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.