Parent Teacher Conferences

I feel like another one of those first-year-teacher rituals has passed by.  My parent teacher conferences are over.  I rather like how I did them the students had a majority of the stage and I only picked up the last 5-7 minutess.

The Steps:
1. Show the portfolio and explain its contents. 
2. Offer parents juice and cookies.
3. Bring them to the back table.
4. Get juice and cookies.
5. Tell one thing that has gone well this year.
6. Tell one thing that still needs improved.
7. Turn the time over to Ms. JAy to talk about a plan to improve that thing.

For the most part it came out well.  Only had one parent upset with me, more of them were upset with the child not taking responsibility.  Which is much nicer for me!  A few upset kids who aren't performing up to their potential and Mom and Dad were NOT happy.  More than a few kids who have shown amazing growth and had a hard time coming up with an 'improvement' because they're doing so well.

Duncan Says 82 Percent of America's Schools Could "Fail" Under NCLB This Year | U.S. Department of Education

Duncan Says 82 Percent of America's Schools Could "Fail" Under NCLB This Year | U.S. Department of Education

Comparing apples to apples makes a whole lot of sense to me. Last year my current school set the bar so high that we're going to really struggle to do better than we did last year. The school's population has really changed because of what Arizona has done to education so we have a whole new set of kids.

It makes more sense to compare school's growth to that school's growth and intervene if it doesn't grow - not if it makes a stupid arbitrary standard.

Joanne Jacobs — lnking and thinking on education by Joanne Jacobs

A very interesting, very different look at tenure. Especially when it says, "She proposes raising pay in exchange for offering less job security, attracting more risk takers to teaching." I love this. Teaching is a risky endeavor, and without a risk taking ability (which I lack) it's easy to get burnt out. The students are new, and each year is a risk.

I know I didn't get into the job for the pay, or the security or the benefits- no one does these days (because they aren't there!) I got into this because I love teaching, I love seeing kids learn, and I love being a part of the process. Am I a career teacher? Yes. At the same time though, I'm willing to take change (even if it's hard) and run with the ball because I know nothing will ever be settled. I just have to run and see what comes.
Joanne Jacobs — linking and thinking on education by Joanne Jacobs

(Not saying my measly 15 points on the RIF rubric didn't make me very much sad.)

AudioBoo

I love technology. I'm saddened that I have been too shy about using it this year. However, I'm getting better.

I'm 15 hours away from a smartboard (provided I work in this district next year...). I'm taking technology classes as I can. My class has done wordles, we've written and recorded radio stories and we make a classroom podcast. I'm working the hardest on the last.

I just found Audioboo. It started out as an Iphone app, and now has an online based uploader also. It's so simple. I set up an account, the students login as me, they click the upload, speak, save it with a title and Bam! It's there! I'm so excited for my kids to use this super simple uploader this coming Friday for our weekly podcasts!

(Maybe I can actually have dinner this week!!)

Oh John Stewart!!

I love how John Stewart can just cut right to the heart of almost any matter. I'm not the greatest fan because I think he overuses profanity- but this is classic and amazing. I hope it puts a smile on many of your faces throughout these hard times when so many of us are unsure about the stability of our positions.

God bless all of you.

The Daily Show - Crisis in Dairyland - Message for Teachers
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

A little scared

I'm trying to not be worried by the blogger who said offensive things on her blog-but I am. I know that once something is on the internet it is there forever. Just sometimes... you forget.

I'm on a personal crusade to erase anything I ever said that should not have been said. And I am dearly hoping that no one reads this blog till I am long out of here!

Right now it's the end of the 3rd quarter. One more week left until Spring Break and only three weeks away from the start of our district testing- AIMS. I'm more than a little worried about my kids and AIMS- they're very bad test takers.

For example. I have one young man who can 9 out of 10 times get a multiple choice question right.... if he actually reads the question and goes back and rereads the passage. It makes me uneasy because he often doesn't. Today I FORCED him to go back and reread the passage at ever question and underline where he got the answer from. I said, "Keep going." or "Keep reading." or "Is that what the question is asking?" I didn't even acknowledge when he got the question right, simply moved to the next question. I know he can do it. But his test scores say that I should be referring him for interventions. Where's the line when you know a child can do it- but they don't? I won't say they won't, because I don't know that. All I know is that I have too many kids who have the absolute ability... but just.... don't.

Another child- She has some hyperactivity problems and now some recently found anxiety problems. She came into my classroom mid year. As a first year teacher I don't have supports in place to really force a child to learn (lunch intervention groups, morning groups, peer tutors, etc.) so her grades have drops to D's and F's from C's. This is a blessing because it made mom really say, "oh, yeah, I guess my child does need extra help!" So now we can start working. But what am I going to help her do when she has AIMS sitting in front of her and her anxiety overwhelms her?

I'm feeling... disillusioned right now.

Nothing a young person wants to hear

I am fairly young in my school. I'm 22 years old, and fresh out of college. I have a lot of technical knowledge, but not a lot of experience. I can be good at my job, but I can also be really, really, really bad. I'm not adverse to getting ideas, and I put them into play as I can see them working out.

However, I do have a lot of technical knowledge. Espeically when it comes to implimenting programs in a school because I've been given a lot of theory and seen them put into place. Does this mean I know exactly how, no, but I'm working on it.

My teammates have noticed I'm getting stressed. Yes, I am. A lot of my stress stems from the fact that nothing in our school is pinned down. It seems like a lot of guesswork based off of research that no one actually wants to do anything with except for the fact that we're being forced to do so. So yeah, as a go-doer, I'm stressed.

Yesterday my "mentor" came to talk to me. She'd noticed I was getting stressed and wanted to check up. However, she also said that I was taking too much on and that I needed to focus in the classroom. I knodded and agreeded, except I refused to step down from the RTI committee because I love the RTI committee. I love it. It's good for MY instruction. Somewhere in the middle of it I said, "I probably know as much as X-Teacher does about the RTI process." Did I say I absolutly knew more? No. Did I leave room for doubt, even in my mind, yes. Do I really think I know more about implementing the process as X-Teacher does, no! However, I know more about it than teachers who were teaching before the law was passed and have never taken classes on it. My mentor didn't take this very well and to make along story short told me I need to respect my "elders" more. (In as many words too.)

Really. Really. I know I'm young enough to be her daughter, but really? I'm a professional too. When someone has more knowledge I listen. Do I give my input? SURE, I'm a professional. However, when faced with people with more experience I listen. What my mentor has just done has alienated me from her support. Rather than reassure me that she really does believe I can teach, she has made me into a child again in her eyes.

Am I doing too much? Yeah, probably. Am I stressed? Yeah. But I'm a teacher. I think they go together.

Broken RTI

I haven't written much, not so much because I've nothing to write about, but rather because there has been nothing GOOD to write about. The first year is brutal. I'm understanding that. My class of new kids isn't helping. The school counselor said my class still "acts" new. We haven't become a part of the culture, and quite frankly, at this point we won't!

However, that is neither here nor there. I'm here to talk about RTI- Response to Intervention.

The purpose of RTI is to get to kids before they hit 3-4 grade. To identify them in kindergarten and 1st grade and get them back on target. It is a better alternative to the IQ-Discrepancy scores most schools use to place students in special education.

RTI ideally has 4 levels.

• Level 1- Universal Screening. Everyone is tested using some standardized scale (MAP, DIBELS, Standford-10,whatever!) and given a placement score. This is done within the first 2-3 weeks of school and NO LATER. Scores are recorded, teachers are informed of the norms, and teachers now have solid data. (I firmly believe this should happen BEFORE the kids come to school, or in that first week. For schools with over a thousand students this can be difficult, which is why I give the window.)
  After these tests are administered teachers then gather to interpret results and identify the students who are really struggling. They contact past teachers, dig into the cumulative folders (the folders that have everything on the kids!) and make sure they know this child's past. If the child is scoring significantly under then they get moved to Tier 1.
  
• Tier 1- These students are brought to a team of teachers that specialize in helping struggling students. They give 2-3 suggestions of low-stress interventions that the teacher is REQUIRED to implement at least 2 of on a regular consistent basis. They are required to measure these interventions in some way (which will be given to them by the Tier 1 team) on a weekly basis for 6 weeks.
  Once the 6 weeks is over the child is brought back to the first core team. They see if any progress is being made. If there is, then continue the interventions until the child is up to par with the rest of the class. If there isn't, this child is bumped up to Tier 2.
• Tier 2- At the same meeting (after 6 weeks) the teacher is given much more intensive interventions. This may be small group work, or computer tutors, or other such interventions that fit a severely struggling student. These interventions can be predetermined by the team! These interventions are tried for 6 weeks and progress is monitored at least twice a week and recorded. (Graphs are good for RTI.)
  6 weeks has passed. The team convenes again to discuss the child. Are they making progress? If yes, then keep the interventions. Now, let me state, I don't mean - have they made it to grade level, I mean, Have they made PROGRESS. Are they learning using these interventions. If yes, report this to the team, and keep using them. If they're flat lining and showing no progress, it's time for Tier 3.
• Tier 3- This is a child that needs 1 on 1 one 1 on 2 instruction. They are so severely behind and not improving at all that they cannot do what needs done in the classroom. This is where you begin to severely modify their activities so they can learn. You pull in outside help if needed (tutors, etc.). This child is given the very best support that the team can offer. This will vary from school to school, but it needs to be focused and intense. Once again, continue for 6 weeks, but make sure you take DAILY evaluations of student learning.
  At the 6 weeks the child comes back to the team. IF they've made no progress then you have a serious case for pull-out special education classes. You get the child tested for behavioral, emotional, mental, learning disorders. You look into things outside of the classroom. These kids have proven they can't do it in a regular classroom, and need more support.

You're probably reading this and shaking your head. "But anyone in a class could make it to special-ed then!" But keep in mind when we say progress we're not saying grade-level. We're asking the question, "Are the students learning and able to retain that learning?" A low student will probably remain low despite our best efforts. We are they to get them learning. If we can get a child in 2nd grad who's reading at a kindergarten level up to at least beginning second by the end of the year, we've accomplished an amazing thing. At some point, the child will catch up. It may be 5th grade. It may be 7th. In fact, they may not catch up till the last year of college. But they will, because there is a level of competence that is required for Adult-hood, and the moderately low kids will get there.

Imagine a class of 30. (Much more realistic than an example of 20.) Of these thirty kids, about 7-8 might qualify for Tier 1. Of those 7-8 about 3-4 might qualify for tier 2. Of those 3-4 about 1-2 will qualify for tier 3. Of those two, probably only 1 will make it to special education.

This is how RTI should work. It's build on Data, data, data, data. And of course, professional judgement. If you place a child in Tier 1, then find out they're just a bad test taker, you take them out.

I cry when I see RTI being implemented so clumsily in schools. It takes time, it takes effort yes, but in the end- IQ-Discrepancy scores should be tossed out the wayside. They'll be replaced by concentrated efforts to help every child learn, no matter their IQ. A low IQ child can still learn, it'll just be slower. The progress monitoring will show growth, especially if taken on a daily/bi-daily/weekly basis. As fast as we hope? Maybe not, but the growth will BE there. We won't have a child who's been in the care of our school for years, only beginning to get help in 4th grade.

Now, I just wish I could get my school to realize the simplicity of this program...

Printable Protractors

I love the ingenuity of teachers. I have to teach about angles tomorrow. (Actually, I was suppose to teach today but without protractors it's hard.) Therefore I went to my fellow teachers and asked for some. Merrill, the teacher next to me, didn't have any. So we got to talking. He said, "I bet you could just copy one out of the book." (Speaking of the Harcourt 'tools' book.) That got me thinking about printing protractors. A simple internet search led me to this wonderful idea:

Download a picture of a protractor from online. Print onto transparency sheets. Cut out. Use!

I have sense done this for Chris and myself.

Here is my template: "Printable Protractors"

IDEAL

The best part about the internet and internet resources is that there are so many people willing to compile things for you!

My delima- In Febrary my class is expected to put on a presentation.My class (as the newest and without much say in the matter) was given the time period of the 1950's to the present day. This means that I need to cover almost 500 years of history in, oh, 2.5 months. I refuse to teach my students the present day without giving them the links that make it all make sense. Therefore my idea is to cover everything in the broadest of generalities, then we can nail down bigger concepts after our presentation.

Like... The World Wars.

A good exploerer video for kids - though very fact heavy. http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=11C6D68F-F3C1-4289-8078-252FDC0F80A2&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US