Talk about feeling pulled in two directions.
The state of California has no money. Tax revenues have been down for years now and because of that, the budget for schools has been decreased substantially. One report claimed that the average district is operating on 70% of the money they operated with 5 years ago.
The cuts have been dramatic. First, and in my opinion most important, class sizes have increased by huge numbers. While 35 students used to be a big class in my Accelerated Algebra 2 class, this year I have a class with 47. 47!!!!!! This is not acceptable. I understand that the data indicates that for a measurable affect with respect to class size, class sizes should drop to about 18 students. But everyone with a brain would of course agree that less individual attention is available with more students in class. 47 is absurd in a high school math class.
Teachers have been let go, support personnel have been let go, maintenance guys, janitors, cafeteria workers, secretaries, psychologists have been let go. Facilities need repair, grounds are overgrown, and morale is at an all time low. Public education could use a couple more dollars.
Prop 30 promises those dollars for schools. My union is begging us all to get out there and support this proposition with our vote for a tax increase as well as canvassing neighborhoods and manning phone banks to encourage our neighbors to vote for the tax increase as well.
Sounds logical.
Except that I don't think a tax increase is the answer. We don't have an income problem here in California, we have a spending problem. I could write papers on the wasteful programs and billions of dollars thrown around. One example is the program that pays people for taking care of their parents when their parents need to be taken care of. We pay people to look after family? Are you kidding me? Oh I understand the theory. If the parents are poor, paying a child is cheaper than having the government take care of them in a government facility. What a bunch of crap this is. And, in addition to the absurdity of the program, the amount of fraud is estimated in the hundred's of millions. Think the schools could use some of that money?
We are the most taxed state in America. We don't need more taxes. We need to cut wasteful spending.
That said, I just got my first paycheck. DRAMATICALLY less this year. My problem is that I've grown accustomed to the finer things in life... like eating, paying rent, paying my car insurance... you know, the ritzy stuff....
If the prop doesn't pass, I'll make about 15% less this year.
Do what benefits me today or walk the walk I've been talking. Haven't decided yet.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Big Fix
I've been reading too much this summer. I'm about to blow.
I usually spend my summers reading trash fiction. Stuff like Grisham, Ludlum, Petersen. I like courtroom dramas, murder mysteries, and espionage. I read trash during the summer because I try to restrict my reading during the school year to educational research. I try to read ed. journals and stay on top of new trends and techniques. (An aside here.... There is nothing new under the sun. EVERY new fad I seen before with a different name) But during the summer, I like to let my mind travel to the beaches of Fiji or the streets of Florence as I fantasize about a life different from my own.
This summer, I'm spending too much time at my computer reading about education. More specifically, what is wrong with education and how to "fix it." (Note to self: Start penning the great American novel: Schools aren't broken, America is broken.) All I can think about as I read about the latest fad/trend/technique/modification/adaptation.... is for me, only 2 things really matter.
What we teach and how we teach it.
The curriculum has to be correct. It must be age appropriate, challenging, manageable, and scaffold in a logical manner. We as a community must agree on what we are teaching and teachers need to hold students accountable for that material. For this, I applaud the Standards movement. But, I'm not the biggest fan of all the testing and the narrowing of the curriculum. We must find a balance. While I believe in Standards, the truth of the matter is that teachers have egos. We want our students to test well and we are spending too much time prepping kids on test concepts at the cost of a broader curriculum.
Then, the curriculum needs to be taught, and taught well. The most recent "educational fix" is the Reverse Classroom. Instead of teachers teaching during the class period and students doing homework at home, (a radical concept I know), Reverse Classroom has students learning the material on their own at home and doing homework in class. Really? I understand the theory. Students are taught to learn on their own and read the text. Then in class, they get clarification on that which they don't understand. Actually, it isn't bad....if I only had about 10 kids in class. BUT WITH A CLASSROOM OF 40, It isn't practical to think I could get to every student, and I GUARANTEE, I'd be saying the same thing 38 times. Teachers should teach.
Teachers must stand and deliver every minute of every class period. And to all of you teachers who take themselves too seriously, remember that personality, enthusiasm, passion and energy are as, if not more, important than content knowledge. Know your stuff but try to make it bearable to sit in your classroom. We are trying to teach, not lecture. Lecture, but make sure that you are teaching.
JS
I usually spend my summers reading trash fiction. Stuff like Grisham, Ludlum, Petersen. I like courtroom dramas, murder mysteries, and espionage. I read trash during the summer because I try to restrict my reading during the school year to educational research. I try to read ed. journals and stay on top of new trends and techniques. (An aside here.... There is nothing new under the sun. EVERY new fad I seen before with a different name) But during the summer, I like to let my mind travel to the beaches of Fiji or the streets of Florence as I fantasize about a life different from my own.
This summer, I'm spending too much time at my computer reading about education. More specifically, what is wrong with education and how to "fix it." (Note to self: Start penning the great American novel: Schools aren't broken, America is broken.) All I can think about as I read about the latest fad/trend/technique/modification/adaptation.... is for me, only 2 things really matter.
What we teach and how we teach it.
The curriculum has to be correct. It must be age appropriate, challenging, manageable, and scaffold in a logical manner. We as a community must agree on what we are teaching and teachers need to hold students accountable for that material. For this, I applaud the Standards movement. But, I'm not the biggest fan of all the testing and the narrowing of the curriculum. We must find a balance. While I believe in Standards, the truth of the matter is that teachers have egos. We want our students to test well and we are spending too much time prepping kids on test concepts at the cost of a broader curriculum.
Then, the curriculum needs to be taught, and taught well. The most recent "educational fix" is the Reverse Classroom. Instead of teachers teaching during the class period and students doing homework at home, (a radical concept I know), Reverse Classroom has students learning the material on their own at home and doing homework in class. Really? I understand the theory. Students are taught to learn on their own and read the text. Then in class, they get clarification on that which they don't understand. Actually, it isn't bad....if I only had about 10 kids in class. BUT WITH A CLASSROOM OF 40, It isn't practical to think I could get to every student, and I GUARANTEE, I'd be saying the same thing 38 times. Teachers should teach.
Teachers must stand and deliver every minute of every class period. And to all of you teachers who take themselves too seriously, remember that personality, enthusiasm, passion and energy are as, if not more, important than content knowledge. Know your stuff but try to make it bearable to sit in your classroom. We are trying to teach, not lecture. Lecture, but make sure that you are teaching.
JS
Sunday, September 16, 2012
College
Here is my unsolicited advice to my seniors about how to pick a college.
Put together a list of schools in which you feel you can be successful academically. Adjust the list to include only schools within about 300 miles from your home. Then close your eyes and pick one.
It doesn't matter where you go to school. It only matters what you do when you are there. The absolutely most successful guy I know went to school at Middle Tennessee State University. Another guy I know is 50 years old, unemployed and STILL has $15,000 in student loans due from his years at Princeton.
I absolutely believe that where one attends school has zero effect on his or her future success. The big lie is that college rankings matter. They don't. The cream will always rise to the top.
I'll acknowledge that at some schools, the alumni REALLY look out for one another. Notre Dame grads look to hire other Notre Dame grads. Harvard nerds love to surround themselves with other Harvard nerds. But in the norm, connections are made at every college and university.
Stay close to home, work harder than everyone else, and don't treat college like a 4 year party.
Put together a list of schools in which you feel you can be successful academically. Adjust the list to include only schools within about 300 miles from your home. Then close your eyes and pick one.
It doesn't matter where you go to school. It only matters what you do when you are there. The absolutely most successful guy I know went to school at Middle Tennessee State University. Another guy I know is 50 years old, unemployed and STILL has $15,000 in student loans due from his years at Princeton.
I absolutely believe that where one attends school has zero effect on his or her future success. The big lie is that college rankings matter. They don't. The cream will always rise to the top.
I'll acknowledge that at some schools, the alumni REALLY look out for one another. Notre Dame grads look to hire other Notre Dame grads. Harvard nerds love to surround themselves with other Harvard nerds. But in the norm, connections are made at every college and university.
Stay close to home, work harder than everyone else, and don't treat college like a 4 year party.
Back to School Primer for Students
In golf, there is a standard expectations for caddies. Show up, Keep up, Shut up. Caddies are expected to show up early and be ready to go when the golfer is ready. Caddies are expected to keep up with the pace of the golfer. Whatever the pace of the golfer, match that. Lastly, caddies are expected to keep there opinions or reactions to themselves unless asked. Caddies for the most part, should keep there mouths shut.
I encourage my students to do the same. Show up, Keep up, Shut up.
Show up EVERY DAY. Everyone feels like crap at 7:00 AM when we wake up. We all consider calling in sick. Don't. Drag yourself out of bed and into the shower. The shower has magical properties. Get to school EVERY DAY.
Show up ON TIME. Our passing periods are long enough to get from one end of the campus to the other in plenty of time. Showing up late means you are putting your personal conversations with friends ahead of your responsibility to your education. Getting to class on time is respectful to your education and your teacher.
Keep up with the pace of the teacher. Get everything from the board on paper. If things start going too fast, don't panic. Get everything from the board on paper and spend time during the evening re-writing your notes. For me, college mathematics moved FAST. It was all I could do to get things on paper. I didn't learn the material in class. I learned the material when I recopied my notes. I could pause and figure out all the why, how, and if questions I had. Keep up.
Keep up means doing your homework every night. Build in a routine with a dedicated time. Get your work done every night. Falling behind is the kiss of death in school. The most comfortable way to go to school is by staying a section ahead of your class.
You cannot hear if you are talking and you cannot learn if you cannot hear. So, SHUT UP. Spend the whole class period quietly trying to learn everything well. Nothing you have to say to your friend is more important than the lesson. Nothing you have to say to your friend is worth missing even one sentence from your teacher because that one sentence could be the most important sentence of the day. The culture of classes today is that the kids are talking over their teachers. Shut up. Let your teacher do his job. It is selfish to talk through a class. The kids around you might just want to learn the material more than you. Shut up.
That is not to say not to ask questions. Raise your hand and do it right.
Show up, keep up, shut up.
I encourage my students to do the same. Show up, Keep up, Shut up.
Show up EVERY DAY. Everyone feels like crap at 7:00 AM when we wake up. We all consider calling in sick. Don't. Drag yourself out of bed and into the shower. The shower has magical properties. Get to school EVERY DAY.
Show up ON TIME. Our passing periods are long enough to get from one end of the campus to the other in plenty of time. Showing up late means you are putting your personal conversations with friends ahead of your responsibility to your education. Getting to class on time is respectful to your education and your teacher.
Keep up with the pace of the teacher. Get everything from the board on paper. If things start going too fast, don't panic. Get everything from the board on paper and spend time during the evening re-writing your notes. For me, college mathematics moved FAST. It was all I could do to get things on paper. I didn't learn the material in class. I learned the material when I recopied my notes. I could pause and figure out all the why, how, and if questions I had. Keep up.
Keep up means doing your homework every night. Build in a routine with a dedicated time. Get your work done every night. Falling behind is the kiss of death in school. The most comfortable way to go to school is by staying a section ahead of your class.
You cannot hear if you are talking and you cannot learn if you cannot hear. So, SHUT UP. Spend the whole class period quietly trying to learn everything well. Nothing you have to say to your friend is more important than the lesson. Nothing you have to say to your friend is worth missing even one sentence from your teacher because that one sentence could be the most important sentence of the day. The culture of classes today is that the kids are talking over their teachers. Shut up. Let your teacher do his job. It is selfish to talk through a class. The kids around you might just want to learn the material more than you. Shut up.
That is not to say not to ask questions. Raise your hand and do it right.
Show up, keep up, shut up.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
My Union 3.18.2012
This is a topic I seem to be writing about more and more often these days.
My union.... The California Education Association. Yeah, "that" union.... The Teacher's Union.
My initial disclaimer is long winded but worth revisiting. For the great bulk of my 19 year career, I have very much disliked most of what my union has done and has stood for.
I have disliked working in a profession where I am paid based upon how long I've been doing this job, not based upon how well I do it. I have disliked the fact that I was never allowed to negotiate my own contract. Given that math teachers are in tremendous demand and that there are hundreds of available elementary school teachers, is it not reasonable that the mathematics position merits a higher pay than the other? Maybe I'm not "more important", but I am certainly more scarce.
My dislike grows to hatred when I think about my union's overly liberal politics. A microcosm of this is the recent Proposition 8. Prop 8 here in California was the bill put to the public about same-sex marriage. My union decided to spend 2.2 million dollars to run an advertising campaign in support of same sex couples. While personally I don't care what people do behind closed doors, WHAT THE HELL IS MY UNION DOING SPENDING MY UNION DUES ON THIS?????? Why should we take a position at all? Why are we spending even one nickel on a social issue when we should be spending all of our time and effort trying to figure out how to best educate kids and provide great teachers with reasonable compensation. GRRRRRR Every time I think about Prop 8 I get angry.
All that aside, I am so very glad I am a member of my union, and I am so grateful for what it does for me.
Thank you for protecting me from those who want to close public schools and privatize education. I can't imagine they are in it for the money. Nah... Thank you for protecting me from the roar of the media that I, as an experienced teacher, should be fired to make the way for a younger, more vigorous teacher. I could NOT be more tired of hearing how all of us older teachers are simply mailing it in and biding our time until retirement while the younger teachers, many of whom cannot find jobs, have so much more energy and access to newer/better teaching practices. To this I say, Horseshit. I will only speak for myself, my department, and my school when I say the absolute best teachers are the ones that have been doing it for awhile. Energy? I challenge anyone to match the energy of our experienced staff. On average, our experienced staff is way more energetic, way more reflective, way more innovative and have way better outcomes. People have a misconception about our young staff.
Back in the day, new teachers didn't make enough money to live, so we all took all the available jobs on campus. We coached 2 sports, chapparoned all the dances, signed up for Saturday SAT proctoring and grabbed extra classes when available. Now? These guys are making over 50 grand a year and very few of them are doing more than teaching and going home. Young, vigorous, energetic with all the latest teaching strategies? I'm not seeing it.
I seemed to have digressed. Thank you Union for allowing me to keep doing what I do as long as I do it exceptionally well.
My union.... The California Education Association. Yeah, "that" union.... The Teacher's Union.
My initial disclaimer is long winded but worth revisiting. For the great bulk of my 19 year career, I have very much disliked most of what my union has done and has stood for.
I have disliked working in a profession where I am paid based upon how long I've been doing this job, not based upon how well I do it. I have disliked the fact that I was never allowed to negotiate my own contract. Given that math teachers are in tremendous demand and that there are hundreds of available elementary school teachers, is it not reasonable that the mathematics position merits a higher pay than the other? Maybe I'm not "more important", but I am certainly more scarce.
My dislike grows to hatred when I think about my union's overly liberal politics. A microcosm of this is the recent Proposition 8. Prop 8 here in California was the bill put to the public about same-sex marriage. My union decided to spend 2.2 million dollars to run an advertising campaign in support of same sex couples. While personally I don't care what people do behind closed doors, WHAT THE HELL IS MY UNION DOING SPENDING MY UNION DUES ON THIS?????? Why should we take a position at all? Why are we spending even one nickel on a social issue when we should be spending all of our time and effort trying to figure out how to best educate kids and provide great teachers with reasonable compensation. GRRRRRR Every time I think about Prop 8 I get angry.
All that aside, I am so very glad I am a member of my union, and I am so grateful for what it does for me.
Thank you for protecting me from those who want to close public schools and privatize education. I can't imagine they are in it for the money. Nah... Thank you for protecting me from the roar of the media that I, as an experienced teacher, should be fired to make the way for a younger, more vigorous teacher. I could NOT be more tired of hearing how all of us older teachers are simply mailing it in and biding our time until retirement while the younger teachers, many of whom cannot find jobs, have so much more energy and access to newer/better teaching practices. To this I say, Horseshit. I will only speak for myself, my department, and my school when I say the absolute best teachers are the ones that have been doing it for awhile. Energy? I challenge anyone to match the energy of our experienced staff. On average, our experienced staff is way more energetic, way more reflective, way more innovative and have way better outcomes. People have a misconception about our young staff.
Back in the day, new teachers didn't make enough money to live, so we all took all the available jobs on campus. We coached 2 sports, chapparoned all the dances, signed up for Saturday SAT proctoring and grabbed extra classes when available. Now? These guys are making over 50 grand a year and very few of them are doing more than teaching and going home. Young, vigorous, energetic with all the latest teaching strategies? I'm not seeing it.
I seemed to have digressed. Thank you Union for allowing me to keep doing what I do as long as I do it exceptionally well.
Friday, August 10, 2012
The Dark Side
It's happening.
In each of the past 20 summers I've had as a teacher, I've really enjoyed the first couple weeks of summer vacation. Then, I want school to start. I have so loved doing what I do that I spent most of my summer vacations wishing I were in the classroom.
Until now. I'm not thrilled with the idea that summer will soon end. I'm really not looking forward to dancing this dance again. It isn't as if I dread the thought, I'm just ....blah...which is a far cry from who I have been.
My mind drifts to where I never thought it would drift....School Administration....Principal. I've got my Administrative/Principal credential, having taken the classes years ago. (primarily to earn graduate credits to maximize my salary) I never really intended to go that route. I always saw myself spending my entire career in the classroom.
Back in the day, we called administration "the dark side." Now, not so much. Back in the day, it was a little more...us v. them. It seemed a greater divide.
I find myself surfing the classifieds for Assistant Principal/Principal jobs.
In each of the past 20 summers I've had as a teacher, I've really enjoyed the first couple weeks of summer vacation. Then, I want school to start. I have so loved doing what I do that I spent most of my summer vacations wishing I were in the classroom.
Until now. I'm not thrilled with the idea that summer will soon end. I'm really not looking forward to dancing this dance again. It isn't as if I dread the thought, I'm just ....blah...which is a far cry from who I have been.
My mind drifts to where I never thought it would drift....School Administration....Principal. I've got my Administrative/Principal credential, having taken the classes years ago. (primarily to earn graduate credits to maximize my salary) I never really intended to go that route. I always saw myself spending my entire career in the classroom.
Back in the day, we called administration "the dark side." Now, not so much. Back in the day, it was a little more...us v. them. It seemed a greater divide.
I find myself surfing the classifieds for Assistant Principal/Principal jobs.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Random Thoughts
Don't contact me after 6 years, tell me how you've been thinking about me and how you hope I'm doing well, then ask me for some help with your college math class. Just ask for help. I'm happy to help. But it feels pretty disingenuous to preface your request with a bunch of crap.
A number of "new" diets are making the rounds. My favorite is the Juice Diet. Yeah, that should work. Here's a little secret. Eat less, exercise more.
I won't pretend to understand the persecutions endured by the LGBT women. Still, the "in your face" mentality that seems to have developed isn't helping. I don't want to generalize because I am friends with a handful of gay/lesbian people and each of them is reserved and classy. But there is a group, and I don't know if they are fringe or main-stream, that is on TV and the radio who are so "militant" that it really does the whole movement harm.
Stop telling me how bad smoking is for me. Do you think there is anything you can tell me I haven't already heard?
A number of "new" diets are making the rounds. My favorite is the Juice Diet. Yeah, that should work. Here's a little secret. Eat less, exercise more.
I won't pretend to understand the persecutions endured by the LGBT women. Still, the "in your face" mentality that seems to have developed isn't helping. I don't want to generalize because I am friends with a handful of gay/lesbian people and each of them is reserved and classy. But there is a group, and I don't know if they are fringe or main-stream, that is on TV and the radio who are so "militant" that it really does the whole movement harm.
Stop telling me how bad smoking is for me. Do you think there is anything you can tell me I haven't already heard?
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