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Not a joke. Not at all. In fact both are quotes from my last drive by observation Oct. 29, 2014, the last day I worked, as a matter of fact. It was a Wednesday, though, not Friday and the day the last work had been posted was Monday.
A few years back, I was having one of my required observations by our new system-wide science coordinator - a previous middle school science teacher. She said the very same thing to me:
Her: "Why don't you have your student's work posted on the wall?"
Me: "Because this is high school, not middle or elementary school."
Her: "But it would make the student's feel better about their accomplishments."
Me: "I'm not teaching adolescents, or pre-teens. I'm teaching pre-adults, and I'm going to treat them as such."
Her: "Well I think its important to do this as it boosts their self-esteem."
Me: "Well, I know that it's ridiculous to treat students in college-prep courses as 4th graders. I refuse to consider their self-esteem, when it's my job to prepare them for college, which will definitely not give a damn about it. Or even worse, the real world."
Understandably, my observer gave me a lower eval score than I was used to. Other high school science teachers also observed by her made our grievances known about this absurdity, and she never observed high school teachers again.
So, yeah, I find the idea of bulletin boards of posted works in high school to be very juvenile, it this feeling is shared by virtually my entire faculty. You want the students to act like adults? Treat them as such: not only by topics like that posted above, but by what you expect/demand from them, as well.
Well, you better hope your, and Lepoisson's, systems don't adopt Danielson's Framework for Teaching because displaying student work, with "meaningful" feedback is a required look for in evaluations at all levels.
I had a Principal years ago who wanted us to have name charts like in elementary and put gold stars up for kids who turned in their homework or whatnot.
Well, you better hope your, and Lepoisson's, systems don't adopt Danielson's Framework for Teaching because displaying student work, with "meaningful" feedback is a required look for in evaluations at all levels.
I had a Principal years ago who wanted us to have name charts like in elementary and put gold stars up for kids who turned in their homework or whatnot.
We could adopt whatever... it still won't change what the most successful teachers do.
Those of us with enough experience to have seen many of the current trends in education come and go have developed methods for dealing with it:
We will accept the latest educational plan on a silver platter when offered to us by the high priests during the summer's 5-day in-service to familiarize us with it.
We will carry said plan-on-silver to lay on the altar of the education gods and make a sacrifice to them (that sacrifice being the last method to better education that failed).
We will climb to the highest mountain, and with a strong voice, proclaim to all that can hear, the merits of said plan: this is done in order to appease the high priests of education (i.e. non-educators that developed said plan).
Then we will go back to our classrooms and teach like we've been doing successfully for years, methods based on our unique personalities and experience.
Good administrators understand this, and look the other way, especially when they see good results.
Also, good administrators don't tell teachers how to teach. They pick good teachers during interviews to do the job of teaching, and step in from time to time to see that they're doing it. They run the building, and make sure the teachers have what they need to do their jobs - and then let them do it.
Last edited by Starman71; 04-02-2016 at 09:25 AM..
We could adopt whatever... it still won't change what the most successful teachers do.
Those of us with enough experience to have seen many of the current trends in education come and go have developed methods for dealing with it:
We will accept the latest educational plan on a silver platter when offered to us by the high priests during the summer's 5-day in-service to familiarize us with it.
We will carry said plan-on-silver to lay on the altar of the education gods and make a sacrifice to them (that sacrifice being the last method to better education that failed).
We will climb to the highest mountain, and with a strong voice, proclaim to all that can hear, the merits of said plan: this is done in order to appease the high priests of education (i.e. non-educators that developed said plan).
Then we will go back to our classrooms and teach like we've been doing successfully for years, methods based on our unique personalities and experience.
Good administrators understand this, and look the other way, especially when they see good results.
In educational reformers minds you, and your colleagues, are what's wrong with education.
Get a Broad superintendent and what you posted will become ammunition to get rid of you. If the current administrators won't do it the Broadie will bring in those who will.
In educational reformers minds you, and your colleagues, are what's wrong with education.
Educational reformers would have a hard time justifying that sentiment with regards to my methods and my test scores.
Quote:
Originally Posted by North Beach Person
Get a Broad superintendent and what you posted will become ammunition to get rid of you. If the current administrators won't do it the Broadie will bring in those who will.
In some systems, this would be true. But in others, results matter a hell of a lot more than the method. I've worked under 5 different superintendents/directors in two different districts, and while most of them pay lip-service to the latest trends in education, they have for the most part, defended their successful teachers from persecution when positive results are given - no matter the method (as long as those methods weren't the ones used in Atlanta a few years back )
Last edited by Starman71; 04-02-2016 at 09:47 AM..
Educational reformers would have a hard time justifying that sentiment with regards to my methods and my test scores.
In some systems, this would be true. But in others, results matter a hell of a lot more than the method. I've worked under 5 different superintendents/directors in two different districts, and while most of them pay lip-service to the latest trends in education, they have for the most part, defended their successful teachers from persecution when positive results are given - no matter the method (as long as those methods weren't the ones used in Atlanta a few years back )
They don't have to justify it if the environment is right. You've maybe never been on the receiving end of a district wide effort to get rid of expensive teachers. All it takes is a couple different School Board members being elected and it's off to the races.
Why aren't your scores better Mr. Starman? Obviously you are allowing some of your students fall by the wayside. Hmmm, it appears that those students are ESOL/minority/Special Ed/FARM/none of the above. What are you going to do to raise those inadequate scores?
They don't have to justify it if the environment is right. You've maybe never been on the receiving end of a district wide effort to get rid of expensive teachers. All it takes is a couple different School Board members being elected and it's off to the races.
Why aren't your scores better Mr. Starman? Obviously you are allowing some of your students fall by the wayside. Hmmm, it appears that those students are ESOL/minority/Special Ed/FARM/none of the above. What are you going to do to raise those inadequate scores?
What part of my posts indicated that my scores weren't adequate? I was trying to imply, w/o coming right out and stating it, that my scores aren't something anyone could find fault with. That my methods do not show a disparity in scores based on differing subsets of students you mentioned. I think you're reaching here in order to find some kind of fault with my stance.
And, yes, I actually have been in a system that went out of its way to remove the more expensive teachers... like me. But they had no intention of removing those that actually did their jobs of increasing system-wide scores.
Maybe your experiences in the systems in which you worked was much different than the ones I've worked in. Thus, you have a different perspective than mine. Don't make the mistake of assuming that all experiences are similar.
What part of my posts indicated that my scores weren't adequate? I was trying to imply, w/o coming right out and stating it, that my scores aren't something anyone could find fault with. That my methods do not show a disparity in scores based on differing subsets of students you mentioned. I think you're reaching here in order to find some kind of fault with my stance.
And, yes, I actually have been in a system that went out of its way to remove the more expensive teachers... like me. But they had no intention of removing those that actually did their jobs of increasing system-wide scores.
Maybe your experiences in the systems in which you worked was much different than the ones I've worked in. Thus, you have a different perspective than mine. Don't make the mistake of assuming that all experiences are similar.
I won't make that mistake if you don't. Whoops, too late.
You aren't paying attention to what's going on around the country in regards to the profession if you think your scores mean jack **** to a reform minded Board or Superintendent.
I won't make that mistake if you don't. Whoops, too late.
When did I ever state anything of the sort in any of my previous posts. All I pointed out was that my experiences were not the same as yours. While you have seen one thing, I have seen another. Why the snark?
Quote:
Originally Posted by North Beach Person
You aren't paying attention to what's going on around the country in regards to the profession if you think your scores mean jack **** to a reform minded Board or Superintendent.
And again, there are some directors, from my own personal experience that have been considered by everyone to be "reform-minded" but wouldn't "cut off their nose to spite their face", by forcing changes where unneeded, and ridding the system of that which actually works.
I don't care what's going on "around the country". You make it sound like it's everyone, in every system. I know for a fact it's not. I'm experiencing it right now. I've seen what you've seen, and I've also seen the exact opposite. How hard is this for you to understand?
Last edited by Starman71; 04-02-2016 at 10:22 AM..
I taught A/B block and as a music teacher, I have to say 4x4 kills music programs because students wouldn't have enough time to take band/choir/whatever for both semesters.
I student taught that had a ridiculous combination of block and 8 periods.
I think for math, language, Language Arts an 8 period day is better, but for other subject areas, a block may work better.
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