Stories from Room 5

Teaching provides me with a wealth of experiences I could blog about. Unfortunately, I have not taken advantage of it. Every class I have ever taught has had its share of stories and funny, heart warming, thought provoking, scary or sad moments.

This year in particular has been a ton of fun. I look back now and regret missing the opportunity to share the lessons I learned and situations I lived through.

But I have two anecdotes that popped in my head that I think you would find interesting.

First, we had a student this year who introduced the class to the term, "salty." I have heard it before and in somewhat different contexts or uses, but these guys were apparently hearing it for the first time and it quickly became a room five catch phrase.

At its first inception, it was used in an effort to taunt. Seeing this I figured I had three choices as to how I would go about handling it. No way was I going to allow mean spirited taunting in my room. I especially wasn't going to allow this to creep in and disintegrate the positive vibe I had established and we all worked so hard to maintain.

Option one was to address it to the whole class and use it as a teachable moment regarding taunting and bullying and handling oneself with class and humility.

Option two was to pull the student aside and address the issue with him privately warning him and setting the coming discipline should he decide to continue the behavior and then go from there.

Option three, a bit more unconventional but appropriate in my mind due to the relationship I had with the class and knowing their personalities, was to turn it around on our good friend who introduced this term to us and make it a joke.

I chose option three. Instead of empowering him with a tool to anger other students, create attention towards himself and give him control of the word, I used it back at him. I knew he would roll with it because I knew him. Despite his questionable behavior outside the classroom, he kept himself out of trouble in the classroom and he had a great sense of humor and could take a joke with you. So I knew he would handle better than other, more sensitive students.

As I expected, he loved it and soon he and I would go back and forth with this term. I would purposely challenge him within our lessons and when he was correct, I got "saltied" myself.

I can take a joke too.

Meanwhile, rather than daydream or cause trouble, he was more motivated to pay attention in class and be ready to "get me."

Win: Mr. Huey.

So the class then joined in. At first I was worried this would take a life of its own, but other than a moment here or there, the class as a whole did not become consumed with it and its humor separate from the lessons.

Now that the whole class would use it and was able to handle it, the taunting aspect was diminished. The power of the word was neutered. And I did have that discussion about how we were not going to use it to taunt or make each other feel bad. We were only going to use it playfully. I led by example dishing it and taking it.

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The beauty of this class was that they presented great challenges for me. They were using what we were learning and taking it to the next level.

When we covered fractions, decimals and percents in math, they were amazed at how I could take almost any fraction with numerators and denominators under 100 and find its percent equivalent in my head to the hundredths place. They would do it on paper and try to beat me. We did this earlier in the year with large multiplication problems.

Anytime they beat me, (they on paper, me in my head) I was showered with "SALTY!" I smiled and played along. I beat them and showered them right back and they loved it.

In reading, I could hear them in groups proving answers by finding support in the text or looking various reference books to prove their accuracy.

It opened the door to debates regarding some hot topic issues allowing me to introduce how many times problems or disagreements don't have black and white answers that we can "salty" someone with. Many times, we have to deal with gray areas. And many times we don't have an answer but only a guess....just a better supported guess than another. So you have to do your homework to have the best support.

************

This leads me to another cute story.

One of these moments of challenge they were so sure they were correct that they said I had to give them each a Jolly Rancher when they proved me wrong. I, in turn, said they all had to get me a 3 Musketeer bar when I proved them wrong.

No way was I going to hold them to that but I played along for the fun of the moment. I would have paid up though if I was wrong. Jolly Ranchers are the prize of choice of the class as a reward. I had a whole bag of them available at moments notice.

But I don't make bets with students. I motivate them.

Well at the end of the year, one of my two girls in the whole class shows up in the morning with a grocery bag. With a big smile she says, "For you Mr. Huey."

When I opened it, there was a bag of mini 3 Musketeers bars and a homemade card decorated in markers wishing me a "Happy Summer." Inside was a nice note about how much she enjoyed this year and how appreciative she was of my teaching.

What makes this the most meaningful is how the school year began for her. She started the year fresh from her home country learning English on the fly with a family doing the same. She was the ONLY girl in the class until late September. She was one of the younger students in the class.

It was an overwhelming start in an overwhelming situation for her and she would come home crying every night. But she showed up every morning, worked hard and never complained.

The progress she demonstrated was phenomenal. She did an amazing job and adjusted better than I think I ever would have. I would have wanted to quit countless times had I been in her shoes. Maybe she wanted to as well, but quit was something she did not do.

Seeing that letter and reading that she enjoyed the year was a very, very cool thing to see. I get to teach her again next year and I am eager to see how much more she grows now that she can start the year without having to make that same major adjustment as she did this year.

It is one of those things that makes teaching a wonderful profession despite the pay and amid all the political firestorms and negative banter about us.

You can't put that in a one word adjective to describe teaching. It goes deeper.

It is one of the many "stories from room 5" that I was able to enjoy this year.

Year One: Rebirth

An over dramatic title it may be, but the truth still exists.

My first year at my new school is coming to a close. It was time for a change in my career as I found myself burning out and losing my passion and enjoyment in teaching. Education is a profession that runs on teachers' passion in my opinion. It cannot be successful if we are coming in with our heads down and little motivation.

Since the pay is not comparable to many other professions that most, if not all, of us are capable of handling, our paychecks are not our motivation and reason we entered this profession. The vacation time and its freedom it grants us to be with our families is a motivator but many times this time is consumed with classes or second jobs nullifying that luxury as well.

But one thing we have that many other professions do not is a job that keeps us out, away from our desk, a job that is never the same from day to day, a job that is challenging both mentally and emotionally and a job that provides plenty of opportunities to laugh and have fun.

I was losing sight of this as my job wasn't providing moments of laughter or fun and wasn't challenging anything but my patience and ability to control my frustration and anger. I was surrounded by these kids who deserved more than what they were receiving around them because the loud minority was ruining everything and I was powerless to stop it.

Or I was incapable of stopping it.

I spent over a decade trying to reach people who wanted nothing to do with me. I gave my heart and time and energy to my job and felt like I was worse off for it.

Of course, that can be debated. There is a certain amount of strength one gains through trials and tribulations. Hard work and well intended effort can't solely lead to a bad result.

There were countless positive experiences and people I can cite to prove that I was actually becoming a better person through the stress and emotion or mental fatigue.

But it was time for me to move on. And I did.

It wasn't about finding some place "easier." I needed some place different. I needed to challenge myself in other areas. I needed to relieve the stress.

Now that I am about to complete this first year in what I hope to be many at my new school, I am looking back and doing some comparing and contrasting like I require my students to do regularly. I am also looking forward.

If this year has done one thing for me, it has reignited my passion for teaching and renewed a motivation to improve my craft as a teacher.

I have been able to do many things that I haven't done before. Instead of focusing on how I can get more students to pay attention and complete their work or to stop bullying other students, I have been able to focus on how I am presenting concepts in a way that they are understanding thoroughly.

Instead of figuring out how to get them to try to read something, I am figuring out how I can get them to think about what they read in a more critical way and then take it to the next level of creating something of their own from their reading.

I have been able to enjoy instilling and reinforcing a love for reading that I didn't even have in 4th and 5th grade myself. Something I am just now discovering in my 30s.

I am finally seeing the fruits of my labor before my own eyes. Before, I had to wait years before this came to fruition. I had to wait eight years at their high school graduations to be exact. I now have heard from two other old students who are graduating this year.

This year I had students are begging me NOT to do the extrinsic rewards that my old students lived for so they could use that time to continue working on their reports!

Students are begging to take my personal copy of "Lord of the Flies" home with them this summer to read because they heard how much I love that book and have come to trust my tastes after all the books I read aloud to them this year. They seem to think I am not aware of the fact they are in 5th grade and will not return next year to get it back to me. I may just go buy a couple copies and give it to them anyway.

I also have been able to share my love for math with these guys. They all claim math to be their favorite subject each day. Something I can relate to since it is my favorite subject to teach each day.

They have loved to be challenged with more and more difficult problems. I have done problems with them I never dreamed of doing with 4th and 5th graders. In fact, we have done problems I have had to relearn myself. In some cases they have figured it out before me.

How cool is it to tackle math with a group of 20 kids without knowing the answer yet yourself?

I didn't know until this year.

I could have looked it up, but it is more fun to model how one goes about figuring things out on their own. It was more genuine that way. It was cool to demonstrate that nobody is invincible and we don't expect them to be. Instead, we expect them to work hard at trying to be.

Who knows what this year has taught this awesome group of kids I have had. I do know that this year has a taught me a ton.

I have got to do a better job integrating science into math and vice versa as well as social studies into reading and vice versa. I need to improve my writing instruction, grammar in particular. And I should probably figure out how to keep my room from being so darn noisy.

But then again, noise equals knowledge in my room. Or so I hope.

My Facebook Rant

My wife posted something on facebook regarding "Waiting For Superman" and I ended up going on a long winded, unprepared rant from my heart. I thought I would share it. I would love to hear feedback, but understand I ripped this off quickly with no forethough. So there may be some parts I should explain.

I hope this thread hasn't died. While money isn't a reason necessarily, it is an indicator. From what I've read (and heard) the father's income is the best indicator of a student's performance. The higher the income, the higher the success...or chance of success I should say.

Jenn, I think as a nation we need a complete shift in values. Many people like to "say" education is important and teachers are important and should get paid more (while there are plenty who don't) and sports stars should be paid less but then levies aren't passed and sin taxes for new stadiums and arenas are. Full disclosure: I am one of these people.

In addition, schools need more volunteers. I can now speak first hand about failing schools and successful schools with experience in both. The biggest difference I have seen, and the most effective, in my mind, is the support staff and parent involvement. Therefore, as a nation and individually, we need people to get in the schools. Companies need to allow time for employees to get in there and help. I've seen some companies "adopt" schools and send in volunteers. MORE of that is needed.

Parents need to show support of teachers. They need to read with their kids, talk to their kids, respect their kids and demonstrate respect for others in front of their kids BEFORE the kids even start school. They need to involve their kids in decision making around the house. They can do this by counting things, discussing why things happen, discussing what they think will happen. INTERACT with their kids.

Now this is where people will yell at me. This is where I get called fascist and un-pc. Teenagers need to quit having babies. I know I shouldn't jump on people's reproductive rights, but I feel we need to promote birth control and make it accessible to people who can't afford it. We need to make it "cool" to be protected in some form. I do realize many are trying. I really think schools need to be ground zero with this. There are all kinds of male enhancement pills and hair loss pills, but we need a male birth control pill. We need parenting classes. They need to be accessible for everyone.

Men need to man up. I think I have owned up to my manhood so if I sound preachy, deal with it. I am tired of seeing irresponsible men populate this planet and do little if nothing about it. I've said before and I'll say it again, in my experience it is amazing how frequently my good students (in the impoverished areas I have taught) had dads present regularly and those who struggled didn't have dads around at all or routinely. I know, I know I know. There are exceptions. Thank God there are. But it is consistently the case. Men need to step up and either don't have kids or quit being lazy and irresponsible. One or the other.

Rant...over.

What Is The True Reality?

"If you ain't never been to the ghetto
Don't ever come to the ghetto
'Cause you wouldn't understand the ghetto
So stay the f@#$ out of the ghetto"
("Ghetto Bastard" by Naughty by Nature)

When you are done laughing at my musical reference feel free to commence reading this post.

It's OK. I'll wait.

Growing up I always felt I was sheltered from the "real world." I thought I lived a cushioned life. The real word would be much more harsh and difficult and I would be due to encounter the day I stepped foot into adulthood.

This feeling played a prominent role in my decision to pursue a teaching job in the city. I never wanted to teach just to teach. I am not a natural lover of the educational process like many other teachers are. I don't have that "it" that people who were born to teach have.

I pursued education for the sole reason of contributing to the improvement of society. I realize this sounds a bit grandeur and egotistical like I have the power to change the world, but I was young. And I am an idealist at heart I suppose.

Therefore, I naturally found my way to a teaching position in an urban setting.

To me, this was reality. Finally, I was in it.

Now the tables have flipped on me. I find myself stepping back after 12 years in this profession and feeling like this isn't reality. I tell myself this is not the way things really are out there.

There is no way that everybody has to deal with the hardships these people deal with including myself. Although, I feel a tremendous amount of guilt comparing my "hardships" with those of my students, their families and neighbors.

So what is it? What is really real?

I constantly question my inner strength and intestinal fortitude as I struggle to deal with the stress my job puts on me. I keep falling back to that bad, bad song by the early 90s rap group, Naughty by Nature and wonder if I should have "stayed the f@#$ out of the ghetto."

WWHD

Yesterday a highly respected colleague of mine walked in my room after dismissal and the conversation went something like this:

"Huey, I had moment today."

"Uh oh what happened?" I responded.

"I had too much going on and I was trying to get all of this stuff in during Reading and it was falling apart in front of my face," she said sounding rather exasperated.

"Then I thought to myself, 'What would Huey do?'" she continued with her hand on her forehead with a look of consternation.

"Oh yeah?" I asked. "And what did Huey end up doing?"

"Stopped. Thought, 'Less is more. Work smarter, not harder.'"

"Ahh, so you streamlined the lesson and focused on what makes the most impact?" I though it would be wise to paraphrase back what she said to demonstrate my understanding.

"Exactly. Thank you Mr. Huey. Thank you."

The colleague with whom I had this conversation is an amazing woman who I hold in extremely high regard. I try to emulate her on a daily basis. The things she does in her classroom are truly remarkable.

Although I have worked next door to her for almost a decade now and have a clear idea of how she works, I am not the only one who has noticed her success. Any time there are important people in our school to observe how things work, her classroom is the model to which we hold ourselves and it's her room our administration takes the visitors to see first.

But the quality I find most appealing is her humility. Despite the accolades and praise we all shower upon her, she gets it. She understand that she is a product of others. Every time I compliment her or thank her or refer to her strengths, she immediately returns with a reference to something I have done that she has copied or taken from me.

She is extremely supportive in her language. She never offers help in a condescending manner. In meetings, she publicly praises me and brags about things I have done or that our grade level as a group has done.

So when someone like her recognizes my greatness, it means something to me. It is a legitimate comment that I take to heart.

I realize greatness isn't usually appreciated in its time, but she has appreciated mine ....if I do say so myself. And that is something people in my profession need more of, more often.

Especially when you end the day with bold, angry, little fourth graders calling you an idiot and intentionally jamming their should in your gut.

This Is Why I'm Awesome

I began last school year with a challenging group of students. The testing I administered in the beginning of the year showed that 0 students were reading at or above proficiency. Zero as in none. Nobody.

Our grade level ended the previous school year with 46% of the students reading at or above proficiency. That number is abysmal but it looks awfully large when compared to 0.

The government, through No Child Left Behind, has set particular standards for schools and their districts to meet in order to be deemed successful. As I have written a number of times in this blog, my school is one of the low performing schools. We need to make significant increases every year or risk a number of changes.

It is a long, complicated set of standards and criteria that I am not looking to detail right now. But it is important to understand the general idea that I have certain numbers I need to reach each year to contribute to this gain as a grade level, school and district.

0 students reading proficiently is a low, discouraging starting point. I walked out of numerous grade level meetings dragging my heart and soul behind me on the ground. Each meeting I stared at a score sheet drowning in red ink. My roster had circled names, question marks and arrows pointing in the wrong direction littered through the list. My colleagues were there looking at it too.

"Mr. Huey, what are you going to do to fix this?" I would hear on the verge of panic. Then I had to look to my colleagues for help. It was humiliating to sit there and depend on the services and assistance of others to do my job.

"What is my plan?"

"What research based strategies do I plan to implement in order to improve my scores?"

"What's my relevance and rigor?"

"Problem of practice."

"Differentiated learning"

"Small group...blah blah blah BLAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Meanwhile, the kids looked as though they could have cared less. I was busy putting out fire after fire hoping some of them were paying enough attention to get something out of the lessons.

Today I met with the staff to prepare for the upcoming school year. We received raw test results from the Ohio Achievement Test. My colleague put his spreadsheet fetish to work and graphed the scores of each of our classes from the past school year.

My grade level improved our percentage of students who passed the Reading OAT from 46% in 2008 to 59% in 2009. When you look at the same classes scores from 3rd grade, we improved that group's percentage of passers from 42% in 2008 to 59% in 2009.

What about my class with the ZERO proficient readers?

More than 55% of my class ended the year reading proficiently or above. I caught up with the other classes. My class had the most students improve more than a whole grade level in our reading program. This means one could say they grew academically more than a years worth in a school year.

How did I do this you might ask? I put on my hard hat, grabbed my lunch pail and went to work.

Believe it or not, it was not with any more assistance than we normally give each other. After we left the meetings, the three of us would meet together and discuss what we were planning and how things were working and agreed to keep doing what we were doing.

The three of us have worked together in the same grade level for 8 years now. We all know how we tick. We know our strengths and weaknesses, comfort zones and anxious areas. We have consistently shown increases in test scores. When I arrived less than 20% of our students were passing the reading standardized tests at that time. We are the only grade level that can say that.

So when it came down to it, it was me in that classroom with those students making it happen.

I tore up the plan so to speak and I pulled out what mattered most and did it my way. I picked out all the components that actually involved the students reading texts. The more varied the texts, the better. We didn't just do fiction everyday.

Their fluency was horrible. So we worked on fluency directly.

Their comprehension was awful. So I pounded them over the head with extended response questions which required them to write out answers. Everyday they had to answer these questions until they were blue in the face. They had to think the right way and then write the right way.

So I also modeled everything everyday. I modeled how to think when they read. I showed them how to do it over and over again. I read out loud to them so they had an example to follow and we discussed the book the way I think about books when I read. Then I showed them how I applied this thinking to the questions. Then they did it the same way.

I did much more, but these were the big things.

Bottom line...I kicked some ass last year. I'm much better at this than most people or tests scores may think.

The One Block Rule: A Tribute To My Brother

Next week I will fly to Chicago to celebrate my brother's graduation from Kellogg, one of the most prestigious business schools in the U.S. It should be a great weekend for him and our family as we all share our pride with him and witness the finality of this accomplishment.

It is a well deserved honor for him. My brother is one of the most driven, hard working, intelligent people I know. You don't graduate from The Ohio State University with honors and then work in Sweden for two years only to follow up with two years in Evanston, earning an MBA with newborn twins to boot without having some drive and intelligence.

Of course, let's make sure credit is given where credit is due here. He married a very special woman who played an important role in all of this as well. She uprooted her life to move across the ocean and travel the world with him as a newlywed. She also carried the majority of the load with those boys while he was hard at work studying and working.

As much as I respect and admire my brother, my sister-in-law deserves and has a great deal of respect, admiration and love from me as well.

I've watched my brother grow up from the day he was brought home from the hospital. We shared a room growing up and I have many memories wanting him out. I managed to convince him to move into the walk-in closet we had so I could have the whole room. Later, we put up a blanket in that same closet to divide it into our own personal, "private" spaces.

Despite these efforts, we spent a good bit of time together growing up. We shared a number of similar interests and friends. Only two years apart in age, we also attended high school and college at the same time.

When I left to attend Ohio State, he joined my Dad to help me move. I knew my roommate from high school and was aware that he wouldn't move in until the day after I did, so my brother even spent my first night in the dorm with me.

If this wasn't enough, when it was his turn to leave for college he chose Ohio State as well, following in my steps......or so I'd like to think. My brother more than made footsteps of his own.

After he and his roommate decided they were done living in the dorms after their freshman year, they moved in with me. All those years of trying to get away from one another and here we were choosing to live together. Granted, this time around we had our own rooms, but my point is still valid.

I have had first hand experience watching my brother bust his rear end studying and working and attaining high marks in school. I have witnessed how he interacted with people and situations. I saw his mistakes and accomplishments. I observed him grow up and mature and become who he is today.

The whole time I watched with awe. I was the older brother, but all too often I was learning from him. That has been hard to take sometimes. It is humbling to be the apprentice when you are traditionally supposed to be the master. But I would like to think that is more of a testament to him than a strike against me.

Long gone are the days of the "One Block Rule." I always reference this story because it is a perfect example of the changing of the guard that took place between us. There once was a day, believe it or not, that I would dominate our one-on-one basketball games in the driveway. This was about the time I hit my growth spurt and he still had a couple of years before he would hit his own.

My advantage in height allowed me to block so many of his shots that it became pointless for us to play. So we agreed to the "one block rule" that limited me to one block per game. This way he could get shots off and our games were much more competitive.

Today there is no need for that rule. He has surpassed me in athletic ability. I couldn't block his shot if my life depended on it. But the chemistry that developed from those hours in our driveway playing hotly contested basketball games, working the give and go to perfection versus our neighbors and creating football routes like P2 in the bushes in which no defender north of I-90 could stop, led to a relationship and a host of memories that I'll take over athletic superiority.

I also like to use this story to grab some credit in my brother's development and success. I would like to think that this rule ignited a fire in him that burns to this day. I'd like to think this need to beat his brother in basketball translated into other aspects of his life.

It may be stretch but I'll openly admit I am grasping for some of his coat tails.

I have a ton of respect for my brother. He and I have a good bit in common but we are very different in the way we approach and handle things. While he continues to downplay this achievement, I and the rest of his family are excited to celebrate a major accomplishment in his life. He may be humble about it but I have no problem picking up the slack and bragging about my brother and his MBA from the Kellogg School Of Business at Northwestern University.

Failed School Levies Will Have A Negative Impact On My Family AND YOU!

Fortunately, it looks like a number of school levies in central Ohio did pass yesterday in the May elections. But the two levies my family was affected by failed.

Individually, I am not affected by either of the levies because I do not teach in either district. But my wife does and my daughter will most likely attend a school in the other district next year.

With two teachers in my household, we obviously have a biased view on this topic but I still believe I would be pro-schools had I chosen a different profession. I was raised by two parents who always supported public schools despite the fact that my siblings and I attended Catholic Schools for much of our early years. I also understand the importance of strong schools in a capitalistic society.

There are a number of specific reasons I pledge my support to public schools beyond the well being of my job. As a citizen of this area, I am counting on the youth to grow and learn and become productive citizens contributing to my well being. We all need each other to perform our jobs well whether it is digging a ditch, working on our roads, running our government, developing new technologies, taking care of our children, running our businesses and so on.

I also prefer that the youth is not out causing problems or committing crimes. In fact, even grown adults will commit less crime if they are more educated. Less crime means a better overall well being for me and my family. It means a safer place to live and usually, a cleaner place to live.

Generally speaking, I think we should support sports and unified arts in school. These outlets and opportunities provide children with talent in these area a chance to foster these talents and grow and become contributing citizens. Without them, they most likely struggle in the traditional classes and become frustrated, disenchanted and more likely to become a burden on their fellow citizens instead of a contributor.

In my specific case, I have a daughter who is cognitively impaired and needs as much intervention as she can get. Her mother, stepmother and I intervene as much as we can but we need the schools to contribute. Her significant advancements this school year are a direct result to the number of specialists and assistants that work in her room with her teacher. Her small class size allows her teacher to give her more individualized attention. All these things have helped her tremendously and they cost money. These services are high on the list of services to be cut when levies don't pass.

Imagine children who are in more need than my daughter. Not every child with cognitive impairments has three teachers in their life. Some don't even have two parents who care that much. If they fall through the cracks, it means more money from us later to jail them or keep them in a mental institution like they did before special education and MRDD were created to help.

That is not a kind of life I want my daughter to live or anyone for that matter. We have moved away from that for a reason.

I am willing to pay to intervene early through the schools.

Times are tough. People do not have the money to pay even more taxes. It seems like we have "bailed out" every industry that exists and it is frustrating that things only seem to get worse.

My point is that education should be a top priority on the list regardless of whether we have kids in the school system or not. We are all affected by it. The good of our country and society depends on it. We will not be able to brag about how great our country is if we can't compete with the China's and Europe's of the world. We need smart people to deal with diplomacy and figure out new ways to fix the economy and new energy and a way to release from our dependency on oil and fossil fuels.

Everybody loves to blame schools, but when it comes time to help, they refuse to help. It is not fair to complain and then do nothing about it. Either vote for levies so you have a right to complain, or shut up!

Education Reform

President Obama and Ohio Governor, Ted Strickland have both recently spoke out about fixing the mess that is education in our country. I agree there are problems that need to be fixed, but I am not so sure I agree with the ways they propose to fix it.

Being a teacher in an urban setting for over a decade now, I have legitimate perspective on what is wrong where it is wrong. The areas where schools are failing includes the area in which I teach. When you speak of "failing" schools, you speak of my school. When you speak of "failing" teachers, you speak of me.

The classifications of schools are based on results from statewide standardized tests and graduation rates. The federal classifications include Academic Emergency, Academic Watch and..... well I don't know because my school has never had a positive classification. I suppose it would be something like Academically Sweet! Or School of Absolutely Awesome Teachers Who Kick Butt While You Others Stink! Maybe something like Our Schools Work and Yours Doesn't So Do What We Do.

My bitterness is obvious, but you would feel the same if you spent just one school year teaching where I teach let alone a decade.

From the bits and pieces I have heard, I gather the President and Governor both feel that teachers need to be held more accountable. President Obama seems to favor charter schools. They both seem to favor merit pay for teachers. They also want to extend school hours and school years.

Fair enough.

Here are my humble suggestions. Again, these come from someone who is on the front lines and has been for 11 years. I have some credibility.

Teacher Accountability:
How can you not be for this? As I objectively approach this issue I do think we should be held to particular standards. We are the facilitators of the education on the ground level. We are the foot soldiers and have the most influence in the classroom itself so everyone is counting on us to deliver. Therefore, we need to held to high standards. But education and the teaching profession itself is a unique monster.

It is difficult to truly measure a teacher's worth or success. This is because it is totally dependent on somebody else's performance--the student. In addition, it is not dependent on one student but a group of students. Also, a whole year of work is accounted for with a test that is taken on one particular day. A teacher can do everything by the book all or most of the year but have a student come in on test day with any number of problems that weigh heavier on their mind than a test. Finally, the everyday battle of teaching students who are unmotivated or apathetic to the educational process as a whole make it near impossible to be effective enough to earn a positive classification.

Then the emotional and mental toll this takes on a teacher over time begins to eat away at their own motivation and feeling of self-worth. Year after year of dealing with these issues separate from the education of the students and getting labeled as a failure wear on you and negatively affect performance.

I read an analogy in a newspaper article my wife copied for me about holding a doctor accountable for a patient's lack of improvement because the patient did not take the medicine prescribed or followed through with the rehabilitation assigned. Holding teachers accountable based on test scores is like that. Of course, the doctor could prescribe something wrong and would deserve blame for it but just because a patient doesn't recover well doesn't automatically mean they made a mistake or performed their job erroneously.

Charter Schools:
From a business perspective, the charter school model makes sense. It creates competition. Competition increases quality. The good schools and teachers or administrators rise to the top and the others sink and fail and are closed. But as I wrote above, it is difficult to fairly assess this success or failure. Many of the problems are out of the control of the schools.

Merit Pay:
On the surface merit pay makes sense because you would reward good teachers. You would provide incentive for teachers to work harder. But again, harder work by the teachers isn't necessarily the problem here. We are working hard! I have tutored after school and on Saturdays. I have attended professional development. I have stayed late and come in early. I even did work at home for a number of years in addition to the extra hours. My scores still stunk!

The problem is deeper than the effort of the teachers. Honestly, the effort of the students is more important and as hard as we try to encourage, motivate or affect the students' effort, the bottom line is that we can't make them do anything they don't choose to do themselves.

Merit pay will mean teachers in more affluent districts or districts where students come from families that value education will get paid more while teachers in districts where the improvements need to be made the most get paid less.

That isn't fair and it won't fix the problems.

Extending School Days and School Years:
I admit I love my summers off. In fact, I NEED my summers off to rebuild my sanity. But this is not why I think this idea won't be effective. Developmentally, I am not sure kids could benefit from the longer days. Their attention wanes by the end of the day as it is. More hours would just be a waste of time because their attention won't be focused like it needs to be to be worthwhile.

Here is my suggestion: Instead of extending the year or days, change the format. There are several schools in our district that are year round. I don't have any data to support their success or lack thereof and due to the neighborhoods in which they are located, I doubt they are overwhelming successful, but allow me to give you the theory behind why this format would be more effective than extending the hours or year.

This format maintains the 180 days of school per school year but eliminates the summer. Students attend school for four nine week periods with three weeks between each. This keeps them in a routine because there is no three month gap. This gap often creates the need to spend weeks getting them back into the school routine every year. Most importantly, the three week intercessions between the grading periods can be used for enrichment or remediation. Students that are struggling can catch up in the three weeks between the four grading periods. Gifted students can have opportunities to extend their learning during these intercessions. Students who need a break can get a break. The intention of extending the school years would be served this way in my mind. It also allows for choice and flexibility for parents and students and teachers.


Final Shots:
The problems with education have less to do with teachers and more to do with the funding or lack of funding (ruled uncontitutional in Ohio), lack of support from parents, students themselves and the general lack of value of teachers. Education is a difficult problem to solve. There are so many underlying factors outside of the schools that you can't pinpoint one specific thing to do in the schools to cure the ills.

I think we can start with fixing the funding problems, move to year round schools and try to encourage more support for schools through volunteers and instilling a general value in education. We need to repair the relationship and trust between teachers and parents. Finally, parents need to be held more accountable. They need to initiate communication with the teachers and play a more direct role in their child's education with the teacher.

I Love My Emergent Reader

I have mentioned in past posts that my daughter has some serious development delays leading to a very difficult time. Education is very important to me. My daughter's success in school is something I consider a high priority. These cognitive issues make it hard for her to succeed.

Nevertheless, I bust my rear end to teach this child everything I can. Since birth, I have attempted to make books and reading a major part of her life. From the looks of it, I have succeeded. To this day, she plays with books as much as any other toy she has in her room or in the basement.

But while many children her age are speaking more fluently and reading with a much deeper vocabulary and higher cognitive ability, my beloved little one struggles to put sentences together that people outside her immediate family can understand. She can barely maintain a conversation because she is unable to process what is being told to her. It breaks my heart. It scares me to death.

Nonetheless, we push forward. With the support of my loving wife, her stepmother who loves her dearly, I look for ways to close the gap as much as I can. I continue to do the best I can to accept her for who she is but at the same time I want what is best for her and I want her to be the best she can be. I don't believe I can just let that happen. I believe I need to be proactive, especially in her case.

One strength she has is her memory. It still may not be the same as her peers. Or much of her shortcomings may be more a result of her processing problems or inability to communicate than a delay itself. In other words, her issues may be an output problem more than an input problem.

So we have tried to use her memory to help her. She memorizes many things. We hope this memorization can help carry her until she develops the ability to conceptualize things better. She is getting good. She is able to recite 75% of her sight words. She knows her letter sounds and we continue to work on using these sounds to sound out words.

The assessments at school are not turning out well. She is not passing them. Part of the reason is the context. She is not handling the testing situation well. She knows more than the tests are showing. Regardless, we push forward.

Tonight we read Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" again. We read that book so often that we own two copies. I read one copy while she reads the other. I mention this anecdote because tonight she read more of the book independently than ever before.

It was truly remarkable.

Watching my little one read a whole page of a book was one of the most precious things I have ever witnessed. I understand it was only "Green Eggs and Ham." I watched her read the words she knew. I witnessed her looking at the pictures for cues. She used the rhyming to help her guess the words she didn't know. She also used her memory from the countless reads of the text we had done throughout her life to figure out unknown words. She demonstrated that she is acquiring and using the skills that will help her grow as a reader. It wasn't perfect. We still stumbled through some parts. But today is not the end of the journey, today is just the beginning.

She may only be emerging as a reader, but I still adore my little emergent reader.

Just Tie Your Shoes!

The other day I noticed a student had their shoes untied. This could lead to some unfortunate things like falling down the stairs and getting seriously hurt or beginning an escalating series of events between students ultimately ending in a fight and missed class time as well as another headache for me and administration to deal with that doesn't involve educating our youth which we are primarily paid to do.

You may think I am making too much of a simple untied shoe, but after a decade in the classroom you learn how "little thing" lead to big things more often than not. In this case, a loose shoe string may be stepped on by another student intentionally or unintentionally angering the student with the untied shoe. This leads to words of frustration towards the "culprit" creating a response that is rarely positive. Next thing you know people are talking about the other's mother and pushes follow with punches next and we end up with some conference in the office over all this stuff that has nothing to do with an untied shoe.

But to be completely honest, when I told the girl that her shoe laces were untied and she should tie them, I was thinking it was just a safe thing to do. I didn't want her face first in the ground at some point.

Well, God forbid I tell another person to do something!!! The look of disdain and complete resistance I received from this child was out of line. By no means was I disrespectful to this child. In fact. I thought I was helping her. How do I deserve this?

Here is my other problem: Let's say I didn't say anything. Or let's say I didn't persist until she finally tucked the lace in her shoe (mainly because a peer finally stepped in and said the obvious, "Just do it, it's not that big of a deal"). If she did end up tripping and falling down the stairs or getting in a fight because another kid stepped on the lace while she tried to take a step, who would mom or dad come barreling into school to blame? Me. Or her teacher. Or the principal. Oh, that wouldn't happen all the time, Huey. Uh, well, it happens a lot. It happens often at my school anyway and has for 9+ years at least. The majority of the time a student gets in a fight, the parent storms in and wants to know how we disciplined the other party in the fight. Their main focus is not on holding their child accountable for their part in the altercation, but in keeping us in check and making sure we are fair. It goes back to the lack of trust in our schools and the disconnect between parents and teachers.

I can only look at me. I can only control me. I need to focus on what I am doing. So i need to make sure I am putting forth the effort to communicate with parents from day one to help create the connection myself. There are things I can and need to do to fix this kind of problem. But to be honest, when I get the treatment from those students like this on a daily basis I just lose my motivation. I internalize the negative feelings I just received and feel horrible and downright apathetic. It becomes that much harder to go the extra mile. And I have a family. I want to spend my evenings with my wife and daughter. I need to spend time with them.

This is what cuts to the core of my displeasure with the current state of affairs in my life right now. I am tired of doing the right thing, or trying to, and somehow getting blamed for other people's lack of effort or resistance to me. I am tired of the resistance period. But then to get that resistance reinforced, frustrates me even more.

I mean, all I am doing is telling someone to do something that will benefit them! Why am I the bad guy here?

Teaching Social Studies

I just finished a unit on Government with my fourth graders. One of the lessons was How A Bill Becomes A Law. It brings back those old Schoolhouse Rock songs we would listen to doesn't it?

As I looked out to a classroom filled with bored, quiet, inattentive students I realized nothing was hitting home with them. Nobody cared. I had to spice it up a bit. I did not have my handy dandy copy of the Schoolhouse Rock video on hand. So instead of continuing with the introduction of the concept, I skipped ahead to my little example.

My class is divided into six groups of four or five students. Each group has their own table. The tables are set up in 3 pairs. Conveniently, there are three branches of government. So I made each pair a particular branch: the legislative, executive and judicial. The two tables that made up the legislative branch were divided into one table as the Senate and the other as the House of Representatives. Side note: Can you believe my students cannot pronounce Representative to save their life? Executive, and Judicial also present problems. But they have no problem saying Legislative.

So I specifically picked the pair of tables that had 3/5 boys as the Legislative Branch for a reason that you will read in a minute. I proposed a law to the General Assembly (in Ohio our 4th grade standards state that we focus on State government) that girls would no longer be allowed out of their house after 6 pm. See my 3/5 boys reasoning now? I intended on picking some inflammatory , ridiculous law to wake them up so since I am a man I figured I'd play the "Boys rule, girls drool" card. They love it when I play like that. "You play too much Mr. Huey."

It worked.

So we voted in the "Senate" and it naturally passed. Oh the girls were steaming. Then the "House" passed it. Then it was really getting fun because the boys were loving it and the girls were not happy. 100% engagement baby. Full on attentive, listening. I am not exaggerating. Of course, it had to be approved by the Governor. Well, the Executive pair had more girls. So they got theirs. The bill was quickly vetoed. So we sent it back to the General Assembly. We needed 3/5 to pass it. We got it!!

Noooooooooo cried the girls! That's not fair they screamed. Well, after a discussion how that law seemed to go against the spirit of the liberties given to us by the State Constitution, I suggested the girls take it to the State Supreme court and get a ruling that this law was unconstitutional. So they did and the Chief Justices (mostly girls due to my careful selection) agreed and the law was dropped.

I understand there may be some missing elements here but I was thrilled how much the students enjoyed this lesson and how engaged they were. We reviewed the whole process in time to be finished by the time my administrator came in. Ugh!! She has to wait until the end to check out my hard work? So I HAD to get them to tell her what we had just finished. They explained it perfectly! I was so proud of them. And I was pretty pumped that I got some brownie points.

Later, I gave them an assessment. And of course, I get one blank paper and another describing how you put bills in the bank. And I only figured that out after 10 minutes of deciphering the illegible handwriting and fragment sentences tripping over themselves with misspellings.

Sigh.

Looks like my supposed success was a farce. But I am still sharing this with you in case you can use it in your classroom or with your child when they are learning how bills become laws. Maybe you will have more success than me.

Education and My Vote

(I step to the podium)
"Eh hem. Thank you. Thank you very much. I am honored to be here today. I would like to formerly announce my vote for the upcoming 2008 Presidential Election. After careful consideration and attempted unbiased reflection and observation, I have come to a conclusion for who will receive my vote for President of the United States of America. My vote goes to.........Barack Obama."

All attempts at humor aside, I would like to piggy back off my recent posts regarding my feelings as an educator in Ohio to discuss my opinions regarding my choice for our next president. It would be easy to blindly vote democrat since I am one. It would be easy to vote away from McCain since he is in the same party as Bush who I have not been comfortable with as our leader these past eight years. I didn't want to take the easy way. I didn't want to vote for Obama for what he is not but instead for what he is.

I recall a comment that was made to me recently. I was told it didn't make sense that I voted Democrat as a homeowner. Whaaa? Apparently there is only one factor I should take into account as I vote. But I don't vote this way. I could list a number different of reasons why I would like Obama in office. There are many sides to my life. But this post is going to remain focused on my reasons related to education, the profession in which I work. So remember there is more to my vote than just these reasons. I have particular views on the war and other foreign affairs, economy, gay marriage, taxes, etc.

I blogged recently about the importance of Fathers. The point was to put the spotlight on Dads, but it really is a parent thing as comoprozac so eloquently put in his comments. Obama has said, "The schools can't do it all by themselves. Parents have to parent." (OEA handout) What did he say? "Parents have to parent." THANK YOU!!! So how is this going to happen Mr. Obama? "Watch them do their homework. If they don't know how to do it, give them help. If you don't know how to do it, call the teacher." YES! How ingenious is that? Remember how I said my students who had their Father's (or mothers) come in or call me were usually performing better? Many times the calls were asking what the heck I wanted on their homework! Should I take that as an insult? Does that mean they are less smart? Heck no. This is how learning takes place. Discussion and teamwork. Looks like Barack Obama gets that.

No Child Left Behind is underfunded and failing. As I blogged about before, it attempts to hold teachers to a higher standard but doesn't do so. Instead it fosters distrust and animosity. Obama plans to overhaul this legislation by providing the money needed to fund it properly, reduce the emphasis on standardized testing and make sure that any tests that are given better measure the individualized growth and readiness. (OEA handout)

My wife is now learning the "teach to the test" process that has infected our schools. Since test scores dictate success and failure, administrators are forced to push test prep to the point of losing touch with our greater purpose. Book companies and tutoring services are raking in the cash as each year we order sets of prep books to feed our kids almost constantly from January to the test if not the whole school year. We focus on how to answer test questions and what test vocabulary means and tricks of the trade. I guess we figure the next generation will be working jobs where they answer questions all day.

Lastly, he plans to raise teacher pay. Of course I like this one right? I am a teacher. But seriously, people do not want to teach. Current teachers, especially younger ones, leave teaching within their first 5 years for other career entirely. It is becoming an epidemic in Ohio. Schools are also cutting teacher positions left and right as well making it harder on those of us still here. Our class sizes continue to increase. This makes us less effective and more stressed. I am not sure how he is going to be able to do this when we can't pass a levy in central ohio to save our lives and districts are running deficits like crazy, but here's an idea.....close the charter school and voucher experiment! You could stop that war as well. If we have money to fund that, we can divert it to the public schools. We can fix a ton of the problems. Then, our prisons won't fill up and the need for the money to fund those will diminish so we can pay for others things too like helping the homeless and so on.

I live in an ideal world I guess and I anticipate numerous comments cutting holes in this. But like it or not, Brack Obama's statements have earned my vote. I end this with one last quotation that sums up how I have felt about the education system, "I want to lead a new era of mutual responsibility in education, one where we all come together for the sake of our children's success, an era where each of us does our part to make that success a reality-parents and teachers." (OEA handout)

Professional Inventory

You can tell it is that time of year again. The beginning of the school has officially taken place as I blog about education over and over.

Today, in an effort to strengthen myself emotionally and mentally and I suppose to prep myself for the upcoming school year even though my bitter, apathetic attitude sometimes takes me elsewhere, I repeat an exercise I did in an earlier post listing my proud "achievements." You may call these affirmations if you so choose. I do. This time I focus on education. The following are things I am proud to say I do. Teacher friends of mine, you can take pride in the fact that some of these are taken from you. Like that old commercial in the 80s with the kid whose Dad found his drug stash, "You! I learned it from watching you!"

First and foremost, I have made it through a decade of urban schools. I keep hearing myself say I have taught a decade or ten years because I am proud of that. I feel like that is a long time. Enough to have its own word: decade.

I choose to take this as a positive: I have taught the same grade at the same school for 9 of those years. This is a good thing because I have wanted to bolt many times and have not. I have continued to fight the good fight. It may be a testament to my good luck more than ability but I have avoided cuts and layoffs throughout the decade. Many have taken place.

I know my curriculum. Having taught the same grade in the same district means I have taught the curriculum enough to "know it cold" as my dad would say. So I can anticipate what to present to the students and I can spend more time focusing on how instead of what.

I have a good relationship with fellow teachers and staff. Through the years at my school I have worked with numerous people who have come and gone. I'd like to think I have had positive relationships with the majority of them. I like 90% of them and can get along with the other 10%. The proof is in the pudding as I maintain close friendships to numerous teachers who have not only left the school, but left the state as well. Comoprozac, a frequent flyer of this blog, is a prime example. He is also an example of a teacher who I have learned a good bit from. I have tried to copy his effort to introduce diverse groups of influential people to his students that they would not read about in their textbooks.

I have been able to develop effective strategies of classroom management and academic instruction on my own to solve problems in my classroom that no one taught me how to deal with in graduate school. Despite being shot down in my graduate classes, my idea of implementing a behavior wall to chart good days for individual students publicly, this strategy has been effective for me and copied by fellow teachers and complimented by parents of my students numerous times. It may not be "theoretically" kosher but it works.

In addition to this management tool, I have developed methods to figure out math problems beyond the tradition algorithms that have worked for numerous students. Again, they have not been by the book, but more than one student have taken it and used it well.

I also have created different chants and slogans on my own that have stuck with former students in later grades (or so they say when they come back to visit). J.E.L to remember the branches of government. SYW to stand for Show Your Work. Those are just two of my standbys.

I teach with passion. My frustration may make it look like I don't care. At times I don't. But in my heart I have a passion for this. You can see it when I become Pastor Huey. The students (and more so the teachers) come alive when I start singing to the mountaintops John 3:16 (that's my room number) and giving my students the power!!! It's a rounding strategy I came up with. A long winded explanation that I will pass on since typed words don't do it justice, but trust me 3-5 fellow teachers and my former principal almost lost their minds when I whipped it out one Saturday morning as we tutored our kids for the test.

I can relate to the kids. I am not 10 anymore. I don't listen to hip hop. I never grew up in the inner city. But I can talk to the kids on the kids' level. I can thank another friend of mine that I teach with for reinforcing this. I blogged before about the football games at recess. He and I have used this and other opportunities to build good relationships with our students and other kids in our school. We have built trust. This goes a LONG way when we are enforcing discipline.

I go the extra mile. I stay after school, I come in early, I come in on Saturdays to do the extra things to help our kids pass the tests. I have done it without getting paid, I have done it with compensation. The bottom line is: I have done more than the basic line of duty.

I created and run a Math tournament at the end of every year. It helps keep the last day meaningful and motivates kids to learn their math facts. It also provides a structure in which to teach fairness and sportsmanship as well as class and dignity in defeat or success.

I am open to changes and I am not afraid to use other people's ideas or share my own. I always peak in my neighbor's window to see what she is teaching and how she teaches it because I think this woman is the greatest teacher that ever walked the planet. I "steal" ideas from her all the time and she loves to copy me. She still holds my "Less is More" motto as a guiding light to this day.

For the record, when I entered my school our percentage of passing scores on the 4th grade Ohio Reading Proficiency Test were in the 10%-25% range. Now they are in the 40%-50% range. I have taught 4th grade this whole time. That means I have played a major role as the scores have doubled.

I believe I could go on. I am still proud that I was invited to a graduation this year. That means a former student progressed through high school successfully. For my ego, it means he had 8 more years of teachers after me and I was the one he invited back to his graduation. ME. That feels damn good.

Blame the Teacher!

I am now entering my 11th year of teaching. Every minute of my experience (including student teaching) has been in an urban setting. Therefore, keep this in mind as you think about my opinion. My school is a low performing school. According to George W. Bush and the rest of the government officials supporting No Child Left Behind, we are in Academic Emergency. The parents of our student body receive letters outlining how bad we are. There are some teachers who have been good, caring teachers, following the guidelines of the district that are labeled as not highly qualified. Fortunately for me, entered graduate school immediately after I graduated and earned my Master's Degree. This means I am "highly qualified."

I describe all of this but avoid going into more boring detail to help paint the picture of what I deal with on a yearly basis. My success is based on the test scores of 25-30 students who may not have slept the night before, may not be living in the same place they did last week, come from a home filled with anger, desperation, violence or drugs. They are probably wearing the clothes their sibling wore the day before without getting washed. Their walk to school and walk home later in day could be like a minefield of bullies, scary, drunk, drug addicted or homeless adults and teenagers let alone garbage and unkempt yards or streets smelling of cheap malt liquor or urine. My point is, it is highly likely their mind is not 100% on the test.

So each summer we receive the scores and that sinking heart feeling of, "Man, we failed again. Now what do we do?" We begin the next school year with an attempt at a positive attitude, more data analysis and brainstorming of what works and doesn't work and how to improve scores. Then we enter the school year and implement these ideas or district wide implementations. But we inevitably stumble to similar results. Granted, some years really are better than others. Last year we climbed out of Academic Emergency into Academic Watch through a method called safe harbor. But I anticipate a decline backwards this year.

Naturally, I try to analyze what I am doing wrong. I try to personally examine what I, myself need to improve as an individual teacher to make things better. I have done this a number of times now. I have sat through meetings with fellow teachers and administration trying to accomplish the same goal as a group many times over as well. Most times I walk out with a horrible feeling of failure and defeat.

My wife has just completed her first year teaching and is now experiencing this whole routine firsthand. She is realizing how the blame keeps getting pointed in our direction despite all the work, effort and time she has put in it. As I listen and observe, I hear her talk like a first year teacher. I hear her say all the things that make complete sense...to someone who hasn't dealt with admin for a decade. At times I want to chime in, not because I think she is wrong but because things don't make sense in our line of work and someone will tell her she is wrong. She seems to be noticing this now.

She has officially been given the, "Test scores are bad and its your fault. What are you going to do about it" speech. My poor wife busted her rear end last year and did everything by the book. She went the extra mile and documented each step. She checked every move she made to make sure it was professional and ethical when she did it. And I can attest that it was all professional and ethical. She maintained high expectations for her students but was fair and understanding of each individual situation. I mean her year was air tight.

But the low scores are her fault.

One interesting dilemma for teacher nowadays is the lack of natural consequences. One would think a failing grade would mean something to a student. If not the student than the parents or guardians of that students. But this is not happening. Instead of the student being held accountable for a failing grade, the teacher is the one held accountable. It is not, "what did the student do wrong?" it is "What did the teacher do wrong?" I understand we need to hold teachers accountable. I understand we play a major role in the learning process, but when did we suddenly forget it is the student's job to learn to? Where is the idea of student accountability go?

The administration is blaming the teachers. The parents are blaming the teachers. The government is blaming the teachers. There is now a confrontational relationship between parent and teacher. The students are aware of this and manipulate it. The common citizens in central Ohio don't trust teachers either voting down levy after levy.

Meanwhile, money is taken from our schools for charter schools. Resources are dwindling. We used to have a student advocate in our school to work with the counselor and nurse and community to help our kids with all those things I mentioned in the first two paragraphs. They are now gone. Most schools in our district do not have a full time nurse. Our counselor is only part time. Our principal has to deal with disciplinary matters so much that she rarely gets to address the academic needs of our staff.

As teachers, teaching arithmetic and reading skills comes after you work to get the kids to show up to school, eat breakfast and avoid getting into a fight. All of this is done with all kinds of resistance and defiance and rude attitudes. I don't mean every once and a while, I mean this happens almost daily. I am not exaggerating.

We have completely lost trust in our teachers in an effort to hold us accountable and to a higher standard. It has officially gone too far. We are fighting a losing battle and each year it gets harder. We need help. I just pray to God it isn't this way in other districts.

Importance of Fathers

With each new school year I look ahead to what themes and personal goals I have for a new crop of students. Obviously, I become curious about how the group will mesh and how well they will buy into my methodology and style of teaching. Each group takes on a personality of its own. There are the usual individuals that fall into the usual stereotypes and there are always the wildcards. The key to any class as a whole is whether I can get the wildcards to buy what I'm selling. They usually represent the critical mass that determines whether the group is a "good" crew or "difficult" crew. I quote those terms because sometimes good doesn't necessarily translate to fun or enjoyable and many times difficult classes can be the most fun or rewarding. Teaching is never a black and white thing.

Regardless of any of these factors, questions and observations, one thing continues to hold steadfast. The stress I endure, the quality of life I live for the period of each individual school year can be correlated to the presence of Fathers in the lives of my students. I have become a firm believer in the importance of Dads.


I am not the only one in this school of thought. According to Fatherhood Institute, "A recent systematic review of studies....found ‘positive’ father involvement associated with a range of desirable outcomes for children and young people." (http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org) This is from an article describing studies that have proven my point. Here they list the findings of a Father's presence.

By no means do I mean to diminish the importance of Mothers. I would like to think it goes without saying that Mothers are the most important factor in a person's life. Women in general are the foundation of our civilization and well being as well as the success of our society as a whole in my mind.

While in some cases Dads are playing more influential roles in their children's lives these days, it's not happening everywhere. In the area where I teach there are often absentee fathers. I won't hold any punches here, there are just flat out, 100% irresponsible boys making babies and hauling out of dodge leaving the woman in a precarious position.

Having spent a decade teaching in an urban setting, I would like to draw upon my personal experience here. I assume there are the same types of Fathers in suburban and rural areas as well. Also, there are other ways Fathers can be absentee to their children. Coming home from work and heading straight to the couch as they crack open their beer and watch the game every night doesn't make you much better. Yes, you may provide for your family, but these days call for more. Picking your kids up on your visitation weekends and taking them to Gameworks, filling their pockets with tokens while you sit at the bar doesn't count either. Sending in a child support check each week isn't enough either.

I can't sit here and judge every Dad out there. I understand some men can only do so much with what they have. There is usually more to a story than what you see on the surface. So let me return to my original objective here and focus on my classroom and my students from my experience.

Last year's crop of fourth graders may have been one of my better classes. My growing bitterness towards teaching wasn't indicative on how I enjoyed 95% of those kids. Overall, this group had more confidence, displayed more positive social skills, had better attitudes and behaved better than other classes in the past. This class also had more Fathers attend parent teacher conferences, call me with questions, show up to pick up their children, follow up on concerns I mentioned, and were referred to by their children or Mothers as a source or option in case I needed one. I highly doubt this is a coincidence.

Not every Father who came in was wearing a suit. Most did not. Not every Father spoke articulately and came in with a college degree. Some of the Fathers worked second shift and could not answer the phone right after school or come in to talk to me easily. But every single one of those Dads made it a point that I heard from them. Each one, in my mind, was making a HUGE, important, positive difference in their child's life. Shoot, they made a big difference in my life making it much easier and less stressful. Seriously, there was plenty of stress to go around with the other students who had no Father around to find.

In past years I have not had this many Fathers present or at least as vocal. Many of those classes were not as "good." The trend I am noticing continues to hold true year in and year out. Present Fathers lead to better lives for their kids (from the point of view of their teacher anyway). I have another post coming soon about the devaluing of teachers, but I think one way to help us and value us as professionals is to vigilantly campaign for Fathers to play major roles in their kids lives and educations. Those of us who are Fathers need to be vigilant in the job we do with our children every minute of every day and our role in their education. According to Fatherhood Institute, "One high quality study demonstrated that a father’s interest in his child’s education is one of the most important factors governing the qualifications he or she will grow up to have in adult life – more important than family background, the child’s individual personality, or poverty." (http://www.fatherhoodinstitute.org/index.php?id=12&cID=583) There are so many factors that play a role in students' success, but Fathers are at the top of the list.

My principal has a quote posted in the mail room that says the single most important factor in student achievement is the teacher. I can't disagree with this and I know she is coming from a good place, but the more I think about it, the more I think that the Father may be just as critical.

Thinking About How I Teach Social Studies

I am in the midst of a book titled, "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong" by James W. Loewen. It is more of an indictment on the American History textbooks used in high schools around the country than it is the teachers who use them.

As I read through the book and the interesting, little-known-facts he presents that contradict what has become common knowledge of our country's history, I go back and forth between intrigue and pessimism or skeptical thinking. I am not questioning whether his statements are true as he provides evidence for his points, but his opinion. I believe there is some need to write the textbooks the way they have been despite these errors and misconceptions. It depends on the grade level of the reader and their cognitive development at the time they are presented with the information and objective of the lesson or chapter.

All in all though, it is discouraging how inaccurate and incomplete our education of our own history is to the younger generations. What may be scarier is that it has been incomplete and inaccurate for numerous generations already including my own! Therefore, much of what I read is new to me and hence, the intrigue and excitement to read.

This post is not to review the book or even discuss any of the specific historical events presented in the book thus far. Instead, I am choosing to write about how I, a fourth grade teacher to a predominantly minority class, will continue to teach American history (Ohio history to be more specific according to grade level standards set by the state and district in which I teach) after reading this book and gaining the knowledge that what I teach as fact may be only pieces to the whole story at best.

In fourth grade I can initiate good discussion regarding many of our states historical events but there is a ceiling to what they can developmentally grasp. Also, there may be relevant subjects that are just inappropriate for them to discuss. I want to respect their parents decisions to what they expose their ten year old children to even if they walk in the classroom with T-shirts covered in profane, offensive language and watch music videos or wrestling matches that cheapen women and glorify violence. In the end I need to keep my side of the street clean.

But, the main objective I have gained from this book is the general idea that history is not a concrete, stagnant pile of facts, but a fluid, multifaceted flow of events that should always be questioned. No one factor plays a role in the wars, discoveries, laws, decisions and so on that took place. There are many previosu events that effect these other events we learn. Also, many of the events we read about effect what we do today even centuries later.

I think it is THAT idea of cause and effect that needs to be fostered more than the dates, people and events. Memorizing these facts don't lead to the kind of knowledge that can be used in most of the workforce later in life.

In addition to cause and effect, the encouragement to question what they learn and how to go about questioning it needs to be fostered. Fact memorization won't create a love for learning. But discussion and debate just might.

The curriculum I teach already tries to address cause and effect in several ways. There are chapters that discuss this specific skill. What I'd like to do is find a basic, low maintenance way to incorporate these kinds of discussions in every lesson topic.

Really, I just want to instill the overall open mindedness to possible differences than what we read. I'd like my students to realize more evidence can be found. That history is fluid. What we think is true may not be true or may have more to it. Therefore, it is ok to challenge what is considered "factual." Of course, this would need to be tempered appropriately because questioning just for the sake of questioning may just confuse students more than guide them.

I'd like to share several examples from the book. We all know the basic story of Hellen Keller (Chapter One: Handicapped by History)but rarely touch on the majority of her life as a major player in women's suffrage. I was never taught about her political views and the contradictions of these views to the pick yourself up by the bootstraps message her story is used to portray. While we learn from her story as a deaf and blind, wild and out of control child who learned to read and write and educate herself, that you can do anything if you set your mind to it and work hard...just look at Hellen Keller, she didn't feel as though that was possible for many people in our country due to their economic situation. She was born into a wealthy family and believed without the resources her parents were able to obtain for her, she would have never accomplished what she did. This belief led her to an outspoken socialist stance which has been frowned upon and therefore, left out of our lesson regarding her.

We all know the story of Columbus (Chapter 2: 1493)and how many holes have been shot into his glorified mystique, but did we ever learn that there is evidence that other people were exploring the Americas long before him? Do we truly acknowledge the accomplishments of the Natives who were already there in the first place?

Related to the Columbus story which can be a long post in itself, I also thought it is interesting that slavery is usually taught in the context of the African slave trade and its effects on the American Civil War. I don't remember the fact that Columbus was enslaving the American Indians as well. And the American Indians enslaved other American Indians as did Africans of other Africans and obviously the Europeans enslaving Africans. In fact you can find evidence of slavery in various forms today. This is a subject that goes well beyond the Civil War in America.

Finally, that last sentence reminded me of how we generally teach the Civil War as the North being the "good guys" and the Confederacy being the "bad guys." The Civil War had so many different factors playing their part that it is almost a perfect opportunity to show how history can be viewed differently through different colored lenses. And it can be used to demonstrate the way numerous factor play numerous roles in one event. It is not as black and white as, well, black and white people and slavery. The economy, states rights and more also played roles. Many different people had many different points of views and beliefs and motivations.

So, as I proceed through this book and enjoy reading about my country's history and the things I didn't know or didn't think to question when I was learning it, I plan to keep reminding myself to allow my students to question it. To question me. It would be nice if they learned that they could go "look it up" and actually did.

But that's a whole other blog post.....motivating my students, sigh.

Father's Day

I have blogged about being a Father, which I take very seriously as you have noticed. I am very proud of being a Father. Today, in honor of Father's Day, I would like to pay tribute to my Father who has been my model for Fatherhood and how I try raise my daughter and child to be.


My Dad has taught me as much as any Father. He has shown me how to be a man, husband, son, neighbor, friend, trusted set of ears, shoulder to cry on, financial advisor, emotional supporter, teacher, coach and good person.

I want to share with you how much respect and love I have for my Dad through several stories from my life that highlight his best qualities.

Money
Growing up he would give us an allowance every Friday regardless of whether we did our chores or not. I remember thinking that we were getting away with highway robbery but later found out that his goal was not so much to get us to do chores, (I think he was pretty lax in that department but also figured we should do that regardless of allowance) but to teach us to handle money appropriately. By giving us a "ration" each week and then holding us to it when we wanted to buy that candy bar staring at us waiting in line at the store, we were forced with the decision of how important that treat was to us. Through those experiences we learned the scarcity of money. It also probably got us off his back when we were at the store by getting us to quit begging him for stuff which can be awfully annoying for a parent (or teacher).

Education
I also remember how much emphasis he put on grades. He was of the belief that all three of us were more than capable of getting all A's and we were. He knew the gene pool we came from and it was unlikely two extremely intelligent people like my parents would have offspring that just could not get A's. But he also knew that A's took work. So as we grew older and our friends were dealing with authoritative parents trying to keep them out of trouble, Dad would continue to point to the grades as an indicator of our behavior and prospects of success later in life.

I understand this method could be debated and wouldn't work for every kid, but that was the greatness of my Father. He knew his kids. He knew this method would work with us. He let alot of things go, but he didn't give an inch on grades. I never got that feel good "atta boy, son!" for a B. Shoot, even A's were treated as expected. When I faltered in college, he immediately lit a fire under my butt that propelled me to the A's I should have earned long before. As grown adults, my brother and sister and I have managed to get where we are now rather successfully albeit totally different places (i.e. teaching, business and entertainment), in large part due to our education.

I am grateful he did this because even though I didn't consistently get the 4.0 that my siblings did (for reasons that can be blogged about later), it was a tangible motivator for me that instilled this value for education and success later in college.

Being the Better Person
My Dad has been a model for me in numerous facets of life. One way is the grace, maturity and compassion that he handled the divorce with my mom. It couldn't have been an easy thing for him to deal with, yet he was so supportive, understanding and caring through the whole thing. The way he continues to handle his relationship with my mother is admirable. Instead of being bitter and resentful, he has shown how humans should treat each other keeping an eye on what really is important. He continues to support her as she does him. He made sure things were done for the best of all parties involved. Obviously, no one can say it was an easy transition, but it could have been so much worse.

As I have dealt with divorce myself, I have tried to be the same way. Now that I am "in his shoes," I appreciate just how mature and strong he has been with the whole thing. It is such a slippery slope into those negative feelings of anger, self-pity and bitterness. But from my point of view, he never came close. To this day he defends my mother's side and never complains.

Definition of Strength
If you have been reading this blog or know me personally, you have probably noticed that I don't fall into that stereotypical "manly man" category. My Dad taught me through example that strength is much more broad than muscles and ability to hold in your emotions. I can credit my mom for wearing my heart on my sleeve, but my Dad showed me that sometimes that is ok. He welcomed the opportunity to allow me to cry on his shoulder. I still remember leaving a mark on the shoulder of his nice shirt after church or some dress up event one day in the living room sitting on the piano bench. He wasn't the least bit bothered by it. He was quick to give me a hug if I looked distraught. He also was willing to be the one to give in when we argued to make peace....even though I was obviously out of line.

He showed me strength wasn't always being the "man," but being the better man. Sometimes justice wasn't as important as peace. Doing what is right is more important than winning. I am not sure he directly told me this, but showed me it through his actions.

Financial Advisor
As I entered adulthood and began buying cars and houses and insurance and making decisions about retirement and so on, I would call Dad (and will continue to do so) before I'd pull the trigger on anything. Before I knew it, he would come calling with a spreadsheet and thorough explanation of all my options and their effects. Without him, who knows where I would be right now.

Support System
During any time of need my Dad has been there in anyway I needed at the drop of a hat. When my daughter was in the hospital, he never hesitated to pack his emergency bag, tie up his loose end responsibilities and drive down I-71 to be there with me. Whether it meant standing by my side with a hand on my shoulder, providing me with that shoulder again to cry on, take notes of what the doctors were saying, asking questions I couldn't get out in the midst of my mind running a million miles a second, going home to make sure my house is ok or to get me a change of clothes, running down to pay for more time parking or move the car to the garage, finding the vending machines, looking for times the cafeteria would be open, calling other family members and the list goes on, he would be there to do it all and more.

I remembered this last month when my grandmother, his mother passed away. My knee-jerk reaction was, "I gotta get up there to be with him." It must have been instinct because I was programmed that way from my experience on the other side.


And I can't end this section without mentioning his undying support of his mother as she progressed through Alzheimer's. Again, a tough, tough situation to handle yet he dealt with it with such grace and love. He visited her everyday and advocated for her 100% for 100% of the time. She was able to live a comfortable and pleasant life to the end because of his unending support and care.

Mr. Fix-it
Oh yes, Dad couldn't fix much. Paying somebody else to fix it was the best solution. I think his favorite tool was the pen. A pen to write the check. I am my Father's son!
Sports
I can't end this post without mentioning one of my favorite memories of my Dad. While he never was the type of Father to push me into sports or expect me to be this great athlete, he was such a great fan. I played so many years of soccer and a number of years playing city league baseball and softball in my childhood but nothing stands out as much as my dad standing on the sidelines away from the other parents cheering me on and yelling encouragement from the sidelines. Whether it was screaming to back up another defender or yelling the name of an open teammate to pass the ball to, he was so into it and I loved every minute of it. Finally, I loved the numerous driveway basketball games or frontyard football games that he would play with us. He was always the dad that got out there with us and played along....even now, bowling with is granddaughter.


That's my awesome Dad. I'm trying to be the same kind of Dad to my kids because of his awesomeness.