Sunday, August 17, 2008

welcome back...

It's a brand new school year and despite the budget worries in California, the threat of layoffs, the national budget deficit escalating towards $10 TRILLION, the stale and degrading NCLB, reading decline, and the lack of "alternative"" programs like vocational, music, art, preparation for adulthood, etc., there is still reason for joy and optimism!

Why you ask? Because whenever humanity ceases to hope, flames go out and passion extinguishes, and it simply is not in our DNA to let that happen!

Educators and the magnificent support surrounding them have as their raison d'etre making a difference. All of us are in this battle together and it is for the "souls" of our children to experience the best and be all that they can be. The completeness of every human being is fostered by those who teach and even when it seems like it's 2 steps forward and 1 step backward, we must continue to fight the good fight not retreating but employing whatever strategy works.

Each person that works for the schools, public and private, cares, of that I have no doubt. To say that all is perfect harmony between the administration and the front-line is blasphemous, but we all want what's best for the children. With the complexity of the world, i.e., the overwhelming nature of marketing, media, and entertainment mixed with the poverty, illiteracy, and stimulants, it is difficult to make headway. When teachers don't connect with their students andwhat worked in the past is outdated, we must reach into our bag of tricks and pull out that which Does work!

I challenge you to start sending ideas and practices that have been successful and we can create a clearinghouse for all to utilize. The more tactics we have, the better off we are collectively, so don't be stingy, send them in.

And don't forget that everyday we change lives and influence decisions whether we know it or not. Our role is not only important, it's life changing!

So once more: send ideas and share with others and while you're at it, send a blog. react or create something entirely new.

Go forth and as Oliver Wendall Holmes stated:

" I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail and not drift not lie at anchor."

Friday, July 25, 2008

And now we have yet another commentary from coulmnist Thomas Elias discussing the dropout rate. He too agress that the earlier figures were far too low. According to Mr. elias, we are somewhere around the 33% mark but Mayor antonio Villagarosa of LA says that's not correct. He maintains we are in the 50% are higher vicinity. Wow! That's abad neighborhood to be in. There is plenty of blame to go around, but allow me to begin with the lack of parental supervision. I've had children and I know when I don't know where they are, who they are hanging with, and what they are doing, bad things may happen. Why? Because most children do not engage good decision making until they reach 18 or 30! Times have changed and with the changing times have come changed attitudes. Today's youth do not have the same values and the term "politeness" is extinct unless and until we as a nation demand courtesy. We have met the enemy and he is us (apologies to POGO), because we are not raising our children with any consistency and we are teaching them to be all about themselves! Yes, of course there are still many wonderful parents who do believe in values and do believe in character building, but it has to extend to the schools that are so nervous about the standardss and in the case of California and about 22 other states, the dreaded exit exams. What are our leaders thinking when they sacrifice our children to prove that we are teaching them something when what we are teaching them is not what they should be learning?> When you figure out what I just wrote, call me and explain it to me? Only kidding, I know what I said and I mean every damn word of it! We need to teach values to those that don;t get this vital information and to those who do, we need to reinforce and reiterate because nothing is as important to entering adulthood as an understanding of what is right and wrong. period.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Important and Urgent

In an old and somewhat popular exercise (I think it may be called Johari's Window) the key component is being able to decide what is Important and what is Urgent. Too often we fall prey to the "person-that-screams-loudest" philosophy of what gets our attention. Classrooms in general address the squeaky wheel whenever that squeak is too irritating. However, most experienced teachers know how to sidestep the distraction and move on with their lessons.

New teachers, while taught the standards, the subject matter, all of the nuances of No Child Left Behind, "interactive" student teaching, and some nifty techniques based on older Behavior Modification practices, come into the teaching arena full of enthusiasm and ready to make that difference in the world.

Oddly, their first days are akin to George Armstrong Custer and his introduction to the Sioux Nation at Little Big Horn! It's like being caught in a Fellini film where life travels in slow motion, the 30+ children in the room are pretending to be a circus, and everyone is in their own agenda...and to make matters worse, there is more than the occasional administrator that tends to bully because the new teacher doesn't have the protection of the teacher's association.

Ergo the Important and Urgent conversation. It is darn near impossible to approximate the classroom for a new victim er, teacher. Regardless of what practice you've had or what classes you visted/taught, teachers evolve with time, and quickly discerning what is Urgent from what is Important adds greatly to their positive development. BTSA for example, has been designed to help new teachers but for the process to really work, we need a strong mentoring program where successful teachers are assisted by those who have a great track record in classroom management and connection skills.

When new teachers have the opportunity to meet with the teaschers at their new school, they can (and should) take advantage of the bag of tricks provided by the veterans. It is all about connection! Teachers and administrators have a full plate but empowerment of the rookie teacher is the greatest gift of all. Take the time to give them tips and provide them with the "magic" that makes you the person you have become and are. Teaching is an ART and the more people that enter the profession knowing how to engage our students, the stronger the profession remains.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

There's no bizness like education bizness...

We continue to be threatened by the fedseral government if we don't meet certain standards. What's this all about? Wouldn't you think that every person in the US at least, has heard the idiom "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar"? Translation: somewhere in the foundation courses for those people planning on being BUREAUCRATS, the concept of customer service was neglected. Don't misunderstand; I've actually met some very sweet and kind bureaucrats, but generally speaking, even whenthey are nice and helpful, they are still tied to the rules and the rules well, the rules.

Whether it's the administration of your own school district or the water department or the building permits, you have to face those people without personality and far less than happy, who can make your life more challenging than it already is. As mentioned in a previous blog, teachers have plenty of TTD (things to do) without adding any other chores, assignments, reports due, instructions followed, etc. without more work. In fact in a study completed by the NEA, teachers have between 43 & 47 more mandated tasks than they did in 1985!

Where does it stop? When do we as a group say "Uncle"?

The fact is WE DO HAVE POWER and it's time we rethink our positions and start looking at what we are being asked to do, eliminate what isn't important, and question the leadership on how we streamline our day-to-day and our week-to-week, and so on. It's time we stand up to the current thinking "it's all about the children" and add "it's all about each of us because one life is not more important than another"! We can only be effective teachers when we are energized, complete, and feeling like we are essential to the process.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

There is a man-made category known as the "Peter Principle" and it has proven accurate in many cases regardless of what arena one works or plays in. For example, Jack O'connell the present Superintendent of Education under the formerly prestigious banner of the California Department of Education is an individual who fits this description almost perfectly.

As a California State Assembly member from 1982-1994, Jack was outstanding, beloved, and protected District 35. He continued in the State Senate from 1994-2002 and represented his constituency with great attention and kindness. Jack was for the people and by the people.

In 2002, Jack was elected to the post that he currently holds with 61% of the vote and was re-elected by an even greater majority in 2006.

Jack is and has been a politician and every person conjures up their own definition when that title is placed next to their name. I'm not here to denigrate Jack in any way for the work he did serving his district from 1982-2002, but after that something went awry...

As in the Peter Principle, people can and usually do reach a point where their effectiveness stalls. It could be their talent doesn't match their job or what they are doing. It might be a run of bad luck or poor decisions. In Jack's case, he succumbed to an alien "disease" which was reacting to the failing of the California Public Schools by some expert panel and budget cuts in education. Additionally, No Child Left Behind came along and pointed out that schools everywhere were being unsuccessful and the ESEA (Elementary &Secondary Education Act) was a bust.

So, in an effort to stem the tide and apparently not looking too closely at the reasons this might be happening (2nd language learners, an exploding population, shortage of funding, etc), Jack focused on the A to G curriculum and an exit exam (aka CAHSEE) that would be the linchpin of California's graduation standards. By ramrodding the exit exam, Jack honestly felt we [California]\would show the rest of the country how "it" should be done, would make voters happy, and would demonstrate just how well teachers taught and how good or bad, schools were! Makes sense huh? In effect, we would tell all kids that you go to school from the time you're 5-18 or19, you learn what we say you should be learning, get your 230 credits, and then pass this exam which is on the 7th-9th grade level and if you do all of these things, you get a real honest-to-God D-I-P-L-O-M-A. If not, you get a "Certificate of Completion". Oh, and by the way, California is 1 of 23 states that have this requirement. Incidentally, if you are a special needs individual, you could apply for a waiver (and that caveat is currently being tested in the courts).

This test is not an easy test and it doesn't really test what students are necessarily learning. It is also multiple choice except for the one writing segment that can be fair or not so. Supposedly, members of our state assembly took it and the results were not very pleasant to many who did, so I'm told.

The current story is that Jack claims that we have a 7% dropout rate but my sources tell me it's much higher. Jack also has been applauded by none other than Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education, the enforcer of NCLB, for coming down hard on those schools who are falling below the acceptable test scores (failing). (Note: And Jack had ample reason to challenge NCLB as unfair and biased)

My questions are: How often is negative reinforcement successful? How are we bettering our children's opportunity in the adult world? what happened to the "many paths" approach for education since obviously, not everyone is college material or has an interest in academia? Where did Jack develop the idea that we needed an exit exam? and finally, will we ever get back to the land of Common Sense?

Tune in...

Sunday, June 15, 2008

A commencement speech we should all hear...

The commencement speech by Serge A. Storms, one of the many malfunctioning characters in Tim Dorsey’s series taking place in the ‘sunshine state’ filled with mischievous plots and subplots and serpentine paths arriving at a suitable conclusion. This is at a commencement exercise in the book Triggerfish Twist:

`”Has anyone heard that Jerry springer now has a place in Sarasota?

I mention this because I’m still waiting for Tonya Harding to move down here and make a clean sweep. I’m going through withdrawal because I haven’t heard anything about her since she beat that guy in a head with a hubcap in a hoedown. And what about that poor guy? I don’t think there is any better time to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with yourself.

‘Good morning. This is your wake-up call. It’s from Darwin’

But that’s just one person’s tiny drama, meaningless except in the bigger picture, which is trying to isolate the exact moment we turned into Trash Nation, and nearest I can tell, it was one second after Nancy Kerrigan took a telescoping blackjack to the knee. Now there was a cute little soap opera. What an absolutely fascinating underwater view into the Kmart inflatable backyard American gene pool. I have a dirty little confession: I loved it! We may have learned everything we needed to know about life after kindergarten. But you know what? We can learn everything we need to know about the incredibly rude, selfish, infantile country we’ve become by observing the human spokes revolving around the Tonya Harding sociocultural axis. The Greeks reveled in Homeric tragicomedies; the English lived out Shakespearian dramas. But we, America, are the cast of the Kerrigan farce. Is it any wonder we’ve thrown manners, compassion, and respect out the window? We’ve become one big, self-absorbed nation holding up an ice skate pointing at a broken lace and blubbering our eyes out. We don’t know our neighbors anymore. We have no shame, no consideration, no sense of duty or sacrifice. Need more metaphors? We don’t go the extra mile, meet anyone halfway, and if somehow, somewhere, anything at all goes wrong in our pathetic daily wanderings, if some random misfortune drops at our feet like a Taco Supreme, we don’t commence to tidying up the floor and getting on with our lives. We start making a litigious radar sweep of the room, seeing if there is anyone in recrimination range, some entitlement cadet to whom we can construct a Bridge-over-the-river-Kwai blame-path of tortured logic and sheer reality-sculpting self-deception. Maybe they handled a taco once, and maybe even made tacos. Maybe they could have warned you – yes. They knew all about that treacherously viscous emulsion of grease and sour cream on wax wrapper. They deliberately chose not to say anything as they saw it slipping out of your hand in Peckinpah slow motion while you were trying to eat, talk on the phone and log on to eBay at the same time. Well, here’s a newsflash for you. Believe it or not, the blacks and the gays and the Jews did not drop your taco. You dropped the fucking taco my friend! It doesn’t make you a bad person. It doesn’t even mean it’s your fault.

What it does mean is that this cosmic slapstick that we refer to as life has just elected you as the schmuck who has to get the mop. So get the goddam mop already! Don’t just stand there staring down, reliving the lunch-that-could-have-been and trying to figure out how affirmative action did this to you. That’s just the way life is pal. It can be exquisite, cruel, frequently wacky, but above all utterly, utterly random. Those twin imposters in the bell-fringed jester hats, Justice and Fairness – they aren’t constants of the natural order like entropy and the periodic table. They are completely alien notions to the way things happen in the human rain forest. Justice and Fairness are the things we’re supposed to give back to the world for giving us the gift of life! They are not birthrights that we should expect every second of the day. What do you say we drop the intellectual cowardice? There is no fate and there is no safety net.

I’m not saying God doesn’t exist. I believe in God. But he’s not some micromanager, so stop asking him to drop the crisis in Rwanda and help you find your wallet. Life is a long, lonely journey down a day-in-day-out lard trail of dropped tacos. Mop it up, not for yourself, but for the guy behind you who’s too busy trying not to drop his own tacos to make sure he doesn’t slip and fall on your mistakes. So don’t speed and don’t weave in traffic; other people have babies in their cars. Don’t litter. Don’t begrudge the poor because they have a fucking food stamp. Don’t be rude to overwhelmed minimum-wage sales clerks, especially teenagers – they have that job because they don’t have a clue. You didn’t have a clue either at that age. Be understanding with them. Share your clues. Remember that your sense of humor is inversely proportional to your intolerance. Stop and think on Veteran’s Day. And don’t forget to vote. That is, unless you send money to TV preachers, have more than a passing interest in alien abduction or recently purchased a fish on a wall plaque that sings ‘Don’t worry, Be Happy’. In that case, the polls are a scary place! Under every ballot is a trapdoor chute to an extraterrestrial escape pod filled with dental tools and squeaking, masturbating green men from the Devil Star.

In conclusion, Class of ____, keep your chins up, grab your mops and get into the game. You don’t have to make a pile of money or change society. Just clean up after yourselves without complaining. And, above all, please stop and appreciate the days when the tacos don’t fall, and give heartfelt thanks to whomever you pray to…

Friday, May 30, 2008

seen and not heard

We are always searching for an easier way to do things. It's human nature, and supports the "KISS" philosophy as well as the "work smarter not harder" adage. In education, one of the most important aspects (not at all surprisingly) is communication. People talk/people listen sort of deal. The problem, or one of the main problems is that those in power sometimes forget that communication is a 2-way street! You cannot direct/tell/order someone to do something and expect them to do it willingly unless there is a controlled and implied relationship (parent to child, drill sergeant to recruit, guard to prisoner, etc.). One would think that in a company or a public institution where information, brainstorming,, and suggestion are valued, feedback is desirable. The top-down management organization misses out on many opportunities to improve the circumstances and form a stronger connection, thus the concept of "teachers being seen and not heard" is predictably a recipe for disaster...

Monday, May 12, 2008

Education today

Today's public schools and all schools for that matter are faced with the same dilemma: we are held accountable for the the ills of society from porr test grades to institutionalized racism to locusts and other plagues! And as teachers, we are not challenging these false precepts and are accepting what we are accused of!

When do we say Enough is Enough and I'm mad as hell and just won't take it anymore?

When do we stop accepting the paperwork and the buraucracy?

When do we begin taking pride in what we do and get involved in our own life?

When do we demand that people respect us and stop trying to place blame on those that are the last line of defense?