Oh no.. three days since we've seen any new posts. Withdrawal symptoms are beginning... shortness of breath, rapid pulse, hallucinations, the shakes, pallor, and unbearable itching. Please Mr./Ms. Blog Author, help me... please, please, PLEASE!
Heaven forbid you don't get your fix!
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It's only Tuesday....I'm tired of CRT....I plan on being done with it by Wednesday. I have Juniors, most of them drive so they can go to lunch early. I just want to get back to a normal schedule so I can do what I was hired to do......teach!!! February is the worst month for teaching. I'm already a week behind from when I was a week behind. Oh yeah, I like Del Hansen's input....he enlightens me.
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The the 'wise' innovative older teacher,You trash on new teachers and then belittle us when we fight back? You're nothing more than a bully. But, you know, it's funny, all we have to do is bide our time until people like you are gone. The face of education needs to change, and it's the newer teachers who will change it, not the old blow hards like you. You act like you do all these great things, and treat it as if those of us new to the profession don't. I honestly don't know what you do in the classroom, but I know that you need to go, and soon you will, and I'll be first to wave goodbye, then the changes that need to be made can be made.
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Kudos to James Hammond for turning the SPAM filters back on! Thank you! It's such a shame that Jeff Harris makes such rash decisions without getting all the details, only to put things back the way they were. Wow... Seems like we've gone two steps forward and three steps back (at least) since Mr. Harris has been on board. Too bad Liz wasn't worthy of being titled Interim Superintendent, if she were, maybe we would not have had to go through this. Imagine the cost of man hours spent on deleting SPAM from our e-mail...
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Would it be possible to begin using this site as an opportunity to share best practices, tips for parents, or to share positive stories? I understand there are a lot of things that the school district (as a whole) isn't doing right with help of individuals. But, it would be nice to begin to see some positive introduced to begin breeding a new frame of mind, thinking, and culture. Think about it? An involved parent
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With regards to New Mexico ranking consistently last, all sorts of excuses can be and have been put forth. Here are some thoughts to consider. I wonder if any of these statements will fuel any debate?Highly paid administrators with grand ideals (and matching price tags) who are not held accountable for the failures of the programs they championed. These individuals either "fail up" or "take the show on the road". Across the board pay raises. Please consider, an employee staring at $30,000 after three years of 5% raises will be making $34,729, an employee starting at $90,000 will be making $104,186.The school board continues to pay superintendents ever increasing amounts (who then make sure their cronies are also well compensated). Yet, invariably, one hears that one reason for such lucrative packages is directly tied to the superintendent having local school boards micro-manage and meddle (no, we are not the only ones).Truisms -vs- true responsibility. Often the phrase "we are here for the kids" is thrown out when scrutiny or accountability become too much for an administrator. This tactic is often employed when an administrator is asked to be responsible for his or actions actions, to provide supporting evidence for his or her assertions, and/or to justify questionable spending.More money is not the solution but money spent well is a good place to start. There are many packaged programs that claim instructional success. If you strip many of these programs down to the root, you find more one-on-one instruction as well as earlier and more frequent intervention (i.e. smaller classes and more numerous quality staff, duh).In this time of transition (getting old, isn't it?), let us all hope that central office and the school board will try practicing what they preach and put THEIR egos aside for a change.
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To the 'seasoned veteran' who wants to point the finger at new teachers, you have no idea how wrong you are. It is ignorant to point the finger at those who have the courage to walk into this profession after what's been done to it over the past twenty years. Things won't get better by pointing fingers at the future, after all, they're not the ones that got us in this mess, but if we're going to get out, they're the ones who are going to do the dirty work. You need to either help them or get out of the way.
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I was amused to see that I made the blog this morning. I have noticed how personal attacks have slowly infiltrated this site, which is sad. I think this negative climate is just a barometer for the frustration our teachers and principals are experiencing. Just for the record, up until now, I have not contributed to the blog. I do appreciate the compliment about me being tiring and long-winded, however. Just goes to show that there is some truth being expressed amidst the attacks and hyperbole! Let's hope some healing can begin. Del Hansen
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There is no perfect school,teacher, or administrator.But what we do need to finish is cleaning up the board and get back to our kids. We can nitpick this whole thing to death and find something wrong with every school and teacher. I wonder what would happen if the teachers got together and decided to just teach and the heck with all the testing. I have helped in classrooms and seen the stress teachers are under for their kids to do well on tests. LET THEM TEACH! Get out of their way parents get involved, constructively.
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Hey! Don't blame Del Hansen for my long, critical posts. He's a nice guy... and for that matter, I'm a nice person, too. Also, please don't misinterpret my criticisms, I have much affection for poorly-trained young teachers, and for the kids they are supposed to be helping to learn. In fact, I really like most people in our school district, except perhaps, a few power-trip administrators. Getting back to particulars... a solid understanding of 'mechanics and conventions' is the foundation for good communication skills. Creativity, ideas, etc., are important, too, but not to preclude the learning of the mechanical skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Do you suppose that great, creative artists like Van Gogh, Picasso, and Dali made their mark in abstract painting... without knowing how to mix colors, and put them on canvas?
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You trash on new teachers and then belittle us when we fight back? You're nothing more than a bully. But, you know, it's funny, all we have to do is bide our time until people like you are gone. The face of education needs to change, and it's the newer teachers who will change it, not the old blow hards like you.
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posted by LCPS1 @ 5:50 PM
9 Comments:
Frightening to think that one of our local teachers is "enlightened" by Del Hansen. I pray my child is not in your class. And this same teacher is annoyed by testing which is one way to determine how well his/her students are doing. Once again, another teacher who thinks that accountability measures have no relationship to what they "were hired to do."
Hey Hanson, stuff it. You suck up to all the administrators and then go on the Swickert show spewing venom. Stay retired were you belong. Swickert is a fraud just like you. Someone should check out he doesn’t have a doctorate. You look at the records and see he never graduated.
The other day, I read something about New Mexico's high school kids being at the bottom in math and science scores on standardized testing. I have to say it is NOT because the kids are dumber here, or have lazy parents. And teachers, for the most part, work their butts off and try to teach with the skills they have been trained in (with a few exceptions) It is the WAY these subjects are taught. Our kids do not get the chance to master basic, big picture concepts that build towards the higher ones--so they are continuously confused and often bail out of these courses when they have met the pathetically bare minimums for graduation. I went to high school back east (PA and VA) and took a full, four year college prep curriculum (through Physics and Pre-Calc) that was standard at the time for all high schoolers planning to go to college. No honors classes, no AP--just good old fashioned college prep. My HS math teachers were drill sargeants--we went over and over and over all the basic important skills in algebra and geometry. I'm no genius, but I did score 550 on my math SAT's, which was pretty good at the time. How many of our kids here could do that? My son didn't, and he has an IQ of 145. As a parent of four kids who have gone through or are still in LCPS, I can say that our kids do NOT get anywhere near the same quality of instruction I got, and especially those who have the compressed schedules such as at Mayfield--they move way too fast through material, and do not make sure that kids get problem solving down. As a result, they may never feel anything but confused about math or science processes. One of my teenagers was in Algebra II for the second time at Las Cruces High, and the teacher merely showed up each day,gave a little lecture, wrote problem numbers on the board, and told them to use their books if they could'nt figure out how to do them. when my son asked for help, the teacher couldn't explain it, and seemed to feel it was my son's problem. Now, I know this guy was a worst case scenario, but I think that far too often, kids are lost and teachers have no idea how to break things down for them. if we don't take a look at HOW we teach these kids, and adopt successful techniques used in other states, we are always going to be a state with really smart kids who are undereducated and underprepared for the future.
Unfortunately, this blog is not like my vicadin!
This is for whoever is in charge of CRT scheduling. I work at a middle school. Not one single student that I know of has ever been majorly stressed out because of the CRT. By extending testing through two weeks, three if you count the students who have to make it up late, all that has happened is two-three weeks of curriculum time lost. The students are still not stressed by the test, but they are asking why it takes so many days. To make matters worse, the students spend half the day testing, quietly with only one 15 minute break. Then these same students are expected to attend class and focus. Hard part about that is teachers can't teach or give homework or any real work during CRT. So the kids are completely bonkers. Not one single person, student or staff, that I have talked to likes the new way of taking the CRT. If we have to stretch it out so long, can we at least have half-days (at least for the students) so we don't turn into another babysitting service?
Still waiting to find out about the lunch prices and how many jalepenos I can eat.....
To all 3-5th grade elementary teachers, students, and parents, I'd like to congratulate you on a tedious, time wasted, underappreciated job you've done this week with the CRT! We all know by now that these 2 weeks in February are the most wasted weeks on our calendars.
To the teachers; thank you for teaching the students with learning and/or behavioral differences, test anxiety, those that come from homes where education is not valued, and all the others that this test does not show where their true strengths lie. This district is filled with incredible teachers. To you, my hat's off. These two weeks are the most painful for you, I know.
To the students; This test goes against everything you know as being a child. Your understanding teacher makes sure you get up and get some type of activity at least every hour during normal circumstances. However, the energy you posess that we adults would so like to put into pill form sometimes, becomes your enemy this time of year. It is unnatural for kids your age to sit for hours upon hours doing nothing but pencil and paper tasks, yet that's what we ask of you. The adults in your life tell you to do your best, but especially you third graders to whom this test is brand new, I realize your best work is not what you produce on this limited space, but what I see everyday in class. I want you to know that I already know what you know and where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and so do your parents. Students, you all are troopers!!!!!
To parents; To get a true picture of what your child knows, read with them, be an active participant in their daily lives, take an interest in their day at school, and keep in touch with their teachers. This test is primarily for administrators at the top who don't know your child, will probably never meet your child, and honestly, don't care about your child as an individual. Unfortunately, this test is the only way for them to know your kiddo. Sad huh?! Still even more unfortunate, is that the most authentic piece of assessment in this whole test, the writing portion, has not even been graded for the past 2 years. Parents, love on those kids, and understand the forced maturity that has been burndened on them this week.
We all have an opinion on this testing situation. I just hope for the sake of everyone involved, that we remain positive especially in front of the kiddos. They hear everything we say.
Jack Jenkins and Jerry Laws filed their lawsuits this week. This should be interesting.
I hope the new super takes a long, hard look in the direction of Safe and Drug Free Schools. There is definately something wrong with the leadership. Thank goodness Mr. Peace was able to get a new supervisor. Maybe now he can get back to the secondary schools where he is truly needed and belongs.
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