Why so standardized?

I did not go to school today because I had to go to an all-day training for new English teachers. The training was supposed to teach us how to use our textbooks. Qua? A: Why was this training not done before school started? B: Why do we even need training on how to use a textbook? Surely (most) teachers are intelligent enough to figure out how to navigate through them. There are also people called Department Heads and Resource Teachers we can turn to.

To add another layer of ridiculousness to this nonsense, the county is discontinuing the use of these textbooks next year. Que?? We can surely spend our time doing other things (like, oh I don't know, LESSON PLANNING??) if what we "learned" today will be useless in another 9 months.

Now add ANOTHER layer of incongruity on top of that unappetizing cake. (Though not a surprising layer.) There were maybe 20 minutes of the whole day that were useful, out of the 6+ hours of the training. And it could have been handed to us in packets. We're adults. We will read it. Maybe I'm being optimistic; I'm also quite computer literate (most of the training was how to use the supplemental online resources, which I didn't even think were useful for my purposes... but I'll come to that in a moment), and perhaps some of the older teachers are luddites. Ok, fine, but the county does not need to pay for a private textbook company to send their Floridian consultant (even though we use VA textbooks.... ummmmmm ok....) to walk us through tons of information that most of us either won't use or will forget the second we walk out of that room. Not to mention paying for the subs who have to replace us. This seems especially ridiculous in a county as bountiful and wealthy as this; there are plenty of people and resources for media illiterate teachers to turn to.

The frosting on this masterpiece, though, was the insistence of doing EVERYTHING (or so it seemed) through this one textbook company. Sure, some of it served to save us time coming up with tests and the like, but most of it seemed like a marketing campaign toward standardization. Ug.

Ok, I am really not a sourpuss (except I am when it comes to this country's obession with standardization). One of the benefits of working in this particular county is the freedom with which we are allowed to teach. That can also be difficult, as I was given few guidelines and fewer texts. But clearly, standardization has not affected us as much as other counties. Yet.

And finally (whoops, didn't mean to write an essay...), I continue to love Valerie Strauss for reasons like this. Normally I don't like Alfie Kohn nearly as much, but he has earned major brownie points with me with this article denouncing standardized tests.

Gym Class, Spanish, and Math, oh my!

Yesterday and today have been rather boring, but at least I've done *something*...

Make-up school pictures were yesterday so I hung out in the gym registering students for pictures. That took the first 5-10 minutes of class... kinda dull. But again, at least it was something. And interestingly, there were more sixth graders who showed up than 7th or 8th graders. Not sure why.

Today I filled in for a Spanish teacher until the sub showed up right at the end of first period. There were no lesson plans so it was kind of fun (read: frustrating) doing things on the fly. I called the office to see if she had left the sub plans there and 10 minutes later a secretary appears with movies. I play one called "A Day in the Life of a Mexican Family" but it started in the middle (oops). I had them answer two question (hooray for coming up with things to do in 2 minutes!) but they had 15 minutes left of class. Hmmm... I asked them to work on whatever they had to do quietly. They were actually quite well behaved.

Then I taught a sped math class today. There were only three students. It was pretty easy, and the kids did what they were supposed to do. So today worked pretty well for me.

And believe it or not, I'm not posting an outside article. Amazing!

Return of the sub

A few weeks ago, I posted about a particular substitute teacher who was not well liked by the student body (or myself) because she was strict. However, yesterday, there was a different sub in my first period sped math class who was also quite strict but extremely effective. This is a class that is composed mostly of low level learners, most of whom have behavioral problems. We rarely get through a lesson without the lead teacher or myself asking (practically begging) students to be quiet 5 or more times. As a result, they are slightly behind where they should be.

However, yesterday the sub held no punches. The first thing they do every day is log into a program called Fast Math which tests how fast their mental math skills are. Usually they do this for 10-15 minutes, however long it takes them to finish one session. But the sub said to do it in 5 minutes, no more. And they did. Then they are handed a warm up that reviews skills from the previous day, and after I reviewed the first problem on the board for them, they were very well behaved. They even had time to start on their homework, which never happens, and some of them even finished their homework. There was something about the sub that let these students know that he would not tolerate any deviation, and that he wouldn't give them attention for negative actions. It was really amazing how smoothly the class went.

Also, for those of you who know me, you are probably aware of my intense dislike for former DC schools chancellor Michelle Rhee due to her ridiculous and ineffective policies. This article does a really good job of summing up what she attempted to do. I particularly like this paragraph:

"Rhee is promoting an agenda that many educators see as de-legitimizing the teaching profession; making standardized tests a holy grail of assessing students, teachers and schools, allowing private foundations to set the education agenda; and inviting for-profit companies to come into the public sector with programs that are designed primarily to make money for investors, not help kids."

The article also mentions that she's starting an organization dedicated to education reform that is doing the exact opposite of what she did in DC. Awesome.

Subs. And I don't mean the sandwiches.

Substitutes come in two flavors. The first is timid and unwilling to take total control, which usually results in the students walking all over you, unless they have been told before by their teacher they will be persecuted if they do. In some cases, these subs actually know something about the subject they are teaching and are attempting to relay information but usually fail since the students have little or no respect for a stranger up in their bi'nis. The second, to which I was privy to yesterday, is a major bitch with a penchant for power. Holy crap, are these subs universally loathed.

I have been moved to a 7th grade social studies class, and there was a sub yesterday. The original teacher was smart and instead of playing a video or something, she had them fill out packets that would serve as their study guides for their major test at the end of the month. The sub informed the class that there was to be NO talking. Understandable. However, 12 year olds are prone to speaking before raising their hands, and several needed a pen or other necessary implement or asked what the abbreviation of Missouri was. I was happy to provide these things because they could not do the work without them. I even let two girls look at the same notebook since one forgot hers as long as they were doing the work by themselves. This woman, though, threw a fit whenever one of them said anything, even whispered, and one child was humming (which I didn't even notice), which apparently drove her even crazier. I was walking around answering questions and handing out packets, etc., trying to be helpful, and she was walking around drunk with power. It was ridiculous.

This woman was back today and handed out different packets. At first she told them to do the work without help but quickly realized the work was especially difficult and both of us were busy the entire class helping them out. Many students professed to me that this was boring and they didn't want to do it. I genuinely apologized because it did suck that they were stuck in this situation. The sub was also constantly interrupting their work to say what the punishment would be if she were pushed to hard and she was about on her wit's end. Of course, nothing happened. The students were not that bad before this remark, but the MOST important thing when disciplining students is consistency. If you say you will do something, DO IT. If the threats are empty the behavior will continue. It seemed as if this woman were on a power trip yet had no idea how to control the class. I realize she is just a sub, but it seems like common sense to do what you say you are going to do.

Yes, the students did their work but it was not at all an appropriate learning environment.