And Then There Were None

     I recently read an article about the sad state of affairs in the world of aviation.  It seems that hardly any pilots exist anymore who can manually fly a plane.  Most completely rely upon computers to do the flying for them.  In an AP article by Joan Lowy from August of 2011, the following was related:

          "A draft FAA study found pilots sometimes 'abdicate too much responsibility to automated systems.' Because these systems are so integrated in today's planes, one malfunctioning piece of equipment or a single bad computer instruction can suddenly cascade into a series of other failures, unnerving pilots who have been trained to rely on the equipment. The study examined 46 accidents and major incidents, 734 voluntary reports by pilots and others as well as data from more than 9,000 flights in which a safety official rode in the cockpit to observe pilots in action. It found that in more than 60 percent of accidents, and 30 percent of major incidents, pilots had trouble manually flying the plane or made mistakes with automated flight controls. A typical mistake was not recognizing that either the autopilot or the auto-throttle — which controls power to the engines — had disconnected. Others failed to take the proper steps to recover from a stall in flight or to monitor and maintain airspeed. 'We're forgetting how to fly,' said Rory Kay, an airline captain and co-chairman of a Federal Aviation Administration committee on pilot training."  

     That's when it occurred to me!  This is precisely what has been happening in the field of education as more and more school districts turn to the latest and greatest curriculum program or piece of technology to do the "flying" for them instead of relying upon the teachers who can still do it for themselves.  As it stands right now, we have many great teachers who know what and how to teach without the aid of an "automatic pilot."  But how long can that last?  As these master teachers retire or move into more lucrative lines of work, with them will go their expertise, their insight, and their much-needed mentorship. One would think that school districts would do everything in their power to glean all the knowledge and teaching strategies they can from these folks before they leave the profession.  Sadly, that is not what is happening. In some cases, they are even being forced to teach according to a "model" plan and style, one that may or may not work.  (Isn't it interesting how the powers that be in education can see that kids need individualized instruction but fail to see that teachers need to express their own individuality in order to provide this for their students?)

     

     Perhaps those who are reading this are wondering why anyone would pay large sums of money for something that they already pay teachers to do.  Perhaps those same people are wondering why the teachers with the best test scores, the highest standards, and most knowledge in their fields of study are not regularly asked how they achieve the results they get.  This writer is wondering that herself, and she fears the day when the last great educator is pushed aside to make room for a one-size-fits-all method of teaching that may be able to "fly" during times of fair weather, but what will schools do when the storms hit (that one kid or group of kids who need something different at the spur of the moment) or the instruments fail  (a power failure or breakdown in the system) or funding is cut (no more money for the expensive programs)? The teacher who has been using the automatic pilot will most assuredly panic and crash.   The master teacher will calmly take control and simply fly the plane, bringing everyone in for a three-point landing.

     So, what is the answer?  School districts should do all they can to allow the great ones to co-pilot the  ship until the new "pilots" are able fly on their own.  Master teachers working alongside the novice offer a "safe flight" for all as they offer tips and strategies and tricks of the trade to get everyone on board through the difficult flights. These folks have depth of knowledge and a full understanding of what must happen in their classrooms with their students.  They know how to maneuver through the rough spots and continue to fly because they have logged thousands of hours in the "cockpit." If education continues to promote the "automatic pilot" method of teaching, within a few short years the number of pilots who can fly the plane manually will be depleted, and in just a few more years - there will be none.  

     

      

      

Free Our School Counselors!

     Over the years I have had the privilege of knowing many school counselors.  They are kind people who choose to help the hurting and broken and lost.  Many start as teachers (since that is a requirement in most states) and put in their classroom hours so that they can live out their dreams of helping kids.  That worked well twenty-five years ago, but now they find themselves as test coordinators and monitors more than anything else. This saddens me greatly.

     When this happens, it leaves a huge void in the schools.  There was a time when a child in need could get a pass from the teacher and head to the office to visit with the counselor.  Now, they show up at the office, are asked to sign up for an appointment, and are sent back to class without any help (though immediate help may be what they need).  Counselors can't be blamed for this.  It is one of the many side effects of standardized testing.  I can still see the face of one of the best school counselors I ever knew when she said, "Gosh, I just wish they would let me see kids when kids need to see me!  I did not get into this to give a standardized test!"  

      When we remove these very valuable folks from their "natural habitat," we lose all the way around.  Teachers do not always have the time or the expertise to handle the kinds of emotional issues that arise in the all-American kid, and administrators have a more authoritarian relationship with the kids on a campus.  As a result, our kids are left to their own devices and often fall into lifestyles that are not always good for them, and they drag their friends in behind them while the school counselor watches sadly from behind a pile of test booklets.  Surely there is a better way to test our children without leaving them to seek help from those who are not experts in the field. 

A Suggestion for the First Week of "School

     Below is a little plan I devised for getting to know my kids in a quick and easy way while not wasting valuable class time.  Hopefully there will be something here that you can use to make your life a little easier and gather some important information about your students, as well.

Day 1:  Let the kids sit anywhere for the first four days.  This allows you to see who is chummy with whom and who is a loner.  Let them know your specific expectations.  I suggest you put them in the form of a letter that you send home to the parents and post it on your teacher page of your district website, as well.  In your letter, outline your classroom discipline policy, grading procedures, major projects for the year, weighting of tests and homework, late work policy,  supplies, contact information, conference time, etc.  (Offer bonus points on the first test if the letters are returned and signed by a parent.)  Create a folder for each kid and put this signed letter, sample work, and any other documentation in the folder; this folder will help you with parent conferences later in the year.  Make notes about specific students on your seating chart.

Day 2:  Ask for signed letters. Make your first assignment.  I suggest one that can be started in class but must be finished at home. Keep it simple but make it pertinent to your class.  (Remember:  They may not have a book to take home yet, so it can’t be dependent on the text.)  Make it due on Thursday.  This allows you to watch them work which will reveal how they work.  It also allows you to see who is going to misbehave and with whom. Let them know that you will be calling home if the homework assignment is not turned in on Thursday.  Continue to make notes about students on seating chart.

Day 3: Ask for signed letters.  Pass out textbooks along with a teacher-made test that quizzes them over the parts of the book (i.e. index, glossary, table of contents, chapter headings, reading checks).  DO NOT OFFER ASSISTANCE.  Set a time limit and watch to see who is not keeping up.  This little activity will let you see who works independently, who constantly asks his neighbor or you, and who can’t use a book.  While they are taking the quiz, go student to student and record textbook numbers and write their names in the books yourself (assuming you are issuing textbooks). That way when you have a book check, all you have to do is look for your handwriting.  You won’t have to the check the numbers.  Remind students that the homework assignment is due on Thursday.  Grade the textbook quiz in class and take the grade.  Continue with notes about students.

Day 4:  Ask for signed letters. Have students take out their homework, exchange, and grade. (This allows you to see who follows directions and listens the first time.) Take note of all students who do not have the homework and let them know that you will be calling their parents.  Make sure you make all calls by Friday. That way they will know you mean business about homework.  Allow students to get into groups of 4 or 5.  Then, give them an open-book vocabulary test with 20 to 25 words unique to your subject.  This activity will let you see who does and does not work well in groups.  It will save you a lot of time and heartache later.  Make your seating chart tonight based on your notes. Make parent phone calls for missing homework.

Day 5:  Last day to turn in signed letters. Put your kids into their new seating arrangement.  Then, play the Name Game.  Start with the first kid.  He says, “My name is John.”  The next kid says, “He’s John, and I’m Sam.”  The next says, “That’s John, Sam, and I am Sally.”  This continues until every kid has called all the names.  You will go last.  This helps you and the kids learn everyone’s name.  It also helps you see which kids have difficulty with this simple memory task.  Finally, end the period by having everyone read aloud from the text (2-3 sentences each).  This allows you to detect basic reading problems. 

      

     This all seems so simple, but I assure you the information you receive will be invaluable as you start the new year.  It is easily adaptable to your specific grade and subject, and it allows you to detect strengths and weaknesses within a relatively short period of time.  If you have some little tips of the trade, please share them with your fellow teachers, either on this site or in person.  They will be so grateful!  Good luck on yet another great school year!

A Great Teacher: A Follow-Up to "Key to the Future" Post

      I feel compelled to define the term "great teacher," since I used it so casually in my last blog.  Here is MY definition: one who makes an honest assessment of the needs of another human being and assists that person in finding ways to fulfill those needs.  Notice, I said nothing about age, education, certification, or experience.  Great teachers do not always come with degrees, nor do they always come with lots of experience. Can you think of a "great teacher" in your life who taught you something that somehow helped you solve a problem or accomplish a task or reach a goal?  Please share your story.

The Key to the Future Is a Great Teacher

     Recently I have heard this question everywhere from social gatherings to school board training sessions: "How do we prepare students for the future when we don't know what the future holds?"  No doubt it is a valid question, one that has been pondered by every generation since the onset of modern education.

     Some believe that everyone should go to college, that this somehow will solve the problems of the future. Well, at least it will help the future of colleges!  Let's face it.  The folks really pushing for everyone to have a college education are the ones whose lifestyles are dependent upon the masses paying tuition.  Others believe it is in technology. SmartBoards are cool, no doubt, but they are simply glorified chalkboards that often don't work.  Then, there is no place to write anything!  Over the years, I have come to understand precisely what kids need to survive and thrive in the future. If we hire and retain great teachers, they will give our kids all they need to solve the problems of the future on their own.  We provide the tools; they build the future. (This is my own attempt at a true vision statement that sums up what teachers do.)
      So, how do we go about getting and keeping these "keys to the future"?  First, districts must establish competitive salaries with decent benefits.  Great teachers, though truly dedicated, kind, and long-suffering, still have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and classroom supplies to buy.  Second, districts must give these professionals as much authority as possible over their classrooms.  Never should a new program, curriculum, or technological device be purchased without first asking the teachers if they need it or want it.  Countless dollars are spent every year by school districts on the latest and greatest "gadgets".  Furthermore, often expensive training sessions are added to the cost to attempt to gain some support for these new-fangled tools sold by snake oil salesmen as a panacea for all the ills of education without asking the people who will be using them. Gee, would anyone ever consider calling in a plumber to fix a leak and then hand him the tools we think he should use to do the job?  Those who are in the classrooms are the only ones who really know what tools they need to do the job right.
     Finally, teachers must have a very strong hand in choosing their colleagues.  The hard-working, devoted teachers know when a "bad apple" has been placed in their basket, but they do not have the authority to toss it out and replace it with a good one.  They, more than anyone, know what this can do to unsuspecting students and ultimately to society.  The bottom line is that districts must treat their teachers as the professionals they are by trusting them to do their jobs in a way that best suits their students, giving them the freedom to problem-solve, and supporting them in their decisions on how to meet the needs of their students while conquering the state and federal mandates. 
       There you have it. The solution is simple.  The problem lies in getting the governing bodies to believe it.  I don't know why it is so difficult to understand.  Maybe many people think that "simple" somehow means "inadequate." For nearly 30 years I taught writing with simple paper and pencils, and my kids were getting the highest marks on standardized tests, but more importantly, they were getting an education, not just a good test score. If we invest in great teachers, they will take care of our students. 
       

Sharing the Vision

     My apologies for my long absence.  My new responsibilities as a school board trustee and my recent film endeavor have kept me very busy.  Interestingly, the two activities are related.  The common factor in both is that of "sharing the vision".

     In terms of my film, I thought that I had everything under control.  I knew what I wanted.  I wrote the script, cast the roles, established the setting, directed the film, shot the footage, and did the editing.  That should take care of it, right?  Wrong.  After I released the first version (the first of MANY) and attached the vision for the film with it, one of the actors (my actor/teacher son) said, "Gosh, Mom, if I'd known that was what you were going for, I would have played my role a lot differently."  Enter the sinking feeling of artistic defeat.  More of the actors shared similar thoughts, and I quickly realized that I had left out the most important people, the ones actually doing the work on screen.  All I could do at that point with a deadline approaching was piece a story together with editing magic.  Let's just say that I am no magician, and I don't know any illusionists who can really make something out of nothing.  I didn't have all the shots I needed, and I didn't have the time to get them.  Note to self:  Share the vision with all stakeholders FIRST!

     Okay, so the good part of this story is that I went through this before I attended my school board training where the TASB gurus talked about the importance of creating a great vision statement and then sharing it in detail with everyone it affects.  I didn't have a light bulb hanging over my head, but I had certainly seen the light. 

     I heard and read things such as:

• The vision statement is written.
• It lists or describes desired qualities for at least each of the following: students of the district, the community, and the schools in the district.
• Staff and community input was solicited in some fashion and was considered.
• All current members of the board and superintendent have agreed, in a formal adoption or re-adoption by the board, to be guided by the vision.
• The board has formally adopted or re-adopted its vision statement within the last five years.
• The board's annual calendar of activities or another written document clearly specifies when the vision statement will next be considered for review.
• The vision statement is clearly posted in the board meeting room or copies are available at each meeting.
• The vision statement is available on all campuses and all staff members have been informed about it.

     The above criteria were specifically outlined for the "newbies" so that we would understand just how important creating and sharing the vision is to the workings of the school district.  In addition to these, we were reminded of the following:

• A vision statement is future-oriented.
• It gives employees direction about how they are expected to behave and inspires them to give their best as they play out their roles in the "big picture", the "final cut of the film", if you will.
• It communicates both the purpose and values of the school and the community.

     I can honestly - and sadly - say, that after 28 years of teaching, I can not remember a single time when we sat down and truly discussed the vision statement and what it meant to work toward it.  I had my own vision of what I wanted to accomplish, and I shared this with my department when we were asked to develop our portion of the Campus Improvement Plan.  However, so much of this came to us from the top down that we simply felt we were being handed more administrative paperwork that had to be on file somewhere in case anyone from the state level wanted to see what we were doing.  Shame on all of us at all levels for not taking this seriously.

      It is my contention that the board of trustees is responsible for "selling" the vision statement to the stakeholders.  Maybe this sounds too "Madison Avenue", but it is something Americans understand.  Someone develops an idea, and that idea is "pitched" to the stakeholders.  Then, question and answer sessions take place to clarify and specify the vision so that all who are a part of the "big picture" can establish specific goals that will support the vision.  This is often done in the reverse, which is not necessarily the most efficient way of taking on this task.  However, if the goals have already been discussed in a public forum with all groups represented, at least the dreams, wishes, and desires of these groups can assist the board in creating a workable vision.  

       I am now working on yet another film, a documentary this time.  Believe me when I say that I will share the vision FIRST!  Hopefully, there will be an opportunity to create a new vision statement for our district, and ideally there will be opportunities for trustees to explain the thinking behind the vision statement in order to get 100% buy-in from all interested parties. At the very least, we should give the ol' college try.

Why We Must Boldly Promote Creativity in all Students

     For twenty years my junior high students published an art and literary magazine to showcase our campus artists and writers.  In the process, they read hundreds of poems, short stories, essays, and plays and viewed even more drawings, prints, and paintings.  They worked to match artwork to literature by topic and often had to appeal to the campus artists to create specific works to accompany a piece of literature. Next, they created thematic sections to organize the magazine according to the works they had chosen. After that, the editing process began as the pieces were revised and edited and made ready for print. Page layouts were developed to be aesthetically pleasing while meeting the strict page size guidelines. All the while the section editors were swinging deals with each other while the managing editor kept the peace and pushed to meet the deadlines set by the students themselves. In another corner of the room, the advertising group was hard at work preparing the ad campaign for selling the magazines while our resident artists put their talents to work designing the section covers and creating a magazine cover to best previous editions. It was a tedious process with lots of heated discussions and more compromise than consensus.  Some days simply wore everyone out as they tried desperately to create a quality product that did justice to the artists and authors while serving the creative needs and visions of these student publishers.  In those moments, my classroom was a hotbed of imagination, creativity, and innovation, complete with laughter and tears, shouts of joy and groans of heartache, and we all loved it! 

     Did they learn the state mandated TEKS?  They had to in order to do the job.  Did I teach the test? Absolutely.  Only they didn't know it.  They were using their reading and writing skills to do a real job for real people to make real money.  The sad part of this story is that this project was limited to the identified "gifted and talented" students.  Why?  Well, it is the thinking of those in charge of such programs that their curriculum must be differentiated from that of the "others".  My contention is that all students benefit from this kind of project and that it should not be something that is made accessible to a select few.  When people are thinking, there is the possibility of creativity.  Notice I said "people" and not "gifted and talented" people.  Creativity exists in each of us, and that can be seen in any kindergarten class in the country.

      When I watch very young children, I am amazed at their incredible capacities for creativity.  They will try anything. How many kids have tied a towel around their necks and leaped from a tree, fully believing they can fly?  How many of them adjusted the cape or added man-made wings or climbed a little higher to overcome the first failure at flight?  Check the emergency room records, and I am sure that you will find the numbers are quite large.  Of course, we don't want kids doing things that will get them killed, but a broken arm for the sake of scientific discovery might be considered a reasonable sacrifice.

    I have grown to envy the kindergarten teacher because she gets these little ones before this wonderful quality is literally "tested" out of them as they enter the world of standardized education. This doesn't mean that I don't understand the need for a core curriculum that provides a common knowledge base that provides us with what J.D. Hirsch calls "cultural literacy".  In order to understand each other, we must have this foundation.  However, when the purpose of acquiring this knowledge is to take a multiple-choice test that proves they have the knowledge so that school districts can get a passing grade and much-needed funding, then we have a problem, and a big one.

     Once again, our school districts are in a panic.  As a result, many are buying a one-size-fits-all curriculum because they fear that their students won't perform well on the state exams if the development of the curriculum is left up to the professionals who actually teach the children.  The developers of these programs, in an effort to belie these accusations, sprinkle the terms "rigor" and "critical thinking" and "creativity" throughout the documents to assure parents and teachers that the end goal is not to pass the test but to turn out highly educated individuals who are college- or workforce-ready. What savvy parents, teachers, employers, and professors of freshmen courses understand is that this is not the case.  While the skills may be intact in a minimal way, the ability to think, reason, create, and view failure as an opportunity to move forward are often not evident in the behaviors displayed by graduating seniors.

     It is my goal to write and speak and act in order to convince anyone and everyone that we must transform education to promote all students in the area of creativity and not just a select few if we plan on meeting the unique challenges the future holds.  I encourage teachers of all levels to use their own creative talents to develop projects that allow students to use the knowledge they have attained to develop rather than repress their natural abilities and talents so that they will have experience in solving problems creatively. I implore administrators to trust their teachers and put them at the heart of selecting or creating curriculum and materials to meet the individual needs and passions of their students. Finally, I ask legislators and local school boards to look beyond the data and actually visit classrooms at all levels so that they can see for themselves how their decisions actually affect our teachers and students.  As servants of the people and stewards of taxpayers' dollars, they have a responsibility to see for themselves how their decisions affect their most important clients.  

     

     I close this piece with a quote from John Cleese, British actor and writer:

"We all operate in two contrasting modes, which might be called open and closed. The open mode is more relaxed, more receptive, more exploratory, more democratic, more playful and more humorous. The closed mode is the tighter, more rigid, more hierarchical, more tunnel-visioned. Most people, unfortunately spend most of their time in the closed mode. Not that the closed mode cannot be helpful. If you are leaping a ravine, the moment of takeoff is a bad time for considering alternative strategies. When you charge the enemy machine-gun post, don't waste energy trying to see the funny side of it. Do it in the "closed" mode. But the moment the action is over, try to return to the "open" mode—to open your mind again to all the feedback from our action that enables us to tell whether the action has been successful, or whether further action is needed to improve on what we have done. In other words, we must return to the open mode, because in that mode we are the most aware, most receptive, most creative, and therefore at our most intelligent."

     
     Have a creative day!

Are You Feeling Lucky?

     Growing up I came to understand that two numbers ruled the universe, 7 and 13.  My father was a gambler by trade, and he put a great deal of stock in this philosophy of lucky vs. unlucky. Good fortune, according to him, was either "meant to be" or not; "in the stars" or not.  I believed in it, too, but not the same way he did.  Where he saw it as something cosmic and mystical, I looked at it as something concrete and controllable.  I learned to turn 13s into 7s by looking for the good in what was seemingly bad.  I am not one to allow ill fortune to beat me.  I move quickly to take control of a situation that is showing signs of becoming a true 13.

     For example, some folks may have thought it unlucky that my sister and I had to close ourselves up in the room we shared to lock out the wrath of our father.  Actually, it was quite lucky.  It was during these "sessions" that we played school.  My sister assumed the role of "teacher" and taught me what she had learned in school that day.  As a result, I was able to read quite well by the time I entered kindergarten.  The luck continued when I asked Mrs. Abbott if I could read to the other kids, and she agreed. It was in those early days of my life on the planet that I became a teacher in my heart.  Lucky?  Perhaps.  Blessed? I'm certain.  But I did my part.  I worked for that luck and those blessings.  My "pot o' gold" did not come from a leprechaun; it came from a positive attitude toward my aptitude and a movement to action. God blessed me tremendously with a gift, and I spent the rest of my life thanking Him by working hard at perfecting my art.

      Richard Wiseman, author of the The Luck Factor, has identified four principles that characterize lucky people.  Wiseman writes, "Lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good."  It is this very kind of "luck" that we need right now to transform our schools into places that will feed the spirit of every kid who graces the doorstep.   

     How do we do this?  It is not as difficult as some might imagine.  First, educational leaders must understand the lives the children are leading and the special gifts of their teachers.  Second, only people who are passionate in their disciplines and gifted at connecting with children should be allowed to teach.  Third, these knowledgeable, devoted educators must be given the freedom to adjust the curriculum to meet the individual needs of the children in their classrooms so that the lessons connect to the real world in which these kids live.  Fourth, all learning must have practical application.  When kids see a reason in their own lives for learning a concept, they are much more motivated to do the work.  Finally, school boards and administrators must create a climate where passionate and creative teachers are empowered to create environments where everyone is inspired to grow creatively.  Even in light of the current budget crisis (a 13), we can make the necessary changes to turn our schools into places that teach students and not tests (a 7).

     So, I ask every educator, administrator, school board trustee, legislator, and taxpayer, "Are you feeling lucky?"

     

Change in Title

     After much confusion and deliberation about the title of this blog site - and the fact that I could not get a URL that matched the title of the site - I am changing the name of the site to match the URL.  "Call Me Teacher" will now match http://www.callmeteacher.blogger.com.  I hope this helps.

Tread Softly on their Dreams

     How long have I been a teacher?  As long as I can remember.  You see, I truly believe that I was born to be a teacher.  I have a natural aptitude combined with a passion to offer people the means to achieve their greatest potential.  I started teaching at the age of four, and I am still doing it.  True teachers are not limited by the confines of walls or institutions or oppressive leaders.  Natural-born teachers do it with almost every breath.  If we are fortunate, someone actually pays us to do this and then gives us the freedom to do what comes naturally.  We do it in spite of all hardship or threat of persecution.  All a real teacher needs is a student, even an unwilling one. What a challenge the unmotivated and disinterested students are because they push a true teacher to excel even more.  They are like the unworkable problem for a mathematician or the highest peak for the mountain climber.  We can not rest until we teach them something that will help them find their own ways in the world.

     I am a firm believer in reaching students where they are, that is, through their passions and dreams.  Oh, yes, there is a curriculum to teach, but it runs a far second behind teaching the living, breathing human being who has his own agenda in life.  There are times when the lesson of the day must be set aside to teach that which is necessary at the moment.  I have fashioned entire discussions and writing assignments around a single student in one of my classes, unbeknownst to him.  I have often opened up the final product for discussion, allowing my students to choose a path that best suits their natural-born gifts and talents and passions.  Ah, it is a beautiful thing to watch a child rap the comma rules or paint the setting of a scene in a novel or construct a building in the Gothic style or act out a scene in a short story in order to get him to learn the material that is at hand.  

      When teachers no longer have the autonomy to make these decisions about the individuals they have in their classrooms, then the most important element of education, individualization of material, has been removed.  Without it, we can not customize education for each child; all we can do is produce assembly-line dolls who can take a test.  We make poor use of their talents - and ours - and we turn out people who have been dislocated from their natural resources.  They are like fish out of water.  Yet, we do it rather ruthlessly in the name of a standardized test when we direct all of the curriculum and all of our precious teaching time to this man-made monster that strikes fear in the hearts of administrators everywhere.

       One man called this a "Fast Food Model of Education".  Everything is standardized, choices are extremely limited, and partaking in it will never feed him; in fact, it might even kill him. If a child is a musician or an artist or an actor in his spirit, then his dreams and natural abilities will be pushed to the bottom of the academic heap.  We must be careful not to tread so heavily on another human being's dreams that we kill them.  Real teachers who are being held back by the fears of school boards and administrators, who feel that their ideas are not valued and worthy of use, who feel their dreams are being trampled upon do not desire to do this to children and will buck the system for the sake of their kids.

       Below is a poem by Yeats that might shed some light on the emotional aspect of teaching.  Imagine yourself as a student writing this to his teacher; then imagine a teacher who cries in the night because she knows the gods of education and their cohorts will strike her down if she deviates from the curriculum to do the one thing she knows will save a child from dropping out of school and ultimately out of life.

He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. 

                                      ~William Butler Yeats

 

 

 

I Never Use a Cookie Cutter

       When I bake cookies, I never use a cookie cutter.  Of course, they all have the same ingredients, but each one is unique, taking on its own shape as it fully develops in the oven.  When I remove them from the pan, I marvel at how each one turns out.  Then, I watch as people select the one that appeals to them the most.  There is usually a great deal of thought that goes into picking just the right one for the person's individual tastes.  This is why I don't believe in a cookie cutter curriculum either.  I prefer not to live in a world of cloned teachers and students who look and act the same.  Where is the beauty and excitement and fun in that?  

       I recently read a piece on the cookie-cutter approach to education by a community member . It reads: "The cookie cutter approach to education, by design, should produce teacher clones with identical classrooms and indeed identical classes. Why would administrators want clones, when mere observation discloses that every teacher has his or her own interests, talents, and vision, and all the good ones seem to use those to sculpt lessons that are completely centered around their style and personality? The short answer is that administrators are generally inept clones themselves, who were by the way, ineffective or outright failures as teachers.  Certainly, we could all name a few exceptions here, but I generalize." 

       I have indeed worked for a handful of incredibly innovative, bright, talented administrators who valued their own autonomy so much that they ruled, not with an iron fist, but with an Andy Griffith spirit that always allowed the best in everyone to shine through. They created an environment conducive to creative thinking and problem-solving where teachers could offer their very best.  Bud Dennis, one such principal, used to say, "My job is to take care of my teachers so that they can take care of the kids.  If my teachers are happy and and like coming to work every day, then I have done my job."  

       Well, I can tell you that I did some of my very best work when this man was my principal.  I always felt at home with him there.  He encouraged me when I had an idea, counseled me like a caring parent when he could anticipate a problem, and gave me enough free reign to create a curriculum that served my department extremely well for many years while allowing me to develop a teaching style that was uniquely my own.  

       He knew all of his teachers well because he was always in the halls listening to his teachers work their magic on their students and appearing just in the nick of time when a teacher needed help.  My first year of teaching was like that of every teacher, a bit shaky as I learned to discipline while teaching.  Mr. Dennis was known for opening the door, glaring at the kids who were a bit unruly, then leaving after everyone was back on task.  This was not followed by a reprimand or a piece of paper telling what he did in his "walk-through".  It was just the way he was.  He cared about all of us, and we knew it.  Years later I asked him why he did that.  His response was simple:  "You needed a chance to re-group and get on with your lesson.  I was just helping you do that." Does this kind of leadership ever become outdated?  I certainly hope not.

         Most of the time, all teachers really need is that Mr. Dennis kind of trust and support .They need an administration that understands the importance of a positive working environment.  If this personal account doesn't mean anything to you, then perhaps something a little more research-based might.  Read on. 

The following is an excerpt from http://www.teacherworkingconditions.org/index.html , a website dedicated to improving the working environment in schools.  The website has outlined what everyone should do to make it possible for teachers to do the best job possible for their kids.  All recommendations are research-based and offer what great teachers understand about what must happen in schools if we truly expect to get the best out of our students.  Please note that these three recommendations put the teacher in charge of his/her classroom. 

What We Know

As noted by Richard Ingersoll, in his 2003 book Who Controls Teachers’ Work?  Power and Accountability in America’s Schools, “Those who are entrusted with the training of this next generation are not entrusted with much control over many of the key decisions in their work.”  He goes on to say the result of this disenfranchising of teachers will be schools that “deprofessionalize and demotivate teachers.” 

Ingersoll attributes problems with recruitment and retention in part to the way schools are organized and to a lack of respect for the teaching profession.  These factors must change for the quantity and quality of the teacher workforce to improve.  In many schools, key decisions are made with minimal input from teachers, but in schools where teachers are more empowered in decision-making, he says there is “less conflict between staff and students and less teacher turnover.”[1]

What The Toolkit Provides
Empowerment can include a variety of levels of teacher involvement in decision-making – from simply providing feedback on options being considered by someone else, to making the final decision themselves.  Specifically, education stakeholders should consider: 

Recommendation One:

Providing teachers access to resources (financial, time, opportunity, etc.) to identify and solve problems related to their classroom in order to ensure they can help all students learn.

Recommendation Two:

Creating opportunities, both formal and informal, for teachers to influence, design, create, and implement school and district policies and procedures.

Recommendation Three:

Encouraging the inclusion of teachers in community, school, district, and state level discussions related to the welfare and ability of all students to academically achieve at the highest levels.

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[1] Richard Ingersoll. (2003) Who Controls Teachers’ Work? Power and Accountability in America ’s Schools. Harvard University Press. 

         Do I pine for the good old days?  No, but I do pray that teachers and students will have the opportunity to work with a leader who has the ingredients that Mr. Dennis had.   He had his own special style that appealed to me and many others.  More importantly, he created a school environment that allowed me to teach in a way best suited to reach my students and allow them to use their unique abilities.  As a department chairperson, I afforded my fellow teachers this same privilege.  Our curriculum was always a work in progress that was amended yearly, weekly, daily, and even period to period based on student need at that given point in time.  I worked hard to be the kind of leader Mr. Dennis would have been proud to have on his campus.  I was not his clone; I was who I was meant to be because he believed in allowing us to grow as individuals.  "The better my teachers are," he said, "the better I look."  And then he grinned that famous grin of his.  I fear he would not be grinning right now if he could see what teachers are facing in this new, cookie cutter approach to education.

The End? I Think Not

 There is no end to school; there is just a transition from one year to the next.  At least, that’s how I’ve always felt.  No doubt, teachers and students will enter a new realm, one without bells and slamming lockers and children’s voices filling the halls of a building that I saw come into being.  As a child, the final week of school was always exciting.  “No more rules; no more books; no more teachers’ dirty looks.”  Doesn’t every kid feel that way?  I would surmise that most do.  But, what do I, as a teacher, do to make the final week as meaningful as the first week? 

God had a pretty darned good plan for the first week of – well – everything.  He covered all the big stuff.  Then, the Apocalyptic stories outline the noteworthy end of all things as told by various prophetic humans such as Black Elk, medicine man and prophet of the Sioux, Snorri Sturluson, chronicler of the Norse Edda , and John, writer of the Book of Revelation.  According to them, the last days will be chaotic.  All order will be lost as the great battle between good and evil is fought.  It will be a time of unknowns, a scary time for many but a glorious time for others.

To me this is a good way to describe the end of the school year.  For some of our students it means traveling to far-off places, sleeping in, watching untold hours of television, and just being a carefree kid.  For others, it means going to church camp, cheerleading camp, basketball camp, volleyball camp, chess camp, and camping camp, all serving as ways to enrich their lives, hone their skills, and replace the presence of a working parent.  Still others will be left alone to get into mischief of all kinds.  For the unfortunate few, it will mean a summer blanketed by fear as they face the demons of their own homes.  So many kids come to school even when they’re sick or tired or both to escape the horrors of their own houses. Because of a tyrannical father, I was one of those kids.  I didn’t love school really; I just loved the consistency, the order, the safety.  Summer meant dodging bullets on a daily basis.  Summer meant trying to be invisible.  Books and movies were my escape.  I know many like me walk the halls of our schools every day.

So, what does a teacher say to those exiting her classroom in the last week?  How do you touch the hearts of all?  How do you wrap it up?  I don’t.  I’m a “see you later” not a “goodbye” person.  I guess I just don’t believe in endings.  There’s always something better on the other side.  You know, the “light at the end of the tunnel”, the “grass is always greener”, the “tomorrow is another day” kind of thinking with no endings, just beginnings.  Perhaps that is why I chose the theme of “Beginnings” to teach through: beginning to be on our own, beginning to understand self, beginning to understand others, beginning to see the future.  Then, I wrapped these themes in two questions:  What is man?  Who am I?  (I’ve always been a big picture thinker, and that means there is no end, not as long as humans inhabit the planet.) Just as we search for the depth and eternity of a piece of art, whether it’s a painting, a book, a poem, a musical score, or a famous quote, we must seek the depth and eternity of self.  Simply put, I never end.

“The summer months are the biggest test of all,” I tell them.  “All that we’ve discussed about what man is will become clearer as we live our lives outside these walls.”  Some people (even people who are teachers) think that such words are wasted on kids.  I don’t.  We must constantly plant the seeds of wisdom.  I once likened teaching children to sowing wildflower seeds.  You plant, you feed what you can, and you let nature take its course.  When you least expect it, you look out, and there is a field blanketed in blossoms.  As the years go by, the wildflowers die out because the wind has blown their seeds to lands far away.  Then one day across the field you spy one tiny dot of color that decorates the world.  That one seed that failed to germinate so long ago has finally found just the right time and place to take root and grow.  It is often undersized and an imperfect specimen, yet it is the most precious of all.  It somehow has survived all the droughts, the freezes, the mowing and has forced its way to the top, reaching upward toward the sun.

Still, what do I say?  “Have fun?”  “Be careful?”  “Learn something?”   “Be kind to everyone you meet?”  “Read a book?” Accomplish something? “ No, I say, “Each day when you wake up and look in the mirror, ask yourself, ‘Am I the person I would want my own child to become?’ “   You see, that way there is no end even when I retire because it has never been about me.  It has always been about the children, and they are forever.