Teacher World

Recent information from the Norton Online Family Report, which looks at the effects of growing up in a digital age on young people, revealed a rather sobering trend in schools which can be very harmful to teachers. It is called cyberbaiting, a phenomenon, according to the report, that twenty-one percent of teachers have either personally experienced or know of another teacher who has experienced it.

This study from Symantec included interviews from kids and their parents from 24 countries including the United States which revealed some interesting statistics. For example, it found that 62 percent of kids (more than six in ten) said they have had a negative experience while they have been online such as being bullied, downloading a virus, responding to an email scam, or being pressured to do something online that they thought was wrong.

Symantec also found that 82 percent of kids who broke their “Internet house rules” experienced something negative online, compared to 52 percent of kids who “follow house rules.” Additionally, it found that 95 percent of parents know what their children are viewing online.

But the most troubling news for teachers was the report’s findings on cyberbaiting. What is cyberbaiting? Symantec Internet Safety Advocate Marian Merritt describes it as a situation in which students deliberately provoke a teacher into doing something that is out of control and stupid. Someone tapes the teacher going off on their cell phone, and the destructive video is posted online.

“This of course has the net effect of embarrassing the teacher, taking a momentary lapse of judgment in a classroom and embedding it onto the web,” Merritt explained.

I became curious after reading about cyberbaiting, as this was the first I had heard of this phenomenon. (Obviously I am not in the 21 percent from the report.) I decided to launch some Google searches trying to find some reported incidents of cyberbaiting. But my attempts came up empty; I found nothing. In fact, it was as though the internet had no idea what I was asking for.

But in a podcast interview with Marian Merritt, she said that she had Googled “teachers lose it” and discovered a multitude of posted videos which were derogatory to teachers. So, I tried it myself, and like Merritt, I was astounded at the plethora of awful videos out there.

The report further found that because of the widespread prevalence of cyberbaiting, 67 percent of teachers reported that they felt it was too risky to friend students on social networks, although 34 percent continue to friend their students. Additionally, about 51 percent of those interviewed said that their schools have social media codes of conduct which control how students and teachers can interact with each other online.

It should come as no surprise that 80 percent of teachers feel that there should be more education provided in school regarding online safety, and 70 percent of parents agree.

Merritt warned against becoming fixated on the findings that 21 percent of teachers said they had “experienced or know another teacher who’s experienced cyberbaiting.” In her interview, she said that it is likely that a very small number of teachers have actually experienced cyberbaiting themselves. However, she acknowledges that even though the numbers are low, the findings do indicate that it is an issue.

So, I’m curious. Have any of you experienced cyberbaiting? Drop us a line if you or someone you know was the victim of cyberbaiting.

Bullying, Teacher-World's Blog cyberbaiting, Marian Merritt, Norton Online Family Report, students, teachers

Now that school has started for most districts throughout the United States, and the rest will be starting soon, I thought I’d address all of the teachers out there and express my best wishes to you for a wonderfully satisfying and highly productive school year.

This is my general wish for all of you, but I have some specific hopes and dreams for all of us which I would like to share with you. (Be advised that some of these might be in my list simply to bring a smile to your face.)

In regards to your student population, I wish…
* For your room to be comprised of students who eagerly await every morsel of information you lovingly feed them
* That said students can’t wait to tear into the work you assign for them and always turn their impeccably completed assignments in on time
* That each day begins with a sea of radiant faces and ends with a chorus of grateful goodbyes
* For every eye in the room to routinely focus exactly where you want them to at all times
* That your students learn respect and compassion from your good example and therefore are accepting of each other’s differences and never, ever tease or bully a fellow student
* And that no matter how tired or frustrated you may get, your precious students will know exactly how to make you feel that all of your hard work is worth it.

As far as your students’ parents, I wish…
* That they will trust you to take the best care of their children
* For any communication you have with your students’ parents to always be supportive and positive
* That they will always confer with you first before they automatically assume that their child is telling them the whole story about every given situation that occurs at school
* That occasionally, a parent might surprise you with a card, a grateful email, or maybe even lunch from your favorite local restaurant
* That they are actively involved in their child’s education without giving them all the answers on their homework
* That they understand that academics trump sports

And my wishes for you during the financially challenging times that lay ahead…
* That your pay does not decrease while your contributions for benefits and health care increase
* That your class size does not grow disproportionally to the dimensions of your classroom
* That your position remains permanent in spite of hopefully-temporary district changes
* That your benefits are not cut, and you can still retire when you planned to and not a year or more later
* That we are able to vote down any bills which threaten collective bargaining
* For your districts’ future school levies to pass by a huge majority

And, last but not least, I wish that all of your students pass their state achievement tests this year because we all know that means we are awesome teachers, right?

All kidding aside, we all know we face a precarious future in education. I truly wish you a wonderful year, and would love to hear from you along the way. Let us know how your district is dealing with budget cuts and how your school is holding up. We need to stick together and find comfort in spite of our struggles and share some laughter through each other’s stories.

Here’s to a wonderful 2011-2012 school year!

Teacher-World's Blog parents, school, school budget cuts, students, teachers

Good news has come out of Joplin, Missouri! Only three months after experiencing our country’s deadliest tornado in 60 years which cut their school year short, Joplin’s students returned to school yesterday.

Finally, after months of dealing with the trauma from the horrific tornado which occurred in late May-hauling debris, sorting through what was left of family possessions, attending funerals of family members and friends, and watching the constant television coverage of the devastation all around them-these kids are finally getting back to something that resembles normalcy. School.

And since six of Joplin’s school buildings were destroyed, including their high school, and seven other buildings were damaged, being able to start school this soon is nothing short of a miracle.

Students will be going to some interesting places for an education this year. An old Shopko store at their Northpark Mall has become a school. The recently-vacated Missouri Department of Transportation district office now houses the offices for the superintendent and other administrators. Rival elementary schools combined to free up space, and a middle school found some space for classrooms in an industrial park.

Senior and junior high school students are attending Joplin High’s upper school which is a converted big-box retail store at the city’s mall in an area well outside of the worst-hit area of Joplin. And freshmen and sophomores met on the other side of town in another building.

Seniors and juniors arrived at their school Wednesday, where they received encouragement from people in the community who held Joplin High signs and wished them well.

Some of them met in modular classrooms located next to a row of concrete-lined storm shelters (as if they needed any reminder of what has happened to this community). Others reunited with friends and compared their schedules in the hallways.

And even though the trophy case near the front entrance was almost empty, classroom walls were conspicuously bare, and boxes of unopened textbooks, computer monitors, and miscellaneous equipment were scattered throughout the building, students were excited. They loved the college-like feel of the building, with its own Joplin Joe’s coffee bar. And thanks to a huge donation from the United Arab Emirates, each student received a bookbag which contained their own Apple laptop computer.

Brenda White, an English teacher at the new high school said, “You can’t pretend like nothing happened. But everything is so new here. Every single thing that is in this school is new and different.

And as she stocked the shelves in her classroom with copies of books, such as The Great Gatsby and The Kite Runner, she continued, “It’s going to take a while to build everything back, but books are a good start.”

White is accustomed to the people of her town who value hard work, but even she was surprised at how quickly the schools have been transformed.

“I’ve always known people are strong here. But this has really brought it home,” she said. “People are so strong. They just get up, dust off and go to work. That’s what we do here.”

Students and teachers weren’t the only ones amazed by what has been accomplished. Pamela Berry brought her 17-year old nephew to open house the night before school started and said, “It just blows your mind! I want to come back to high school.”

And after a tour of the high school on Wednesday, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon encouraged the students to take full advantage of their new facilities. He said, “I hope you use what has been given to you to lift the expectations of Joplin even higher. While there’s been tremendous suffering, there are even greater expectations.”

In order to help students and families who are still struggling with the aftermath of the tornado, additional counselors and trauma workers have been brought in to the building.

Superintendent C.J. Huff said, “We can build buildings, but the emotional damage that this storm has caused is of a very significant concern and something we’re going to be watching closely for months, if not years.”

Phillip Gloyer is a National Guard chaplain as well as a communication arts teacher at the high school. He said he plans to use his divinity school training as well as his understanding of British literature this year.

“I’m just really focused on the kids’ emotional health,” he said. “A lot of hugs, a lot of encouragement. Asking them to tell their story. That’s the best therapy.”

One of the reasons that Joplin is coming back so strong is due to the outpouring of donations and goodwill from various individuals and organizations all over the world, like the United Arab Emirates.

But Kim Vann, district director of community development told the Huffington Post that Joplin will continue to need help in the future. “We expect the need for clothing and basic supplies to be great this year because of requests in just the last week or two,” Vann explained.

Vann reported that the donations that have poured in so far, in the form of money, gift cards, and supplies, have been “amazing.” On Wednesday, he said, “I was in the elementary schools and the high school today and teachers were so very grateful for all the supplies that have been donated. Teachers and kids really feel the outpouring of love from the nation.”

According to the district spokesman, Jim Dunn, money would be the most helpful donation at this time.

I am including the link to Joplin’s district website for those of you who might be reading this blog and wish to contribute in some way to the schools in Joplin, Missouri. You will find several different ways that you or your school can make a difference. Please consider joining in one of these projects below to give these young people hope and the knowledge that their efforts are being supported by a community who cares.

Thank you.

Teacher-World's Blog Joplin, Joplin tornado, Missouri, students

Have you contacted your representatives about Senate Bill 5 yet? Let me relay information to you directly from an attorney about what this bill would mean for education.

The firm of Muksovitz & Lemmerbrock, LLC, Attorneys at Law, sent a letter to the Cleveland Teachers Union on February 17, about SB5 after studying it in detail, and gave permission for this information to be shared with “anyone who cares about education, cares about children, and cares about teachers.” A copy of the original letter was sent to our union as well as, I’m sure, most unions throughout Ohio, and, since I believe that anyone who is reading my blogs, cares about education, children, and teachers, I am sharing the contents of this letter with you in the hopes that you will be outraged enough to do something about it, too.

Quoting from the letter directly:

“Senate Bill 5… moves forward with mandates that dictate how local school boards must operate in ways that are anti-teacher and anti-student. For example, the proposed legislation would do the following:

1. Tenure-SB5 eliminates all continuing contracts for new teachers and dictates that limited contracts may not be for more than one year. This provision will undermine the ability to attract the best and the brightest into the teaching profession.
2. Wages- It would be unlawful for school districts to base teachers’ salary on experience and education. Without any guidance whatsoever, the bill requires school districts to base salary solely on ‘merit.’
3. Health Insurance- It would be unlawful for school districts to negotiate the type of health care offered to employees, or the level of benefits available. It would be unlawful for a school district to charge employees less than 20 percent of the total premium for health care, although they could charge more.
4. Layoffs- It would be unlawful for school districts to base layoffs of teachers on seniority, within certification-which is the current method. Instead, school districts would be mandated to base layoffs on the ‘quality of performance’ of the teachers. This ‘quality of performance’ would be determined solely by the school district by considering the level of license the teacher holds, whether the teacher is ‘highly qualified,’ the value-added measure the school board uses to determine the performance of students assigned to the teacher’s classroom, the results of the teacher’s evaluation, and ‘any other criteria established by the board.’
5. Class Size- It would be unlawful for the school district to negotiate class size, or the number of teachers required in any category, such as the ratio of special education students assigned to special education teachers or to regular education teachers.
6. Leave Provisions- It would be unlawful for school districts to negotiate sick leave, maternity leave, injury leave, or assault leave provisions. These provisions must be set unilaterally by the school district and adopted as board policy.

As I stated earlier, SB5…makes the relationship between teachers and their school district worse than ever before. It mandates unilateral control over teachers and classrooms without any checks and balances in place. It outlaws collaboration. It is not designed to help children. It is designed to demonize teachers and destroy public education.” The letter is signed by Susannah Muskovitz.

Sobering news, but not surprising in the current atmosphere in which education’s woes are dumped on the doorstep of the public education system. This government will not be content until public education is a thing of the past, and they can get on with the business of treating education like a privatized business. And if we don’t raise our voices high and in huge numbers, that is exactly what will happen, and SB5 is just the tip of the iceberg.

Stand up! Speak up! Call and write your local representatives. Send the message that Senate Bill 5 is unacceptable! If there was ever a time to come together as educators in this country, it is now!

Teacher-World's Blog Senate Bill 5, students, teachers

Okay, so how many of you out there have a fellow teacher who constantly interrupts your lessons over the most inconsequential things? Annoying isn’t it? Not to mention disruptive for students who need to stay focused. Let me tell you about ours…

We have a very sweet woman who teaches in the classroom next to ours. She is helpful and kind, willing to share her resources, and an all-around good person. But she is not very organized and admittedly does not plan ahead as she should, so she often comes into other teachers’ rooms to find out what they are teaching and to see if she might borrow what is being utilized in that classroom. Now, since we are in an adjoining room this year, we get a higher percentage of the drop-in visits, and I must admit that while I truly care for her as a person, it becomes rather annoying to deal with these interruptions on a regular basis.

A couple of weeks ago, we were in the middle of a math lesson on probability which was going really well. We had our students’ attention, and they seemed to be grasping the concept we were teaching, until…Yes, you guessed it; another surprise drop-in from “The Visitor”, who promptly asked from the back of the room what we were teaching. We briefly explained that we were teaching a lesson on probability and then, in an effort to keep our students engaged I innocently (ha-ha) asked, “Students, what is the probability that Mrs. (name has been left out to protect her identity) will be back in our room tomorrow?” They all responded, “Very likely!” I then asked, “What is the probability that she will never come into our room again?” And, like good little mathematicians, they all piped up, “Impossible!”

Oh, what a beautiful thing when lessons learned have the additional benefit of teaching others a good lesson!

Teacher-World's Blog interruptions, probability, students, teachers

I would like you teachers to consider the following dilemma: how involved are you willing to get at this time of year in whether your students believe in Santa Claus or not? Let me share a true story that causes me to pose this question to you today.

I have a student in my fifth-grade class who, according to her mother, still believes in Santa Claus. Now, by fifth grade, most students have abandoned their earlier beliefs about the existence of Santa Claus. It is a rarity to find a student at this grade level who still believes in the guy in the red coat and pants, with the full white beard, and the sleigh full of presents. Most of them have come to the conclusion by the time they hit my grade that Santa is really their parents, and as long as the presents keep coming in every year, they are okay with that. But, at this time of year, it is often a focus of conversation and conjecture amongst students.

So, imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from a parent whose daughter came home from school very upset due to another student in my classroom asking her if she believed and indicating that he did not. Okay, now I know this is a difficult time for parents because most of us love creating that magic for our children and enjoy their excitement almost as much as they do. I’m not sure who is most upset when our child’s innocent beliefs are shattered, but for this mom, it was pretty clear she could not cope with this situation and was pretty panicked over how it would change Christmas if her daughter stopped believing.

So, what were her demands, because they most certainly were stated as such? First, she wanted me to talk to the student who had laid the groundwork for doubt in her daughter’s eyes. Second, she strongly suggested that I sit down with her daughter and reassure her that there was a Santa. I must confess that this was a first for me. In all my years of teaching, I have never been asked to intervene in a Santa-Claus-loss-of-faith moment, and I was very unwilling to do so now. I had no problem speaking calmly to the student who opened this conversation and reinforce the need to keep our opinions to ourselves when we are talking to someone who still believes. But, I am not this girl’s parent, and I refuse to be forced into a position that should clearly be handled by a parent. So, I talked to the other student, but I ignored the outrageous request to parent this woman’s child.

Teachers are being forced more and more to take on parental roles with their students, and I have done so often when that role is not being filled at home. But I draw the line when it comes to pushing Santa Claus on fifth-graders. Forgive me, Santa, but this is just not my job!

Teacher-World's Blog Christmas, parents, Santa Claus, students, teachers

Okay, so I have been writing a lot of serious blogs lately and feel like we need a light one. So here goes.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, my co-teacher and I like to change things up from time to time and act out what we are teaching. Early last week, for example, we were reinforcing main idea sentences, detail sentences, and what we call strangers; sentences that do not belong in a paragraph because they aren’t about the main idea. My co-teacher was the main idea. She dressed in black and white, I was the detail sentences so I dressed with scarves and gobs of jewelry because detail sentences provide color and description, and our paraprofessional dressed in a bright yellow safety patrol parka and sunglasses because she was the stranger.

My co-teacher talked about the beauty of main ideas and then made the statement, “Let’s talk in main ideas today. For instance, main idea: I went to the movies yesterday with my girlfriend.” Then I came into the room with all of my jewelry on and a diary, and I acted as though I was telling all of the fun details about going to the movies with my girlfriend from my journal. Periodically, my co-teacher would say. “Let’s get back to the main idea, shall we?” Meanwhile, our paraprofessional would intermittently throw out totally random sentences that had nothing whatsoever to do with the main idea.

We continued this for about ten minutes to our students’ delight. When we took our bows, the students begged us for more. I tell you this not to brag but to reinforce how much our children love it when we act out our lessons for them.

Well, two days later, we were teaching a lesson on probability when one of our students raised his hand. We were in the middle of a difficult concept, so my co-teacher asked him if he had a question. He said yes, so we gave him the opportunity to make his inquiry. Imagine our surprise when, very seriously, he asked, “Are you two dressed as scarecrows for a play later?” We looked at each other in complete confusion. At this point, we realized that we were each in plaid shirts over which I had a brown fashionably frayed-looking blazer and she had on a tan sweater. We started laughing as did the whole class. Later, when we were able to talk without laughing, we pointed out the audacity of sitting there through a lesson unfocused and then admitting his lack of focus in front of all of us.

Since then, from time to time one of our students will call us scarecrows. We laugh because we know that the question came from hopeful anticipation of another one of our silly teaching moments. And we don’t mind being a little silly if it increases our students’ enthusiasm for learning.

By the way, the rest of the day I had to fight the urge to break out with, “If I only had a brain…”

Teacher-World's Blog acting, co-teacher, students

I am wiped out! I have just completed a two-day work week and yet, I can barely function! So, what made this week so different?

First, before any vacation, the electricity in the classroom is intensified to an amazing degree. Today was no exception. Our students were incredibly excited and this leads to increased activity and socialization. We had center work this morning rotating between a reading center where the focus was exploring the literary elements of a Russian folk tale and a math center which focused on which kind of graph is appropriate to show certain kinds of data. This went fairly well, although it required repeated intervention to keep the students focused. I am not certain how much of what they learned actually sunk in today, but we powered through regardless.

Center work was followed by a birthday celebration complete with cupcakes for one of our students. We truly didn’t need any further excuse to get crazy, but this increased the excitement level significantly. Then, before lunch, we received an email that explained that even though grades for this first trimester are due by Sunday, we may be unable to get into the program which allows us to enter our grades due to problems on the site. As a result, we felt the need to take advantage of the fact that we were able to access the program today and try to complete our report cards.

In the afternoon, we had planned to watch a Thanksgiving movie, so while our children were entertained, we got online and completed our report cards. Relief! But it wasn’t time to relax yet. Oh no! Everyone in our hallway was in the process of dismantling Thanksgiving decorations and bulletin boards and replacing them with Christmas decorations. So, I went to work relentlessly tearing down my family turkey bulletin board, putting up my Christmas board, stringing Christmas lights, setting up a Christmas tree, and stringing it with bulbs.

Now, call me done and totally wiped out! A long two-day work week is over. May the relaxation and family fun begin. Happy Thanksgiving!

Teacher-World's Blog students, teachers, Thanksgiving, vacation

With Thanksgiving looming, we all begin to count our blessings and enumerate what we are thankful for. Most of us probably list our families, our health, our friends. But I can’t help but also think of my job and all of the things I have to be grateful for this year professionally.

I am grateful for my co-teacher and my paraprofessional. I am so fortunate to have hard-working but easy-going adults to work with. Our personalities blend beautifully and effortlessly. We have never had a disagreement or even a difference of opinion. We appreciate each other and come in to work each day with a great attitude and with plenty of enthusiasm. The atmosphere is positive and cooperative, and our students see this and react accordingly. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to work with these two ladies and can’t imagine working any other way at this point.

I am grateful that I am able to teach in a co-teaching classroom, and that we are really getting it right this year. We are using the techniques we learned in our training classes and have found them to be very effective. We have dabbled with acting as we teach, and our students love it. In one of our conferences, the parents told us how much their daughter enjoys it when we act things out. They commented upon how rare it was to see teachers get into teaching as we do. We are just hams enough that we love being a little silly and entertaining our students whenever we can. As a result, we are working hard, but we are having a great time doing it.

I am grateful that we have a wonderful group of students this year, especially since this is the first time we have tried a self-contained co-teaching classroom. I can’t imagine if we had kids who were discipline problems when they are in your classroom all day except for specials. So, how lucky we are to have a group of students who are respectful of each other, willing to help each other, and so sweet! They aren’t perfect, but pretty darn close, and we are exceedingly grateful for that.

I am grateful for my other coworkers. We have, in my opinion, an exceptional staff comprised of truly caring teachers and aides. And we generally coexist very peacefully. Oh, from time to time there is a minor skirmish or two, but they are usually settled quickly and life goes on as normal. I am grateful that due to our hard work, we have been acknowledged as a school of excellence and distinction. I just wish that it didn’t take test scores to make that determination.

In general, I am grateful for our parents. For the most part, we have very involved and concerned parents who work diligently and in tandem with our school. We have many parents who volunteer their time to come and help teachers or to work with students to review concepts such as math facts. These parents help our school run more smoothly.

The year is young, but I feel so very grateful for the bountiful blessings I have experienced already, and look forward to what is to come. I hope all of you who are reading this have been as blessed as I have been. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Teacher-World's Blog co-teaching, parents, students, Thanksgiving

I spend time reading inspirational things in the morning before starting my day. It helps me get motivated and gets me in the right frame of mind to attack whatever life hands me that day. Today’s reading made me think about teachers and the job we do. Let me explain why.

This morning’s message was about planning ahead but being willing to be flexible and ready to make necessary adjustments to your plans if they don’t work out. Do you see why I thought about teachers? Teachers are nothing if not flexible. We spend hours planning lessons and the activities that will follow those lessons. But unfortunately, on any given day those plans have the potential of going south. An inflexible person might panic or throw up their hands and say, “I give up. These kids just don’t get it.” But a good teacher has the knack of making quick decisions to adjust, modify, redo, or revamp a lesson in order to make it work for their students.

When you interact with students, you never really know what to expect. Some days go very smoothly and your plans work beautifully. Then there are those days where the wind seems to be whistling through your students’ ears and nothing seems to sink in. On those days, the best laid plans fall flat, and you’d better be ready to punt. The longer I teach, the better I get at punting in a hurry.

In hindsight, I probably was not much of a punter when I started my career. But, before too long it was glaringly apparent that this was a necessary skill I would have to develop if I planned to survive in my career and be the best teacher I could be for my students. And, coincidentally, I find that same flexibility that I practice in my classroom has served me well in other aspects of my life.

Flexibility. Try it on for size. If you are a teacher or a future teacher it is a necessary tool of the trade. Grow it, exercise it, use it frequently.

Teacher-World's Blog flexibility, students, teachers