Tuesday, August 16, 2011

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. 

Monday, August 1, 2011

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!