Confidence, Humor & Common Sense...
Let me first apologize profusely for getting so far behind on this. Vickie was on me about getting my post up on Monday (exhibit number 33,956 that I should just listen to what she says without question) and then we were off Tuesday -Thursday (which coincided with me being sick as I have been in quite some time) and I stayed home on Friday even though everyone else was back because I have/had strep throat and hadn't been on medication for a full 24 hours (of course I ran into Jessica at Kroger on Thursday while I was getting my prescription filled and as she approached with Unie I told her that I didn't want her to come any closer because I have strep. Poor Jessica...protective mother...she looked like I just told her I had bubonic plague. Probably not funny at the time, but now that I'm trying to think of what to write about on the topic of humor, confidence, and common sense well...you get the picture. Here it is 10:50 on Saturday night, and I finally peeled my butt out of the now somewhat permanent dent in the couch where I have been most of the week because I finally feel halfway decent.
Now...what was it that I actually intended to say once I got on here?
On humor...I won't spend much time on that topic because Vickie hit on it pretty nicely, and more importantly, you all responded with some great questions and comments. Great conversations. Brought a smile to my face, although there is no one here to see it as I type up in my office in the dark. If you can't laugh at yourself in whatever it is you do, I think that job would be terrible. I think I've learned not to take myself nearly as serious as I did when I first came to North Union, and I think that has made me a better leader and hopefully has helped somewhat with the overall feel that we have going at the elementary. I know I love it there, and there is rarely a day that goes by in the office anyway where one of us doesn't say something totally inappropriate about and to each other (in a loving way). We have a ton of fun up there and it really has made quite a difference as far as I am concerned.
Confidence...
I love the quote at the beginning of that chapter by Henry Ford. Actually, I think I may have used it in a weekly update at one point. "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." I love this so much because it really summarized everything that we need to strive for in education and as people, really. If we want to be Excellent with Distinction we have to believe that we will do it without doubt right down to the very core of our beings. Obviously there is work that comes with that belief. If the Wright brothers just believed that their contraption was going to fly without doing all the behind the scenes work and they just shoved something off a cliff and hoped for the best, they probably wouldn't be famous for anything (yes I know that they didn't fly off a cliff, but it helps with my illustration) If you believe that our students will accomplish great things that belief comes from a true trust in yourself that you've done everything humanly possible to give them the greatest chance for success.
Caution: Before you read any further, please note that this part is going to challenge you in ways that I don't think I have done before.
Common Sense...If I had any, I probably would stop right here. :-)
Well, I don't know that I am the right person to be preaching on that subject! Actually, the thing that I think I want to say about common sense is this. This really is what I feel like is the biggest issue in education today, not just at North Union Elementary, or North Union Local Schools or Central Ohio, or Ohio, or the Midwest, but across this nation. Set your personal feelings aside before you read ahead on this one because this is not an attack on anyone that I know, but a statement about what I think that many people think public education is as a whole.
The students we have today are not the students that we had 10 or 20 or 30 years ago. We HAVE to teach kids in a different fashion in order for them to learn what is going to be needed. Teaching implies learning. There are things about our current students that drive me crazy. My own children fight like cats and dogs over who can have my Droid smart phone when I'm home because they think they have to be constantly entertained. The fact of the matter is, they are different that what we might desire for them to be, or long for "how kids used to be" but we have to respond to that with teaching that is different than what it was in the past. Differentiation is probably the biggest natural response to how we address this, but think outside of our little bubble. Do you believe that in inner city Cleveland there is a whole lot of differentiation going on? Cleveland Metropolitan Schools met 2 of 26 indicators on the 2009-2010 report card. The graduation rate in 2008-2009 was 54.3% I point this out because it is very intentionally FAR outside of our "neighborhood" but don't you think there are just as many promising kids in Cleveland as there are in Columbus? Common Sense says that we have to get to a place in public education where we are doing something differently that does not allow or stand for that kind of results.
The last part of this post has been very intentional to get you to see what people outside of education see of education. To make you a bit uncomfortable. To challenge your thinking. They don't see the cozy little North Unions of the world. There is a lot of talk nationally right now about how education is failing our kids. There are movies about it. I want to warn you that if you choose to follow these links you may end up very mad about how education is being portrayed - but that is exactly why I'm putting it out there for you. You need to know what you are up against nationally. There maybe isn't this feeling locally, but our local "world" is part of this much bigger national issue.
Youtube clip for "The Cartel":
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gzIfTmD8UUc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>.
Youtube clip for "Waiting for Superman":
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZKTfaro96dg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
My challenge to you in this post is this, and it is no small task...offer one or two "common sense" suggestions that need to be put in place in education as a whole that will help turn this tide.
I received this email from Val last week. I love the scenario because I have lately found myself listening to many negative comments on the radio and television regarding today's education system. I have no doubt that there are school systems/teachers that just go through the motions and students are paying the price, but I know that I work with, or have worked with, many teachers that put their whole heart into their teaching. They consider their students like one of their own and invest their time into making a difference in their education. Here is the email:
ReplyDeleteWHAT DO TEACHERS MAKE?
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued,
"What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in
life was to become a teacher?"
To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Barbara .
Be honest. What do you make?"
Barbara, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want
to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)
"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor winner.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't
make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.
You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked at each and every
person at the table)
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't
everything.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not
the man-made calculator.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know
about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in
the United States of America.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given,
work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life ( Barbara
paused one last time and then continued.)
Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money
isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because
they are ignorant.
You want to know what I make?
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
What do you make Mr. CEO?
His jaw dropped, he went silent.
A profound answer!!!
If you continue to tell a student or child he/she isn't worth a hill of beans, they will soon believe it. The same goes for our education system. There are teachers in our education system, (like the one in the above email) and our nation needs to start recognizing them! There are many positives in our education system and if we focus on the positive instead of the negatives, schools, teachers, school systems may strive for greatness instead of feeling like all hope is lost.
I love that Jen...I hate that people feel that way about education, but they do. I think we are lucky though to have a great place to raise kids and educate children and not feel quite so low. I hear people say we need to "raise the bar" for our kids, but I say "we are in many ways "the bar" compared to most. I think we do expect the best and we know how to get the kids there. We have a dedicated staff that is getting the job done everyday to help kids make a difference in their own education and to reach our common goals. I feel blessed to be here.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading that email, Jen! I believe I have also gotten that forward before. I also agree with Belinda, I feel very blessed to work at North Union where there are such dedicated and caring people. One common sense suggestion that I would love to see, would be a video that counters these other videos. I would love to see a video that shows all of the positive things that are going on in the United States Education System. I agree with Jen, that it feels much better to be striving for greatness, rather than feeling a loss of hope. I’m sure many teachers in America do feel a loss of hope, and when we constantly are focusing on the negative aspects of our education system, we are only diminishing that hope even more.
ReplyDeleteKristy, creation of a video showing the positive side of education in America is a great idea! I know there are areas of the country where the economy is suffering, the tax base is low, and spirits are broken. I wish I had a global vision of education as a whole, but I don't. I do know that I have been extremely impressed with how things are done at North Union since I began working here. The bar is set high and I think we are on the right road to get our kids even higher.
ReplyDeleteOkay, here's my 2 suggestions:
ReplyDelete1) Stop social promotion. There is no law that says a 10 year old should be in 4th grade. Has he/she mastered the skills necessary to tackle 4th grade curriculum? Or is he/she advanced and ready for 6th grade material? I think if we went with mastery learning as opposed to grade based curriculum, we could turn out a much better product more efficiently.
2) Class size matters. I can do my job much more effectively with 20 students as opposed to 30. What are the class sizes in Cleveland? I'd venture to say that smaller, self contained classes could turn out better test results.
I agree with Sharon- class sizes are so important. Last year with Sherri, I think we had 19 kids and this year she has 24. There is such a difference with 5 more kids in that classroom. The dynamic and volume alone are a huge difference, but also differentiating the lessons can be so much more difficult.
ReplyDeleteCommon Sense for Education- not to talk money, but I believe that if they want “great teachers” then provide us with more money for salaries and for our classrooms. The amount of hours that teachers put in throughout the entire year, not just 9 months out of the year, is unbelievable. Doctors and lawyers go to school for many years for their profession and can make a living. Teachers are expected to raise the bar for our “future” people in society, yet we are some of the lowest paid profession. I think if there was a way that the government to allow more money for teachers salaries, you may be able to get more “great teachers”.
Technology- We are trying to catch up with some of the countries that blow us away with their technology, yet not all schools have computers, smartboards, etc. in all classrooms. I know we are so fortunate at this school to have the technology that we have here. I think that sets apart and the students reap the benefits of the technology. But as our country as a whole, we could reach so many more students with more technology in the classrooms.
Common Sense:
ReplyDeleteSome days I can easily beat myself down and can have negative thoughts running through my head when the going gets tough. But one common sense thing I often ask myself is this: What can I do TODAY to make an impact on this child? Having this positive mental attitude is common sense, however, can be easily forgotten when we can so easily beat ourselves up over standardized tests, unmotivated students, demanding parents, etc.
I too get a little grouchy when I hear people dishonor our profession. We all know what we do is important, we all know we were called into this field, we are all educated and driven people, who could have chosen any number of professions, but we chose the most important. I also struggle with the many punitive policies that people are pushing to hold teachers accountable. I do believe in accountability, there has to be a way to measure a person's effectiveness in his/her job. However, there also needs to be in place a strong plan to help a person develop understand their weaknesses and to have the support to develop better teaching strategies. It is discouraging, and on the other side, how do we hold parents and students accountable. As a second grade teacher I would meet my students at the door and say, "I am here to teach, why are you here today?" In the beginning their answer had to be, "to learn", if it wasn't they had to stay in the all until they could tell me why~because from the very beginning they needed to understand they were a stakeholder in the process, they weren't there to blob-out or to socialize, they were in my classroom to learn, it was their job as much as mine was to be prepared to teach them. As the year progressed I would say, "I am here to teach, why are you here today?" and the answer had to be "I am here to learn_______ and to do my best". Every day they had to tell me something they were going to focus on. It didn't take up learning time because they had their check in work to do, and I connected with them first thing in the morning. Also, later in the day if they were off task I could remind them what they said in the morning. And parents, we could all go on and on about how parents don't do enough at home, but as working people we know how hard it is to get it all done, and if you don't have a background that valued education it's even tougher. I would like to hold parents accountable, but first, I'd like to connect with parents. It's always been goal to get parents connected to school. As a second grade teacher I would plan events that brought parents in outside of conferences or meetings. A time when they could see me as a "regular" person, see me interacting positively with my students, because I wanted to them to know I was sincere. I even had an end of the year party at my house...Ihad a looping class and it was hard to say good bye:) But I hate to beat on parents too much, because like teachers there's so much to do and so little time to do it. Now, with all my rambling my two suggestions:
ReplyDelete1) Set expectations-set them high, but attainable, don't make exceptions and hold students accountable.
2) Systemic programming~when a school adopts a common curriculum, embeds professional development, strongly focuses on prescriptive and intensive intervention, and fosters cross-curricular/grade level collaboration they tend to see greater student growth.
First, I have seen the email Jen received and love it! I’m not looking for a pat on the back. I did not go into education for people to constantly tell me I’m a saint. I went into education because I love reading, I love learning, and I love being with kids…but it is nice to see something circulating that recognizes the unwritten tasks we do every day!
ReplyDeleteSecond, I recognize that we have freedom of speech as a country, but living in a country where an education is such a necessity, I find it appalling that the government does very little to defend the negative viewpoints that are put out there. Jen said it best…if people don’t start supporting the education system it has nowhere to go but down. It takes a village to raise a child…the education system alone does not equal a village!
My common sense suggestion is about funding and expectations. Either change the funding or change the expectations. In a perfect world, Cleveland City Schools should be able to accomplish the same goals in a year as Olentangy. But this is the real world; those kids in Cleveland have more home life stressors and fewer resources at school. Those expectations need to take into consideration those factors.
I also have the email Jen quoted. It is saved on my home computer so that I can read it on low days when I want. Some days I let those nay-sayers beat me down too. I think we should challenge those people to trade jobs for a week...one week. Most wouldn't rise to the challenge and those who did couldn't handle it anyhow! Why do you think parents hate snow days? They don't want their own few at home for a few days. They want someone else to deal with them. That is part of the problem in education today. There are lots of people who cut us/education down, but they don't even want their own for a few days! They couldn't handle what we do. They leave their jobs at nice tidy hours, not 7:45 a.m. till 10 p.m. That would be unheard of and certainly if it happened, they would get time and a half!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know the answers to it, but I do know that parents need to step it up at home. Maybe putting some importance into it from that vantage point too, would make kids see things differently. My kids didn't/don't enjoy going to school everyday either, but they are/have learned that it is important to become who they dream of/are becoming. I wish I had the answers for all sides of these issues.
I don't know what the answer is to "fix" schools in other parts of the country but I know I am proud of our school system. My sons went here and got an excellent education. Since I have never taught in an inner city school I have no idea why the students there do so poorly on testing. I do know teacher salaries is not the answer. The teachers in the city schools make more money than those in rural areas. I know teachers here work really hard, care about their students and put in a lot of extra time. However, I can't be judgemental and say teachers in inner city schools don't work just as hard, care just as much and put in just as much time because I don't know if that's the case. I guess each school needs to be looked at individually and evaluated on its strenths/weaknesses. As much as people were against state tests and the report card when they were started, it is a way to measure performance.
ReplyDeleteWe are fortunate that the problems Dave mentioned are not at the forefront of our community, but the discussions about education are happening, even here. We have a circle of politically minded friends who engage in this type of discussion regularly. So in my opinion we need to limit the government involvement in our schools and run schools with more of a business model. This would allow basic principles of competition and supply and demand to improve the quality of our education system. It would allow us to retain control of our schools at the local level. I like the saying that deregulation increases innovation and choice and promotes healthy competition. Our system of higher education is a good example. We have probably the best system available that is accessible by just about anyone who wants it and produces well educated graduates.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Kristy about having a movie that counters these videos. I think that there are some people who became teachers so they could have "summers off." Those are the teachers who are giving the rest of us a bad name. If you don't share a love of learning and helping children, then you shouldn't be in this profession. It's frustrating... So my two common sense rules are:
ReplyDelete1. Have high expectations for teachers and students.
2. Pay for teachers should not be determined by years taught, but should be determined by performance and measurable results.
I agree with many of the other teachers about setting high, clear expectations for staff, students, and even parents! I think that this could help so many students acheive higher goals!
ReplyDeleteI think Jen started this discussion out on the right foot! I think the problem is.... common sense. Our American society doesn't really support education and we are getting lazier by the year. It is scary to think about the people who will be in charge of our country and schools in the not too distant future. I think the common sense rule we need here is for parents to use common sense in raising thier kids. I agree with the post that spoke about what we have to work with in reference to students and families. The issue with our education system is we are not just teaching kids academics we also have to teach them things that should be learned at home from an early age such as respect, responsibilty, thinking through a problem, how to write your name, knowing the primary colors, how to count to 20, etc. Kids today are not getting much from home and it becomes the expectation that kids will get everything they need in life at school.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that I do not totally disagree with everything on the video clips concerning education. We do have a system that seems to not be working and politics do play into what happens. Another piece of common sense is those sitting at top making the decisions how we are going to educate need to realize that less is more. And I agree with the teachers posting here that we need to have and stick to clear and high expectations for parents and students.
Back to common sense... Patti take that pic off your profile! I can't take anything you post seriously when I see that! :)
ReplyDeleteI have to say that the email that Jen quoted was straight to the point and I love it. I can’t think about the way that education is sometimes preserved without being upset, because I see education as something important and we as teachers are here to make a difference and brighten the students futures, but along with everyone else if we do not have the help and support of others including the government we will get nowhere. It amazes me at things said about education today and I understand for example the Cleveland does not have the resources or supports as some of the other districts but not all districts are perfect it’s who the teachers are and the effort they put into their teaching. If willing great possibilities can and will come out of the effort and time put in.
ReplyDeleteParents need help raising their children just as Danae mentioned. The government needs to take care of its' citizens through good housing, jobs and safe communities. Corporations are taking the government money and creating initiatives that teachers are suppose to follow. Corporations do not care about the students. Regarding education most teachers are in the profession to teach children. Believe that the money is not that great. Check out what someone on Wall St. makes. It's so easy to beat up on teachers, these days. The media has it down to a science.
ReplyDeleteExperience does matter with any profession and teaching is no different. Spend a month in a classroom with a teacher. See if you would last 30 + years. Teaching is hard work. These are all conversations that I have encountered over the years with friends who are not in education.
"Education Reformers" are primarily people who do not and often have not worked in public schools.
Teachers cannot choose their students and students are not like a product that we can discontinue or re-market. Teachers have to teach and re-teach. Teachers are always trying different strategies. The heart and soul of a school systems should be passion for children. Children come first.If we took all the money we are investing in standards and testing, and instead invested it in giving time for teachers to work together, to collaborate and reflect on how students are learning. I believe this would have a huge impact on school performances.
I would say that teachers with passion for teaching children if it is done right, the interests of the children will be served. As professional educators we need to do the work to the highest level of skill we can. This certainly involves much of the common sense rule. Teachers are all about helping children learn, and teachers do this by continually investigating ways to do our work better.
I agree with Kelli on high expectations for teachers and students, however I would like to add that parents also need to have high expectations as well.( As Kristy mentioned)Schools maybe need to offer courses on how to parent.
I need more time to collaborate with other teachers, more time to dig deeper into student data. More time to differentiate instruction for each of the students assigned to me. Very frustrating and with that being said it all goes back to balance and common sense in Education.
I agree with Kelli that there are people out there that go into teaching just to have their summer's off and is giving teacher's who do it from the heart a bad reputation! True teachers don't even really have their summer's off because they are always coming up with ways to make their instruction better for the kids. I also agree with setting high expectations for our students, which I believe we do a great job of here at NU! It is amazing how many times we have heard parents say that we are asking way too much from their 5th grade child when all we are really doing is teaching them responsibility and the curriculum. They think that because they didn't learn it in 5th grade their child should not be learning it. With that being said, I also agree with Nancy that schools may need to offer a course to parents on how to help their child be successful in school.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what Danae wrote in her post. If fact, she and I share the same passion for getting parents and community involved in our schools. This is why we purchased a resource from the Daggett conference we went to a couple of years ago in DC-and why we started the PPT. It is our mission to educate parents on things going on in our school, to reach out to them and encourage them to become more connected. In addition there have been changes to inform our community about what is going on in our school. (Sadly we can't seem to get a section of our own in the local newspaper to do this like we wanted-but there are plenty of articles on athletics!) I think many of these efforts will make a difference. It is very frustrating to work so hard, to have high expectations for our students, to constantly change what we do to be the best we can be, yet get a negative reputation from so many.
ReplyDelete