Teacher World

As promised, here is the last blog I will write about Arne Duncan’s speech to the Annual National PTA Convention in June. He made an interesting comment concerning the roles parents should play in their children’s education: they should be “partners in learning, advocates and advisors who push for better schools, and decision-makers who choose the best educational options for their children.” It is the last role I wish to address in this blog.

Clearly, it is every parent’s decision where their children will attend school. And I think it is safe to say that the majority of parents send their children to public schools for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that public education is free. But what do parents do when they become disenchanted with the school of their choice? Unfortunately, in my experience, a lot of these parents do not take the time to actually connect to their child’s teacher and principal in a constructive way to try to reach a remedy to whatever issues exist. Instead of trying to work out existing problems, some parents even threaten to remove their children from their present school and send them somewhere else. Now, that may eventually be the decision that is made, but parents should work through all available resources first before making precipitous decisions. Arne Duncan stated, “Parent engagement is, of course, a two-way street. Parents sometimes disengage when schools fail to welcome their input. Too often, parents come in to school only when there is a problem—rather than touching base regularly to see how students are progressing.”

So, parents, first and foremost, don’t wait till there is a problem to come in and spend some time in your child’s school in whatever capacity available to you. Get to know your child’s teacher and principal by helping in the classroom, being a chaperone, helping as a room mother or father, calling or emailing to find out what is happening in class, and attending conferences. Call for a conference if you have questions or concerns. Teachers will make time for you. Then, if problems pop up, you have already built enough of a relationship with your child’s teacher to be able to work together to solve it. It is unlikely if you follow this advice that you would ever get to the point of considering removing your child from their school.

Second, if you do not have the time to get to know your child’s teacher and a problem develops,set up a conference and do all you can to amicably resolve the issue. Do not go in loaded for bear believing everything your child has told you. Work together with the teacher to try to reach a compromise. And do not threaten to pull your child from school unless all other options have been explored and failed. It is not going to help your child to make drastic changes. So let that be a last resort, no matter where your child goes to school.

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Okay, I apologize but I am still not done discussing Arne Duncan’s speech to parents at the Annual National PTA Convention in June. So, like it or not, I will spend the next two blogs discussing my reaction to some of his other note-worthy points.

In his speech, Mr. Duncan stated that in his numerous visits to school districts throughout the country he found that parents and teachers shared two common concerns about public school education. According to him, “First, they feared that schools were ‘teaching to the test.’ And second, they worried that the curriculum was narrowing, as school districts placed too much emphasis on boosting test scores on fill-in-the-bubble tests in math and English.” He acknowledged the current administration’s determination to deal with “a narrowing of the curriculum, and an over-reliance on fill-in-the bubble tests.”

And yet, we continue to hear about merit pay based on test scores, cutting teachers’ salaries based on test scores, and non-renewing teachers’ contractions based on test scores. So with so much riding on test scores, is it any wonder that teachers might feel the need to teach to the test? Is it any wonder that our curriculum is narrowing as what needs to be covered prior to the administration of these tests continues to increase? And does it come as a huge surprise that with less time to cover more material, if choices have to be made about what will be taught, the information that is not critical for the test will be pushed back for a later day?

This is the world that has been created for teachers and students due to the enormous emphasis that has been placed on one set of tests. If we don’t want education to narrow then we need to stop limiting how we measure student progress. Let’s pursue educational reform that would target the mapping of yearly progress for our students throughout the year, not just at one time during the year. And let teachers get back to what they entered the teaching profession to do: to instill within each student a love for learning and a desire to succeed.

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Three more positives from Arne Duncan’s speech to the Annual National PTA Conference, and I’ll be through with the issues I agreed with. Let me emphasize some vital points he made to parents.

First, he appropriately brings up the overuse of televisions, and computer and video games in our students’ homes. He basically called parents out on the fact that many of them are not limiting the number of hours their children spend mesmerized by these forms of visual stimulation. Every Monday morning we start out by sharing what we did over the weekend. And it is always true that the majority of my students regularly reported spending most of their weekends glued to their television and/or game systems. They rarely get outside and seldom do anything physical. Parents, you need to monitor and limit the use of television and game systems in your home daily and engage in activities which will benefit your children and possibly even support their learning.

Second, he talked about why it was so important to level the playing field from state to state by having national standards which all students in the United States would be expected to master. “For years, we have been actually lying to children and lying to ourselves by pretending that 50 different standards, in 50 different states, will make America competitive and help our children succeed in life. We have to stop pretending. We have to tell the truth. And we have to raise the bar for all children,” Mr. Duncan stated.  “When you play basketball, the basket is always ten feet high. In football, the field is always 100 yards long. A 3-pointer is worth 3 points, and a touchdown is worth six points. Yet until now, we have resisted leveling the playing field in education. I’ll put it plain and simple: When you tell students that they are ready for college and they are not, you are lying to children when they most need your candor and help.” I have advocated for some time now that the standards be aligned nationally. It has never been fair that some states have way more standards than others that students must master. Now that there are national standards, I will be curious to see how this affects standard-based report cards and formative assessments. Will they remain aligned to their state standards or need revising in order to reflect the national standards? It will be interesting to see how that all shakes out!

Finally, I was overjoyed to read this quote from Mr. Duncan’s speech: “Unlike in the past, our ESEA proposal also emphasizes measuring student growth, not just absolute test scores. I’m much more interested in growth and gain than in absolute test scores. I want to know how much individual students, schools, districts, and even whole states are improving each year.” Amen! This is so perfectly said that there is no need for me to belabor it other than to say. Well done, Mr. Duncan! And very well said!

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Tonight I am continuing to blog to you about my reactions to Arne Duncan’s speech to the Annual National PTA Conference in June. While I have so far been a strong proponent of some of his statements, I was both offended and annoyed by one of his comments to parents regarding teachers. Teachers, I am curious how many of you would react in a similar way to this comment: “…That is why schools should be places that honor and respect families-that meet parents on their own terms-even if it means teachers giving out their cell phone numbers to field questions at night and calling back the single mom who missed her parent-teacher conference because she was at work.” Wow! The first time I read this, I had to stop and reread it because I just couldn’t believe what is implied by this comment. So what is implied, you ask?

Well, first of all, did you distinctly hear the implication that we don’t already call back parents who miss their children’s parent-teacher conferences? Regardless of their reason for not showing up and regardless of whether they are a single mom, a single dad, or a happily married couple, if I set up a conference with them, I had a good reason, and I am going to be back in touch with them to communicate what needs to be communicated. I had one parent who missed three scheduled conferences. I contacted that father four times before I finally got him in to meet with me. Did I need Arne Duncan to tell me that this is part of my job as a teacher? And how many of you teachers out there haven’t done this countless times in order to communicate with a parent? So, I am offended that his statement might lead parents to assume that this is an uncommon or nonexistent practice and that teachers need to be pushed into doing something that most of us probably already do.

Now, why does this statement annoy me? Well, I hope it annoys all teachers to think we might be expected someday to give all of our parents our cell phone numbers so that they can reach us any time they need to. I spend countless hours in a week contacting parents by phone, sending and returning emails, and writing letters. I have even called parents when absolutely necessary from my home because it was imperative that I contact them quickly and couldn’t reach them during the day. But I only did that after careful consideration because I don’t want to disturb families at home. This is their family time after all. So, don’t teachers deserve family time as well? Most teachers put numerous hours in beyond their school day preparing lessons and grading papers. It is a rarity to find a teacher who doesn’t take work home which already cuts into family time. Sometimes I think my husband believes he is a widower. Now, I might be asked to take phone calls at home during a time which should be reserved for my own family and when I may need to help my own children with schoolwork? Frankly, enough is enough! Would you call your lawyer, your doctor, or your school superintendent, during the evening? So what makes it okay to interrupt your child’s teacher in the privacy of their home? Do we not have a right to privacy like anyone else?

So, Mr. Duncan, I respectfully disagree with this part of your speech, and I would guess I’m not alone. What about the rest of you teachers out there? This can’t just bother me! Weigh in: Do you want to give your cell phone numbers to your parents? And how do you feel about the implication that we don’t follow up with our parents who miss conferences? This is your chance to be heard. Come on, speak up!

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This is the second in a series of blogs that I am directly addressing to parents. These blogs stem from Arne Duncan’s speech at the Annual National PTA Convention on June 11. In his speech, he brought up a problem I believe most schools face today: minimal participation by fathers in their children’s education.

Interestingly, he noted that one of the biggest reasons for their lack of involvement is simply that they haven’t been asked. And, sadly, I think he is probably right. I think most of us assume that mothers:
A. have more time
B. are more interested in their children’s education
C. have a more flexible work schedule
D. are more into the kinds of activities that require parental help, such as parties, school crafts, field day, field trips, etc.

I thought a lot about my own classroom and how seldom I have had involvement from a father, and how awesome it was when a father did participate. We all know that we see more children all of the time who are growing up in single parent households, and the majority of those single parents are mothers. In addition, it is statistically less common to see many male teachers at the elementary level. Traditionally, they gravitate to junior high and high school. So we have many boys who are desperately in need of male role models. At no other time in history has there been a greater need to provide these kinds of role models in school.

So, Dads, we need you! As I said in my last blog, there are a number of ways you could get involved just like working mothers. Join PTA which usually meets in the evening, communicate with your child’s teacher in a supportive-want-to-know-attitude, show up for conferences, support your child’s education by providing a quiet place to do homework, help with homework if needed, know what your child is studying in school and talk about it with your child, take a vacation day to spend time chaperoning a field trip or helping in the classroom. Believe me, we know that all of this would require a sacrifice on your part; a readjustment of schedules and priorities. But we need you none the less, your child needs you, and your sacrifice would be rewarded. Your willingness to sacrifice tells your child that you value their education, and that is such an important message to send to them.

Dads, we desperately want to see you in our schools as positive role models and supporters of your children’s schools. Please, show up. Your children want you, and your children’s teachers want you. So, on behalf of teachers everywhere, consider this an invitation to jump in. And rest assured that we can’t wait to see you!

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I recently read Arne Duncan’s speech to the Annual National PTA Convention on June 11, which contained some very interesting comments and issues worthy of response. Much of what he said, I could not agree with more, and there were a few comments worthy of rebuttal. So over the next few blogs, I will be addressing parents as we analyze some of his salient comments.

One of the most important issues he addressed was the need for parents to get more involved in their children’s education in three critical ways: “as partners in learning, advocates and advisors who push for better schools and decision-makers who choose the best educational options for their children”. In this blog, I wish to discuss the first involvement: as partners in learning.

Arne advocates that parents need to get more involved in their children’s schools through visiting, helping in their children’s classrooms, communicating with the teachers and principal in a supportive way, being part of the PTA, etc. I am in total agreement that parents need to show their children that they are actively partnering with their school to help their child be successful. Now, let me start by saying that many of you parents out there are already involved in a variety of ways in your children’s schools. If I’ve described you, please ignore me, because this blog isn’t targeting you. But so often, as teachers, the only time we hear from many parents is upon the occasions when they are concerned about their child’s grades or unhappy with a decision we have made in regards to their child. And, frequently, those interactions are not pleasant, as the parent has heard only their child’s side of the story and, therefore, they come in or call already on the defensive.

Now, had there been open communication and prior understanding of what was happening in their child’s classroom as a result of spending some time there, communicating with the teacher through phone or email, or volunteering to come in to help in the classroom, much of this negative interaction could be avoided. I have always endeavored to meet with each of my parents at least by the end of the first round of conferences, and many are in way before that. Unfortunately, it is often the case that the parents I most need to meet with do not sign up or show up for conferences. And some never come even once during the whole school year to discuss their child’s progress. Parents, we need to communicate and work with you. We need your input and your support. And your involvement in your child’s classroom tells your child that you care about what they are doing at school.

Now, I know there are many of you who work full-time and would be unable to come into the classroom during the school day. Everyone can show support for their child’s education, just as Arne Duncan said in his speech, by setting aside a special, quiet place for their child to do their homework, help them as needed, check to make sure their homework is completed each night, and turn off the television and the video games and have them read to you or you read out loud to them. In a multitude of ways, you can send the clear message that you support their education and will do all you can to help them to succeed. And you also send the message that you support their teacher who cares about their success, too.

You owe it to your child to make this critical effort. Your children look to you to set the tone and to lead them. If you are positive about the education they are receiving, the chances are greater that they will be, too. So, get involved. Support your school in whatever ways you can. And by doing so, send a clear message to your children that their education is worth the dedication of your time and energy as well as theirs.

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I have been blogging about the upcoming meetings which will be held to discuss the assessment process currently in place and ways to improve it. I wish I had seen anywhere in the statements made by either Arne Duncan or the Department of Education the need to revamp the social studies achievement tests. Let me state my case, and feel free to tell me if you agree or not.

One of the issues we have in Ohio, which may or may not be true of all states’ achievement tests, is that so much of our social studies test at the fifth grade level is a fourth grade test, in that it is based on material covered in Ohio history in fourth grade. Now, I understand the rationale that students should remember what they learned the year before and build on that knowledge the next year. But Ohio history and United States history involve two completely different curriculums, and the only time they converge is when we talk about the Mid West region or historical events that occurred in Ohio. Therefore, to ask students on a fifth grade achievement test to recall very specific information about Ohio inventors or battles and other events that occurred in Ohio seems both unfair and unnecessary. How many of us could remember specific details about events we learned about a year ago? Does this really test mastery of the social studies standards?

These tests contain many questions which, in my opinion and other teachers I have spoken to as well, have little or nothing to do with understanding the foundations upon which our nation is built. We should be assessing students’ broader knowledge of important concepts pertaining to:
* the exploration and colonization of our nation and how this affected the Native Americans who lived here
* our fight for independence
* the formation of a workable government through the Constitution of the United States
* the branches of government and how they effectively check and balance each other
* citizen’s rights and responsibilities
* a basic knowledge of economy
* immigration; reasons for it and how it shaped our nation
* how industrialization, transportation, and expansion changed our nation

If our social studies test would address these issues in a broad way, I believe it would be a truer test of how well students understand the country in which they live. Shouldn’t the goal in teaching social studies be to educate the younger citizens to have pride in their country and instill a desire to be responsible, contributing members of the society they will play an active role in when their education is complete? If that is our goal, then shouldn’t our test reflect that goal? Or would we prefer citizens who can recall the Battle of Fallen Timbers and what the most important outcome of that battle was?

Don’t get me wrong. I think it is admirable to have the ability to recite specific and detailed information about the past. I am just not sure that this is the criterion upon which we wish to base mastery of social studies. The time has come to revamp these tests with the true goal in mind; to create citizens who have a solid understanding of their nation and a strong desire to serve it as contributing members. Otherwise, I think we’ve missed the mark.

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On July 2, Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke to members of the NEA at their national convention in San Diego exhorting them to stop fighting the idea of student achievement as a consideration for teacher pay. While he did say that test scores should never be the driving force behind teacher compensation, he also stated, “But to remove student achievement entirely from evaluation is illogical and indefensible,”

Well, the dreaded words are being spoken! Every time I hear the concept of merit pay linked in any way to state testing results it frightens me! Let me add that most of my students’ test results over the last several years have been well above passing, but I fundamentally disagree with test scores being used as the litmus test to judge teacher quality. Teachers understand the wide variety of factors that affect test results: parent involvement or lack of; parent concern or apathy for their child’s test results; the student population which covers everything from discipline problems, the number of students who are gifted, SPED, ADHD, on 504 plans, etc.; class size; home situations; and when the tests are taken to name a few. (This year, we administered the tests in our district the week students came back from Easter break!) What about teachers who work in intercity schools with the multitude of issues they face daily? These are all factors we cannot control, but they certainly impact test results.

Is there any tangible evidence to support the assumption that student test scores determine the competency of a teacher? How do we figure in all of the extraneous factors over which teachers have no control?

There are a plethora of characteristics that make an exceptional teacher, some measurable and some not. Certainly with the myriad specimens of obtainable evidence which attest to a teacher’s merit, we need not resort to test results as evidence of anything but how we were able to rise above all of the countless issues and distractions we face in education every day and still facilitate student progress.

Take a stand and get vocal! Post some comments here and on other sites on this volatile topic. This is not the time to be complacent.

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