None of us have seen the movie "Waiting for Superman" but it is currently directing the discussion on school reform.
The movie is about the charter school lottery system and how charter schools fit into our overall educational system.
Can we learn from charter schools? Are public schools not flexible enough? Do public schools meet the needs of all students? Can a democracy's educational system be satisfied with charter schools?
These questions are just to get you thinking.
Please read the below blog posts and give comments and reactions. Come back and respond to other people's comments.
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Not Waiting for Superman
Fixing Education
After reading the blogs, I am honestly a little overwhelmed. On a day to day basis, teaching is about engaging our students and helping them be the best learners they can be. But only when I take a step back and face the reality of how the rest of the world views education do I remember how politically driven our profession is. I always feel that I have no answer for anybody when it comes to these issues. As much as I wish I did, I do not know best other than what is best for my class during each period of each day.
ReplyDeleteTo answer one of the discussion questions - Do public schools meet the needs of all students? - my answer is absolutely not. Not since the pressure of standardized high stakes testing has been born. I see it in my own school, my own district and the districts of my friends...we all have pressure for our students to do well on the state tests. It seems as if that is all we are teaching. So when we as teachers need to get through our curriculum in time for the test, it is a certainty that those students who have difficulty learning are falling behind. Plus, we never actually leave any student back. I had a student in fifth grade who could not even subtract one digit numbers with full accuracy and she was expected to pass the 5th grade MST. In my personal opinion, the "people" who run the departments of education both statewide and nationally need an adjustment. They aren't teachers. They are business people. I'm sure many of you would agree you are a teacher because you are passionate about helping kids become lifelong learners and active participants in society. You aren't in business.
Not Waiting for Superman
ReplyDeleteThe one point I agree with the author in this article is Assumption 3 discussing the context of use. I know a lot of teachers that were excited at every new tech gadget the school received, computers, laptop carts, and smartboards. However, the excitement is short lived because of how they use it. I know teachers that use the smartboard to take attendance and then they are done with it. Teachers will use the computer to play educational games and nothing more. There has to be more done with the technology that is given to us. The teachers need to be shown how we can use these gadgets to help promote learning. To qoute assumtion 1, "The future of education is about learning not schooling."
Fixing Education
I liked when Canada said,"Everybody who comes in to work for me promises me they know these kids are poor and the families have problems." I feel we have to deal with the kids that we have. Does it make a difference if the child was read to when he was young or that the parents check his homework everyday? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!! Can I control that in my classroom? No. I have to deal with what I have and not dream about an utopian classroom where all the parents do what they are suppose to do. We need to adapt and find a way to reach the child. Is it easy, no? is it possible? I don't know. I just know we, as educators, should try.
I am an educator. Both of my parents were educators. I guess I have the same genetic flaw that they had. I teach because I like it, it's rewarding, it pays the bills and I am good at it.
ReplyDeleteMy father was one of the best teachers I've ever met. He taught in Spanish Harlem for almost 20 years and them proceeded to teach emotionally handicapped/at risk children for another 15. He started in the early 50's before there were teacher unions. He had no job security, no benefits and barely made minimum wage. He had to work 2 other jobs to make ends meet. When the unions did come along, he was the local rep. When they went on strike, he went in for the children, but he didn't sign in so he didn't get paid. During the Lindsey era, this meant we almost lost the house. He was a truly committed teacher. But he would also be the first to say, that the unions were necessary to protect the teachers.
The one thing he would always say (and I agree wholeheartedly) is that the successful children are the ones whose parents value education. There can be poverty, language barriers, family dysfunction...you name it. If the parents value education and see it as the way out and up, then the children will have a much better chance to succeed. This is why, traditionally, Charter Schools, many magnet schools, and private schools (especially Jewish day schools and Catholic schools)tend to be more successful. The parents have made the decision that education is important. They are involved. They have made an investment (often financial) in the future of their children. They often make huge sacrifices to make this happen. Education is important.
I firmly believe as a parent that I am the primary educator of my children. Somehow, this sense of responsibly on the part of the parents has gotten lost in the sauce over the past 35 years.
As far as the whole issue of "pay for performance" goes, I actually think it has some merit. However, I think we are going about it the wrong way. If standardized testing must be used because it's the only uniform measurement that can be defined, then we should measure educators by the percentage of student improvement over prior years/prior tests.....NOT against the national average.
How many of us have inherited 7th grade non-readers in September and are expected to have them be readers at grade level by May!!! However, if we can improve their reading by 2 grade levels, that counts for nothing!!!
Finally, I also think that incentives for improvement have merit, but I think we should be incenting the parents and students. If education itself is not perceived as valuable, perhaps we can give them something that they do perceive as valuable...gift cards to the video store, target, pizza hut.....whatever. As they start to improve their ability to read, write, do Math, etc, the hope would be that their ability to think outside of the box and see the value of education for itself might emerge. Financial rewards as an incentive could be faded.
From the time I can remember, I was told: when you go to college, when you go to college. It was never a choice for me not to go. I also had to find a way to pay for it myself. I did.
Am I special? No. Do I have special parents? Absolutely! Should we continue to do whatever
we can to encourage and groom good teachers and weed out the poor? Certainly. Should a teacher be expected to take the place of a parent? I do not believe so.
..........continued
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe as a parent that I am the primary educator of my children. Somehow, this sense of responsibly on the part of the parents has gotten lost in the sauce over the past 35 years.
As far as the whole issue of "pay for performance" goes, I actually think it has some merit. However, I think we are going about it the wrong way. If standardized testing must be used because it's the only uniform measurement that can be defined, then we should measure educators by the percentage of student improvement over prior years/prior tests.....NOT against the national average.
How many of us have inherited 7th grade non-readers in September and are expected to have them be readers at grade level by May!!! However, if we can improve their reading by 2 grade levels, that counts for nothing!!!
Finally, I also think that incentives for improvement have merit, but I think we should be incenting the parents and students. If education itself is not perceived as valuable, perhaps we can give them something that they do perceive as valuable...gift cards to the video store, target, pizza hut.....whatever. As they start to improve their ability to read, write, do Math, etc, the hope would be that their ability to think outside of the box and see the value of education for itself might emerge. Financial rewards as an incentive could be faded.
From the time I can remember, I was told: when you go to college, when you go to college. It was never a choice for me not to go. I also had to find a way to pay for it myself. I did.
Am I special? No. Do I have special parents? Absolutely! Should we continue to do whatever
we can to encourage and groom good teachers and weed out the poor? Certainly. Should a teacher be expected to take the place of a parent? I do not believe so.
Ashley: I agree that social promotion is a huge issue for educators. In an attempt to help with a child's self esteem by not holding them back, we are also doing them a huge injustice. They get frustrated by being asked to do work that they can't handle. Or for children who acted out/did no work, they receive no consequences for their inaction. Rather they are rewarded for failing. I can't understand how this can be a valuable to the student, the teacher or even the rest of the class.
ReplyDeleteStarting with one of the discussion questions, I do not think that public schools meet the educational needs of all students. There are so many students that do not "fit in the box" and it is hard to meet the needs of all learners in one classroom setting. So much of our education system is dictated by tests and test scores and not about actual learning and the excitement of learning. In "Fixing Education" I loved this quote and wish that all schools addressed this, "To put this in another way, the children aren't just learning content, they are learning life skills, including how to take on challenges." Life skills and challenges are just as important if not more than learning for a test. So much of our curriculum skips over this! It is hard as a teacher to find the balance between these.
ReplyDeleteWhen we get people that have actually been teachers making policy things will change.
ReplyDeleteNot Waiting for Superman
I agree with what Patrick says "I know teachers that use the smart board to take attendance and then they are done with it." But, to go a step further, some teachers cannot be afraid of the technology. Many teachers are so stuck in their ways, they cannot change, and they see tech as an obstacle.
I am not the smartest person in the room. Once teachers learn that, they will get a lot more from their students. Students have unbelievable pools of knowledge, we need to tap into.
I do not believe in merit pay, or charter schools. Merit pay is an accident waiting to happen. It is just like working on commission, people will do whatever it takes (good or bad) to get “the sale”.
Fixing Education
“We give [children] the freedom to make mistakes. We teach our
kids that failure is not a way of labeling who you are -- it's just way of identifying what you don't know and what you need to put more effort into. When kids understand that, they're not hesitant about trying something, because if they fail, it's not a reflection on them. That just tells them: "This is an area we need to work on.”
They (charter schools) can say and get away with this. What happens to students who cannot make it? Also, what happens if a parent does not keep their part of the bargain? They are asked to leave!! I know of a charter school in NJ where this is reality. Charters get to hand pick students. Yes, they have lotteries, but certain children will not make it in these environments. So, where do they go? You guessed it public schools. And we are right back to where we started.
I personally believe that people do not realize how much work and dedicaton it takes to be a teacher. I feel that teachers do not get the credit that they deserve. There are so many different aspects of teaching to take in as a teacher and I really feel that non-teachers do not understand that. They think that because we have weekends and summers off that we have it so easy. A teachers work is never done! We work at night, on weekends, and during the summer. We do what we can as educators with the tools we have to accommodate all types of learners. I feel that there is also a parental responsibility that takes place here. A student will get a better education if the teacher in the classroom is dedicated and is giving their all and the parent is following up at home. Technology is a great tool! Teachers should use it! Yes, it is a lot to learn as a new teacher or old teacher. However I feel that it is the way of the future and that we should embrace it now.
ReplyDeleteOver the past few years, it seems that educators and education have been scrutinized. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher; I looked up to and respected my teachers. Now as a teacher, I realize how key and crucial our profession truly is. Teaching, in my opinion, is not a job that is over when you walk out of the school building. Rather it is something that is ongoing; teachers days are not finished at 3:00, teachers go home with not only school work, but the desire to solve problems that their students are facing, ways to differentiate their instruction to make sure all students are able to grasp the concepts presented.
ReplyDeleteTo say that public schools are not doing their job in my opinion is a bold statement. Many factors come into test scores and how students perform in the classroom. How can you measure success based on a test score? Success is different for each student- not every individual is at the same level for everything- whether it is their job title, their salary, their sporting team… everyone is different. Do some people decide to settle at where they currently are, yes but not all do. How can you tell a child that they were not successful at the end of the year when they made gains from the previous year? As teachers we are constantly told we need to differentiate in order to help children succeed; therefore, how is it fair that we as a society view the success of schools and students by their test score? It does not seem fair. In a few years, what happens if charter schools are not as successful as intended, how will the society react? Whose fault will it be? Blame is constantly shifted onto others when things do not go according to plan- it does not seem fair that this is how our society is functioning.
I have so many comments to add, I don't know where to start! I agree with Ashley when she said that the educational system is very political. Is it those politically driven changes to education (NCLB, RtI, etc) that have added to this 'crisis' feeling? Could it be the fact that we are supposed to teach 21st Century skills: developing problem solving skills, generating independent thinkers and so on, yet are those skills in any state standard? I really liked and agreed with the statements from the HCZ about helping children to see areas of weakness rather than failure and that this helps them to be more adventurous in their risk taking. Do you think if the powers that be at State Education and each school district were on the same page, perhaps curriculum wouldn't be so test driven? WHAT IS the purpose of ALL our state tests? How does Finland examine the effectiveness of their teaching corps and/or student bodies? As for technology, I think it's amazing and frightening how it helps facilitate education but at the same time, does it become the only tool for it? We have Smartboards in our classroom and both co-teachers and I have never been trained. Hmmm...? Is it too easy for the students to find answers to questions? I don't know. I do know that there are so many excellent teachers out there who exhibit passion for their work and their students and they deserve a pat on the back, not a slap in the face.
ReplyDelete