Why All The "Conferences?"

Dan has an interesting conversation going about the terrifically poor seminars teachers must endure these days.

I feel his pain, and have for years.

First, let me give you my greatest peeve. I have not been given the opportunity to CHOOSE what I need to become a better instructor for over ten years now. I am told what I need by people who have left the classroom and the local school.

So here's my experience in the first 50 days of school.

September - I had to attend a one-day seminar to learn our new standards. I missed class to do it. In that meeting, I learned that it really is the teachers' fault that our kids screwed up on the CRCT test last Spring. Even though the test questions did not match the previous standards teacher were mandated to teach. BTW: Thanks for beginning the day that way, I'm sure I'll listen to you for the next 7 hours. You've gained my trust and respect.

October - We had a staff development day. All day was spent in the cafeteria listening to someone give us the why and how of differentiated instruction. Let me tell you a few more things I am tired of in seminars (in no particular order)...

• "You are already using many of the strategies I will talk about today. I just hope to help you better organize your thinking..."
  
• If I'm already doing this without being given the instruction, then use a pre-test you tell us we should use, and let me exempt the seat-time: a basic premise of differentiating instruction.
  
• "Amongst yourselves, discuss why you think [differentiation, technology, web 2.0, etc.] is becoming so popular." Time passes - Final Answer - No Child Left Behind has made it so we have to reach every child (if there are at least 40 kids who are in a pre-selected minority group).
• Really? Or is it that many speakers have long-since tired of teaching, and created their own market to sell their wares to unsuspecting, well-funded (even in economic down turns) school systems?
• Or is it that we are NOT doing it and no one has the guts to tell the truth?
• Or is it that we are NOT doing it because we have attempted these strategies, but the payoff is not big enough to warrant the time it takes to implement?
  
• Do test scores really increase because I allow a student to dance around the room while they complete their math problems?
  
• Does the student really learn because I let them use Google Maps instead of an atlas.
  
• Does the student really learn (and retain) just because the teacher knows the student is a spatial learner, and therefore the student has more options to visualize why some societies choose not to educate the females in the village?
  
• Then the PowerPointlessness of standing in front of a entire staff and lecturing for over 6 of the 7 hours.
• This was in both seminars so far this year.
  
• People who rename (or repackage) seminars, and call them workshops; even when there is no work done by the attenders other than to sit and listen.
  

This past week I was notified that I would be missing 3 days in a row in November to learn how to teach ELL students. Wait just a minute. I was the first non-ESOL teacher to teach these students 13 years ago...by choice! Now I have to spend three days away from my students to learn what I helped pioneer in our system? Do you know how much learning-time is lost in three days of teacher absence? My formula is multiply it by two, and hope it's accurate.

I think I have a new, cutting edge, amazing program; which research has proven numerous times increases test scores, reduces behavioral problems, and is the most cost-effective approach to raising student performance. WHAT IS IT? Keep the teacher in the classroom! The number one difference in the success of a student is the teacher...right? If the teacher is made to miss their class 9 days a year, that's a 5% decrease in learning time.

Let's just cut through it...Tell the truth...either teachers are not trusted to do their job, so administrators, boards, or someone on a higher pay-grade has some kind of "safe harbor" or loophole in NCLB that says, "If you show that you are providing training to your staff and the students fail the standardized test, then we'll cut you a break in the AYP report. Which makes me wonder if the consultants are in cahoots with the test-makers, test-graders, and politicians to ensure an audience of teachers and school systems who otherwise would not be able to stay in the field of education.

Guess what training I want and need - and would pay for? In my school of 1500 students, where 65% (or more) are Hispanic, I would like intensive language learning of Spanish so I can make a phone call home, stop by houses, and communicate with their parents, grandparents, and siblings. Any guesses as to how many language acquisition professional developments I've been able to attend?

--------------
The content of Room 755 is the interpretation of the Georgia State Standards for 7th grade Social Studies, and how we seek to address these standards in one classroom, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the school system in which I work. This work (unless expressly stated) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

---------------
Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
---------------

What's Really Important? No...Really

Educators have a way of making everything seem important. I still enjoy the challenge from students and colleagues, when I say, "Everything is Social Studies." The only reason to truly know math is to take care of your finances, or build things that will make someone money, which is about economy, which is about standard of living, which is a social studies issue. The only reason to know Language Arts is to become literate enough to know the best way to make money in the area in which you live (in good times, and bad) which is an issue of economics, which is about standard of living, which is a social studies issue. The only reason to know science...yada, yada, yada...which is a social studies issue.

But really. What is truly important in life? Why do we (humans) try to make the easy things difficult? Could it be as simple as "Nature Boy" sung by Nat King Cole:

There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
"the greatest thing you’ll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"

My mom passed away last Sunday. I left my classroom Friday at noon, to drive 6 hours to be with her, as were my siblings. By the time I arrived she was unable to talk, but could hear, and respond with smiles and eyebrows. She had her eyes open for about 3 hours after I arrived. She attempted to talk to me, but no longer possessed the strength to do so.

She knew her four children were with her. She slept from 11:00 Friday night until 6:32 Sunday morning. She took her final breath Sunday morning, and it was quiet, peaceful, and in a strange, surreal way -- beautiful.

Mom deserved a peaceful passing. She was a loving wife (for 57 years - Dad passed away in 2004) and mother. She once said to me that we'd have more if your father wouldn't try to help everyone who needed help. Yet it was Mom who tried to help every kid in the neighborhood. We had that kind of a house where my sibling's friends would come to eat. My friends called my mom, "Mom." I actually took extra milk money to school for several years because Mom thought one of my friends might need it.

She was a special lady, and apparently not just to me. After the funeral, I went into a local store to buy a pair of shorts, because I was going back to the house to do some cleaning and other things for which wearing a suit was not conducive. I was the only customer in the store, when I heard the doors open. Two ladies, probably in their late 50s or early 60s came in. I heard one of them say, "Janet Murry was buried this morning."

They didn't know I was there, and they wouldn't know me if they saw me. I just thought to myself, "Please don't say anything else. I just don't want to hear it right now." I guess I was feeling the possibility that someone would say the things we don't want to hear about the ones we love, yet we know they think.

The 2nd lady commented that someone else had passed away yesterday (although I did not catch the name). Then it happened...they kept talking...and all I could do was hope to get out of the store before they said something that would make me a) angry, b) cry, or c) fight back.

"We lost two of kindest ladies in town. What will all the shut-ins do without them?"

"Yep, we sure will miss them. You know they say the good ones go in threes. I'd sure hate to lose another one like them. It will really hurt [our little town]."

As I stopped by the check out counter, I saw the ladies nearby. I said, "Thanks for saying nice things about my mom."

"Who is your mother?"

"Janet," I replied.

"She sure was a wonderful woman. She was a saint. You were blessed to have her."

Yes I was. I'm just not sure I always knew that.

So what's really important...in the long run.

Not that we can do calculus. Not that we can understand Shakespeare. Not that we can prove Einstein's theory of relativity. Not that we can associate everything in life with Social Studies.

Perhaps it's about the idea of service to our fellow man. To love them...and be loved in return.

Until our curriculum has a bit more of that concept in it, I don't expect school will get much more interesting to students.

---------------
Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
---------------

We Don't Vote For Presidents Anymore...

we vote for who we think will win.

I have tried to put this into words for the past several years, and I am getting closer to what I mean inside my brain, but words are difficult to use to describe the subtlety of my argument. But here goes...

Since Watergate, the media has come to believe they are in the business of making the news rather than reporting it. They did not reveal JFKs indiscretions, but began to wonder about LBJ during the Civil Rights Movement, then with Nixon, they cut loose.

This is not an argument of should the media do this or not. It is a simple statement of my take on a transition of the perceived purpose of the media.

Here is the crux of my argument: We do not vote for who we think will best serve the country as President -- we vote for who we think will win the presidency.

Let me try to explain. In my voting lifetime, beginning in 1980, I have witnessed a subtle shift in the thinking process of American citizens.

We are a nation that seeks to win.

The Olympics is representative of this fascination we have with winning. Which country won the Olympics? It depends on whose paper you read. Do you just count Gold Medals? Total Medals? Place a point value on the medals (3 for gold, 2 for silver, 1 for bronze) and add up the points?

Further, Americans who don't win personally, are quick to associate themselves with winners, as if this vicarious association will reflect the winning nature of the non-entrant. That is why we frequently see "fans" become numerous at the end of the season of winning teams, when there were open seats at the start. The "fair-weather fan" seeks to associate with those who are winning.

Now for the transfer to presidential elections. I am not convinced people vote for the person they believe has the best qualifications for the needs of the nation at a given time. [I not really convinced people know what the nation needs at most times - cynical, I know.] I believe, through the media, polls, and appearance (again Nixon vs. Kennedy - TV debate) people who do vote, frequently vote for the one they believe will be the winner, just to associate themselves with the one who won.

I seldom speak to people who know what the issues are, forget what the candidates believe about the issues. And this counts educators too. Education is not the only issue. NCLB, regardless of where one stands, is a relatively small issue in the context of the world today. And believe it or not, education is not always the answer to problems. I've met too many educated idiots, and you have too.

So when a student asks me, "Who are you going to vote for?" I tell them the truth. I haven't made up my mind yet. I don't know enough about where they stand on the issues, nor have I really prioritized the issues I think are important yet. That will come over the next 2 weeks. Is education part of the list? Yes, but not in the top 5 at this point. I'm more concerned about the banking situation, oil & alternative fuel, taxes, international affairs and economics, and our commitment to curtailing terrorism and protecting our country than I am about education right now.

And now for something that hit me today...Constitution Day

My classes watched a 20 minute, overview about the U.S. Constitution. In the video, a comment was made that led me to say to my classes, something like...

What make the United States great is the fact that we are not a country governed by people. We are governed by law. We are supposed to be equal under the law, and not have to worry about the whims or biases of a monarch, dictator, or royal family.

The president, by the Constitution, has very limited power. Yet, every four years, we look for which "rock star" we want to represent us. It has become a popularity contest. Perhaps we should remember the wise comments of Simon Wilder (Joe Pesci) in the movie With Honors: The Constitution limits the president to being nothing more than a servant of the people. He is, in essence, a bum and the only bliss he should be seeking is freedom and justice.



Direct Link
[If you have not seen this movie, why not?!]


---------------
Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
---------------

Classroom Videos With YouTube

Why YouTube? Because that's where my kids are anyway.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have started a classroom blog (Room 755). It is a daily post of our activities in class, with a little commentary at times. Hey, I'm the writer, publisher, and editor - I can do what I want, right?

Well, today in class, my students began putting pencils to poster board (computers will come later Web 2.0 folks). I interviewed each group about where they were in the process. I asked several questions before my Flip Camera began recording, so the students knew what I was looking for when I came to their table.

I took my Flip to my MacBook, converted the .AVI files to .MP4 files using iSquint, then uploaded the videos to YouTube. Most videos were between 15-25 seconds. It took about a total of 90 minutes to do all this and post the links to my Room 755 blog.

Yes, that is time intensive. But my students were excited to know that they had the opportunity to be "seen" online. No faces are shown...just voices and poster board.

If you would like to take a look, you can go to my YouTube channel or Room 755.

P.S. - My kids think it is pretty cool that Miguel and Steven have commented. Thanks guys. Any others who want to drop by?

---------------
Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
---------------

Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel

For three straight hours this morning, Samantha Brown helped me travel to China. We went to Xian, Sichuan, and Beijing. My wife came trotting down the hallway because she heard Samantha promo the Terracotta soldiers, said to be the most significant archaeological find of the 20th century. So I set the Tivo to record.

Why was this important to me? First, I begin teaching China in a few weeks (days actually). Second, the 7th grade Social Studies department (there are 4 of us) are trying to work out details to take our 500 7th graders to the High Museum in Atlanta to see the exhibit of the Terracotta soldiers.

In essence, the curator of the museum in China told Samantha (and me) that the clay soldiers were secretly buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang to protect him in the afterlife, much like the Pharoahs did in Egypt.

Now for kudos to the Travel Channel. All three episodes are available through iTunes for $1.99 each or $4.99 for all three and any future episodes in the series. TV the way it should be.


A poorly done movie is available too: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (The Mummy 3). I really liked the first two, but I think it is because Rachel Weisz was in those, and absent from #3. Either she made a good choice to stay out of Mummy 3 or she is the one who really made Mummy 1 & 2 as good as they were.

---------------
Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
---------------

Adding More Cowbell

I am the Man Behind Blue Eyes - but I always knew something was missing.

Thanks to Christopher Walken, I have figured it out...

	Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Emotional Exhaustion

Today I showed my classes the Discovery Channel's documentary, The Flight That Fought Back. I was hoping that my students would sit through a documentary, and they did.

We did not complete the entire 53 minutes but each class was near enough to the end that they understood the impact of 9/11/01. As I have mentioned, I work with a wonderful woman whose brother was on the 92nd floor of the North Tower that day. She brought a copy of the family flyer they posted around New York in the days after the attack.

As I tried to mention the flyer I had posted by the door, I couldn't get through it. I choked up. I admit it. It's been 7 years, and I still sympathize strongly with my colleagues personal loss of that day. My students choked up too; probably because of me and not the content of the video.

But that made me think of the power of our emotion as we teach. Do we empathize with the material we present? How about the students we teach? I know that is probably difficult in math -- my emotions over numbers are usually just anger that I can' figure out the problem. But how can a teacher do a good job of presenting the issues of poverty, genocide, persecution, or war without some kind of emotion and be effective?

Similarly, how can a teacher present patriotism, pride, success, or victory without some kind of emotional presentation?

I'm not saying that everything should be cheers or tears. I am saying that in order to reach people (our students) we must touch their heart as well as their mind.

---------------
Note:Publications of professor-marvel.com or associated works (unless specifically labeled with another copyright notice) are licensed under a Creative Commons License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
The views expressed here are my own and reflect only my opinion.
---------------