The Daily Grind

It's funny, the words that stick in your head at important junctures. Today is my final day of teaching at a school that needs good teachers. It is also potentially my last day of teaching in the classroom because I've accepted a new position as an Academic Dean.
Driven came to mind this morning. The uncertainties of teaching in one of Connecticut's "Network" schools has driven me to want out of the school.  As of the last day of school, many of my colleagues don't know where or what they will be teaching, despite years of great reviews.
Driven came to mind two days ago when I asked a student twice to put away a cell-phone during the final exam before taking the test away on the third time it came out. I am tired of being blamed for the failure of students like that and so I am being driven out in order to take care of my self.
Driven came to mind a week ago when I realized that there are plenty of people who doubt I can handle this new position. Sure, it is a stretch for me, but I hate failing. It is that fear of failure that has caused me to read anything and everything about this profession. It is that fear of failure that makes me ask questions of the people who I think can guide me.
Yes, driven is the word of the week.

Every morning in schools around the country, the P.A. system beeps on and the daily announcements come on. Some schools use broadcasts, which is at least much more interesting than the voices in the sky.
But, I can't help but think that these modes, especially the P.A. system is hopelessly outdated.
In a generation where schools are constantly looking to draw their students in and engage them, it seems to me that we are missing many great opportunities to deliver messages through Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Youtube. Schools are still fearful of these social media sites, and the result is a greater divide between the students and the school leaders.

Unless I am misunderstanding Governor Malloy's Education Reform movement, he would like to see teachers held accountable for poor student performance. But for the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team, Governor malloy finds it "ridiculous" that the NCAA has banned the team from post-season play for poor academic standards in the past.
Interesting. I guess it isn't politically advantageous to call out the UConn Huskies and Coach Jim Calhoun, but those poor, incomepetent teachers...

My best guess is that if the quality of my teaching was to be judged on student outcomes this year, I might end up as ineffective, especially when compared to last year's scores. Surviving this year has undoubtedly been difficult, and it has often left me feeling ambivalent. And yet.
In his powerful book of essays, The Hungering Dark, Frederick Buechner writes a prayer:
"Catch us off guard today. Surprise us with some moment of beauty or pain so that for at least a moment we may be startled into seeing that you are with us here..." My wife and I had the entirety of the prayer read at our wedding. The truth of it encompasses so much of what we do.
Last week, on a Friday no less, a student or two caught me off guard. For the entire school year to date, this one student, full of good intentions, has failed to accomplish any reading assignments at home.
But here she was, eight chapters into The Lord of the Flies, up to date on her reading and with the type of annotations I expect from my students. Tucked into her notes was a deep and profound question, but I can't remember it. Instead, I remember the lump in the throat, the "moment of beauty."
I have learned this year to not let my highs get to high or my lows get to low. It is what it is as the cliche goes. But I was thankful for the moment.

Now, I am an advocate of school reform. However, I am not an advocate of school reform being led by people who can't even follow a basic line of reasoning, and thus completely misunderstands the statements of the very people he disparages. That Governor Malloy did not understand the speaker's premise or the speaker's ultimate conclusions is an embarrassement to the State led reform.

The motto of my new, state run education system will be, "from each according to his/her ability, to each according to his/her need." My father won't be happy with this new socialistic leaning, but Governor Malloy and other reformers have inspired me to join the movement.
In our new education system, the state, presumably me because I will have that kind of authority, will determine who the best teachers in the entire state are, and where they teach. I will clearly begin my search for the best by heading to Avon and Simsbury and, well, Fairfield County for sure. Those commodoties, the best teachers, will be delivered to the neediest schools in Connecticut, those in Hartford, Bridgeport, and Windham.
Once those needy schools have the best teachers, I will then transfer the crappy teachers, the ones I've replaced in Hartford, Bridgeport, and Windham to Avon, Simsbury, and most of Fairfield County.
The middle of the road schools found in Tolland, Mansfied, and Torrington will get left alone because while their scores are good, they aren't great and thus don't have any teachers to move up or down.
I would clearly have to force all of these transfers because those really good teachers (the capitalists I guess) are only concerned with their well-being--that is why they don't teach in those terrible and failing schools.

Recently, I came across the crime data for the fifty states and the District of Columbia for 2010. The five most dangerous states are (excluding D.C.): Nevada, Alaska, Delaware, Tennessee, and South Carolina. What does this mean? It is time to fire all of the poorly rated State Policemen and Policewomen from those states.
We clearly need to put the interests of the citizens above those of the officers and their unions. How can we stand for such a crime gap in our country? Nevada had 660 incidences per 100,000 people; Vermont had 130.
If we are not going to tolerate teachers whose students do not perform up to par, why would we tolerate police officers who do not protect their citizens?
It is time to fire the underperforming police and replace them with a new group of police: Police For America. This group of graduates from prestigious universities, with a few weeks of police training, will clearly benefit the community.

The American education system really hit its first bit of turbulance back in the 1980's, but was able to ride it out until the late 90's when the turbulance returned. That's when the crash happened. Our system was left dazed and confused and in need of a leader. President Bush spoke first, declaring that our government had a responsibility to hold the shell and speak. It all seemed utopian at first. No child left behind; politicians and teachers coming together to create a more perfect union.
But soon the politicians and their followers grew jealous of the teachers and their unions. The teachers and the unions began to see that the politicians weren't keeping up on their end of the deal--to fund the mandates. Grumbling began.
The politicians decide that the teachers union should not, or could not, lead the way. They begin to entice the private sector, the donors, to join their side. Their thirst for blood grows until finally the teachers become the enemy, and they swear to destroy them.
Currently, those politicians and their followers are in a full fledged, mouth-frothing, trance-like frenzy to ridicule and demoralize the teachers. With the help of the New York Times and the L.A. Times, the politicians have succeeded in pushing a few boulders off the cliff of decency, striking many a decent teacher.
It is all quite savage in the end. It comes just a little too close to that cautionary tale of The Lord of the Flies.

Lately, I've been wondering about how to market a public school that has to compete for students while also reaching out to the current student body. The kids are all on Twitter, so I opened my own Twitter feed in an effort to learn more about how schools might use it.
I'm still not sure how to use this tool, but I can imagine it would be great for a school's student council trying to get out information to the student body.

With great respect for Langston Hughes, and because I am not much of a poet, I have adapted his powerful poem "I, too, Sing America" for the feeling of neglect many of today's teachers feel as everyone but us seems to be charting the course of public education.

I, too, Fix Education


I, Too, fix Education
I am the classroom teacher.
They write me off for lack of degrees
When reformers come,
But I teach,
And smile strong,
And connect.

Tomorrow,
I’ll join the dialogue
When reformers come.
They won’t presume to
Say to me,
“ You are status quo,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how important I am
And recognize—

I, too, fix Education

"Im holding on too tight. I've lost the edge," is how Cougar says it. And I can't help but wonder whether or not Cougar and I have something in common.
I like Bill Gates and all his foundation is doing for public education. But I'm growing tired of the theory that students succeed based on the ability of their teacher. Good teacher matter, that is true. But sometimes, good teachers make no difference at all because students are people and not data points. I believe in merit pay. I believe in school reform. But I don't know how to solve the bad student cohort problem.
Last year, I taught my Honors, College Prep, and Fundamental level students in much the same way. All three groups outperformed their peers on state exams. This year, my two college prep classes are performing at, or below, the Fundamental level students from last year.
Did I suddenly become bad? Have I lost the edge? Do I need to turn in my wings?

Yet another really smart opinion person (Nicholas D. Kristoff) has something to say about education, because, you know, if you went to school, you are an expert. Kristoff wrote about the value of a "great" teacher, while also showing the negative effects of a "bad" teachers. So, here is a somewhat satirical response, which the New York Times should publish:

Imagine receiving your 10th grade English class list a week before school starts and it is filled with repeat 9th grade students who are known for their boorish behavior. What should you do.

Quit!

You can’t really do that, but an astonishing amount of evidence suggests that the difference between a well-mannered, responsible group of students and group of lazy, disrespectful students has long-lasting results. Having a miserable group of students raises your chance of depression by 9 percent, and you will be 20 percent less likely to enjoy your profession. Each year of such a class will cost you $1,100 in deductibles and copays for counseling, as well as $400 for copays on anxiety and anti-depressant prescriptions. Amazingly, a great class of students will save the average teacher 3% per year, thus allowing them to purchase more student materials that the school district no longer pays for.

The study, by real teacher and not elitist theorists holed up in a university, discovered that if a great class in not coming, teachers should take a sabbatical. The benefits to the teacher’s health and family far exceeds the public need to babysit unruly children.

Astonishingly, a “bad” group of students has the same effect as repeatedly bullying and humiliating an individual five days a week. Parents would never allow that to happen to their child, so the reasons why we allow our teachers to endure such viciousness remains unclear. Researchers found that teachers who are asked to deal with such abuse should receive a $100,000 bonus and be awarded educational sainthood.

Our decaying societal values of courtesy, respect, and hard-work is the most significant disease in America’s overall well-being. And this frustration is exacerbated by politicians and media outlets who don’t have the intestinal fortitude to confront the issue. Those big voices have all types of Woebegone theories and more than ludicrous pontifications, but are ignoring the most basic reality facing failing schools.

This experiential research should force intelligent people to think before they speak (or act for that matter), because who better to illustrate the truth about the daily grind of teaching.

Quite simply, the teachers. Or in another way to answer the same questions, not people who don’t teach. The reality is that money isn’t going to make teachers happier, or that reducing class sizes will make them happier either.

One of the truths about school reform is that great teachers are willing to accept responsibility for both their success and failure, but those in charge of school reform, or just write about it, have not put equal responsibility on the students and families who seem to think being lazy and disrespectful is an acceptable approach to education.

Imagine a world in which the top 5 percent of discipline problems in a school could be replaced by average students. Estimates indicate that each class period would gain 7.5 minutes of actual instruction time, amounting to 22.5 more hours of real learning in a healthy environment per year.

Now that would be worth pontificating about.

A few years back ABC ran the reality show Wife Swap. A recent article summarizing the new Celebrity Wife Swap caught my attention only because I didn't realize the show was still being aired. But as is typical of me, I looked to make a self-to-text connection. And so I did. The result is a new reality show: Teacher Swap. I've suggested teacher reality shows before--Hell's Classroom and a cheap knock-off of Survivor. But this one, I really think could happen.
According to all of the research, and so many newspaper articles, great teachers raise test scores. We all know that teh best test scores exist in the most affluent towns in Connecticut.

Therefore, I propose we swap teachers from affluent suburban high schools with teachers from poverty stricken urban schools. This social experiment would certainly be as entertaining as Celebrity Wife Swap, wouldn't it? Watching entrenched suburban teachers have to respond to the types of student behaviors experienced in urban schools or the complete lack of materials or space would be both heart-wrenching and humorous. Seeing despondant urban teachers, who have been abused by politicians and media outlets, suddenly rediscover the joy of teaching while enjoying engaged students who are eager to learn would be both instructive and satisfying.

Of course, society doesn't want to see this. It is much easier, much neater to blame the urban teacher for low test scores and high suspension rates. If America will watch shows like Celebrity Wife Swap or The Real World, couldn't someone please make Teacher Swap a reality show?