Revolutionizing Education!! Khan Academy! One of the most exciting learning opportunities!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Attack on American Education - Logical Reasoning or Not???
The Attack on American Education
How in the world can cutting student programs and their funding along with vital professional development be solutions to our education system's woes? Do the answers truly lie in the government and their intrusion on our professional character and commitment to our children? How can teachers stand up and take action against the continued abomination of our profession? Who can we call and offer logical reasoning and solutions? In the day of lower income, higher taxes, loss of jobs, and financial hardships, how can we continue to cut from our children? Can we look at the top where many districts have over staffed administrative offices with salaries that are grossly inflated? Do we offer up better leadership models for states that are required to hire someone with a superintendent degree, but in many cases no common sense or leadership skills to build morale and a culture of deep passion and the desire for community excellence? What will it take to get people to understand that there are so many other areas to consider when deciding what to cut? Do a feasibility study before cutting quality programs, teachers, character building experiences and necessary funding for academic and personal growth, achievement and success? Where else can cuts be made? Refocus everyone, public schools are unjustly under attack. Get rid of the bad with the proper documentation and paper trails. Don't look to blame all of us. There are many who work hard to inspire everyday! Teachers that are not dedicated to their own growth and professional oath should be let go. Come on, they aren't difficult to identify. Get rid of the bad seeds, and stop blaming all of us. It's the system of political agendas that define us as broken. It's time to stand up and take bake our dignity and pride as professionals. Enough with the scapegoating, we are the reason why they are in positions of power today. Without the great teachers, the politicians that condemn us would never have gotten to where they are today.
How in the world can cutting student programs and their funding along with vital professional development be solutions to our education system's woes? Do the answers truly lie in the government and their intrusion on our professional character and commitment to our children? How can teachers stand up and take action against the continued abomination of our profession? Who can we call and offer logical reasoning and solutions? In the day of lower income, higher taxes, loss of jobs, and financial hardships, how can we continue to cut from our children? Can we look at the top where many districts have over staffed administrative offices with salaries that are grossly inflated? Do we offer up better leadership models for states that are required to hire someone with a superintendent degree, but in many cases no common sense or leadership skills to build morale and a culture of deep passion and the desire for community excellence? What will it take to get people to understand that there are so many other areas to consider when deciding what to cut? Do a feasibility study before cutting quality programs, teachers, character building experiences and necessary funding for academic and personal growth, achievement and success? Where else can cuts be made? Refocus everyone, public schools are unjustly under attack. Get rid of the bad with the proper documentation and paper trails. Don't look to blame all of us. There are many who work hard to inspire everyday! Teachers that are not dedicated to their own growth and professional oath should be let go. Come on, they aren't difficult to identify. Get rid of the bad seeds, and stop blaming all of us. It's the system of political agendas that define us as broken. It's time to stand up and take bake our dignity and pride as professionals. Enough with the scapegoating, we are the reason why they are in positions of power today. Without the great teachers, the politicians that condemn us would never have gotten to where they are today.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Where Are All the Great Teachers?
They are busy teaching, studying, learning, connecting, collaborating, reinventing and reaching every child sitting in their classrooms! Do we know who they are? Would we recognize them if we saw them? Of course we would! The GREAT teachers are those who inspire others to learn something new on a daily basis. They are the ones right down the hall. They are our colleagues, friends, parents, mentors, role models, coaches, and leaders. Great teachers don't need the attention or any status titles saying that they are experts in the field. They don't do expensive research trials, they experiment and develop working models every single day! The GREAT teachers know how to reach children and young adults sitting in front of them. They know how to inspire passion in children. It's time to start recognizing that it's the GREAT teachers who will lead the educational reform or change that is vital in our broken educational system. Let them lead and share their experiences, we really don't need to throw millions of dollars at expensive experts to tell us what works in classrooms all over the world. We don't need Merit Pay, it does not work!!!! 
If you think it does, you might want to watch the latest update about research on merit pay.
School leaders need to focus on what is right about their teachers while discussing ideas and plans for ongoing growth in the pursuit of excellence for all. Effective leadership is imperative for the vitality of GREAT teachers. One of my absolute favorite education reformers and authors, Michael Fullan, shares his insight on educational growth and change. It's not about test scores and standardized test results. It really comes down to the level of relational trust within an organization. Without it, you will never achieve the goals for success. Read page 42 in his book, The Moral Imperative, it is quite telling!
He discusses the needs for today's schools. We are not lacking GREAT teachers! We lack the supportive environments for their passion or flames for teaching to remain brightly lit. We need to begin at the school environment, climate and culture to identify where the problems or root causes that lie hidden beneath the piles of test data and school reform models that don't work.
If you think it does, you might want to watch the latest update about research on merit pay. School leaders need to focus on what is right about their teachers while discussing ideas and plans for ongoing growth in the pursuit of excellence for all. Effective leadership is imperative for the vitality of GREAT teachers. One of my absolute favorite education reformers and authors, Michael Fullan, shares his insight on educational growth and change. It's not about test scores and standardized test results. It really comes down to the level of relational trust within an organization. Without it, you will never achieve the goals for success. Read page 42 in his book, The Moral Imperative, it is quite telling!
He discusses the needs for today's schools. We are not lacking GREAT teachers! We lack the supportive environments for their passion or flames for teaching to remain brightly lit. We need to begin at the school environment, climate and culture to identify where the problems or root causes that lie hidden beneath the piles of test data and school reform models that don't work.
Education Reform, What Are the Real Issues Plaguing Us? A New Movement!
As a veteran teacher, although hard to believe, I felt compelled to start a new blog and maybe even a movement in education. Over the past 22 years, I have been witness to many wonderfully devoted teachers who inspire learning and passion within their students. They are caring and parent-like. They listen to children and treat them as though they matter. They can often be found eating lunch in the cafeteria, playing on the play grounds, sitting on the floors of classrooms sharing stories, staying after school to help a child in need, sharing food with a student who forgot a lunch, buying classroom resources with their own money, laughing and crying with students when they need someone, counseling beyond their call of duty, attending extracurricular events just because they care, inviting parents to participate in learning, creating fun learning experiences, trying something new even when it's fearful, and going the extra mile simply because they are devoted to their students and profession. There is no extra pay or merit in this, these teachers do it out of the truest form of passion and love. If you are one of these teachers, please share your stories here!
We need you to help lead this movement. It is time to start telling the policy makers to stop pointing the finger at us and to begin finding the root cause of our failing system. It is not the fault of teachers!! The fault should be placed on a terribly outdated and ill-funded system that will only continue to fail until our lawmakers figure out that true success can not be measured by Math and Reading scores alone! We need to measure the dedication of teachers and focus on all that is right inside our schools today. Let our voices be heard! We do have the power to change a bureaucratic system that is so broken by the politics of our society.
I am not saying that there aren't bad teachers out there. I have seen and worked with plenty over the years. Some even became horrible administrators. The problem with our system lies in how we are evaluated or measured. A brief visit from a principal once a year is not enough, student test scores are not enough, popularity contests are not effective, so what do we do? It's time for all teachers as professionals to reflect and begin asking ourselves the tough questions. Am I making a difference in these students' lives? How can I do more, or do the best with what I have? Do I inspire them to learn? Do I model passion in my daily routines? Do I listen to them and value their input? Do we have fun in class while learning? Are they happy to be here? Are we a team? Do I contribute to their successes or failures? Are they growing socially and emotionally?
Pay attention friends, ask your students to honestly give you feedback. They will respect you for allowing them an opportunity to help you grow and become a better professional. If you allow them to share their ideas and opinions with constructive feedback, they will be more apt to listening to you when you give them yours.
It's high time to begin acting like the professionals that we are or aspire to one day become. There really aren't any excuses for bad teaching. Tests, standards, common curriculum, administrators etc. don't cause poor teaching the lack of commitment, integrity and hard work does. I have worked with teachers in the poorest of districts and there are some amazing teachers who continue to learn and inspire others to do the same! Those creative, smiling, passionate educators who teach and inspire children to become quality well rounded citizens need to take a stand and say STOP blaming us! We are not the problem. We are not going to take it anymore!
Take the pledge today to begin a new decade of inspired educational leadership and devotion to our children, our future!
If this post moved you, please respond! We need your input to begin a new decade of educational reform. A movement that is lead by the dedicated passionate teachers, not the politicians with agendas other than children!
We need you to help lead this movement. It is time to start telling the policy makers to stop pointing the finger at us and to begin finding the root cause of our failing system. It is not the fault of teachers!! The fault should be placed on a terribly outdated and ill-funded system that will only continue to fail until our lawmakers figure out that true success can not be measured by Math and Reading scores alone! We need to measure the dedication of teachers and focus on all that is right inside our schools today. Let our voices be heard! We do have the power to change a bureaucratic system that is so broken by the politics of our society.
I am not saying that there aren't bad teachers out there. I have seen and worked with plenty over the years. Some even became horrible administrators. The problem with our system lies in how we are evaluated or measured. A brief visit from a principal once a year is not enough, student test scores are not enough, popularity contests are not effective, so what do we do? It's time for all teachers as professionals to reflect and begin asking ourselves the tough questions. Am I making a difference in these students' lives? How can I do more, or do the best with what I have? Do I inspire them to learn? Do I model passion in my daily routines? Do I listen to them and value their input? Do we have fun in class while learning? Are they happy to be here? Are we a team? Do I contribute to their successes or failures? Are they growing socially and emotionally?
Pay attention friends, ask your students to honestly give you feedback. They will respect you for allowing them an opportunity to help you grow and become a better professional. If you allow them to share their ideas and opinions with constructive feedback, they will be more apt to listening to you when you give them yours.
It's high time to begin acting like the professionals that we are or aspire to one day become. There really aren't any excuses for bad teaching. Tests, standards, common curriculum, administrators etc. don't cause poor teaching the lack of commitment, integrity and hard work does. I have worked with teachers in the poorest of districts and there are some amazing teachers who continue to learn and inspire others to do the same! Those creative, smiling, passionate educators who teach and inspire children to become quality well rounded citizens need to take a stand and say STOP blaming us! We are not the problem. We are not going to take it anymore!
Take the pledge today to begin a new decade of inspired educational leadership and devotion to our children, our future!
If this post moved you, please respond! We need your input to begin a new decade of educational reform. A movement that is lead by the dedicated passionate teachers, not the politicians with agendas other than children!
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