Category: Observations and Opinions

Observations and Opinions

MEAP Matters?

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

Today I had the pleasure of administering the 7th grade math MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment Program) to my 2nd hour science class. It is the second week of testing, 4th day of testing. We give up about 2.5 hours of instructional time each day that our students are required to take the test. I find it odd that we are testing 6th grade growth in writing, reading and math a month into the 7th grade year. shouldn’t the test be at the end of the 6th grade year? Before our students have 10 weeks off and then comeback and get into a routine of instruction just to be interrupted by testing over 2 weeks. Enough about testing times, I want to focus on today.

Today I walked around the room observing students working on the test. I noticed students answering questions without writing down any calculations in the test booklet. I took a moment to look back at the instructions: “You may underline, circle or write in the booklet but only the answers on the answer document will be corrected.” First off, I don’t like the word MAY in the instructions. I feel it needs to be changed to “You SHOULD”. Why do we give the students permission to choose not to show work, which as an educator I know is a best practice. It will help students see what they are calculating and they may notice a mistake. The other problem is the directions are telling the students that their work doesn’t matter, just the answer. Sure, the government does not want to pay someone to grade written work, but they devalue it before it is even attempted.

As I continued to monitor the class take the assessment, I felt more and more useless as a teacher in the classroom. I saw students making mistakes. I wanted to ask them how they came to their answer. I wanted to help them see their errors and make corrections. I felt helpless, watching students make mistake after mistake. Trained to help students learn from mistakes, I was forced to sit on the sidelines so the educational autopsy could be performed. Result coming in 6 months with very few problems released to aid student instruction.

After the students had finished: some rapidly and some worked diligently to achieve their best. I talked with a few students individually. My first conversation was with a student who finished the suggest 40 minute second part in 15 minute. I asked “How did you do?” His response was “Doesn’t matter, my parents don’t care about the MEAP, glad I am done.” I wanted to say it matters to your school and teachers. I felt the urge to explain that the scores rank schools and can affect funding. But he was right! To him the test has no relevance. It does not affect his grade or standing in school. Why try your best on a test if there is no true benefit. What is the point of the test for him?

The other student I talked to was a girl. She appeared tired and was laying her head down on the desk after the test were collected. I asked her why she was tired. “Well, I did not go to bed until 11 pm last night and had to get up at 4 am to get to school.” Okay 5 hours of sleep would make me tired too. I sure would not be performing my best on a test getting that little sleep. After further inquiry I found out she was with her mom at her mother’s boyfriends house, an hour away from school. Well, that explains the sleep issue. Is it fair for this 12-year-old girl to have to take the test? I don’t know.

I do know we need to create a testing system that is relevant to our students. It need to not be an autopsy but be a tool to mold instructional needs for the students. It also needs to have the flexibility to allow for students to show work and retake if needed. We need a testing system that helps students grow and become better learners. Not one that is used to rank students and bully teachers and schools.

Work Load

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

Today at the end of the school day, I stood talking to my principal in the hallway before the final bell. I asked how her day was going and she replied “Good for being my first full day at school this week!” It took a moment for it to set in, being Friday afternoon, me ready to head home for the weekend. WOW Friday and the Principal has only been in school 1 full day.

Let me start by saying I have a great principal, she works hard, backs her teachers and knows curriculum. She is a “lead” learner. She tries to model best practices as much as possible. Was she sick this week? NO. She was scheduled out for meetings, in-services and those “other duties” that come with the awesome task of working in a school. Was this her plan? No, but it was only luck she was here today, her meeting was canceled. Is this just a freak occurrence? Not from my vantage point. I see it with our best leaders and teachers pulled from there instructional duties to other tasks.

Let’s start by talking about Principals. From my reading, observations and conversations they are supposed to be “leader of instruction”. I don’t see them having enough time to be Highly effective here. To lead instruction it would mean they would be in classrooms, teaching, assisting and observing on a daily basis. How? Principals have to great a work load. Their most important task of leading instruction gets pushed aside for all the other demands of the job: District meetings, parent meetings, invention meetings, discipline meeting, required PD (isn’t on the job training best?) State meetings etc… oh and lunch duty, after-school activities and sports. By design principals have little time for their primary role in a school. This seems odd. Let me look further.

Let’s look at special education teachers. These are the very important, highly trained teachers that support those that need the most in our schools. From my experience they are scheduled out more than any other teacher. Not by choice but again by design. They have to attend: Meetings, like IEP meeting, intervention meetings, district special ed training meetings etc…. and sometimes time away to test their students one at a time.

Really when we look at all teachers, they have a tremendous load just like the Principals. Districts need to look at the work load design and decided if the design fits their needs and goals. I hope we want all teachers in the classrooms as much as possible and Principals free to support and guide these teachers. This is a factor in why average principal last 4 years. One half of teachers quit with in the first 5 years. Think about it.

Is teaching a job? or a career? or ….

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

As a teacher I often talk to my middle school students about preparing for their careers. Many times I have students ask What is the difference between a “Job” and a “Career”. My simple answer is that a “job” is a way to earn money (temporary, hourly pay), where as a career is a job where you advance your roll into leadership or require higher degree of learning (longer term, salary). I give examples of jobs as waiting tables or working cutting grass. Career examples I give are retail jobs where one can move up to management or police, firefighter, doctor. My students often respond to the retail example stating it is a job that could be a career if nothing else pans out. I have to point out that starting low in retail and working up is a time-honored tradition, giving the example of a friend of mine from college who worked in a Jockey Retail store and has worked his way up to a district manager position.

My view is a similar view of what Trent wrote in a blog “The Simple Dollar“. I have used this blog in the past help explain the difference in a career planning unit I have taught during middle school advisory lessons. Up until recently I have always thought of teaching as a career and not a job.

I have a masters degree that is in the field of educations. Check one-off in the career column. I have been teaching for 13 year. Check. I have a salary. Check. I work hard and want my boss to notice my work. Check. Sure does look like a career. But I think there is more to teaching than calling it a career.

After re-reading Trent’s blog, a few ideas stuck in my head. A career is “connected employment” leading to “higher pay and higher prestige.” That really does not happen in teaching. If I want higher pay and prestige I have to leave the teaching gig and head into management and consulting. I guess you can call those teaching jobs, I don’t really see it that way. I teach because of the students. Sure someday I might leave them for a different kind of student but I don’t want to go into management. I am like most teachers very dedicated to my students. We all work hard. Spend time outside of our normal working hours, working to better us at our craft. So I don’t see teaching as a career I see it as a LIFESTYLE. Sure we might know some who see it as a job, They leave the job after the first 5 years. Some see it as a career, the move up the ladder quickly forgetting how it was to be in a classroom daily. But there are some who live teaching 24/7/365 and to us it is truly a LIFESTYLE choice.

Common Core = College Core, should there be another path?

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

Like many educators I have spent time this summer looking over the “new” common core state standards. (In science they are called the Next Generation Science Standards) Overall I like the idea of having common standards between states, because up till now each state has had different standards. Comparing states educational systems has been very difficult. Some states have created rigorous standards, like Michigan where I teach, yet others have just left minimal requirements. Colleges have complained about students arriving with poor skills. Often so poor the students need to take remedial classes in record numbers. While I processed all of the information, I felt it would be tough as an college admission officer not familiar with all the different state standards. As a new college student I would be depressed if I was placed in nothing but remedial classes as a freshman. Core standards are needed. BUT are they needed for ALL students?

As I pondered these ideas, I started to notice articles about “Where the jobs are now.”  Sure you can find stories about unfilled STEM jobs that the Common Core will address. I noticed stories about jobs, I never expected: truck driver shortages and factory shortages. Does the common core help fill these vacancies? NO. What do we do with students who want to fill these positions? I believe the if the common core is the only avenue for them they will drop out! Is that what we want? I hope not.

We should not be telling our youth that the only path is College. Today more jobs do not require a college degree than jobs that do! Sure, I want to encourage everyone to get the best education they can, but there are many routes to success that don’t pass through college. As educators we need to be up front and honest with students. Tell them their options. Start them all off on the College Core path, IF and when it becomes evident that the path is not right, there needs to be another one for them to travel down.

When you ask a 5 year old what they want to be most will say: “Doctor, Lawyer, Fireman Police Officer, Nurse, or Teacher” as they gain knowledge about the many more professions it changes many times over. We need to offer core educational requirements that lead to ALL occupations: Musician, Artist, Cook, Truck Driver, Etc…. To do this we have to do away with 1 common core and create many cores that are as well defined as the common core. The common core is great for college bound students but not all students will go down that path.

Educational Technology Leadership- Keeping pace with tech change

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

How do districts keep up in this age of ever changing technology tools and shrinking school budgets?

Everyday I hear about a new tool to use in the classroom or a new technique on how to use the technology. Where I work we have seen our budget shrink every year for the past 7. Our Technology Director position is now filled by the business manager and we have 2 tech support people for 3,200 students and 7 buildings.

How do we keep up? Our district does the best it can by trusting the teachers to become experts in various technology skills and then share the skills back with the leadership and fellow teachers. We also utilize our Intermediate School District and the technology support that they provide to the all 21 districts in the county. Districts can’t afford to have a resident expert in all technology. We have been struggling to keep pace with change. Some of our administrators are not technology-savvy and do not feel comfortable using all of the tools at hand.

So do administrators have to be technology-savvy themselves in order to be effective technology leaders in their organizations?

Simple answers is NO. Administrators have to create a culture of learning and sharing among staff. Administrators have to trust their staff on leading them in the right direction. They also need to develop strong questioning skills to ask the staff about the technology to be reassured that the district is moving in the correct direction. Shared leadership helps districts keep pace with the technology change. Districts can’t afford to have a resident expert in all technology. They have to have trust in their staff to become experts in select technology. Then build an atmosphere of respect so staff feel comfortable training each other. The moment someone becomes an “expert” in a product, a newer, better, version is being released. If one person was trying to keep pace they would never have time train staff. Challenge yourself as a leader to share our leadership with your staff.

Two final thoughts-

1: Leaders have to embrace technology and learn if they want their staff to do the same. They don’t have to be savvy or the expert but they need to learn.

2. A great leaders isn’t the smartest person in the room but the one who surround themselves with the smartest people. If you know you have knowledge deficits try to find people to help fill in the knowledge void.

 

#EdFix

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

For the past 2 years or so the political world and educational world have be colliding due to the state of our educational system. Many are touting new ideas to “Fix” education. Fingers are being pointed at different parties to blame. Businesses are circling like vultures to pick at the billions of dollars spent in the system.

So how do we fix education? Is there a silver bullet/ one size fits all/ quick fix?

Well the answer to the second question is easy: NO it will be situational fixes that take time.

How: well that is the hard one. Why is the system in need of a “Fix”?

Well in my opinion it is due to our culture shifting away from valuing education and knowledge. Our society let education become what it is today. We as a collective value pop culture, material possession and entertainment over education.

Just look at where the money goes and this is evident. This value shift from hard work and education of earlier generations has had great impact on the educational system. Society needs to shift the focus back to education. Here are a few ideas to get started in the shift:

  1. Hold teachers in high regard, respect what they say like you do your doctor or lawyer.
  2. Businesses need to partner with schools to set up programs to assist students.
  3. Address the hidden curriculum, teacher teach so much more that the core. Poverty needs to be addressed.
  4. Have pop-culture reflect education as a “must needed value” instead of  stars sharing that they made it despite dropping out. Or showing education locations as a “party” back drop.

 

To truly fix education we need to change society to value education!