The Teachers' Scrounge

Cafeteria Tray Cam!

2011-05-11T21:32:00.000-05:00

Okay, imagine this... each kid in the whole school gets his/her own custom lunch tray with a bar code on it. Then as the kid goes through the lunch line, a red-light camera snaps a pic of everything on the tray. Then let's go another step and when the kid turns in his tray of trash, another traffic cam photographs the trash and a fancy computer compares the two images and figures out what the kid ate and what he traded to his buddy for science homework. Wouldn't that be cool!?! Right? Right?

Federally funded. $2 mill. Don't believe me? Here's a link: Wacky Lunch Cam Story.

Cafeteria fight leads to "Critically Injured" teacher

2011-04-12T19:45:00.001-05:00

Run across a story from Kentucky about a high school teacher who was taken to the hospital after trying to break up a fight in the cafeteria. It sounds like he's in very poor condition from some of the reports out there. In an interesting twist to the story, the teacher is also a Kentucky State Representative.

I worked at a campus with a teacher who was hurt breaking up a fight and when he tried to press charges against the student the judge berated the teacher for breaking up the fight instead of waiting for security officers to show up.

I think most teachers end up with strong experiences and opinions about school fights. Everyone has to decide what they are willing to do to end the hostilities or protect students. Personally, I want staff who will quickly respond by being a presence nearby. If you're not willing to get physical, that's fine... I've got no problem with that. But please be on hand. You can manage crowds, page administration, be a witness, etc.

Of course, there's the issue of training...

Jaime Escalante Passes Away

2010-03-31T22:19:00.001-05:00

The inspiration for the film, Stand and Deliver, Jaime Escalante passed away this week. He was 79.

This was one of the few films we got to watch in math class when I was in high school... which meant we watched it over... and over...

read more

It's that time again

2010-03-23T21:18:00.000-05:00

I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner. A British school has experimented by adjusting the school day to better match students' internal clocks. According to some studies, most teens and adolescents are more alert a little later in the day... like 11 - 5. So Monkseaton High School has pushed the school day (for 13-19 year olds) back one hour to start at 10 am. You can read some details online.

Of course, a major issue (that I did not see in this article) is child care. Most work days begin before 10 am, so how do kiddos get to the school if they aren't riding the school bus? We currently have students ~~dumped~~ dropped off on campus before 6:30... when classes start at 8:30 and the doors open at 7:45.

On the plus side, the article is clear that absenteeism and truancy have dropped. A lot. It looks like this experiment is being carefully monitored and documented... could be coming to a district near you.

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2010-03-23T20:56:00.001-05:00

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Living History: The Berlin Wall

2010-02-26T17:22:00.000-06:00

Here is a creative history lesson. A Florida high school erected a paper replica of the Berlin Wall (complete with graffiti on the west side) through the middle of campus. While students on one side of the wall were allowed to socialize and carry on with their normal day, students on the other side of the wall faced a stricter dress code, only orderly behavior, and even propaganda films.

The lesson commemorated the 20th anniversary of the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.

(So what happens if teachers want to keep the wall?)

You're Fired!

2010-02-24T21:21:00.000-06:00

Rhode Island... This one's all over the news. A Rhode Island high school is in trouble -- hasn't met state standards in a while. According to one report, the graduation rate is 48% and only 7% of the 11th graders meet state proficiency standards in math. It's time to do something drastic (as per NCLB). The Superintendent recommends a plan where the teacher work day is extended 25 minutes each day. Some of that time would be spent tutoring, some days eating lunch with the kiddos, some days planning with other teachers, and so on. Some of the plan was uncompensated, some of the extra time would be paid at $30/hour.

The teachers' union said, "NO WAY."

That meant the superintendent had to go to an alternate plan: firing the entire staff. The... Entire... Staff. The staff can reapply for their jobs, but the district is not allowed to hire back more than 50% of the original staff. Bet those teachers are loving their union now.

Teachers Suspended: Pep Rally Claims Two More Victims

2010-02-24T20:50:00.000-06:00

Winnipeg (Canada) It's just your normal, everyday high school pep rally... until your teachers perform a lap dance. "The teachers, who are said to be relatively new to Churchill’s staff, were sent home with pay," according to the article from the Winnipeg Free Press. You can search out the video on YouTube, but you won't get the link from me. The cell phone video features a female teacher in a football uniform sitting in a chair in the middle of the gym while a male teacher (in another football uniform... perhaps the opposing school?) simulates a lap dance... for a minute... with gyrations... and other simulated... stuff.

Now, it's no secret that I do not like pep rallies. But I really don't understand how the lap dance figured in to any normal pep skit. I do like the student getting in front of the screen shot, looking into the camera saying, "That's so wrong!"

Don't you want to know what they were thinking? Who came up with this idea, who ran with it, who turned it into something that resulted in suspended teachers? Don't they know you are supposed to save those skits for inservice days when the kiddos aren't around?!

Meep, Meep, Nope

2009-11-13T20:51:00.002-06:00

A recent story from Massachusetts tells us of Danvers High School (home of the Falcons), where the principal has announced he will suspend any student who utters the word, "MEEP" or has the word written on their clothes.

Evidently, the school found a discussion on FaceBook that many of their students were planning a massive disruption centered around the word.

So, what word would you add to the campus ban list?

ReTEACH... not just retest!

2009-11-11T21:57:00.004-06:00

Okay, teachers, here is an extreme example of failure to provide support for a struggling student. In South Korea, a 68-year-old lady, Cha Sa-soon, had to take the written portion of the local driving test several times before she met the passing score (of 60).

Okay, "several" is not the right word. What is the right word... Oh! I know! 950! That's right, Cha Sa-soon, had to take the written portion of the local driving test 950 times before she passed. She started taking the test in April of 2005, finally passed in October of 2009. (By the way, she spent the equivalent of about $7,000 on test fees.)

So, I'm thinking at about attempt number 427, someone should be saying, 'this lady could use a tutor.' Evidently that didn't happen.

Of course, we do similar things in our classrooms. We hand a kid back a failing test paper and say, "Correct the ones you missed and bring it back to me tomorrow to earn back credit." Let's see, (s)he didn't know the information yesterday, how will (s)he magically learn the information overnight? Easy - (s)he won't. (S)he may copy some good answers from a buddy, but that's another issue.

Reteach, retest. You can't have one without the o-o-other.

By the way, don't believe me? Here are the...
links
links

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round & Round

2009-09-06T13:32:00.004-05:00

This article from a local paper has plenty of interesting statistics about school transportation. I am flabbergasted that some districts (aside from those benefiting from robust public transit systems) are actually not providing bus transportation for students.

One of the more interesting facts: nationwide just over half of all public school student ride school buses to school daily. Among students who ride the bus, there are an average of 20 fatalities per year. Among student who don't ride the bus to school, there are an average of 800 fatalities per year.

Show her the money!

2009-08-31T21:18:00.003-05:00

A former teacher in New Jersey is facing criminal charges for taking student cash in exchange for boosted grades. The allegations are that she told the students she was collecting money for charity and would give them extra credit. Then, investigators say she kept the $1,400.

How many extra points do you think $1,400 buys? What do you want to be she was turned in by a kid who gave her cash but still failed?

Read more... if you want.

In another story from last May, students got teacher passwords and changed grades for fees ranging from $5 to $25. Were those rates based on demand? How popular the teacher or client was? Weird.

Oreo, the Cat with a GED

2009-08-16T14:20:00.003-05:00

A Better Business Bureau employee in Georgia set out to prove how useless "diploma mills" are. So, he got hit cat a GED. He says the only lie he told on the application was age. Oreo is only two years old... not the requisite 18 years.

Oreo's caretaker took the exam on the cat's behalf. He says anytime he missed a question, he was given a hint that pointed straight to the correct answer. He also wrote an essay about Oreo's adoption into the family to earn credits for "Life Experience."

Linkety-link-link.

Four-Minute Phone Call Costs Teacher $22,000

2009-08-16T08:05:00.005-05:00

Asbury Park, New Jersey has a policy of no personal phone calls in the classroom. They take this policy pretty seriously in Asbury Park. A high school teacher who made a cell phone call while she was watching someone else's class... suspended without pay for 120 days. It cost her $22,000 in lost pay.

So Ms. Getty teaches English and Performing Arts. Last year she was covering another teacher's class for 45 minutes. She made a call on her cell phone. During the call, a couple of kids begin dancing, and another kids begins videotaping the dancing. The video gets posted on YouTube. Ms. Getty gets suspended while the district investigates. The district determines that 120-day suspension without pay is appropriate, and Ms. Getty can return to her teaching duties when the suspension is over.

I know, I know, you're asking, "Was this 'dancing' really kids slamming each other around the room in a near-riot that the teacher ignored?" Well, not based on the video clips I've been able to find. It was two kiddos dancing in an open area in front of the teacher desk. The only thing that bothered me was a leap-frog move they did at one point. And yes, the teacher was ignoring the dancing, but the kids weren't moving desks or anything. And she was covering someone else's class. She was playing substitute teacher.

So who was she talking to? Well, veteran teachers (especially those from small districts) will recognize some politics here. She was calling the ex-superintendent. She says she was calling him to ask how she could best help a particular student. It seems Asbury Park had a new superintendent at the time of the incident. Had a different interim superintendent at the time the news reports were written. And has another superintendent taking over as I type this. Sounds to me like Ms. Getty is pretty close to the old superintendent, which means someone in the replacement administration probably didn't mind putting her on the hot seat.

Now you probably want to see the YouTube video, right? Well, the video has a soundtrack added to it, and the lyrics to the song (added later) are horribly "not safe." You can search for yourself, but here are a couple of still images from the video (I slightly blurred the faces). I was actually entertained by the dancing, which is really rare for me. By the way, we only see four students in the video (and someone's holding the camera). And none of the students were disciplined for any related actions -- dancing in class, posting on YouTube, etc.

"Rubber Room" Teachers Earn Salary, Do Nothing

2009-06-24T16:37:00.002-05:00

Imagine you're a teacher in New York City. Now imagine that you run afoul of your supervisor for some reason. Perhaps you tattled on some irregularities in the state testing or maybe you are always late for duty. And let's say that your supervisor is fed up enough that he/she tries to get you removed from the classroom. Then you better prepare yourself: get out your board games and water colors.

Here's what will happen -- your principal will request a disciplinary hearing. (The unions are fighting for you -- you can't be fired without due process.) So pending the hearing, you are reassigned. To what are nicknamed "Rubber Rooms." You will remain here for months or even years awaiting your hearing. Why so long? Because the arbitrators only work FIVE DAYS EACH MONTH.

The union contract says that you cannot be given new assigned duties while you await your hearing, but the district wants you out of the classroom. So you are assigned to a "temporary reassignment center" where you do... NOTHING. According to the FoxNews story, rubber room teachers pass the time by reading, writing, painting, doing yoga, sneaking over to the bar across the street, or playing board games.

There are about 700 teachers assigned to these rubber rooms, and each draws a salary of about $700K. Now, before you think that this may be a cushy assignment, keep in mind that most of the teachers assigned to rubber rooms really do not belong in the classroom. So some of these folks are tough to get along with. There are reports of many near fights ("Hey, that's my chair!").

You know what else I learned from this article? There is a National Association for Prevention of Teacher Abuse.

Can you see me now?

2009-06-18T20:47:00.002-05:00

A principal at an Orange County (FL) school is pleased that the school has improved its "rating" from an F to an A in one year. She credits the school's improvement to across-the-board eye exams. The school discovered that nearly 50 of the 530 students needed glasses.

Uh. That's less than 10% of the kiddos. The campuses where I've worked, we do test 100% of the kiddos for vision, and teachers can (and DO) refer students to the nurse for vision or hearing screenings anytime. Stories like this really make me wonder about Florida.

District Collect Lunch Debt

2009-06-17T23:48:00.002-05:00

Marshalltown Community School District in Iowa has almost $26,000 in school lunch debt on the books. So they've hired a collection agency to try to recoup some of the money owed to the district.

I admire the district's decision that kiddos should not be turned away from the lunch line (though there are some ways to mitigate these growing charges, like alternate lunches for delinquent kiddos, e.g. PB & J), but why not prevent students from registering or collecting report cards/transcripts until their account is paid. Seems like the collection agency is going to cost money and goodwill.

Florida ends "Zero-Tolerance" Policies

2009-06-17T12:04:00.003-05:00

New legislation signed by Florida Gov. Crist "Provides that zero-tolerance policies do not require the reporting of petty acts of misconduct and misdemeanors to a law enforcement agency. Encourages school districts to use alternatives to expulsion or referral to law enforcement agencies, etc."

The idea is that kiddos shouldn't be expelled for using a plastic knife to cut up their lunches, nor should a high school senior lose his appointment to Annapolis because he went fishing over the weekend and left a fillet knife in his truck.

If a US District Judge, convicted of felony, can continue to hold his office, then why should 2nd graders be automatically expelled for drawing pictures?

Fifty-Seven Percent Failure Rating

2009-06-17T09:25:00.004-05:00

There's a school in Chicago where almost 60% of the 8th-grade class has failed the school year. If you don't believe me, there's a story about it from the area's news station.

Let me get this out of the way: This incident occurred in the Chicago Public School, where the US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, served most recently as the CEO. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

The Myra Bradwell Academy (this is where a skeptic would insert air-quoties) is a Pre-K through 8 campus (wow!!). The 8th-grade class had 77 students, and 44 of those did not pass, for a 57% failure rate. Most of those students are now enrolled at summer school, and I don't know how Chicago handles retentions... it may be that those kids will all be filed on to the high school anyway. But there were a few things in the article worth discussing:

8th-Grade Graduation: The linked story says, "Tatianna Dennis' son, Tarrell, took his eighth grade photo complete with cap and gown, but the day before his grammar school's graduation, Tarrell learned he would not be marching down the aisle." My last district was ADAMANT that there were no "commencement" nor "graduation" ceremonies until a student had finished high school. In that impoverished area, administrators did not want parents feeling that students were finished with school until the student had a diploma. So we had 8th-grade award ceremonies, but no 8th-grade graduation. Those of you who are parents: how do you feel about this?
This is a Pre-K through 8 Campus: Now I would guess there is not much stability on this campus. I wonder how many of the non-passing students had been at this campus for more than 4 years. But if you've got your own program here on campus for Pre-K through 8th grade, who do you have to blame when the kiddos don't pass at the end? Did they go to summer school after 5th grade? 6th Grade? 7th grade? I also wonder how challenging it is for teachers on this campus. There are 3 8th-grade teachers and one teacher who teaches both 7th-and 8th-grade. So, evidently, these middle grade teachers are responsible for multiple subjects. That's a challenge. On my campus, we have a staff of 3 teachers dedicated only to 8th-grade math. We share ideas and the work load to prep for one subject, one grade level. I think that contributes to our success.
The role of schools is changing: Schools cannot operate they way they did 20, 10, or even 5 years ago. For example, sure you did homework when you were in school, but at a campus like Bradwell where some kiddos have parents working night jobs, some kiddos have to cook for baby brothers and sisters, and some kiddos don't always have utilities, homework isn't going to be an effective teaching tool. I'm sure this school is facing some tough challenges. No one wants ANY of their students to fail, much less 57% of them!!
Some parents were unaware: even though their kiddo had failed English twice before... another parent claims, "she has all the cell phone numbers of her kids' teachers and she calls them all the time, and her kids are doing well in school." Uh... neither of these is a good sign.
Extra credit?: "The Board of Education insists the Bradwell school did everything possible to keep the students' grades up, offering extra credit and school on Saturday. And the Board says written notices did go out." I know intellectually that extra credit is not a great idea. I've offered a kiddo extra credit when he or she is a few points away from passing (or from that "85" that mom says they have to have). But if 57% of your campus is relying on extra credit to pass, we are definitely treating a symptom and not the problem.

Seattle school district... spending money to save money

2009-06-09T22:12:00.002-05:00

Typing up a letter to send to the members of the teachers' union: negligible.

Sending that letter via certified mail: $5.00

Sending that letter via certified mail to all 3,300 teachers in the union: $18,000

That letter says the district is out of money and those teachers need to take a pay cut: PRICELESS!

This Seattle-Times column is a little sensationalist, but raises a good point.

The district lost some state funding (as budgets are downsizing). So the district is proposing that teachers get one more day of vacation next year (without pay, of course). So, instead of going through the union (as the columnist says is proper in Washington State), district officials mailed letters informing "members of the teachers union that if they didn't agree to losing one day of work next year to help the district compensate for lost state funding, they wouldn't have a job in September."

Well, I'd be shocked if the letter said that... I would expect it said that some of the union members would have to be laid off, and this solution was allow the district to avoid cutting any current positions. But that's beside the point.

The letters were sent via certified mail (law says hand delivery is acceptable... procedure says this needs to go through the union). The price tag was over $18,000. Now, to be fair, the district is probably cutting close to half a million dollars with their proposed amendment to teachers' contracts. The $18,000 is a drop in the bucket, but still... shouldn't we all be pinching pennies here?

No Graduation Ceremony for You

2009-06-06T16:00:00.004-05:00

According to a story re-reported on FoxNews, an Ohio school district (with a graduating class of 60) uncovered an extensive cheating scheme. A student found tests on teachers' computers, copied them and distributed them to other students. The district superintendent said the cheating was so widespread and so many students were involved or aware that they canceled graduation.

Best quote:

Some students admit they cheated; others said they knew of the cheating but didn't participate; and others said they had the tests but didn't use them, Holden said.

One student who used the test still failed.

High-Five Attempt = Bad Touch!

2009-05-29T17:41:00.002-05:00

So Mary Helen Lechuga used to be a district-level administrator at El Paso ISD. She was reassigned to a role as an elementary school principal. (Some articles refer to this as a "demotion," but those of us who teach know otherwise... there's a nice Harry Turtledove story, Gladly Wolde He Lerne, about that exact topic.)

So the superintendent is celebrating TAKS scores, and he high-fives all the principals. He gets to Mary Helen Lechuga, and she does not raise her hand for the high five. So the super pats her on the head instead. Lechuga "filed a police complaint saying she felt pain and feared what he might do next."

Hmmm... What do YOU think he's do next? The fist bump? Story Link in case you don't believe me.

What Are You Doing?!?

2009-04-30T18:04:00.008-05:00

So I can't find the story about this picture from the San Antonio Express News website. It accompanies a story about the Comal school district closing due to flu fears. So the kiddos (even the boys that are chasing each other) are wearing shirts that say, "We Support Our Principal -- Better Safe Than Sick."

Now, here's where I'm making some guesses. Is this group of 12 students gathered close together saying that it is wise to close the school to prevent the spread of Swine Flu? Uh... if they gather together in front of the school, how is that different from sitting together in a classroom. Isn't the point of closing the school to keep kiddos away from each other so contagions won't have a ready supply of hosts? There are 12 kids in the photo, possibly more outside of the frame. Now quit chasing each other into the street and either go to your own home or get to class.

Do you think her high-school teachers remember her?

2009-04-30T17:48:00.004-05:00

So this lady is 30 YEARS OLD! She decided it would be "fun" to drive home with her 9-year-old son on the hood of her car. The arrest documents quote her saying:

What's wrong with that, everybody does it and no one says anything

Imagine what she would be doing if there was no compulsory education.

Thirty years old. Read the Article. Watch the surveillance Video

Swine Flu Fears Continue

2009-04-30T17:29:00.002-05:00

Slippery Rock University, a small Pennsylvania school, is quarantining it's graduation ceremony. Twenty-two of their education majors just got back from Mexico City (chief export: Swine Flu). So those 22 kids are not allowed into the big graduation ceremony for all the healthy kids. Instead, they will have a separate ceremony.

In case you've missed it, many schools are worried about the spread of the 2009 Swine Flu. Many schools and a few school districts throughout Texas (and a couple of other states) have been shut down to prevent the spread of the disease. Especially strange since it's TAKS week for middle schools and high schools. The Texas Education Agency also maintains a list of schools that are closed.

And here we are trying to convince kiddos that if they trade masks with each other, the mask suddenly becomes ineffective.

State Senate Wants to End Minimum Grades

2009-04-26T14:08:00.003-05:00

The Texas State Senate is proposing a bill that will prohibit districts from implementing a "minimum grade" policy. The policies that bar teachers from giving kiddos any grade below a 50, for example.

My wife points out the problem with this bill... if there is no minimum grade, some of her freshmen will earn a -350. I can see some teacher re-enacting the Breakfast Club scene:

"Every day late is minus ten points."
"I already have a 2."
"Now it's a negative 8... you wanna go for negative 18?"

Press release link.

Prepare to begin lockdown... wait for it...

2009-04-21T19:44:00.003-05:00

So, this unarmed escapee was arrested without incident in the high school cafeteria at 9:15.

"The school went into partial lockdown and was in the process of a full lockdown when the intruder was apprehended by deputies in the school's cafeteria," Brownsville Independent School District spokeswoman Drue Brown Brown said.

So, what is a partial lockdown? All even-numbered rooms, lock your doors? And why were they only "in the process of a full lockdown" when the fellow was apprehended? How long does it take to turn on the intercom and say, "lockdown"? (Yes, that's the codeword at one local campus. I think it's awesome! You don't have to worry about "is a drill 'code marroon' or 'code gold'?" It's hard to mistake, "lockdown.")

Get that school off my lawn!

2009-04-16T18:53:00.002-05:00

Local school has field day. Local neighbor believes the noise is too loud. He calls the school office. No answer. Tries several times. No answer. Finally calls the police and complains about the noise. Principal served with noise citation. Hearing next week.

Here's the long, detailed, newsy version

Computer System Checks School Guests Against "No-Fly" List

2009-04-14T21:46:00.002-05:00

A Rio Grande Valley school district is among the latest to implement a program that allows them to immediately check visitors against databases of unwanted guests. In addition to sex offender registries, the schools can create custom lists of guests who are under restraining orders, etc.

According to the article, the system is costly at $32,000, but the software has stopped over 1,100 sex offenders at various locations just last year.

Nation's Second Largest School District Cuts Jobs

2009-04-14T21:38:00.003-05:00

The Los Angeles Unified School District is slashing 5,400 jobs (about 1,900 of them teachers) to help cope with a $596,000,000 budget shortage. (The shortage was closer to $718 million before stimulus money started rolling in.) You can see details here.

Teacher Sells Ad Space on Exams!

2009-03-13T02:18:00.004-05:00

This is creative! A Pocatello, Idaho, high school cut back on paper supplies for teachers. So an economics teacher approached a local pizzeria with a proposal: Buy me paper, and I'll put advertisements for your establishment on the handouts, worksheets, and tests that I print on your paper. See more details here.

I think I could work out something about product placement in word problems. Kinda like, "Would Becky save more money at Wal-Mart or HEB?"

UPDATE: Seems it's been done before.

Economy Attacks Chicago Private School

2009-03-12T00:50:00.003-05:00

Wow... I've served on the school board of a private school, and I can't imagine how to handle this situation. Marian Catholic High School in Chicago had 300 students who were behind in tuition payments. (Student population: 1,500+; Delinquency: $750-$5,000; Annual tuition: $8,000) The school-wide delinquency was $450,000. So after sending out notices last week, the school pulled 300 kiddos out of class Monday (the start of the new quarter), told them to call their parents to settle the bill, or to get picked up. By lunchtime, 100 students were sent home.

Here's the full story.

Robo-Teacher in Japan

2009-03-11T11:36:00.003-05:00

As you may know, Japan was been leading the way in developing robots to address their labor shortage. (Your higher-order thinking question of the day... how do other industrialized countries address their labor shortages?) A recent AP article describes the demonstration of Teacher-Bot. They say it's not intended to replace the classroom teacher (so... what is it intended to do?), and "it still can't do much more than call out names and shout orders like 'Be quiet.'" (Hmm... I had a substitute teacher like that once.)

The robot teacher, called Saya, can express six basic emotions — surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness, sadness.

Yeah, I guess that about covers it... shout, "Be quiet," and express disgust. It's ready for middle schoolers in the neighboring district -- the one with a teaching shortage.

(Yes, the photo is actual Saya in actual [demo] classroom.) Her PDAS was "proficient."

Engaging Students, Strengthening Cores

2009-03-01T13:51:00.002-06:00

New idea sweeping classrooms in the north -- replacing desk chairs with yoga stability balls.

The idea is that students are more alert and focused when sitting on these inflatable balls used for exercises and posture.

Here's a longer story.

State Rep. Calls for More School Counselors

2009-02-23T17:56:00.004-06:00

A new bill in the Texas legislature calls for more public school counselors. This one is sponsored by State Representative Eddie Lucio III (not to be confused with State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr who forgets that the "State" in his title is not optional).

Lucio wants one counselor per 300 students... the current required ratio is 1:500. His proposal also provides the funding required to make the switch.

In a separate bill, Lucio wants counselors to spend less than 10% of their time dealing with issues not related to guidance and counseling. (For those of you looking for a clock, that comes out to less than 35 minutes a day for doing cafeteria duty, using the restroom, unjamming the printer, waiting for the elevator... and I'm not sure if student scheduling is counseling or guidance.)

Says, the Rep:

"Even children at the elementary level have issues that come up on a daily basis, things that are bothering them that they want to talk to someone about," Lucio said. "That's what attracts people to the counseling profession in the first place. This is not something I dreamed up out of thin air. Experts in the field say 300 to 350 students per counselor is what the best practices models recommend."

To the link!

Teacher Arrested During Traffic Stop Near School

2009-02-20T22:27:00.002-06:00

In Keller, Texas, a second-grade teacher threw a "tantrum" during a traffic stop (for speeding) near her school. She started her discussion with the officer saying, "I'm a freaking teacher, and usually, usually you guys have some idea about that."

How do we know what she said? It was all recorded on audio. You can hear snippets along with the article online.

The teacher throws her license and insurance paperwork at the officer, then tries to drive off while he's printing the ticket. The officer tells her to park back where she was. Then the swearing and cussing begins. She peels back into her parking spot (squealing tires can be heard in the audio), and almost hits the officer. At this point, he decides to arrest the teacher.

Then comes the best part:

"You're not going to make an example out of me in front of every [expletive] parent in school!"

She's right... she's not much of an example now.

Now, I've gotten a ticket in front of the school before (and it was for speeding). Sure, everyone sees you, but it's not the end of the world. Being a teacher (or a tardy teacher) is no excuse for speeding through a school zone. I drive here everyday, I know what the limit is. I know there's a school right here! My ticket was entirely my fault. I do appreciate it when the officer is sensitive to the fact I have 30 rambunctious middle schoolers waiting for me and he is quick and efficient, but other than that...

Texting in Class Leads to Arrest

2009-02-17T18:26:00.003-06:00

Some students have not yet learned that cooperation can usually make your life happier. Is this really the war you want to wage? Have you realized that if you carry a folder to class or pretend to do your work, you get in less trouble and get to do more of the things you want to do?

The Smoking Gun has an example of poor choices leading a student to unanticipated consequences.

Student is texting in class. Teacher tells her to stop. She refuses.
Teacher asks student to give up the phone. She refuses.
Teacher calls campus police officer, student lies to officer, claiming she had no phone in class... her phone's not as school... she doesn't own a phone. Student's friends confirm she had phone in class, texting.
Officer tries to phone dad, student gives false phone numbers... multiple times.
Officer places student under arrest for disorderly conduct ($298 bail). Search discovers phone. Officer verifies phone was used to text dad during class.
Student admits it's her phone & she was texting in class, but says the phone doesn't work, so she doesn't care if she gets it back.

Boulder's "Student Worker Club" Wants to Rename High School

2009-02-12T18:56:00.005-06:00

This is kinda weird... the juxtaposition is... odd.

Boulder High School's Student Worker ~~Party~~ Club has a new initiative. Recently, the club staged a protest against the Pledge of Allegiance. Their new mission - renaming the high school. To Barack Obama High.

Hmmm... With friends like these...

I'm not an Obama fan, but I've got no problem renaming the school after him. Schools are going to be named after him. I can't imagine how much he would have to screw up in order for schools to NOT be named after him. So why not start now? But the Student Worker Club? The crew that hates the Pledge? What's up with that?

Linkety-link-link.

Schools Without Grade LEVELS!

2009-02-09T19:52:00.002-06:00

A Colorado school district is implementing major reforms, including doing away with grade levels. Instead, students will work on key skills until they demonstrate mastery (at a 'B' level), then they will progress to new material at their own pace (which may be different in different subjects).

You can see more details in an online article, but there are some interesting aspects to this approach. I'm very curious what it will do to the notion of social promotion. Will there be students who remain stuck multiplying fractions and decimals on a 6th-grade level for 6 years? Because we've got that now.

Teacher Suspended for FACEBOOK Avatar

2009-02-08T15:24:00.003-06:00

I don't understand this one, so I'm being careful. A Wisconsin teacher was placed on administrative leave because she posted a photo of herself with a gun on her facebook page.

I don't want to get suspended, so I have modified the photo. I have replaced the offensive item with a pretty puppy. (For those of you reading this on Facebook, go to my blog at The Teachers' Scrounge for the image.)

The news story from Madison has concerned quotes from both sides:

"I don't think it's appropriate," Buzzell told 27 News. "I'm not sure why this would be on the computer at all."

"I don't see anything wrong with it," school parent Mark Hagstrom said. "She's on her time to do what she wants."

An image of a gun shouldn't be on the computer at all?! What if she's in the Reserves? Or her brother is? Or... well, lots of things. Does this photo really merit suspension? I could see ASKING her to consider removing it (which she has done).

I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt... sure her avatar looks like a sniper, but hey, my avatar looks like an Obama poster. I'm not about to vote Democratic, and I'm sure she's not about to hurt anyone.

What say you, Internet world? If you think this is bad, tell me why. I want to better understand what's going on.

Tourette's in the (FRONT OF) the Classroom

2009-02-07T18:05:00.003-06:00

Book Review: Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had. Brad Cohen had a tough time getting through school because of severe Tourette Syndrome. His experience as a student inspired him to "become the teacher [he] never had." His biography tells his story from the seat in time out to being named Georgia's First-Year Teacher of the Year.

When I describe this book to people, they are initially shocked that a teacher could have Tourette's, because of the misunderstanding that Tourette's causes uncontrollable swearing. Such cases are extremely rare. Tourette Syndrome normally manifests as muscle and/or vocal tics. In Cohen's case, he barks, twitches his head, whoops, shrugs his shoulders. This sort of thing.

Front of the Class is an inspiring story. Cohen has to overcome a lot. Restaurant owners want to kick him out, he's uncomfortable going to the theater, he interviewed at TWENTY-FIVE schools before a principal was willing to hire him.

Here's the part of the book I loved -- Cohen articulates his experience as a student in the classroom. In elementary school, his Tourette's had been undiagnosed (so few knew about this ailment at the time). His parent's were frustrated and didn't know how to deal with him. Teachers were irritated and fed up with his disruptions. By middle school, he was diagnosed, and his mom made it her mission to educate the staff and faculty at his school. Cohen would deliver a standard speech the first day of class describing his condition. And then, there was the middle school math teacher. Cohen says: This teacher KNEW I had Tourette's. knew what it made me do, but he decided I was making myself hiccup on purpose. So when Cohen let out a noise, he was sent to timout across the hall. Every day it happened.

How often do we do the same thing to our students? Instead of stopping to ask why they are doing this or that, instead of trying to modify instruction because of their limitations, we barrel through and demand they conform -- even if it's beyond their abilities.

I'm fortunate to be at a campus of professionals that do see the individual seated in the classroom, and not just the distractions that child is creating. But sometimes we need a reminder.

The burning (and exploding) question...

2009-02-06T22:30:00.003-06:00

So one of the 3rd period kiddos today mentions a video game with a really cool "mini-game." (A small game-inside-the-game.) In this mini-game, the goal is to drive a car and create the most spectacular crash possible.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait, a minute!" I said.

You mean every time I show you some new math skill I'm confronted with this, "When are we ever gonna do this?" but when you're learning how to total a car, you don't bother to ask the same thing?? I mean, come on, why don't you send a letter to Nintendo and ask, "When will I ever throw turtles at mushrooms to try to save a princess?" How 'bout some equity here?

Are You Not Educated? -- "Arena Subbing"

2009-02-03T19:26:00.004-06:00

The wild world of Daytona Beach. In the recent economic crunch, the Volusia County school district has slashed the budget for substitute teachers. Administrators have named the result, "Arena Subbing."

According to the article, high schools and middle schools have been forced to assign up to 200 kiddos to a PAIR of substitute teachers. They meet in the library or the "old gym."

Why not just scratch gym class and assign students to a day of gym when their teacher is absent? Wacky.

Community complains... not enough tv in classrooms

2009-01-26T21:44:00.003-06:00

Okay, my headline's misleading, but MSNBC reports that, "Several organizations in Clarksville are upset that many school children did not get a chance to watch President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony." They have a group scheduled to meet with the school director to discuss this horror.

Um... No one has been robbed of a "chance to watch President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony." You can view it right here in its totality. Schools have plenty of curriculum to cover. While I understand the argument that this was an unusually historic moment, it makes no sense to expect schools to stop everything to view the inauguration. In the Central timezone, the moment coincided with several students' lunch. What to do about that? There are plenty of scheduling and technology concerns here.

I think it's fine (maybe even great) that many students got to watch the inauguration during the school day, but I also think it's fine that many students had other work to do. Why not tape record the event and show it in social studies classes all day on Wednesday? Why do these Clarksville community groups demand live coverage? Provided by the school? (Although this may explain the large number of absences I had in class on Inauguration Day.)

The second principal I ever worked for told me, "I'm still waiting for the day that I parent calls me to talk about curriculum -- instead of dress code, dances, pep squad, cell phones..."

Follow-Up: 100-0 Win... COACH FIRED.

2009-01-26T18:11:00.004-06:00

So to recap this blogpost, a private school racks up 100-0 win over a small school with only 20 girls in their enrollment. When the story hits the papers, the school officials apologize and request to forfeit the game. End recap.

Now, I said the forfeiting sounded odd. The team could have lifted their foot off the pedal (or off the neck of their opponents) anytime, but they didn't... then they apologize days later. Now it makes a little more sense.

The coach has been FIRED. It seems that the school board is apologetic, but the coach... not so much. What's really incredible, the coach claims he would never run up the score on anyone.

WHAT!? You mean you put in your bench players, told them to practice defense, and their bounce passes ACCIDENTALLY became the 4th-quarter 3-pointers that fans report?!

Well, there are plenty of places in Texas that this unemployed coach can find a job and be appreciated.

Dallas school apologizes for 100-0 win

2009-01-23T22:21:00.003-06:00

Here's a good one. A private school in Dallas plays a girls' Varsity game against a small school (with only 20 girls on campus). The underdog hasn't won a game in 5 years, and January 13 was no different. Yes, it was... they didn't just lose, they lose 100-0. Wow. The losing kiddos didn't want to go back out after the 59-0 halftime score, but they soldiered on. Wow.

Now, AFTER the incident became public, the winning school issued an apology. They've even asked the league to let them forfeit the game. Oh, that's nice. We didn't humiliate you enough with the blow-out win. Now a week later we want to give you a charity win.

Okay, story time:

I was working the clock at a JV game. The game was the first week after winter break. The coach told his team, "You don't show up to practice over the break, you don't play." Problem -- only 5 girls showed up to practice. So coach is playing a JV girls' game with no bench. The girls get into foul trouble, and they have less than 5 players on the floor. In fact, at the end of the game, they only had 3 players out there.

I was impressed with the opposing coach. She only allowed 3 players to play offense. They could all play defense, but only 3 could cross the half-court line. She still won handily, but showed some sportsmanship, allowed everyone to get some game practice.

Story time done.

Hello, Nurse!

2009-01-19T11:27:00.002-06:00

There's a really cute column from the Centre Daily Times (State College, PA -- home of Penn State) this weekend. A kindergarten teacher sings the praises of the school nurse. She ends with a list of her students lesser attempts at getting sent home, such as, "My sister has the weasels," or, "I have a hernia in my knee."

They actually grow up a little in this area by middle school (or their parents are tired of picking them up from school, at least). The nurse at my first campus just dispensed magic peppermints and sent them on to class. School nurses have such an unusual role. Often they have to see past the list of symptoms to decipher which kiddo is looking for an escape from Algebra and which is looking for an escape from bullying. I've been blessed with great campus nurses who can usually tell the difference and take appropriate action when necessary. And, of course, they sometimes get students who are really sick. They do that part of their job really well.

Insert School Lunch Joke Here

2009-01-15T20:06:00.002-06:00

School Board protesters in Miami-Dade are on a hunger strike. Huh?

This story is a little unusual. Two moms are so frustrated over a 5% cut in the school budget that they are camped out on the high school lawn staging a hunger strike.

Now, the school board is on their side (what school board is in favor of budget cuts?!), but the high school lawn is their chosen site of protest. I also think it's amusing that hunger strikes are now measured in hours. An early newscast reported, "These women have now gone almost 47 hours without food." The Sun-Sentinel article says, "two mothers passed their 71st hour of a hunger strike..."

I dunno... what do you think is an effective method of voicing these concerns?

Are All Failures Equal?

2009-01-14T22:40:00.004-06:00

Here we go again... the debate with NO research behind it: Should grades range from 0 to 100 or 0 to 70?

Rick Wormeli's viewpoint is stated in a little web-blurb. It begins with a quote: "We don't really need a gradiation [sic] of failure...It's the difference between 'you failed' or 'you really, really, super-sonic failed."[sic]

My gut response is: do we need gradation of passing grades? Is there a difference between 69.6 and 100? Absolutely! Is there a difference between 0 and 50? Absolutely!

We know everyone has different abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. It is often useful to measure that. Would we hire a math teacher who is moderately proficient in most areas but knows absolutely nothing about proportions? When I evaluate that teacher's volume of knowledge, do I rate that as a 0 or a 50? How does that compare to a candidate who is moderately proficient in most areas but a little "iffy" on proportions. Big difference.

Look, Rick is a proponent of allowing students to retest over and over and over to gain full credit. If you allow that, then there is (in my opinion) ABSOLUTELY no reason for capping low grades at a 50. If you are allowing a kiddo to bring that 0 back up to a 50, 70, or 100, then why not record the 0 initially?

Of course, I have a better idea... let's actually do some research on this before we argue about it any more!

TOTAL Recall

2009-01-10T18:30:00.002-06:00

In Tuolumne County, California, students have spearheaded a campaign to recall the entire school board. They collected 30% more than the required signatures, and the recall notice is slated to be served in the next few days.

California officials cannot recall a time that an entire school board was recalled. The district is politically troubled, and has had a high turnover of superintendents and board officials lately.

You can read the linked article for details on why the kiddos started the recall petition. It has to do with the firing of a math teacher based on plagiarism charges from "undisclosed" sources relating to the teacher's certification work. Seems really odd.

Where Do YOU Draw the Line on School Supplies??

2009-01-08T17:08:00.002-06:00

Today's news story of a school in economic crisis comes from Detroit. An elementary campus there sent home a letter requesting donations of toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, and 60-, 100-, or 150-watt light bulbs. (Well, if they're still using incandescent bulbs, I'm not surprised there's a budget crunch.)

This brings up a great topic for discussion... what supplies is it appropriate for a school to REQUEST, and what supplies is it appropriate for a school to EXPECT?

Should every kid provide their own paper and pencil? What about markers and scissors? Kleenex? ZIP-LOC baggies?
How specific can we get? Any pack of map colors? 16-colors or more? Two RED folders? (That was a fun one to shop for.)
What about brands? My nephew's elementary teacher once demanded a specific brand of colored pencils, and a pair of FISKARS scissors. I know of teachers who insist that students bring Dixon-Ticonderoga pencils. (Yeah, we bought the cheap scissors.)
What about classroom or teacher supplies? Can supply lists request dry-erase markers for the board or batteries for calculators?
Price limit? In the areas of Texas I live, elementary school supplies were usually $100+, but middle school supply lists were expected to be less than $10.
In middle school or high school, should each teacher be allowed to issue their own supply list? Should the department agree on a list? The campus? Are electives allowed their own supply list?
What happens if the supplies don't show up? Or run out during the year? (How many of you teachers have called home to say, "XXXX has run out of paper and hasn't had any all week. Can you take care of this over the weekend, please?")

Are supply lists appropriate at all? Should schools bear the entire cost of a "free and public education," or is it proper for parents and students to invest in their education by bringing supplies? Should all schools follow Detroit's example and ask students to bring their own toilet paper?

Does Your School Have a Cappuccino Machine?

2009-01-07T17:47:00.002-06:00

Wow... there's so much in this story... it's a little long, but I think it's worth the read.

So according to the Chicago Sun Times, it is NOT news that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) bought, "30 cappuccino/espresso machines for $67,000." However, it is almost news that many of the machines went unused, "because the schools didn't even know they were getting the equipment, schools didn't know how to use the machines and weren't prepared to implement them into the curriculum." What IS news, is that, "central office administrators split the order among 21 vocational schools to avoid competitive bidding required for purchases over $10,000." As a result, the auditor says the district overpaid by $12,000.

But wait! There's more!

At one CPS high school, when student athletes sent out transcripts, their grades were changed (raised, of course), then after the transcript was issued, the grades were switched back to their original score. (Wow, that's actually brilliant... How did that even get detected!?)

What's even MORE amazing, they'll never know who did it because staff shared login/password information!

But wait! There's more!!

A district elementary school was overpopulated, and enrollment was cut off. So some district employees got their relatives' kids into the school by falsifying their address information. (This one was done by lower-level employees, so of course, heads rolled.)

Surely That's All!

Crazy! I wonder if our recently nominated US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, is familiar with Chicago Public Schools. Oh, wait! He's the Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools! SWEET! Does that mean bailout money will bring a cappuccino machine to my campus>

Would You Return Your Payraise?

2009-01-06T18:27:00.002-06:00

A Georgia county school district is having trouble balancing their budget. Projections put them $1.8 million short. One possible solution? Cancel the 2.5% pay raise scheduled to take affect the second half of the school year. This change would save $2 million.

An article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides details, and nothing is definite yet. It looks like the option will be posed to county employees, and the vote must be unanimous to take back the raise. Wow, unanimous. I'm curious how that's all gonna turn out.

No gum for you!

2009-01-04T14:21:00.003-06:00

How did I not know this? Chewing gum is illegal in Singapore. It may not be imported, sold, or owned. It has been banned since 1992 because it caused all sorts of cleaning and maintenance problems. The tipping point was when vandals would put gum over the door sensors on the new rapid transit system, shutting down the trains. (Imagine... gum shows up on the new carpet in the classroom, so now it is banned.)

Then the story gets really weird. As the US and Singapore were negotiating the USSFTA (US/Singapore Free-Trade Agreement), Wrigley's pushed for a lift to the gum ban. Singapore finally relented to allowing Medicinal-Use gum! You may purchase sugar-free gum with calcium (builds enamel, don't you know). But you must buy from a dentist or pharmacy, and they must keep a log with your name and ID number.

So this reminds me of my Pre-Calculus teacher my junior year in high school. She was convinced she didn't have to ban gum... she only had to tell us one thing. This magical point would make sure we would never chew gum again. She said, "Where does gum come from? Trees! And what do dogs do to trees?" Then she grinned smugly. I don't think it changed anyone's views on mastication.

Florida Food Fight Ends in Arrests

2008-12-20T09:55:00.002-06:00

A story from St. Lucie County Schools reports that a pretty extensive fight occurred in the West Centennial cafeteria. Sheriff's deputies arrested five girls involved in the fight.

The story indicates that this wasn't kids tossing around food, but rather a fight that had been brewing all day until it bubbled over during lunch, so the assailants included food in their brawl.

Food fights are pretty scary for all the bystander kiddos just sitting around trying to eat lunch with their friends. I was on a campus that responded to a food fight by assigning the kiddos seats at lunch and escorting them single-file to and from the lunch room. It was effective. They didn't like it, and some of them tried to organize a hunger strike (which made no sense on sooooo many levels).

The reasoning went like this: If we don't buy their food, they'll lose money and give in to us. (So why do you have to go hungry... just bring a lunch from home. Bring lunches for your friends so they don't buy lunch either.) They planned an organized for the "big day." When that day arrived, it was the students who buckled. They wanted food and bought lunch. I recall a single boycotting student. Sitting quietly next to her "friends" who abandoned her cause and were chowing down.

Okay, I'm done with my story now.

A Fresh Perspective

2008-12-15T17:17:00.003-06:00

I was drawn to this book because my wife is an attorney. She is, of course, brilliant, and she earned her way into one of the great "first tier" law schools. I have always been fascinated with the rigor of law school: from the Socratic method in the classroom to the grueling bar exam.

One L is Scott Turow's biographical account of his first year at Harvard Law School. He certainly describes an atmosphere of high standards and fierce competition.

As a teacher, I found parts of the book fascinating (and enlightening!!!) as Turow describes his academic reactions to events in the classroom.

I began to think that this is the same experience many of my students have, but Turow is articulate enough to describe them.

Like some of my students, Turow and his classmates find themselves struggling with difficult material (often for the first time in their academic careers). Turow describes one instance where he made a logical comment, and the professor gently corrected his misconception. Turow says he was so humiliated he decided never to speak up in class again -- and he did remain silent for the next several weeks.

He also describes the reactions we know exist in our students when they encounter failure. After the first term grades arrived, students who did not do well decided that exams were unimportant anyway, and began treading water until graduation -- two-and-a-half years away!

I can't say the book gave me answers on how to motivate and nurture my struggling students, but it certainly gave me a valuable perspective.

My next book: Kathleen Flinn's account of spending a year at the French culinary academy, Le Cordon Bleu.

Things best avoided in polite company...

2008-11-21T21:18:00.003-06:00

I think what I like most about this story from Florida is the way they use my favorite (and most polite) euphemism for flatulence. ("Breaking wind")

The summary: 13-year-old student disrupts computer class by switching off computers and "breaking wind." Student admits to the campus police officer that he did both things intentionally. Officer arrests student for "disrupting a school function." (Student is fined & released to his parents.)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to forward this story to a certain staff member who has been avoiding arrest for too long.

Financial Failure Encourages Teacher Training

2008-10-26T21:07:00.002-05:00

A recent USA Today article asserts that the financial downturn is responsible for more applicants to teacher ed. programs, specifically Teach For America.

Eh, their arguments on the causes are pretty flawed, and we could discuss whether the growing numbers are good or bad, but they have some interesting stats about the growth of TFA. I thought I'd share:

Year	Applicants
2000	4,068
2001	4,946
2002	13,877
2003	15,708
2004	13,378
2005	17,348
2006	18,968
2007	18,172
2008	24,718

Tough Times for Good Teachers

2008-10-26T20:55:00.003-05:00

I am a big fan of the American Enterprise Institute. When I was in DC, I attended at least one conference there, and my institute worked closely with them on a variety of projects.

One of their scholars, Charles Murray, writes an essay about some of the factors that run good teachers out of the classroom. He recently wrote a book about education in America, and included the stories of three of the best teachers he could find. Those three teachers have left the public schools where they taught for three different reasons.

Now, Murray has a controversial history, and his recent book raises some points that are sure to cause lively discussion, but his story of three good teachers leaving the classroom speaks for itself.

You know, the goals of our education system are different today than they were 15 years ago. Our schools don't do the same job now that they did then. Teachers don't do the same job they did then. I don't know if it's good or bad (it's probably at least a little of both).

Restoring the Right to Fail

2008-10-12T18:06:00.002-05:00

I am amazed that sometimes I can disagree with a reasonable person, and disagree so greatly that we both find the other's position incomprehensible.

This is how I sometimes feel in the midst of debates over grading policy. We're not talking about curriculum or teaching practices, but rather what constitutes "Mastery." While I understand how we could differ on the definition of mastery, the spectrum of definitions is so broad, that I do find some positions hard to understand.

The Seattle Times reports in this article, that Seattle public high schools are going to allow teachers to give failing grades for the first time since 2000.

Previously, students were issued "No Credit" and the score did NOT affect their GPA. I don't get it, but feel free to post your comments.

Increase in Questionable Education Degrees

2008-10-03T18:17:00.002-05:00

A Washington Post article discusses an increase in educators with higher degrees from "diploma mills."

It's such an interesting topic with soooooo many facets. Here are some of my quick takes:

The education profession does not reward merit, but overemphasizes calendar experience and degrees. This means degrees are overvalued to begin with. Further, Districts award stipends for advanced degrees. This means all degrees are equally valued. A Master's from Yale is paid the same bonus as a Master's from Walden University Online.

There is a big gap between the theory of education degrees and the practicality of the classroom. Degree applicants know this, and so they do not respect their own degree enough to put too much effort into them. Some programs emphasize mentorship and practicums, but those are rare.

Educators work hard at their jobs, and CANNOT put too much effort into their degrees.

Dissertations are often stat-driven. This is a weakness for many liberal arts majors. Resulting in comments like these:

Other experts said the quality of education-related dissertations is often poor.

"Oh, it just gets so bad," said Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and former president of the Teachers College at Columbia University. "People writing dissertations in which they ask, 'How do you feel about this? How do you feel about that?' They run statistical tests that you can't run. They pose questions that you can't answer with the research you've done."

My most important comment: You get out of a program whatever you put into it. Some programs encourage/guide/require their students to put more into a degree than other programs do. It is possible to get an outstanding, effective education from most any program.

Engaging Students

2008-09-21T15:51:00.004-05:00

Let me share an idea we've implemented at my campus this year. We have televisions in the cafeteria. These tvs connect with our media station. They can carry cable programming, a DVD or VHS played from the library, or (and here's the cool one) it can broadcast a computer monitor from the library station.

Last year, we played a PowerPoint slide show on those screens with a myriad of math facts. But this year, we wanted to "kick it up a notch!" We thought we could engage the kiddos by putting those facts in the form of a quiz. So we solicited questions from ALL the teachers (electives, core curriculum, PE, everyone) and based the slide show on the trivia contests you see an Buffalo WildWings and other similar restaurants.

The result is cool. We sprinkle in some current events and pop culture questions, and the students' reaction has been positive. Especially the younger students are shouting out answers and following along. We swap out the questions every week.

If you want to try something similar, you can download my PowerPoint slide show and use it as a template: Lunch Quiz PowerPoint Template

California Ag Teacher Killed by Aggressive Bull

2008-09-15T18:27:00.004-05:00

Tulare, California is grieving the loss of a 31-year veteran Ag teacher, Max Corbett, who was killed by one of the farm bulls over the weekend.

I have the utmost respect for Ag teachers. It is a tremendous investment of time, and requires a very diverse skill set. Ag teachers perform a service to their students -- and the community -- that cannot be found elsewhere in the school. As such, I am sure Mr. Corbett will be sorely missed.

The Fresno Bee article contains more info.

New year -- New book study

2008-09-13T22:00:00.002-05:00

We are three weeks into the new school year. Progress reports go home on Monday. Each year, our faculty participates in a campus-wide book study. This year, we are reading the book, Fair Isn't Always Equal, by Rick Womeli. The book addresses issues related to differentiated instruction -- a district focus for some time now.

I want to share a thought from the first chapter. What would happen if a teacher from the 50s, 60s, 70s, or even the 80s stepped into your classroom. Would he be comfortable and able to teach your kiddos the same way you do? Or would he be lost, overwhelmed by the differences between your classroom and his?

I think it's fascinating to think about what we know and do that teachers did not 10, 20, or 30 years ago. Not "what" is different (technology, or "things"), but "how" we are different (methods, strategies, data).

Leave me a comment. How is your teaching different from the classroom of 20 years ago? The author, Rick Wormeli, says our hope is that the 1970s teacher will look at our classroom and say, "I wish I had known that 30 years ago. It would have helped me with Gennie in 4th period."

Schools Respond to Gas Prices

2008-08-07T11:29:00.002-05:00

If you haven't heard, there are a handful of school districts that have implemented a four-day school week in order to cut transportation costs. I think it's an elegant solution, reducing your bus transportation budget by almost 20%. Some districts have begun bringing in students 4 days a week and making Friday a half-day workday for faculty.

In Texas, many districts hold summer school only Monday through Thursday, and this last summer some of the holdouts switched to the short week.

Recently, USA Today reported on some college campuses that are discouraging students from bringing cars to school. Some school were trying to train their students to be eco-friendly, other campuses were trying to avoid building parking garages, but some of their solutions are creative.

This fall, Ripon College in Ripon, Wis., is offering freshmen free mountain bikes, helmets and locks in exchange for a promise not to bring a car to campus. The $300-per-student cost is funded by private donations.

Other schools are running bike repair shops or bake-sharing programs. (Texas A&M tried a "Borrow-A-Bike program when I was on campus, but had to strike the program under liability concerns. I am curious how the new programs at these other campuses are different.)

California considers prizes for test scores

2008-08-03T13:44:00.003-05:00

Evidently Governor Arnold doesn't read my blog. California is considering "non-monetary incentives" to students for achievement (or improvement) on state tests. You can read about the proposal.

This could go wrong so many ways. I went to school with kids who would have tanked the test to make it easier to score an "improvement" incentive later on. But the problem is, studies show this won't help math scores.

I have a theory why this is true. Most of our kids can read, and most of them are fluent in English. Our reading tests don't require a lot of outside knowledge (they ask, "What is the main idea in paragraph 3?" or "The underlined work in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to which of the following?"). The math test, however, requires a lot of outside information (they ask, "Which of these forms a Pythagorean Triple?" or "Which measure of central tendency will be affected to the most?").

In short, a student who buckles down on the day of the reading test can boost his or her score a few points. (I was in 8th grade before I realized my score went up if I actually read the entire passage!) There is no equivalent on the math test. Buckling down on the day of the math test won't do much. There are so many pieces to the math puzzle that a student has to collect over several years. Reading the entire math problem does me no good if I cannot remember the difference between mean and mode. I can recheck my answers, but if I write my proportion upside-down, I will never get the right answer.

Kids these days

2008-08-03T13:37:00.002-05:00

Interesting USA TODAY story summarizes an annual study measuring trends in teenagers -- from reading ability to church attendance and even suicide rates. In short, the study shows only slight changes over the last 28 years. Is that what you would have predicted?

Math Gender Gap Gone?

2008-08-03T13:12:00.002-05:00

Okay, it is back to school time. I've already spent two days working with the math department, and our staff retreat is tomorrow, so we can all expect more activity on this blog.

To start with, here is a recent news article from Chicago: Girls match boys on tests in math: study. The researchers acquired their results by looking at test scores from state "No Child Left Behind" exams as well as SAT scores. They found no disparity between male and female performance levels.

I find is suspect that they did not create their own test and sample to gather data. States have a lot of pressure to generate NCLB results. And the goal is to get every student to the "acceptable" level. That means resources are moved around so that everyone will reach the same level of achievement. In short, I hypothesize that the parity is due to the school's test prep for that particular test, and may not translate into complete math parity. To support my argument, I offer this quote from the article:

They also looked for gender discrepancies at the highest levels of mathematical ability, checking to see if more boys fell into the top percentiles of scores than girls.

"While we did find more boys than girls above the 99th percentile at a 2-to-1 ratio, still, 33 percent of those kids who are above the 99th percentile are girls," she said.

The study acknowledges a disparity in SAT scores (the one test in the study where students are NOT prepped to meet identical achievement levels), but claims that is a "sampling artifact" because fewer males take the test, so the male sample must be smarter. (Yeah, so what do the writing tests show?!) The study also points out that, mysteriously, women are still heavily underrepresented in math and science professions.

"One Nation Left Behind"

2008-07-26T12:05:00.002-05:00

Okay, continuing my recent trend of video posts, we have a commercial from a group called Strong American Schools. This non-partisan group wants to make education part of the discussion in this presidential race. The pessimistic title of this article is the title of their ad.

Another TeacherTube Video

2008-07-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

Having fun, playing with TeacherTube:

TeacherTube Video

2008-07-13T01:10:00.002-05:00

New experiment here... I've heard about TeacherTube, and I had a couple of video ideas that were rolling around in my head. I put together an animation that teaches perimeter. You can enjoy it here. Feedback always welcome (I know that I need better lighting in future animations).

Texas Classroom Teachers Association

2008-07-12T01:40:00.002-05:00

I've spent the last couple of days at a leadership conference for Texas Classroom Teachers Association. It was a lot of fun, and I learned quite a bit.

TCTA always points out that they are the only Texas teacher group that is exclusively for teachers... members are not administrators, board of trustees, bus drivers, etc. I never really understood why that was a big deal before, so let me try to summarize the problem. The vast majority of teacher "issues" relate to supervisors. If you and your principal are members of the same organization, they can't represent either one of you in any legal proceedings. If your organization represents teachers, adminstrators, and staff, who does it fight for in the legislature? When principals ask teachers to give up conference periods and duty-free lunches on TAKS testing days, who does your professional organization back in that fight?

Some other advantages of TCTA:

Highest Lawyer-to-Member ratio of any Texas teacher group. TCTA employs nine full-time (very experienced) attorneys. When you call TCTA with a problem, you speak directly to an attorney. You aren't routed to a staff member or paralegal who decides if you get to talk to a lawyer. That means when you call TCTA, your discussion is protected under attorney-client priveledge. If you talk to another organization's paralegal, you have no such protection.
Highest liability coverage. TCTA provides members with $7 million in professional liability insurance, $2 million in civil rights coverage, and a long list of other coverage. In the event that you are involved in an issue with another TCTA member, TCTA has a Teacher Defense Fund it can tap so that each member can get legal representation without a conflict of interest.
Information. TCTA updates members on important issues affecting educators. From sex offenders in your classroom to the legality of "trade-and-grade," TCTA lets you know what's going on.
Member discounts. ...at hotels, car rentals, cell phone, etc.
A voice in Austin. TCTA's politcal action committee, ACT, actively works for teachers. They write legislation and work with members of congress to get it sponsored and passed. It has been TEN YEARS since any other Texas teacher organization has passed legislation. Something that I appreciate -- TCTA does NOT endorse candidates. They will inform you about the issues hitting the legislature in the next term, but they don't tell you who to vote for. (And that means they are never locked out of the halls of power because they backed the losing candidate.)
Involvement. As a teacher, I want to improve the world of education and be involved. TCTA does that. You get the support of the local chapter, the state organization, and they're the most reasonably priced!

New book: Problems of the Week

2008-06-29T23:33:00.003-05:00

I have a new book available for online orders (and you can always view details on all my books along with previews at First Hand Press).

My latest book, Problems of the Week: Developing Mathematic Thinking for Middle School Students, is a collection of thought-provoking math problems for middle schoolers. Each question is a creative problem that gives students a chance to use their math skills in new ways.

Estimate the area of the parking lots at Mall of the Americas
Use a cricket to calculate temperature
Measure how many miles Barry Bonds ran in a season of home runs

Each problem set is photocopy ready with attractive clipart. Teach students that math is more than 30-second arithmetic!

Print edition: $11.99
E-Book: $4.99

InterNOT!

2008-06-26T19:12:00.003-05:00

They tell me that the Chinese work for "crisis" is composed of two characters: Danger and Opportunity. If that's true, that the internet is an education crisis!

Yes, yes, it's thriving with opportunity, but, man, you've got to watch those kiddos like a hawk! I'm constantly amazed by what they get around the internet filters. Google image search is blocked? Then used the Danish google site! (Who thought of that!?) Sometimes they're foolish enough to show me what they've accomplished. Then I trudge off to the campus technology rep, and VOILA! Look what I've accomplished! You're BLOCKED!

Usually the kiddos try to excuse their contraband. "Look, I'm playing math games!" or "I get more work done if I listen to vulgar music while I study!" But other times there is no excuse. Recently in the computer lab a student was trying to hide an internet explorer window where he was reading "Wikipedia: History of the Bloods." Wow. You can't even pretend you're on-task with that one. Especially since there are no research papers in summer school

New book

2008-06-19T17:31:00.004-05:00

So here's the story behind this book... My wife is an attorney, and she tells me that one of her law professors used to tell a "Joke of the Day." He would use it as a transition or to wake up the class or whatever. So she said I should try that in my classroom.

Yeah, well a middle school teacher faces a few extra challenges there. College classes meet two or three times a day for 16 weeks. Law professors can tell racy jokes, blonde jokes, religious jokes, death jokes... things I'm not comfortable telling to 12 year olds in my classroom.

But I tried it! The kids loved it. Until I ran out of jokes. It's a good time filler when three kids are still copying notes and you're about to lose the kids who are waiting. I also love telling the Joke of the Day right after someone leaves for the restroom. Next time maybe they'll go before class.

Since I didn't want to run out of jokes, I tracked down 180 jokes that I felt were appropriate for 8th graders, then wrote 'em all down. Then made a nice cover for them and put them on a print-on-demand website. Makes sense, right? You can view a preview of the book at its sales page. It's available in a print edition or as an e-book that you can download.

Get the Lead Out!

2008-06-19T15:03:00.002-05:00

I was visiting with a summer school teacher today about our pencil supply, and one thing led to another until I found this discussion online. This is from the ProTeacher forum. I am not familiar with the forum, but this particular discussion thread was very thorough and useful regarding pencils in the classrooms. Here is a summary:

Dixon Ticonderoga pencils are the absolute best. They are more expensive, but they last longer, sharpen better, have quality erasers, cure cancer, etc. Some teachers required this particular brand of pencil in their school supplies and found that parents rebelled by sending no pencils at all.
Recommending mechanical pencils instead of wood pencils brings a series of special headaches -- kids don't realize they are almost out of lead, lead comes in multiple sizes, kids don't know how to use appropriate pressure and break the lead constantly.
Atlas Pencil Company sells misprinted pencils by the gross. You can visit their teacher site at www.forteachersonly.com.
Classroom Direct has good prices on pencils. You can view their catalog online.
Golf pencils are short stubbies with no eraser that you buy by the gross. It a bad idea. They only sharpen a few times, the kids need erasers, and many kids don't take care of them (or return them) because they are just silly little golf pencils.
Personal pencil sharpeners at each desk make a mess. Kids can be trained to be careful of this mess.
Kids oversharpen pencils.
Industrial pencil sharpeners exist. One teacher trains kids to use the electric sharpener -- "Count to three, then check."

Useless information: Lee Corso of ESPN's College Gameday works for Ticonderoga Pencils.

School Investigates Abuse Based on Psychic

2008-06-18T17:57:00.003-05:00

According to several reports from Canadian news sources, a teaching assistant visited a [alleged] psychic. Normally no big deal (though odd). The [self proclaimed] psychic asks, "Do you have a student whose name starts with a V?" The teaching assistant says that she does indeed have a student named Victoria. The psychic [sic] says, "I knew it. By the way, she's being sexually abused by a man in his 20s... or 30s... or some other age."

Then the story gets weird. The school reports this to the Children's Aid Society. Odd that the psychic didn't know things like... I dunno... Victoria is autistic and your little charade-for-hire is going to devastate a few people.

Okay, no that my mocking of psychics is over, a few things to keep in mind. If an educator reasonably believes that there is some form of abuse, that suspicion must be reported (in Texas, within 24 hours). In Texas, a report can be filed with Child Protective Services over the phone or online. You can learn more about reporting through their website.

Now, obviously the professionals among us will ignore the [pseudo-] psychics. But, if you are a teacher reading this, and if you ever suspect abuse based on what you have seen or heard, I implore you to make a report. The report will give you an opportunity to explain if your suspicion is based on an unusual event or a pattern of behavior. But your report may be the first domino in getting a kiddo the help that he or she NEEDS. Make the report. Please. But not based on information from your [charlatan] psychic.

Book Review: The Sea of Monsters

2008-06-17T19:40:00.003-05:00

Oh, yeah! Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, returns for more trouble. Though a well contained story about facing famous Greek monsters to rescue some treasures, this book begins to outline a broader story. Author Rick Riordan expands his mythological palette to include, not just the Olympians, but their precursors, the Titans.

This book has all the strengths of the original Percy Jackson adventure, The Lightning Thief. Fast paced action, cliff hangers in every chapter, likable characters, and clever original writing make this book a winner.

Book Review: High School Confidential...

2008-06-17T19:20:00.003-05:00

Yuck. Pointless. Insincere. Self serving.

I think that about does it. So (allegedly), author Jeremy Iverson persuades a high school principal to allow him to attend classes for a semester as a high school senior. Then Jeremy (allegedly) documents the culture for a shocking look at teenage life in High School Confidential: Confessions of an Undercover Student. I call shenanigans. Oh, I believe he actually conned an administrator into letting him attend class, and I accept that he went to school acting as a high school senior. The rest, I believe, is more fantasy than documentary.

The students at "his" high school claim they all knew he was not "one of them." He admits that most of the stories are some sort of composite. Each student, teacher, security guard, and administrator fits perfectly into a stereotype. It doesn't seem that Iverson is surprised by anything he encounters. He invents a romantic rendezvous between a teacher and student, then justifies it in the end notes because statistics show that it happens.

This book was far too self-serving for my taste. I felt like Iverson was wasting a prime opportunity to gain insight into the teenage world. Instead he wanted to relive his high school years since he was always stuck in prep schools. That and he wanted to write a bestseller.

Put it on the shelf next to A Million Little Pieces -- a novel based on a handful of actual events.

Book Review: The Lightning Thief

2008-06-12T15:34:00.002-05:00

Rick Riordan, a Texas author, has written an incredible series of children's books. Many have called it "The next Harry Potter," at which point someone always shouts, "No, it's better than Harry Potter." I think they're both right.

The Lightning Thief is about Percy Jackson, a sixth grader who discovers that his father is a Greek god. You know, those residents of Mount Olympus (which it turns out is now hovering over NYC). Yep, Percy is a demigod. And what do demigods do? They go on quests! And so Percy travels across modern America on his quest. Without giving too much away, I have to tell you that Medusa is running a roadside stand... selling concrete lawn ornaments!

Amazingly creative and very well written. The books are action packed. Short chapters move quickly from one adventure to the next. The Percy Jackson series will eventually include five books. The fifth and final book is due out spring of 2009. So far, each book is approximately the same length (which makes me believe Riordan has planned his plots very well and is a disciplined writer).

This book has been popular among my eighth graders for many years (though Rick Riordan is a local author, so that may skew the sample). But when the most recent book was released recently, I had more than a dozen kids reading it in class the very next day.

Helicopter Parents Abroad

2008-06-07T08:04:00.003-05:00

As children's issues change over time, so do parent issues. The term "Helicopter Parent" refers to moms and dads who "hover" around their kids, making sure that the young'un gets every possible advantage. Well, a recent story coming out of Japan describes a school play where no parent was willing to allow his or her child to play a role other than the lead. The result: 25 Snow Whites on stage with no dwarfs or wicked witches.

Now I believe children are not helped by silent, uninvolved parents, but some parents need to take a step back and realize teachers really want to work with parents. No one benefits when parents and teachers become adversaries.

Retiree Passes Away Shortly After Final Class

2008-06-01T22:44:00.003-05:00

This week a Florida 4th-grade teacher died of a heart attack shortly after teaching her final class. Sharon Smith was retiring after 36 years of teaching. There are so many financial reasons not to postpone retirement, here's another reason to retire while you're still in good health.

Here's the article from the Pensacola paper.

Use some common sense & decency

2008-06-01T20:17:00.002-05:00

So there's a news story making the rounds about a high school student who disparaged school administrators on her blog. This student called school officials a nasty name -- on her personal blog on her own time. Those school officials said, "You know what, you don't need to be class secretary any more."

The US Second Court of Appeals said the school was within its rights to do so.

Gotta say this makes sense to me. Class offices are (in my mind) completely at the discretion of the school. The school can dissolve the class offices altogether if they feel like it.

Similarly, when I was in high school, a teacher in my district almost lost his teaching certificate because he was publishing an underground newspaper that was critical of the school district. TEA considered yanking his certificate for insubordination. (He now writes about city council instead... I was going to post a link to the paper's website, but the first three stories have a photo of a topless woman and a picture of some animal's "output area"... and he was surprised when he was nailed with insubordination charges)

Just a head-up. Be nice. Be thoughtful in creating reasoned prose instead of resorting to name calling. And don't bite the hand that feeds you. If it's really that bad, don't take their money or class office.

The Big Red 50!

2008-05-28T16:50:00.002-05:00

USA Today describes, "The Great Education Debate." And it is a great debate -- should a zero be a zero? There is a growing trend to turn zeros into a 50. In some locales, that means the six weeks (or semester grade) can be no lower than a 50, in other places, it actually means that students cannot receive a grade lower than a 50 on any assignment.

While the debate rages (and I encourage you to resist the strong emotions you feel -- there are strong arguments on each side) check out this quote:

A top proponent of a minimum-50 policy, Thomas Guskey of Georgetown College in Kentucky, acknowledges that there are no studies he knows of that examine whether such approaches increase passing rates.

For all the research we do in education covering every topic under the sun, for all the passion on both sides of this issue, why have there been no studies? We should have studies not only looking at passing rates, but also at general student performance. Are kiddos enticed into trying hard knowing that passing is still possible (as 50-minimum proponents claim) or do underachievers have the same level of skills under both plans?

Reading Scores Get 'Bump' From Student Incentives, Study Finds

2008-05-28T16:45:00.002-05:00

The first two paragraphs of this article:

School-based reward programs that offer students such incentives as cash, free MP3 players, or other gifts appear to produce improved reading achievement across grade levels, preliminary findings from an ongoing research project suggest.
The analysis, which looked only at charter schools because of the prevalence of incentive programs in the independent public schools, found no impact on students’ performance in mathematics.

Interesting... read more if you like.

DAVID HENDRICKS: Accountability hurts students, businesses

2008-05-25T10:01:00.003-05:00

There are a couple of quotes in this column that really hit the nail on the head. The column is based on a speech given by San Antonio ISD Superintendent, Robert Durón.

Calling testing an “obsession,” Durón said no test can determine if students have learned what they need to be employable.

“You can't test for punctuality. You can't test for initiative. You can't test for problem solving. Those are things that you can't bubble in on a test,” Durón said.

The problem goes beyond the limitations of assessment tests.

Teachers have to “teach to the test.” When they do so, they have to concentrate on the 10 percent of students who will have the most difficulty passing the test. That exasperates the other students. The fun in education gives way to stress for teachers, students and administrators.

“This is why students are bored,” Durón said. “Students drop out, but what scares me are the students who drop out because they are bored.”

On a completely different note, the superintendent's contract is available on the SAISD website. It turned my stomach a little. I don't understand why no one is paying MY professional dues. (Among other things!)

Texas Approves New Lang. Arts / Reading TEKS

2008-05-25T09:54:00.005-05:00

The Texas State Board of Education has passed the much-talked-about new TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) for English Language Arts/Reading. The Board did NOT approve a reading list (the idea of a state reading list was a large controversy in itself). The new curriculum is divided into three sections:

No end soon to soaring enrollments

2008-05-25T09:39:00.003-05:00

I stole this graph from a San Antonio-Express News article. Schools in that area are experiencing tremendous growth. One local district opens 3-5 new schools each and every year. These new schools barely keep up with growth as portable classrooms are frequently placed on campuses within the first three years of operation.

Don't get me wrong, I actually like portable classrooms -- normal shaped class, your own thermostat, windows, etc. And I cannot imagine the planning necessary to stay ahead of the population trends in some of the largest school districts in the state. You've got to buy up land in advance of the developers, and the school districts have done a good job of getting quality land (I've seen other districts where the schools flood when there's a healthy rain -- YIKES!).

We worry about stability when we address teacher retention, but this graph talks to the bigger stability issue. Students are reassigned to new schools as they open... the campus five blocks away is capped, busing kids to a different school... teachers leave to "open" new campuses (a truly unique challenge requiring quality individuals). It's tough for a campus to bond when you're losing students and staff all the time. And if you're not losing, then you're campus is so large it's tough to build effective learning communities.

Principal won't be charged

2008-05-23T19:48:00.002-05:00

I think this is such an amusing story. Teachers are all too familiar with the pressure to improve scores on standardized tests. This principal allegedly told science teachers,

"I will kill all of you and then shoot myself...You don’t know how ruthless I can be.”

He finally admitted he may have said that. He knows he told them they would all be fired, but he's not sure about the shooting and the killing.

No charges will be filed.

Scores? We should find out soon. Last year, 62% met panel recommendation (which is this year's passing standard).

Report Finds Racial Gap in Student Suspensions

2008-05-22T22:09:00.002-05:00

This article examines the racial disparity in student suspensions. It's a thoughtful article... if for no other reason than the surprise that some school districts actually suspend children for persistent disruption. (Instead of having to reserve that tool for more serious issues.) I find this quote especially salient:

But any effort to study why black children are suspended more than whites should include looking at how well a mostly white teaching corps connects with an increasing number of black students, school officials say.

Texas School Finance

2008-05-20T16:50:00.002-05:00

Dr. John Folks, superintendent of the fourth-largest school district in Texas, recently testified before the State legislature on the topic of school finance. He recently published a transcript of his testimony. Here are a few highlights:

"Northside is fortunate to have enjoyed relatively stable finances over the past several years. This is because of several very difficult decisions District leaders made to keep our finances sound when we could not afford to wait for the Legislature to take action on school finance following the West Orange-Cove ruling. In 2003-04, salaries were frozen and the budget was cut to save $22.7 million. Then, in 2004-05, block scheduling was ended at secondary schools to save $15 million. Today, those cuts add up to $180 million in savings, or costs that we have avoided. Making those cuts was not in the best interests of our staff or students – it was a financial decision.

"There is no logic applied to how a district’s target revenue is set, and one school district’s target revenue could differ from another’s by more than $2,000 per student. The formula that is used to figure out a district’s target revenue is very complex and confusing. In looking at large districts across the state, Northside fared better than some, but there are still many districts that have a target revenue figure higher than ours. If, for example, NISD had the target revenue of neighboring North East ISD, we would collect $21.2 million in additional funding annually. Or, if we had Austin’s target revenue, we’d be getting more than $67 million in additional funding. Why are some school districts expected to make do with less?

"As revenue from local property taxes increases, the less state funding school districts receive. In other words, it’s a wash, and Northside doesn’t benefit at all from the healthy economy it helps to generate.

"Northside ISD has spent approximately $1 million on mandates the 80th Legislature voted into law but failed to fund. These include: the bi-annual bus evacuation trainings, the physical fitness evaluations, and automatic external defibrillators for each campus, to mention a few. There also are new academic requirements such as the “4 x 4,” that will require us to shoulder the cost of hiring additional science teachers, improving science labs, and providing staff development."

Girl's fear of school costs district thousands

2008-05-18T19:35:00.002-05:00

A Pennsylvania girl suffers from "School Phobia." As a result, her local school district has spent state compensatory education funds on her to help her get an education despite her disability. There are a few interesting tidbits in the article... It seems she is able to attend a boarding school... Her mother opts not to homeschool her because mom thinks she can't help her with math & science. (To which I say, "and how is that worse than what she gets now?!"

A Trip to Paradise

2008-05-16T16:28:00.002-05:00

So the kiddos get a little more relaxed as school winds down, and we each have to pick our battles. I have surrendered one of my white boards and a stash of dried-out markers. Someone began my drawing "Mr. J's Summer Paradise" and sketching a stick figure in a hammock on an island with palm trees. Well, many have added to it.

There actually seems to be a competition between the pro-J and anti-J forces. First the drawing showed a coconut falling on my head. Then some kind soul added a hat to protect me. Rain was followed by umbrellas. Sharks arrived and even an orange missile labeled "NUKE." This morning the pro-J sketchers added a force field (and even a generator to circulate air inside.

Somewhere along the way the "Mr. J's Paradise" was amended to become "Mrs. J's Paradise." I'm not sure if it's her paradise because I'm off on a desert island where I can't bother her or because of the nuke.

Games in Math Education

2008-05-15T18:42:00.002-05:00

A recent study from Carnegie Mellon University shows that using board games can develop number sense among children. The study used a game similar to "Chutes and Ladders" and measured improvements in students math skills.

I certainly played a lot of board games as a kid, and to this day, my mental model of integer addition is competing RISK armies. We also had a game called PAYDAY where you moved along a one-month calendar. There was a wide range of math skills that one developed.

Dallas Middle School Substitute Come to Class Drunk

2008-05-14T17:08:00.003-05:00

According to a Dallas Morning News article, a middle school teacher in Dallas failed a field sobriety test and was arrested... in class. Another staff member in the room suspected something and tipped of campus cops. The guy admits to having some wine with his lunch.

The police report says the officer actually had to halt the sobriety test for the guy's safety - he was that inebriated. What!? They don't halt school for the safety of all the teachers they send to face 8th graders without the aid of alcohol?! (Just kidding... this is horrible... you almost wonder how often this would happen if we had more than 25 minutes for lunch!)

The Credit Crunch and Kiddos

2008-05-13T17:22:00.004-05:00

The Brookings Institute released a well researched report called The Impact of the Mortgage Crisis on Children and Their Education. The report tries to calculate the number of school children who will be displaced from their homes due to foreclosures as the mortgage crisis marches on.

The estimate is 144,400 schoolchildren in Texas will be forced out of their homes, and 1.8 million children nation-wide.

This is a good time to provide a link to the Texas Homeless Education Office. Read about the resources and policies there.

Turnover in Math and Sciences

2008-05-13T16:53:00.002-05:00

The Business-Higher Education Forum, a Washington-based coalition of corporate, collegiate, and philanthropic leaders, has estimated that 280,000 new math and science teachers would be needed between the time the group issued its report in 2005 and the 2014-15 academic year. That figure was based on projected increases in student enrollment, as well as requirements for decreasing student-to-teacher ratios. It did not take into account the burden of new state math and course requirements.

From Education Week: Math Group Tries to Help Young Teachers Stay the
Course

What did you call me?

2008-05-13T16:51:00.001-05:00

A Washington Post Article by Daniel de Vise opens with this gripping lead: "Middle schools, forever castigated as the weak link in public education..." Wha? This is how you begin a news article? I want a citation for that claim. Unless he means "Forever castigated as the repository for addled hormones..."

Blue & Orange & Red All Over

2008-05-12T19:15:00.002-05:00

A fairly new strategy for increasing test scores is the student challenge (you know, the Double Dare physical challenge). Teachers agree to shave their heads, wear dresses, kiss pigs, etc. if students manage to pass the test.

One of my colleagues agreed to dye his hair in school colors -- orange and blue -- if his kiddos did well. And they did! He showed up last week in BRIGHT University of Florida colors.

He says kids in the hall asked, "Did you dye your hair that color?"

Uhh... what do you think!?

2007-08 District Service Awards

2008-05-12T17:15:00.005-05:00

My school district recognized the service of its teachers this past week. According to our superintendent, "This year we have 196 retirees, 475 receiving their 10-year pin, 152 receiving their 20-year pin, 51 receiving their 30-year pin, 16 receiving their 35-year pin, and one receiving their 40-year service pin."