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In-service Days, are they a waste?

Jennifer Wagaman — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:26:10 +0000

The concept of an in-service day is very beneficial – providing direct, up-to-date, relevant training to teachers that they can turn around and apply within less than 24 hours from the time of the meeting, in many cases. The reality of in-service training is a bit suspect, in my opinion.

First, the “experts” in whatever the topic might be, prioritize all the most important information that all the teachers MUST know, including, often, the history, research and other miscellaneous facts that are not applicable to the classroom at all. Then they type up all of this information, along with the more useful information about how to use the new idea, and make a copy for everyone.

These information packets are usually a good idea, unless they are simply a printout of the power point presentation. Honestly, teachers have to go to college to get a teaching certificate, which means they know how to take notes. Pass out blank sheets of paper and you’ll likely have more teachers paying attention and use a lot less paper and ink in the process.

Then, the presenter reads the packet to the group of gathered teachers. This only insults their intelligence. I mean, really, I’m pretty sure reading is a prerequisite to teaching! It’s even more insulting to stop halfway through a paragraph and comment, “I’ll let you finish reading this later, instead of just reading it all to you” like you’re saying “I know you can read, but I am supposed to fill the time and yet on second thought, I don’t find this information interesting or useful myself so I’ll stop reading now”. Waste of paper and time.

Then comes the inevitable group activities, designed to make the lesson useful and interactive and keep teachers from grading student work that is hiding in their laps, or sitting in plain sight on the table in an open statement that says “you are wasting my time”. The problem with these activities, at least in elementary schools, is that those in charge are often elementary school teachers and so the activities are a bit (or a lot) elementary, and often result in being just plain dumb, or at the very least, a frustrating waste of precious time.

Time is valuable to a teacher, it would be so much easier to just have someone run through the important points, give a few illustrative examples and then take questions. It would cut the time in half and still have the same outcome of teaching the teachers something new to do with their students.

So, are in-service days a waste? Not at all! Providing:

The presenter remembers that their audience is well educated adults, not elementary kids who can’t read or take notes.
The information is presented clearly and succinctly.
Extraneous information not relevant to the classroom is avoided at all cost.
and finally, that the time is kept as short as possible, leaving off the group activities and instead allowing for time for questions and answers.

What is the value in teaching?

Jennifer Wagaman — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:48:17 +0000

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.

We Need Competition!

Jennifer Wagaman — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:12:06 +0000

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.

Common Core Standards

Jennifer Wagaman — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:13:00 +0000

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.

Free Teachers Pass to Colonial Williamsburg

Jennifer Wagaman — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:53:45 +0000

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

The Controversy of Year-Round School

Jennifer Wagaman — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 21:48:24 +0000

Understanding the Basics of Year-Round School

Going to school year round does not mean that students will end up with no summer break, or that they will attend school more days during a single calendar year. Schools that provide year round school simply attempt to balance the calendar in order to minimize student learning attrition over the long summer break by providing shorter, more frequent breaks.

First, let’s look at a typical 9 month school year calendar:

School usually starts in August after about 60 days off for summer vacation. Thanksgiving break provides 3 days off, winter break (or Christmas break) provides approximately 10 days off and spring break (or Easter break) provides students with approximately 5 days off. The long summer break is well known for causing students to forget or lose ground, often referred to as the “summer slide”.

Balancing the calendar so that the long summer break is minimized is thought to help eliminate this “summer slide” and results in what is termed “year-round school”. This method has students only off for 30 days during the summer. Fall break is added to the calendar at about 15 days, Thanksgiving remains at about 3 days off, and winter and spring break are extended to be approximately 15 days each. This helps to spread out the time students have off of school and provides less time for losing ground, allowing students to gain more ground in their studies.

Does Year-Round School Work?

There are many reports provided on the NAYRE website that show various groups and organizations that are advocating for a balanced school calendar, and research shows that students in a low socio-economic status lose more knowledge over the summer than their high SES counterparts, emphasizing the need for something to change over the summer.

There will always be proponents for and against year-round school. Both sides of the argument will be equally passionate about their stand. The very fact that public education is a democracy run by the government will cause any major changes like this more difficult to standardize, but I ask one question:

If you agree that something needs to change in order to improve schools, why shouldn’t a radical change like this be considered instead of rehashing old ideas of teacher education/test scores/incentive pay/etc.?

Back to School List for Teachers

Jennifer Wagaman — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:03:39 +0000

Introduce yourself to parents and students

New Teacher Introductions to Parents

Back to School Night

First Day of School activities

10 Things to Remember for the First Day of School

How to Get Ready for the First Day of School

First week of lesson plans

Making a Curriculum Map

Lesson Planning Mistakes for New Teachers to Avoid

Prepare the classroom

Preparing for the First Day of School Important for New Teachers

Preparing Your Classroom For the Start of School

Prepare a routine

Teacher’s To Do List for Friday

Organization and Time Management for Teachers

Determine classroom management plan

Classroom Management Tools for New Teachers

Five Common Classroom Management Myths

Prepare Classroom Library

Books for a New Teacher’s Classroom Library

Creating a Classroom Library

Purchase necessary supplies

Necessary Supplies for the New Classroom Teacher

Make a Word Wall

The Basics of a Word Wall

How to Make an Interactive Word Wall

The Public School Debate

Jennifer Wagaman — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:38:49 +0000

I was going to title this the homeschool debate, then realized it’s not about homeschooling, its about public schools. The alternative is not just homeschooling, but private schools too. Homeschooling gets a bad rap for pulling kid out of the public school system, but people say they don’t have the money for private schooling and leave it at that. In reality, parents who choose to homeschool are the same as parents who choose the private schools. In the end, it’s the public schools they are avoiding.

There is a lot of debate about how to improve the public school system. In fact, public school teachers are often offended when kids are pulled – only when pulled for homeschooling though, ironically. It is a well known fact in the public school system that a private school student will be ahead of all public school students. Homeschool kids on the other hand? They are rebels who aren’t being educated, or have parents who think they can do a better job than a certified teacher.

Well actually, some parents can do better than a certified teacher – if a teacher at a private school can do better (based on test scores) than a teacher at a public school, why can’t a parent do better? I think it’s not a matter of who does a better job, it’s a matter of parents taking control of their child’s education. Some parents choose to educate at home, some choose to lobby for better public schools and some parents choose to pay for private school.

Why should we criticize any parent for being involved enough in their child’s education to make a tough decision? Homeschooling is not an easy choice, just ask one of the thousands of homeschoolers who give up their time each and every day to ensure their children have a good education. Private school is not an easy choice, just as the thousands of parents who give up their hard earned money to pay 15,000-20,000 or more a year on top of taxes for public schools. Public school is the easy answer, unless you want a good education for your child, then it is a hard choice too – just ask the few parents who put the time and effort into working with teachers and schools and spending the time working with their child to ensure a good education.

The parent who sends a child to the public school system blindly, expecting a well educated child after high school graduation with no effort on their part, is the parent who should be criticized.

In the end, a good education is the goal, and reaching the goal is difficult no matter which path you choose to take. So public school teachers, back off of homeschool families, the effort of a good education for an individual child takes time and effort and money on the part of the parent, regardless of the direction they steer.

Looking for more information on homeschooling? Check out My Homeschool Guide

Making the Most of In-Service Days

Jennifer Wagaman — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:47:42 +0000

Many teachers struggle to enjoy in-service days and school development meetings, considering them to be boring or a waste of time. While some of these meetings may indeed be a waste of teacher’s time, they are important to attend and learn from in order to improve teaching skills and understand new school and district policies.

Applying New Information by Taking Notes

When at a school meeting or in-service, the biggest thing that all teachers can do to help pass the time more quickly, is to take notes. Instead of simply taking down information that is spoken, try to apply the information to specific skills or teaching strategies. Notes can include presentation methods demonstrated by the principal or other person in charge of the meeting as well as ideas that come directly from the topic of discussion.

Teachers can attempt to come up with specific examples of how and when they will use a specific tip or strategy in the classroom and write down that example in their notes. Not only will taking these notes help pass the time, but it will impress administration and the teacher may actually learn something at the same time!

Extension Ideas for Lesson on Obama’s Speech

Jennifer Wagaman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:14:00 +0000

On September 8, 2009, President Obama will be speaking live to the students of the Nation. This is a highly controversial event, but one that teachers can take advantage of. It seems from the information provided, that President Obama will be speaking about goal setting for the school year, and striving to meet those goals. After the speech is over, how can teachers take this speech and provide extension activities for students?

Extension Activities for Obama’s Speech

Have students write an essay about one specific goal that they have for the school year. They should include details as to why they have this particular goal and exactly how they plan on meeting this goal.

Students can work together as a class to create a list of “class goals” much like teachers allow students to create “class rules“. Have students share lots of ideas for goals and then condense them into 3-4 really important goals. Once these are decided on, write them on a large piece of paper and have all the students sign the paper, promising to try their best to meet these goals.

Students can create a piece of artwork (coloring, painting, tissue paper art, etc.) that shows the outcome of meeting goals for the school year. Knowing what they are shooting for in the end will help to motivate them to work hard towards that goal.

For lesson plan ideas on preparing students for the speech as well as information on how to listen to the speech, visit Lesson Plan for Obama’s Speech to Students.

Read more extension ideas that will help teachers use President Obama’s speech to bring more appropriate student behavior to the classroom.