DC Elementary Teacher

The Grass is Greener

2006-04-16T23:44:00.000-04:00

I see my blog got a mention on The DC Education Blog (4/4/06) and realized I hadn't posted in nearly a year.

First off, it's quite ironic--a teacher blog. Like I have time to ever write ANYTHING that's not directly school related. As I mentioned, I left DCPS for an independent school 9 months ago. I can honestly say they're as different as night and day. In public school, I was advised by veteran teachers (and college professors) to smile and nod my head whenever an administrator or higher-up from "headquarters" gave out mandates about instruction. Then I was to close my door and teach in the manner that I knew was best for my students--whether it accomodated the "mandates" or not. That is not to say that standards or research are to be ignored, but that intelligent, educated professionals really have to take a stand and present instruction that is appropriate and reasonable for their students. So much of what passes for instruction by school districts, Superintendents and Boards is utter hogwash. Unless a teacher makes the time and effort to know each of her students as individuals, then no hodge-podge of standards or curriculum is going to help. If instruction needs to be authentic and have meaning for the students, then the art of teaching must be authentic and have meaning for the teachers. The most useful advice I ever received was from a educational speaker who hammered home the notion "teach what you know."

And that's what I do now. I teach what I know; I actively seek new knowledge; I listen to my students and tailor lessons, units, texts, and literature specifically to their needs. I do this freely with full knowledge of my administrators who encourage me to teach my passions and teach what I know. I can't say that I'd willfully teach in a public school again. There are many great things about public schools, but being a teacher in those schools is not one of them. There are great public schools, with caring teachers and administrators who care more for the children than their own performance evaluation (with a focus on test scores) or the next pay-raise. There are just not many of them.

I'm somewhat disappointed to learn all of this first hand, and am surprised to discover it's really as bad as could be imagined. In addition to having taught in DCPS, I also have a child in a DC school. Thankfully, he's lucked out with terrific teachers who have rightfully ignored the midiocrity of "the system's way" and play the game of CLOSING THEIR DOORS AND TEACHING WHAT THEY KNOW. I only wish they didn't have to hide. Not everyone's the same and I know that many people make peace with playing along, or otherwise learn how to handle the beast that is a centralized school system. I'm just glad to have found my own greener pasture--where children are free to learn in their own way and teachers are free to teach in their own way.

37 Days Left

2005-04-29T23:13:00.000-04:00

...and I'm counting every one. I've had (for most beginning teachers) a relatively successful two years. I had mentors and close colleagues to see me over hard spots, I had almost 3 planning periods per week, good evaluations, helpful advice, and materials and resources that I was either given or granted. I can't complain about the "setup".

I can say, however, that it isn't enough. New teachers need more planning time, more time to observe other teachers and schools, more support with handling discipline problems that aren't addressed by the school-wide discipline plan or the union contract (or, shall we say, are interpreted differently by teachers and administrators). My favorite personal experience has been giving up summer vactions or weekend plans with my own family to attend "highly encouraged", and in one case, "mandatory training/professional development" only to have to fight to get the payment check.

The list could go on and on with the end result being that teachers are not valued or made to feel important--even the good and great ones. The system chokes creativity and joy in the name of mediocrity, hypocrisy, and inconsistency. I hear that Dr. J plans to turn over more "local" control to schools that are meeting achievement goals, although it appears to be mostly procurement and budgeting type control. Anything will be a breath of fresh air, but they really need control over so much more at the elementary level. I am not an anti-standards person, but these "data driven" elementary schools have literally squeezed all the life out of students and teachers. It's not so much the testing, but the high stakes attached. The high stakes are for the adults involved. The adults become stressed which directly effects what happens in the classroom on almost a daily basis. The lessons are like browbeatings in certain situations--particularly in the spring.

I've now seen what many public schools are from the outside (as a parent) and from the inside (as a teacher) and neither picture is good. There are exceptions, but I can honestly say that right now, I don't like what public schools are and I can't see myself teaching there in the foreseeable future. I found a position in a private school for the fall that is a polar opposite of my current situation. Just walking in the door you sense that most everything that happens is about the needs of the students and not the adults involved. Children really do come first, and teachers are treated like they matter too.

So long, public education. Farewell.

Live and Learn,
DC Elementary Teacher

Homework Realities

2005-02-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

There are always a few parents who ask for MORE homework. Their students are usually ones that don't take the time and care to do their best on the homework that WAS assigned. For many of them (and presumably their parents) it's all a competitive, how-much-can-you-produce type of game. We teachers usually placate these requests by throwing a little extra work--to everyone.

As an excercise in irony, however, I thought I'd share with you MY OWN comments to my own child's teacher about homework. (And you don't have to ask where I am until 5pm everyday. I'm still at school working, of course.):

"We talked briefly in November about modifying X's homework load but never got around to it. Most days she is really stretched to complete it--even when working on it during Extended Day until around 5pm. I feel that in many cases she is sacrificing getting to sleep by 9pm to attempt work that she would be better equipped to accomplish in school the next day anyway. One night a few weeks ago, she even managed to awaken herself from sleep around 10:15pm to get up and finish something she had not completed. At a certain point, trying to squeeze brain power out at 7:30--after a long day, with meds wearing off, and dinner digesting, and bathing to do--becomes counter productive to the goal of learning. My comments aren't meant to belabor the point or appear sarcastic. I am just trying to give an accurate portrait of her homework experience."

On Break

2004-12-25T17:21:00.000-05:00

DC Elementary Teacher is on a much needed break from all things "school". Post you again in January.

Live and Learn
(and get plenty of sleep!)

Pacing Schm-acing

2004-12-17T23:41:00.000-05:00

I've been teaching in an elementary school for 17 months and my head still reels around lesson and unit planning. There is so much contradictory "advice" and information. For example, I've been told that students in our system are highly transient--moving from one school to another within the same district. The Content Standards were divvied up into Pacing Charts for each subject and the idea is that if student A moves from one school in the district to another, that they will not be repeating content already covered. The discrepancy I’m finding is that parsing out the standards to be completed by certain deadlines wrecks havoc with teaching and learning. I’ve been told of the benefits of integrating curriculum across subject areas. At the same time, I’ve been drilled to use the inductive unit planning approach. The two are not mutually exclusive, but if you read the Performance Standards you would be hard pressed to find ways to accomplish them with multi-subject unit themes (http://www.k12.dc.us/dcps/curriculum/content/elem-stl.htm). I quote from one of the guidebooks I’ve been supplied with “Teachers new to standards-based instruction often find this process cumbersome and frustrating…” How about nearly impossible? The feeling I have as a new teacher is that I’m spinning too many wheels catering to the different stakeholders, and the individual approaches they tout. On the one hand, we teachers are told to integrate curriculum, and then we are charged with providing evidence that we teach two discrete blocks of reading (120 mins.) and math (90 mins.) each day. How messed up is that? This type of dissonance is par for the course in my experience of elementary education. Ugh!

Live and Learn

11:15pm-Planning Time

2004-12-15T23:16:00.000-05:00

Luckily, our school is giving standardized tests tomorrow so I might actually make it to bed by midnight. I read recently in one of those "guides for new teachers" type books that "its OKAY if you only have a few days of lessons planned". A few DAYS?!!! Ha! I can barely stay 10 hours ahead of the game. Planning time during the day is non-existent. A bathroom break, a trip to the office mailbox, and a form or two to be completed (or a behavior write-up or call to parent), and the 45 minute planning session is over. Oh, well, there are two more session to try and "make" this week if some little Johnny doesn't knock the head of little Janey during recess again. So if time's so short, why am I writing this blog? To vent for 10 minutes a day and then move on, I guess. Join me for short bursts from the inside of one really wild ride--teaching.