Teacher World

A truly disappointing article, “Big Brother Goes High Tech”, appeared in the August/September 2010 issue of neatoday magazine! I’m sure you’ve all read or heard about the school system that was “spying” on students and teachers through webcam computers. If you haven’t heard all of the details, I thought it was important that we all be aware of what happened recently in Pennsylvania.

In 2009, the Lower Merion School District passed out 3000 laptop computers to students and teachers complete with webcams, a pretty standard feature for laptops. The school system had installed TheftTrack software on these computers to help locate stolen or lost laptops. So far, so good! I would have been thrilled as a teacher to get a laptop free of charge from the school system I worked for, wouldn’t you? But, here’s the glitch! What school officials failed to mention was the other feature of this software, which “allowed school officials to remotely activate the webcam and take photographs and ‘screenshots’-images of what the user is viewing on his laptop, including email and instant messaging”.

The article goes on to report that over the next two years, this software captured and stored on the district’s server over 58,000 photographs and screenshots which included pictures of both teachers and students in class as well as at home. And 7,256 of these images were taken from laptops that had been assigned to teachers. The district claims that these images were taken from 80 computers that were believed to have been stolen in an effort to retrieve them.  They claim that they were unaware that the feature used to locate these laptops was not deactivated so that when they were returned to their users, they continued to take photographs and screenshots. Seems a little far-fetched to me, but what do I know? Apparently, some teachers were getting suspicious of the laptops’ webcams due to a flashing light which would randomly appear above the webcam. Some even placed tape over the webcam.

At least two students and their families have filed class action lawsuits against the school district. Blake Robbins, one of the students involved in a class action lawsuit, claimed that he found out what was happening when his assistant principal “accused him of ‘improper behavior in his home’ and said she had a photo from his laptop webcam of him taking pills in his bedroom”. In a 15-day period, 218 screenshots and 210 photos were taken of Blake through his laptop webcam. Some of these were taken when he was sleeping and partially dressed. If what Blake claims is true about his meeting with his assistant principal, clearly the school district was not only aware that these laptop webcams were fully functioning, but they had access to the photographs and screenshots as well.

The bottom line, as far as I am concerned, is this: this school system bears full responsibility for those laptops and what they were capable of. If they knew what they were capable of and took advantage of those capabilities by monitoring students and teachers, it is reprehensible, and they should be dealt with severely. And if they didn’t know, they are guilty by ignorance. Certainly before passing out equipment like this to students and teachers, it would be their responsibility to thoroughly investigate and research the software they were utilizing. And they should have closely monitored TheftTrack to guarantee that the software was being used correctly.

We expect the administrators of our schools to weigh every decision they make based on what is best for its students. The Lower Merion School District let down its students, its parents, its teachers, and all school districts everywhere. This was nothing less than a travesty and another black eye for public education.

Teacher-World's Blog Blake Robbins, cyber spying, Lower Merion School District

Allow me to take a break from the neatoday blogs to talk about getting a classroom ready for the first day of school. Frankly, it’s a pain in the butt!

Due to a number of factors, today was the first day teachers were able to come and work in their classrooms. That puts me already about a week behind. And, as I have previously informed you, I had to move to a different classroom this year; one that is significantly smaller. Yet the amount of things I had to bring with me has not scaled down to fit my room. So the first half hour or so was spent looking rather hopelessly around my new digs trying to figure out how to make it all work. From time to time, I walked down the hall to my old, much bigger room just to torture myself with a quick peek. Then I would bustle down the hall with new resolve to somehow, as Tim Gunn would say, “Make it work!”

I found that stacking things higher seems to help a little, along with pitching a few more things that I just can’t condone keeping anymore. But, no matter what I do, this room is cramped. And just wait until my co-teacher brings her things down! Yikes! I don’t even want to picture how cozy it will be when my students arrive.

Well, my ideas changed as constantly as the weather, so when I left my room at the mandatory time, it looked like a tornado had hit. Literally, every student desk is covered, along with all of the tables. You need a GPS to find your way through the debris. And I confess that as I surveyed the scene before leaving for the day, it was with a sense of frustration and failure.

But teachers are nothing if not problem solvers and planners, so the whole way home I went through my classroom in my mind, moving things here and changing this and that. I felt my mood lifting with each imaginary change I made.

Tomorrow I will return optimistically undaunted to tackle my room once again. Eventually, maybe not as early as tomorrow, I will find the perfect fit creating the most welcoming environment for my students. I will chisel order out of chaos, and, like a proud artist, I will sit back and admire my masterpiece.

In the meantime, I will have to keep repeating to myself that good things come in small packages!

Teacher-World's Blog classrooms, school, teachers

Over the next few blogs, I ask for your indulgence as I write about some very interesting articles which appeared in the latest neatoday magazine (August/September 2010). This first blog pertains to an article that appeared regarding merit pay.

This short article was entitled “Merit Pay Myths”, and it focused on whether merit pay has been proven to increase student test scores or student achievement. The prevailing belief by supporters of merit pay is that the promise of bonuses or increased salaries will inspire teachers to work more diligently to get their students to perform at the levels that are necessary to show academic excellence, particularly as evidenced by higher test scores. One of the assumptions that those who advocate the need for merit pay make, in my opinion erroneously, is that teachers are inspired by the higher pay check, and will not work as diligently without holding out that carrot. Let’s get real for a moment! If teachers were inspired by a higher pay check, they would never have entered the teaching profession, which is notorious for being an underpaid vocation. Am I right?

Another issue I have always had with merit pay is that at a time when school systems everywhere are being asked to engage in collaboration and mentoring to improve student performance, which involves utilizing and sharing each other’s effective techniques, I believe merit pay could lead to a completely different outcome. I fear the tendency for some teachers who are highly effective in their teaching strategies and therefore receiving merit pay, might be to guard their strategies so as to guarantee continued monetary rewards, thus leading to competition rather than collaboration. I have argued against merit pay for these and other reasons.

So, what did the latest study completed by Mathematica Policy Research find? According to this article, these researchers looked at Chicago’s Teacher Advancement Project, which has been operating for three years now getting its money from the federal Teacher Incentive Fund, and they found that merit pay “had no impact on test scores or teacher retention rates”. Over three years and no improvement? Does that seem like good news for merit pay advocates? The article concludes by saying, “In its defense, federal officials said they ‘can’t expect immediate results’.” Okay, but shouldn’t there be some improvement after three years? It just leaves me wondering: how many years does it take before merit pay pays off?

Educational Reform, Merit Pay for Teachers, Teacher's Unions, Teacher-World's Blog merit pay, NEA, teachers

Well, here it is, the last day of July! To most people that probably doesn’t seem very significant, but to teachers everywhere, it marks the last glorious days of summer and the beginning of a new school year to plan for.

Summer is a time to unwind, regroup, and revitalize.  It’s a time to put aside the fast pace and stress that goes along with every school year long enough to enjoy those people who matter most to you and those activities you are unable to find time for during the hectic school year. It’s a time for long walks, sunny beaches, and packing the kids in the car and going on an adventure. Summers, for teachers, is a magical time when anything seems possible, and the world, as we know it, slows down long enough to enjoy the simple pleasures that seem to escape us during the school year.

 I hope you have had a wonderful summer filled with family, friends, new places, and new activities to discover. And I hope you are able to cram in as many more moments as possible before that inevitable first day of school.

We all are distinctly aware that as July days turn to August days there is a shift in our thoughts which ultimately leads to a shift in our activities.  We begin to reflect upon the previous year’s successes and failures in a whole new way. This self-scrutiny and examination will help us make decisions about what we need to improve upon, what we need to do more of, and what we need to drop completely. And we begin to reluctantly head back into the classroom to make it as vibrant, attractive, educationally stimulating, and welcoming as possible. It is a time for creative planning, mapping out the next year, and looking for new and exciting ways to teach the same curriculum.

In its own way, August is an exciting month as you anticipate another year, a new crop of students, and a plethora of opportunities. And each August, I think we all feel that adrenalin rush that comes with new beginnings. As much as I hope you enjoy the remainder of your summer vacation, I wish for you a great August and an exciting and wildly successful beginning to a fantastic new school year.

Teacher-World's Blog new school year, summer vacation, teachers

Okay, true confession: I hate Back-to-School ads and sales! Yes, you heard it right; I hate seeing them and hearing them, as crazy as that may sound! Let me explain myself further, and I am sure that once I do, many of you out there reading will admit to the same feelings.

Teachers love their summer vacations (those of us who get one, that is). It is such a looked-forward-to time. It’s a time of putting aside the previous school year, and reenergizing for the next. Reminders that we are heading back to school before that reenergizing process is complete are not looked upon favorably by most of us. And that is what those sales are; a way-too-early reminder that we are counting down the days till another year starts. Additionally, Back-to-School sales, like Christmas and Easter sales, are starting earlier and earlier. In our area, these sales started in early July. Really? Who is thinking of what they need to purchase for their youngsters that early? It’s pretty ridiculous! And all it does is force our minds to switch too early to another season of school. Can’t we slow down a little and just enjoy our vacation time? Do we really need to tarnish it with ridiculously-early reminders that another academic year is looming?

Don’t get me wrong. I take advantage of Back-to-School sales like everyone else. It is my time to replenish materials that have been used up or destroyed the year before. (I always need a new electric pencil sharpener!) And I love getting those items on sale, just like every parent out there. In fact, I plan an excursion today to my local Office Max store to do just that. But can’t we show a little restraint and hold off on any mention of Back-to-School sales until late July? Is that too much to ask, retailers? Or, if you must start your sales early for those eager parents and students who just can’t wait, do it quietly and discreetly. Come on! Show a little restraint for teachers (and probably most children) everywhere! Trust me; we will love you for it!

Teacher-World's Blog back to school, parents, retailers, students, teachers

While listening to the radio yesterday, I heard an advertisement that really got me fired up! It was an ad for an online school called K-12, and it began with a very derogatory representation of a public education teacher. A very Charlie Brown type teacher’s voice (you know the voice I’m talking about from our favorite cartoons, only this one is female) is heard drilling her students on the state capitals. The voice is aggravating and clearly depicted as one that would put her students to sleep. The children answer her like little robots, and the gist of the ad is that this is the kind of teacher students will find in public schools but not at K-12.

I know that alternative schools are in competition with public schools and must, therefore, advertise to increase their enrollment, but this advertisement is a total misrepresentation of the quality of education children receive in public schools. I can’t think of any time I have heard a teacher in my building respond to their students as this teacher does, and it angers me to hear us depicted in such a negative light. Any school which has to stoop to such a level to attract students should be subject to the highest scrutiny. Ads for alternative schools should focus on what their schools can offer students to make them successful learners. Period! And actually, when I visited the home page for K-12, I found it to be a viable alternative, especially for those students who do not function well in a more traditional environment or those who learn best through technology. Which begs the question then: why not just lead with that? Why not tell what K-12 is and what it can do for the right kind of students?

Interestingly, when I was checking out the home page for K-12, I was struck by a contradiction between its statements on the radio advertisement and this claim: “One of K¹²’s core missions is to strengthen the promise of public education with tools and techniques of the 21st Century that brings learning alive.” And it goes on to provide a link to further explain how their “flexible approach leads to strong, effective partnerships with both public and private schools.” Hmm…I wonder how that works in light of the derogatory ads they have on the radio about the very schools they hope to partner with!

Shame on you K-12! Shame on you for your slanderous depiction of public school teachers! And shame on you for seeking to attract parents to your school in this negative manner. Your radio advertisement paints you in a less than complimentary light which simply does not jive with your online home page. I suggest that you lead with the positive, and get the negative ads off the radio.

Changes in Teaching, Teacher-World's Blog K-12, online schools, public schools, students, technology

I read a great quote that I thought would be perfect to post in my classroom this year. It stated: A diamond is a piece of coal that stuck to its job.

I love this simple reminder to stick to the job until it is done. We’ve all seen it! Kids who give up before reaching the finish line! How do we motivate them to keep going until they reach success? We lead by example first of all. Our students look to us to show them how to accomplish a task. So our constant goal should be to model the process of problem solving; teaching them how to deviate from the course they are on when they realize they have taken a wrong turn so that they can get back on track. We need to emphasize that making mistakes is part of the process, but that learning from them determines success or failure. And we need to gently lead them to be successful until they learn how to attain success on their own.

Along the way, good positive statements posted throughout our room or repeated as a class mantra could help students get excited about the work they do. Read books about successful people who beat the odds, reward successes both large and small in the classroom immediately when spotted, post good work, talk about good work habits, and have them recognize and congratulate their peers when they have successfully completed difficult tasks. Reinforce! Reinforce! Reinforce!

Let’s do all we can this year to produce diamonds! And then sit back and celebrate how brilliantly they shine!

Teacher-World's Blog students, teachers

My last blog revealed new strategies I intend to introduce this year to better teach history. This blog will discuss new strategies that my co-teacher and I plan to utilize to better teach reading concepts.

At the end of last year, I was required to move from the classroom I have inhabitated for thirteen years to a classroom down the hall due to a change I am making in my job assignment. Now, as all of you probably have experienced, when you clean out a room that hasn’t had a major clean-out in years, you discover a plethora of memorabilia and junk you forgot you ever had and you probably never needed. But one of my better finds was a set of picture books whose origin was unknown, and one hot day at the end of the year, I decided to share them with my students. Since my purpose for reading these books was simply to fill some time and give my students a chance to rest for awhile, and I expected them to find them babyish (they are fifth graders after all) imagine my surprise when I looked out to see every eye glued on the pictures and fully engaged in the stories I read. Incredibly, when I completed the books, they begged me to read more!

No what does this teach me? Duh! I need to use picture books in regular reading instruction. What better way to reinforce reading concepts like inferring, comparing/contrasting, predicting, literary elements, etc. than by using books that light up your audience? And apparently this is one of the new strategies which many teachers are playing with. Picture books aren’t just for younger students. Spend some time reading them yourself, and you will discover the simple joy spilling from the pages. Imagine the benefit of using them with visual learners who understand the words so much better when accompanied by fun, colorful pictures.

So, I encourage you to do what we plan to do. Dive into picture books. And watch the light go on in your students’ eyes and maybe in yours as well!

Changes in Teaching, Teacher-World's Blog, teaching strategies picture books, reading concepts, students, teachers, teaching reading

I had an epiphany this summer which will change how I teach history! Let me explain what happened and how it will affect my teaching in the fall.

A dear friend of mine told me about a genealogy book of his which was important to him as it delineated all of his ancestors and even included his own immediate family. I told him I would love to look at, and he graciously lent it to me. My initial exposure to the book left me cold, as it seemed to simply go through each family line and contained, to me, boring facts about marriages, children, time of death, etc. But, when we agreed to meet for lunch, and he asked me to bring the book along, I decided I’d better make a gallant attempt to read as much of it as I could so that I could tell him I had read it.

And that is when it happened! Upon further scrutiny, I happened upon a story at the bottom of the blah-blah-blah facts about an event in the lives of the children being described. Apparently, they were waiting for their school bus when one of the girls realized she had left something at home and ran back to get it. When she came back, the bus was already there filling up with children. In her hurry to get on the bus, she dropped something she was carrying on the ground by the front wheel and bent down to get it. Tragically, the bus driver had not seen her at all and accidently ran her over and killed her. From that moment I was captured because it was a real story about a real event that was so sad, and it had me searching for more personal narratives about these people described in this book. There were plenty. I began reading from the beginning and found a rich account of the patriarch of this family and why he came from Europe to this new land. I read about another early member who was a frontiersman like Daniel Boone and some of his adventures. I read from cover to cover, not the boring facts, but the personal stories, adventures, and tragedies of these people I knew nothing about, but found so intriguing.

And that’s when it hit me! We love anecdotes. We live for the stories that make a recounting of chronological facts take on a life of their own. And so do kids. That’s when I knew what would be different about my teaching of history this year. Most students do not like history. They find it boring and totally insignificant to their own lives, just as I found the ancestral book boring at first, too. But if I can spice up my lessons with actual stories about things that happened to real people during the historical time periods we are studying, isn’t it possible that I might capture them, just as I was captured by the personal anecdotes I devoured? And with the internet, it should be relatively easy to find a multitude of stories that will capture the imagination of my students and draw them in to history. Who knows, they may even learn to love history as I do.

My job is to lead my students to water, but my new plan is to make them so thirsty along that journey that they will long to drink, and drink deeply. I can’t wait to spin the stories that might capture their hearts and minds.

Teacher-World's Blog, teaching strategies antidotes, history, stories, students, teacher

This week I spent a pleasant afternoon with my friend, who is also my co-teacher and intervention specialist. We went to a restaurant where we could sprawl out as we talked and planned for this next school year. When we arrived, I asked our waitress if she would mind if we hung out for awhile because it was a working lunch. She was as sweet as she could be as she reassured us this would be no problem. When my friend and I went up to help ourselves to the salad buffet, I commented to her that our waitress was certainly perky and as cute as could be. She agreed.

Later, in one of the many trips she made to freshen our beverages, she asked if we were teachers. We confessed that we were, and it was at this point that she shared that she was in the process of completing an education degree herself. The three of us talked quite awhile, and the conversation left me with such an optimistic outlook for education. And I told her so. This young lady was exactly what we need in education. She was so motivated, focused on what area of concentration she preferred, and full of good questions. Her work ethic was obvious even in her capacity as a waitress. You can just tell what kind of teacher some people will be, and this girl is destined for great things.

We left the conversation with well-wishes that the economy and job market will be better when she graduates so that she can walk right into a teaching job. And I walked away feeling so fortunate to have met her, so reenergized, and so lucky to be a teacher. Thank you little-waitress-soon-to-be-teacher! Live your life exactly as you plan! What a gift you are!

Teacher-World's Blog co-teacher, teachers