Get Schooled

By Steph

September 21, 2005 01:57 PM | Link to this

Welcome to the world of Special Education!!!! That is all any of us special needs teachers do. I know that many of you did not sign on for that… who could blame you; however, this is what happens when government officials take on something that they know nothing about.

By HStchr

September 21, 2005 02:14 PM | Link to this

Well, once again we see an example of useless paperwork designed to cover the collective butt of administration. The purpose of this is to create a “school improvement plan”, and show on paper how the school is working towards NCLB goals. It is much like what goes on in special education. I once had to participate in a department improvement plan—much more general, but the same process of creating documents to show how we were going to do the job better. At a time when we need to be focusing on the kids and actually teaching them, we have to sacrifice time from planning and teaching effectively to create documents to show how we’re teaching effectively. This also “passes the buck” but putting the responsibility for success or failure solely on the teacher. If a child fails, the paperwork comes out, and the teacher must answer for it.

By GW

September 21, 2005 02:19 PM | Link to this

I am a 7th Grade teacher. My biggest problem is with the many additions of just one more thing to do, often in the form of a “suggestion” from the administration. The advent of the in-school e-mail network has caused much of this. I think some administrators, and teachers, spend time at their desks just thinking of e-mails to send. It also provides for easy documentation, which makes it look like everybody is performing every educational fad that ever came along.

By t

September 21, 2005 02:30 PM | Link to this

And they wonder about retention!!!!

By HStchr

September 21, 2005 02:41 PM | Link to this

t—-you wouldn’t dare use that awful, unproductive, critical word in public would you??? :-)

By DB

September 21, 2005 02:41 PM | Link to this

How ridiculous! It’s just another example of academic responsibility shifting from students to teachers. No wonder kids learn next to nothing. These students learn absolutely nothing from this other than the fact that they have to answer to no one and can blame all shortcomings on others. In my “harsh” world of reality, I would require the failing students and parents to make up a plan of their own and leave the teacher time to prepare and teach.

This is a great example of what’s wrong with public education!

By DB

September 21, 2005 02:49 PM | Link to this

Back when I worked in a public school in NY, I remember having to prove, for each kid that failed, that specific “interventions” were created for those kids. It’s another way of saying the school had to somehow create special instruction for every failing kid, regardless if the kid was going to waste it since he or she failed due to the lack of motivation and responsibility. In a nutshell, it’s evidence that schools no longer dare to tell the truth to parents and educate their kids that success takes work.

By HStchr.

September 21, 2005 02:59 PM | Link to this

I teach extended day, which means I have no planning time during the school day. After meetings and attempting to do some of the mountain of paperwork on my desk and computer, I have to try to plan, grade, and call parents. And somehow when that’s all done, I have to find energy for life at home-as if!!. And we wonder why half of all teachers quit before ten years have passed. Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching!! But you should see our meeting calendar!! Tuesday through Thursday EVERY week, and that’s not counting SST meetings and conferences. I get to school about 7:45 and leave no earlier than 6:00 most days. Seems like we spend a lot of time talking about how to do what we do,and generating paperwork to show that we’re doing what we talked about needing to do, and then going to more meetings to find out how we did on what we said we needed to do and wrote about how we would do…..you get my drift.

By Dan

September 21, 2005 03:02 PM | Link to this

Does this imply that each class requires such a plan? I assume so otherwise he wouldn’t have 100 students to do. It could have merit if each student had to do one comprising all of their classes and the load could be split among teachers, probably still a pretty hefty load but certainly less than 100

By Swangirl

September 21, 2005 03:27 PM | Link to this

Patti, I don’t have a comment on this topic since I don’t teach but I do hope you feel much better soon.

By OldSchool

September 21, 2005 03:37 PM | Link to this

Imagine the number of plans I would be expected to produce. I teach extended day as well and am at school from 6:30a.m. until 4 or 5 each day (often returning on Saturdays to try to stay ahead of the game.) I teach Engineering Drawing in grades 9-12. My students are beginners to advanced and everything inbetween; traditional board drafters or computer assisted drafters; technical to architectural to civil; assigned to the class or signed up for the class; gifted to special needs; capable to couldn’t care less.

Fortunately, after 31 years I’ve pretty much gotten a handle on discipline and manage to accomodate most of the differences and challenges my students present. It’s definitely NOT one size fits all in my mixed classes. The challenge is to produce job entry level drafters who are competent and confident while meeting the requirements listed on the administration’s evaluation checklist. (I use a flexible framework that is quickly adapted to each student. It is by no means a lesson plan but it works.) Essential Questions anyone?

By DB

September 21, 2005 04:28 PM | Link to this

I know! Why don’t we just go to school for the kids, do their tests and homework, and then the test scores will rise! In a way, that’s what we’re doing.

I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what happens someday.

Oldschool: I’m glad to see schools here teach kids some practical skills.

By DB

September 21, 2005 04:38 PM | Link to this

Actually, as of data from 2001(newest I could find), 40-50% of teachers quit by the fifth year of teaching. The national turnaround rate was 15.7% in 2001. I think it’s safe to assume it’s worse now.

By Iteach

September 21, 2005 04:39 PM | Link to this

As Steph said - “Welcome to the world of Special Education.” No, I’m not a special education teacher but I’ve come to realize that the powers that be are asking us all to be special education teachers. I feel the pain of your friend as well as my co-workers. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts - I’m at a High School that is in the Needs Improvement Catergory and this year they are pulling out all the stops with “What else can we do.”

As a science teacher with 87 students in 3 classes I am asked to do basically the same as your friend with a little more nonsense. First - for eaching student we must do the testing page. This page is where we, each teacher, must go into the student’s records and pull their standardized test scores for reading, math and science going back to 7th grade. For each catergory we must post a plan to increase that score. For failing students we must also submit a what you need to do to improve page for each test. Mind you, I teach science.

Since math is a weak point at my school I must also submit a weekly lesson plan to show that I am spending at least 60 minutes a week on math skills. We are on the 4 by 90 minute block so let’s us just say one science class period must be spent on math.

Even though all of my classes are the same subject, I can’t have one lesson plan, I must submit a separate lesson plan for each class in the new “unit plan format.” For each class I must attach a list of the students identified with one of the 4 basic learning styles and for that style I must explain and plan specific ways to address their learning style. I am not to lecture more than 20% for the week.

For the students who are now failing we must submit the famous SST with a copy of the academic improvement plan that we did for the child. We must also show that we have called the parent and now, we must mail a copy of the student’s improvement plan and arrange a conference with the parent to discuss the plan.

The ridiculous part of this is that the math department must aslo do this same thing. Now, since we have only 36 hours a day in our 8 day work week, where do we find time to actually teach or prepare a good lesson. Me, I’m collecting my walk through slips for all of this important work that I am not doing on time, in the top right drawer - and pushing to teach my students.

We are so bent on “covering our mule” for when the students fail the tests or class that we do not focus on simply teaching the students to suceed.

By Iteach

September 21, 2005 05:00 PM | Link to this

By the way, to new teachers. As I suggest to my mentees. DO NOT VOLONTEER FOR ANY SPECIAL DUTIES SUCH AS CLUBS AND PROGRAMS during your first few years. You have enough to do and learn as you begin your career.

By HStchr

September 21, 2005 05:02 PM | Link to this

Iteach—and I thought I had it bad in high school English. I’ll hush my mouth!! :- ) I wonder how long it will take to figure out the foolishness of all this?

By OldSchool

September 22, 2005 10:17 AM | Link to this

Unfortunately, DB, vocational programs are being shut down across the state. Even the ones that are allowed to stay are woefully underfunded and hardly up to date (there ARE exceptions but not here in “the other Georgia.”

Back to the “plan” though- our school did not make AYP in spite of the “researched based” teaching we have been trained to implement. Ours is Thompson’s “Learner Focused Schools” which is what we vocational folk have been doing all along. Now we are being driven to teach in a manner that requires even more paperwork. For example: they want us to put up Word Walls. No job has its required terminology displayed on a wall so workers don’t have to remember technical terms but we are supposed to provide that crutch for our students. I refuse, insisting instead that my students “talk technical” to me everyday. It puts the responsibility on them where it belongs. I won’t be sitting next to them on the job to whisper terms or demonstrate basic drafting skills. They need to just plain KNOW that information.

I do have one request of the elementary and middle school teachers: could you teach them what an inch is? That would be real nice.

By CD

September 22, 2005 10:27 AM | Link to this

UNtil we can get rid of the students that do not want to be here, education will never get any better.

By Amazed (Independent Woman)

September 22, 2005 11:11 AM | Link to this

What do you suggest we do with the students who do not want to be there? Put them in jail…

Many of the criminals in our society today, did not complete high school. You can either try to get them motivated in school today or pay to house them in jail at a later date.

As far as the 4-page student success plan, we all have things in our job description that we do not want or care to do. Most of it is meaningless to us, but it might make a world of difference to a different audience. I can list a dozen and they also keep me from accomplishing my primary job description.

I believe that a success plan, if adequately prepared and followed closely, can benefit the child and the parents. A success plan should be created in first grade (followed through out high school) and in order to advance to the next grade, the child must have completed each task on the plan. The plan should be adjusted each year, based upon the child’s test scores.

I also believe that teachers should be paid, starting at $50,000 or more. I’m not a schoolteacher, but I think they have one of the most important jobs in the world. I also know, that not all of them deserve such a modest salary to start and those are the ones who need another occupation.

By Lisa

September 22, 2005 11:33 AM | Link to this

What amaze me is that you have elected adminstrators who get paid very well and can’t figure this out themself,but they will ask a teacher who may make 40,000 if that a year.It’s like Dr.Hall why is she receving bonus money when her school district continue to fail.I can’t undestand rewarding failing progress.I would like to inform any school official to please tell Dr.Hall to please!!!! remove the word RIGOROUS.THERE IS NO NEED FOR THIS WORD WHEN EDUCATING.The only school district that allow this word and it definition to be implemented throughout there school.they will continue to have failure within the school district especially on the southside of town because the northside will never use the word or it’s defenition and I say thank you for not damaging and puting all that unnecssay stress on the kids just educate not dictate and stop training the children and help kids to learn.I can never figure out why educators in higher position who send there kids to private school will not implement the structure learning enviroment instead they make other kids suffer in RIGOROUS LEARNING.PEOPLE PLEASE LOOK UP THAT WORD.Peace Be Unto You All.

By high school teacher

September 22, 2005 01:10 PM | Link to this

One of my colleagues said it best yesterday: we make so many modifications and concessions for our students that we are not even equipping them to be able to hold a job at McDonalds.

By Becca

September 22, 2005 02:57 PM | Link to this

My daughter has to fill out a “student planner” everyday for some NCLB requirement. It’s not a bad idea in and of itself but she gets graded based on weather or not she has written down her day in the 2 inch space or not. And who is worrying about weather she is doing anything in school besides writing down what she should be doing. Yeah, I expect she will be real prepared for life based on this approach.

By HS

September 22, 2005 03:33 PM | Link to this

Becca—it’s WHETHER, not WEATHER. It prepares your daughter by helping to teach her responsibility. Your daughter may have that, but many don’t, and we have to try to help them understand how to keep up with things. You’d be surprised how many parents have no idea and don’t care what their kids are doing in school. As stupid as it seems, it’s a skill we have to teach kids because they aren’t getting it in many of their homes.

By Dick

September 22, 2005 04:02 PM | Link to this

I am not a teacher, but I am @$!@#@ off at this time reading everyones comments. I feel for the teachers today, most of them love to teach, but unfortunately they cannot teafch as they must baby sit. I am %$%$#@$#%# off as I am sick and tired of our political leaders (?) from local school board members, superintendents, and even senators, representativeas both state and federal level and yes even President Bush selling out the education pgoram as they have for a few votes—votes from people who are nothing more than dead weight on society, will never pull their weight, have no desire to pull their weight, only stand back and moan and groan and hold out their hands. I say it is time for the parents who support the teachers as well as the teachers to finally say “enought!enough!enought!. I am not a mother/father to the students, I am not to raise them, teach them ethics, manners, and hygiene. I AM A TRAINED TEACHING PROFESSIONAL WHO IS TO TEACH THEM TO MATH, ENGLISH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES.. When ever you full time politicans and wantabes want me to teach school subjects, then you can let me know. How can Ted Kennedy expect to be able to tell a teacher how to teach when he couldn’t even put panty hose on under water. Enough said, teachers thank you for your dedication, professionalism, unselfish love for your occupation, and above all your thick skin and patience.

By Dan

September 26, 2005 03:49 PM | Link to this

Oh now the student planner is an NCLB requirement. What buck passing, Note to all NCLB requires schools create consitent measurements to report on. Those measurements are selected and implemented by the local officials. So if your kid has to do a planner it is because a local official selected that as a measuring device not because someone in Washington dictated it.