Teaching About September 11

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Jennifer Wagaman

September 11 is a date that all Americans know, and it is an important turning point in American history. Teachers all across the country are preparing for how to teach their students about this important date and the ramifications of the events that occurred that day.

For those still looking for info on teaching, here is a website with information:

Lesson Plans on September 11

Looking for more? There’s a lot available if you do a quick search on google.

Some Principals, one for sure that I know of so I would guess others are in the same position, are not allowing their teachers to mention September 11 this week. This is a very difficult place for teachers to be put in and is similar to issues of religion. A historic event that impacted EVERY American, changed our lives forever and has ramifications to this day should not be ignored or brushed under the carpet in the hopes of avoiding “difficult” conversations.

The truth is this day was very painful for many people and led to a war that has been painful to more people. We should recognize what happened and share facts with our students. It is not our place to pass judgement on what happened but it is also not our place to ignore what happened. Whether you had a loved one die or not, whether you agree with the war or not, whether you have Muslim friends or not, to ignore a major turning point in American history is to do our children a disservice.

Principals, step up and give teachers the right to teach history.

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What is the value in teaching?

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Jennifer Wagaman

Ask any random person on the street and I bet the general consensus about teacher salaries is NOT that they need to make more money. Either teachers make too much already or make “enough”. Some people see value in the teaching profession, but most of those are teachers or have teachers in their family.

So what is the value in teaching? For those who think teachers make enough money (or make too much money), the issue is likely two-fold. First, published “averages” include the income that the board of education people make. These people make tons of money and sit around doing nothing all day (no offence but paperwork, buerocratic non-sense and other human resources type things don’t compare to the work teachers do.) This likely takes care of those who think that teachers “make enough”.

Second, the perception of what teachers do all day lessens the value of the job in the eyes of the public. Preschool and early childhood teachers “play” all day, right? Elementary school teachers color and make fun crafts all day. Middle school teachers police raging hormones and highschool teachers try to keep kids from taking drugs. Not to mention the 6-7 hour work day and summers off! My goodness, teachers make too much money!

So what do teachers do?

Teachers…

Parent 15-40 students (more and more each year with raising class sizes). This includes teaching morals, ethics, discipline and love.

Plan detailed lessons designed to maximize learning time despite multiple interruptions, breaks and shortened school days.

Teach an average of 30 students, reaching three learning styles and as many of the multiple intelligences as possible during each lesson.

Give individual attention as much as possible to each student in the class while at the same time keeping the other 30 students on task with meaningful work.

Manage a wide range of discipline problems, often without any support from support staff (Sorry principals, I’ve heard too many horror stories to believe that every school has a great support staff) and most definitely not any support from home (public school is free daycare, didn’t you hear?).

Attempt to get students to meet federal and state standards before testing time with little to no resources, help or time.

Grade every paper turned in with thoughtful and fair comments.

Attempt to get parents involved in their kids’ education (or life, in some cases).

To do these things, the percentage of teachers who take work home is astronomical – hours of work go home each day for most teachers. Likewise, teachers spend their own money, hundreds of dollars of it, each year to make their classroom and lessons motivating and to keep kids supplied with pencils, paper and other supplies. The government realizes this because it gives a tax credit for teachers each year for the supplies purchased. I’d love to know how many teachers spend more than the measly $200 they get back in taxes.

Parents complain about how much they have to buy now for back to school, but that’s not the teacher’s fault, that’s administration having their hands tied because they don’t have the funds to supply those things anymore because, um, well, teachers make too much money.

So where is the value in teaching? Probably administration, because the teachers certainly aren’t valuable… the losers there are the kids.

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We Need Competition!

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Jennifer Wagaman

Anyone have an old cell phone in a box in the basement or attic? You know what phone I’m talking about – one of those “original” cell phones that is about as big as your land-line phone? Comparing it to the new “smart” phones today it is easy to agree that cell phones have improved DRAMATICALLY over the years – and indeed over a relatively short period of time!

Competition between brands and cell services has driven cell phone makers/providers to improve their products. Every new commercial talks about the next new amazing detail that you just have  to have! (I still don’t get the thrill of watching movies on your phone…) Without competition, prices would be high, and while progress in technology would still be made, advancement would be much slower.

Competition in Schools

It is easy to complain about the Public School system, the problem is that there is little competition and what competition there is, is squelched or otherwise regarded as a bad idea. Everyone agrees that our students need to be highly educated. Everyone agrees that we need to set the bar high and have challenging standards. Every one agrees that the system needs improvement.

The problem is every year, students will max out the classrooms regardless of whether or not change happens. There is not enough competition.

So long as there are so few viable options for students, there’s little to drive the public school system to really improve.

What are the School Options?

You can choose to put your student in the public school system (and hope for a perfect storm of a great teacher, small class size, etc.) and pay nothing (begging the question – do you get what you pay for?).

Or you can put your child into a private school (knowing that the academic standards and lower class sizes are essentially guaranteed) and pay a small fortune every month.

Or you can homeschool your child, pay a reasonable amount (or a lot, depending on the curriculum you choose to purchase). The problem here is that it is not available to all parents because many parents both work, leaving no one home to care for the children/teach school.

There are a few other odd options like charter schools, but really, there is no realistic competition for public schools that is available to the average student.

The Solution… 

The solution is kind of like the cure for cancer – it’s bound to be out there, but no one has discovered it yet. What we need is a federally funded (read – free for parents and students) option that any student who wants to is able to attend. This is likely to do more for the improvement of the public school system than increased funds, reduction in staff, additional “incentives” and more.

Until then, well, each parent must do whatever he feels is right for his family, but I feel for those who feel stuck.

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Common Core Standards

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Jennifer Wagaman

As teachers head back to school all across the country, many will be hearing about the Common Core Standards that is taking the place of No Child Left Behind.

So what are these Common Core Standards?

They are exactly what they sound like: core standards that are common to everyone. Different states have had different standards, which has led to discrepancies between states; take an average student from Maryland and from Florida and you will see what I mean. These common standards are designed to eliminate this discrepancy.

The Core Standards are NOT Federal Mandates from the Government – this was a state led initiative, read more about their creation on their website. That said, in the FAQs there is talk about how the Federal Government can “support” schools in their adoption of these standards, kinda of reads like “no, the Federal Government didn’t create them, we did! Who cares if they are the ones who hired us to do this…” (Easier to get someone else to do your dirty work, right?)

Where Did these Core Standards Come From?

According to the Common Core State Standards website, teachers, school administrators (scary!) and “experts” (hmmmmm) developed the standards. While the collaboration may seem a bit suspect, I actually think the standards are probably pretty ok. I mean, educators don’t like to reinvent the wheel (even if the wheel is broken, perhaps) so likely they just took the “best” standards from various states (at least, they claim to not have formed the lowest common denominator, so I would hope they picked the best). So while they may look new, don’t panic, it’s probably not going to change what you do in the classroom all that much.

Who is Using the Common Core Standards? Are they Mandatory?

These Core State Standards are not mandatory – indeed not all states have adopted them yet. I wonder how long those remaining few states will hold out, though, peer pressure being what it is. So yes, they are voluntary and yet I am sure it will not be long before it is accepted by everyone.

Will This Lead to a Common Curriculum too? 

Check out the FAQ on their website and you get a lot of legalese – Read between the lines and you get “we’d love there to be a single common curriculum for all schools in all states, it would make it so much easier to ensure our agenda is accomplished!!!”

Beyond that, I withhold judgement until the results are in – For some teachers it will mean a change in the curriculum and for others it will be business as usual. Perhaps in 10 years we’ll all be glad for uniformity in standards… or perhaps not.

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Free Teachers Pass to Colonial Williamsburg

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Jennifer Wagaman

Visit Colonial Williamsburg for free (and reduced prices for family and friends) by just being a teacher!

There are several dates to choose from and visit the Capitol, the Governor’s Palace and the art museums. You will get to see a variety of traditional trade shops such as the blacksmith, silversmith and the apothecary. Tour Great Hopes Plantation and more! What a great way to bring history alive for all ages.

For more information and to register, visit Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Open House Day

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