities in two years. Last year I found myself disappointed by the lack of parental involvement.  This year I often wish for many parents to take a step back and let me do my job.  

So which problem is worse?  

I guess "helicopter" parents that can be pushy and overbearing at times must care a whole lot, right?  I've found it easier to disarm an overactive parent, then try and convince a parent to care about education when I can't get them to respond to a phone message or note home.  

My point of all this is that one way or another, issues with parent involvement, or lack of, will always be a part of teaching.  Often times we forget that kids are an extension of their parents. Their traits, good or bad, their worth ethic, their fears and phobias, and their ability to handle social situations all connect kids to their parents.  When I meet parents every triumph and every issue I've had with their son or daughter all seems to click and make sense.

When it comes down to it parental involvement, whether positive or negative, usually comes down to parent teacher relationships and affective communication.  

The simplest way to improve parent teacher relationships is to be honest. Crazy I know!  It's amazing to me that educators have such a hard time being honest with parents.  Now I'm not suggesting giving up on tact and professionalism, but why must we sugar coat to a point of lying to parents? What reason is a good enough reason to be dishonest with parents about kids?  I can't tell you how many times I've found myself in meetings where everyone knew what needed to be said, but no one had the guts to say it. We are doing a disservice our students if we can not effectively communicate with their parents.  In a diplomatic and professional manner, utilizing the right words,  you can tell someone almost anything without offending them.  And of somebody is offended by a truth that must be addressed, then so be it.  Many that I work with are afraid of litigation.  My philosophy on litigation is that you can sue for many reasons, but telling the truth is not one of them.  

Because many are afraid to communicate the truth to parents they don't communicate at all. This is almost worse than being dishonest.  A lack of communication can be seen as a forfeit of responsibility for a students learning.  In a time when I as an educator am stressing parent & student responsibility for one's own education, how can I remove myself as a participating party.  Student success is built on the reciprocal triangle of parent, teacher, and student involvement, responsibility, and communication.  

We must remember that we are models for what we teach and preach. What we want from our students and their parents we much not only teach with words, but teach by example.

Bullying: Teachers as Punching Bags

I'm not what you'd call a "veteran blogger," but I've been reading and writing these for a few months now.  In that time I've realized that this medium can get very negative, very fast.  For this reason I try, and I emphasize "try," to reign the negativity in.  But today I find myself without restraint.  The time has come to set the education world straight, and frankly I don't care if it comes out negative or not.

So what's the topic of the week folks: bullying.  Now I know your thinking bullying is an issue everywhere, how is this  a new and relevant topic.  I'm not talking about student bullying, I'm talking about seeds that were planted years ago, and now unfortunately, have bloomed into a full on epidemic: Parents bullying teachers.  I'm not sure anyone has ever coined this phrase, but I know all educators can relate to feeling like a punching bag at some point in their teaching career.

In my short career I have had my integrity questioned, been accused of discouraging children to make their own decisions, I've been forced to change curriculum with threats of lawsuits, and the icing on the cake: I've been accused of being Over paid!

I've been sent hate email, had parents go straight to the superintendent with questions I could easily answer, I've even had parents accuse me of hiding student materials (books/computers).

Crazy, unheard of, insanity you might say.  But if you're a teacher your response to all this would be "yeah, join the club."

We have reached a breaking point in education.  A line has been crossed that I'm not sure we can recover from.  The idea that all people, regardless of profession, are treated with a little human decency is now athing of the past.  When I receive daily emails that are sent district wide questioning my integrity, professionalism, and motives, that borders on defamation of character.

The constant threat of losing your job, a lack of resources and time, long hours, expected unpaid overtime, the lowest pay, and now becoming the punching bag for anyone who wishes without threat of retaliation.  It's real easy to to swing at a target you know won't ever hit back.

The worst part of everything I have just said: our kids are watching.  Kids watch this behavior, they learn it, and then they copy it.  That's the thing about kids they're constantly watching the adults around them to help understand how the world works and how to act within it.  Think of what we have just taught them.

Can things change, sure they can change.  But the next generation of parents just saw first hand how little we think of educators in this country and how they don't deserve their respect.  So I wouldn't expect that change to come soon.  That change will only come when the world finally realizes that we're all teachers in one why or another, and we're on the same side.

  

Differentiation = Good Teaching?

After listening to the Rick Wormeli podcast I realize that I never really knew the true definition of Differentiated instruction.  

For the longest time I thought that differentiated instruction was offering a completely different version of the curriculum to each student based on need.  Often in conversation I would say, "I don't have the time, resources, or manpower to meet students needs in this way."  Not until now do I realize how foolish that must of sounded.  The funny thing is nobody ever disagreed with what I was saying.  It could have been out of courtesy, it may have been out of our knack for agreeing with teachers when complaints are offered involving what we all need, but don't have.  Or, and I believe most likely, people didn't really know what was meant by differentiated instruction.

Wormeli's myth, that this type of instruction is about offering individualized instruction, is what I was always taught.  The perpetuation of this myth is not only discouraging and overwhelming to new teachers, but quickly becomes an impossibility once significant time is spent in the classroom.  

I like what Wormeli had to say about changing modality not content, and grouping based on what you've learned about them.  If we were going to group for the sake of grouping, then we would all just track our students.  Gifted, Special Education, and everybody in the middle.

It turns out, shocking as it sounds, that differentiated instruction is just simply good teaching.  I always thought I was no where near where I wanted to be as a teacher because of this myth.  It turns out I'm a lot closer then I thought, we all are.  Good teachers are teaching with multiple intelligences in mind.  Good teachers are meeting kids at the level they learn best.  Good teachers not only believe that fair isn't equal, but they show it in their classroom by helping kids reach high expectations at their pace, within the methods they need.

Over the last few years the differentiated instruction question has come up in every interview I found myself in.  With classroom diversity at an all-time high I always knew this question was going to come up, but I always worried what I would say, and more importantly what others wanted to hear from me.  I think now I have the correct answer that I wasn't sure I had.  So next time I'm asked, "what does differentiated instruction mean to you?" I'll say with confidence, "differentiated instruction equals good teaching."

Practice Makes Perfect: A response to "Teaching Literacy Across the Curriculum" (Middle Ground-April 2007-Vo. 10)

As a Reading & Writing teacher I of course see this idea of literacy as a "shared responsibility" as a great one. From my travels I have become aware that not all teachers share this enthusiasm. Some believe that literacy falls on the shoulders of those that teach it, and I agree, but what these few don't realize is that we're all teaching literacy in one form or another.

Take vocabulary for example. Textbooks in content areas are designed to present vocabulary appropriate to the concepts being taught. Concepts taught at one grade level don't always match up with the reading levels of students within the average content area classroom which usually include special education students. Content area teachers will always be teaching science terminology or the vocabulary of the roaring 20's, for example, in addition to the concepts. Primary sources are another good example. Journals, letters, and eye witness accounts aren't written with grade level in mind, but are essential to offering students authentic points of view.

In a past blog I called teaching a "team sport." I also see literacy in the same light, but it doesn't end there. As a reading teacher I pride myself on being able to bring engaging literature and activities into the classroom in an attempt to capture the attention of my students. Part of this is including elements of content areas into our daily reading class. Whether we're learning about nonfiction through firsthand accounts of the 1902 earthquake, or discussing the political environment in revolutionary America to better understand "Johnny Tremain," kids are getting a little bit of everything while in a reading class.

As a teacher and coach I see kids improve the more they repeat skills. "Practice makes perfect," the old adage goes. The more we repeat, the more kids learn vocabulary and writing as the day goes on, the better readers and writers they will be in the end. Our classrooms are only separated by walls. The more integrated our curriculum becomes the more shared responsibility we take on for producing well-rounded students. This in turn makes our students better reflective writers, critical thinkers, and decision makers.  In the end isn't that what we want.

Jack of All Trades, Master of None

Nationally people have wondered why are we falling behind the rest of the world? What are we doing wrong in the U.S.? Many solutions have been offered to this problem:

"We need a longer school day or school year." Interesting when many districts in all states are considering 4 day school weeks to try and save money.

"We need more accountability, high stakes testing, grade level testing before advancement." Places have been doing this, especially increased testing. Has this worked? No. If you ask most teachers they would tell you that every time another assessment is added, instructional time decreases. Is this really the best way to make our students more competitive on the international level?

"We need highly qualified educators." Yes I would agree that the most qualified should be teaching our kids, but is anyone every going to decide what "highly qualified" means? The State Department of Education, our State Universities, and our administrations & steering committees, all answer the "highly qualified" question differently. Maybe once "highly qualified" has a meaningful definition it might start to make a difference.

So what is the problem? Standards.

I recently spoke to a middle school math teacher and asked her what the difference was between students now and students 10-15 years ago. She told me that they don't know basic facts & they know math concepts only at the most superficial level. I asked her how this happened? She told me that kids never masteedr these basic math concepts. She said that she spends most of her year catching them up to where they should've been when the year started, instead of getting them to where they need to be before they leave for H.S.

How did this happen? The answer once again is, standards.

Once standards became vast, we started to loose the depth in which we teach concepts. Our state standards are long, but not deep. Why touch upon 32 concepts in the course of the year when you could master 7? Furthermore, we preach engaging students through innovation, re-teaching the same things year after year will lead to student disinterest and frustration.

We need to make a decision in our state, will our kids be jack of all trades and masters of none, or will they be innovative, engaged, experts in the fundamentals.

Team Sports Are More Fun

After reading the first chapter in "Teaching the Best Practice Way," I wondered what was so different about the Waters school that made all that they did possible. I think the simple answer would be the people and the commitment they have made to good teaching, and by good teaching I mean engaging, authentic, hands on learning within thematic units. But I believe it's more than that.

So what is this missing ingredient? I believe that it's an affective team and team planning time. If you are a middle level educator then you know that common planning time is essential. Teachers, experts, and research all say that common planning is a must. But what these people aren't saying is that we need to want to work together as co-workers more than we need the time to.

I've been in two schools in the past two years. Two different districts, two different communities, and two very different schools. I have enjoyed this year much more then the last. The reason, the team of teachers I work with everyday. Comparing the past two years I noticed some very large differences:

Last year I had a paid mentor teacher, this year I have a more experienced teacher that willingly helps me whenever possible for free. Last year I routinely had teachers trying to dump work on me, this year I have teachers going out of their way to help me and make my day easier. Last year I felt out of place, this year I feel right at home. I attribute this to my grade level team.

I believe that team chemistry is the key to implementing most of what was said in the first chapter of "Teaching the Best Practice Way." A middle level educator once told me that change starts at your door, and if you aren't happy with your school then start right in your own classroom. Positive change is contagious. So I do think that many of the "best practices" can be accomplished right in your own classroom, but team sports are more fun. There is a certain level of satisfaction in knowing that you did something all by yourself, but my greatest moments in life have always been shared with others, and I think that is something that can be modeled by educators for kids to see.

When I think about the Waters school I imagine all the time spent brainstorming, planning, and coordinating. In order to do all that they did you have to have the time to work together, the want to work together, and enjoy working together.

Sometimes in education we forget that we go to a job everyday with our own version of an office. We often think of our students as the people we work with, but it's the other teachers that can make or break the climate that you work in everyday.

I know when you don't see eye to eye with those around you it's easy to wish that life was an individual sport. But the truth of the matter is that you are just one of many that work toward the common goal of offering a "quality education" through "best practices." Teaching, like life, is a team sport. Without a supportive team that enjoys creating exciting authentic learning opportunities for their students, coming to the "office" everyday isn't as enjoyable and our students notice this.