When Good News Really Isn’t…

Unfortunately, I had to take my son to the doctor the other day.  While we were waiting (and waiting), my son played on the ipad to help pass the time.  No worries, they were all phonics apps.  🙂  When the nurse finally came back in, we tucked the ipad away giving her our full attention.  She says that she has good news and bad news.  The bad news – he has strep throat.  Ugh, I’m thinking to myself…what in the world could the good news be?  She delivers the good news directly to my son with a smile. “You don’t have to go back to school until Friday!”  I tried really hard to bite my tongue.  I was unsuccessful.  “Actually, ma’am, we really enjoy school.”  She looks at me with a quizzical expression, turns to my son, and says “oh really, so you like school..?”.  My son returns the quizzical look and said, “of course”.  That’s my boy!  She then PROCEEDS to explain how she didn’t like elementary school at all and would pretend to be sick just so she could miss school.  Really?!  I was giving her my teacher look but apparently it wasn’t working.  After a few other choice comments from educator momma, we left the doctor’s office.

As we are walking to the car, I’m trying to understand why I’m so upset.  I didn’t want my son to see that I was upset.  We try really hard not to speak negatively about others, especially out loud in front of the kids.  So I take a few deep breaths. I think to myself, I know I’ve heard similar comments before but why did this one upset me so much. My only conclusion…as an educator today, I just feel defeated.  Everyday seems like an uphill battle and this was the last thing I wanted to hear after tending to a sick child all day.

While waiting for my son’s prescription, my son and I were discussing the doctor visit.  He was truly upset about missing school for two days.  And I thought to myself, why and how does this love for learning, this love for school change dramatically as our students get older.  Unfortunately, from my experiences it seems the transition is happening sooner and sooner.  And unfortunately, I believe that it is accelerated by comments such as those from our nurse.  I know that our nurse meant nothing disrespectful by her comments.  However, these nonchalant comments by adults shape our children’s views on school.  Our children then think, oh, I’m supposed to dislike school.  Of course, I know other variables contribute to a student’s attitude about school as well.  However, I just wonder what would happen if we no longer heard…”Man, I sure hated school when I was your age.”  “I hate math; I’m horrible at it.” “I hated my third grade teacher.” “I sure am glad I’m out of school.”  And I could go on and on…

My two boys LOVE school.  My two boys LOVE learning.  I do not want this to ever change.  I believe that their teachers have a lot to do with this but I also believe that their father and I have a lot to do with it too.  My boys have never heard us speak negatively about their teachers or about school in general.  We’ve molded them to love school.  We’ve set them up to succeed as have their teachers.  So, please, do not share your negative comments/memories/reflections about education with my children.  I’m busy cultivating life-long learners here at the Smith household.

What Happens When You Raise the Bar Too High?

You’ve probably heard how “behind” we are in our schools and how our standards are lower than other places around the world. (Well, I have quite a few opinions about whether or not that is true and why that’s the case but that’s for another blog post.)  So, what happens when our standards aren’t comparable to others? Well, we adopt the Common Core.  Which in theory, I think is a great idea for several reasons.  First, as a teacher, it was always “fun”/interesting to get an out-of-state student and try to figure out what they had been taught and what they hadn’t been taught in my “spare time”.  It’ll be nice that we’re all on the same page now.  Secondly, Common Core allows for such a HUGE resource base for teachers.  With all the technology-driven, blog-posting, twitter-tweeting, facebook-sharing, tpt-creating teachers out there, think of the incredible database we now all have to pull from!  The awesome freebie that the fourth grade teacher in California just posted is relevant to me as a North Carolinian educator. Yes!!

I also like that the Common Core is attempting to put creativity back into the teachers’ hands.   Unfortunately, our assessments/mandates haven’t lightened up any and aren’t quite allowing that just yet.  But hopefully, soon it will all line up…fingers crossed  I feel that the Common Core promotes actual learning; child-centered, inquiry-based learning.  I feel that the Common Core does not preach algorithm, algorithm, algorithm.  I feel that the Common Core actually promotes THINKING!  Not simply memorization and recall but true understanding.  The Common Core digs deeper into key skills/topics instead of skimming the surface of a broad range of topics.  The only problem is our teachers are being held “accountable” and there’s no time in the day for inquiry-based learning/investigations.  I feel that the Common Core has gotten a bad name and I think the Common Core is completely misunderstood by the majority of people.

Now, sure, I do believe there is some shadiness with Common Core, testing and who’s making the big bucks but this IS America and I really wouldn’t expect anything different.  So back to public schools not performing “well enough”.  So, we adopt the Common Core.  We also renorm tests.  That’s what we do.  We’ve all seen this before.  Basically, a new version of a test comes out, it gets “renormed” and the first year the scores are not so desirable.  Then as the years pass and teachers teach “to the test”, the scores gradually incline.  Then, a new test!  Another renorm.  Another round of “low” scores and then the upward climb.  And the cycle continues.

That’s what happened this year too.  But things got a little sticky with Read to Achieve, especially where third grade is concerned.  They took the BOG (Beginning of Year) test and the scores came back.  Not good.  We’re talking a very small percentage showing to be proficient.  Our scores from last year’s EOGs came back for 3-8.  Not good either.  The renorming year.  We knew this would happen.  However, the real kicker.  Read to Achieve states that students not proficient in third grade will have to go to summer school…ahem, I mean “summer camp”.  Oh my, oh my.  That’s a whole lot of third graders in summer school.  We’re talking upwards of 75% “not proficient”.  But wait, we have good-cause exemptions and some may even pass the EOG.  We won’t even go into the good cause exemptions right now but let’s just say the portfolio was not proving to help any students show proficiency either.  So how in the world would the state/districts afford that many students in summer school?  They can’t and they won’t.  Obviously, they can’t/won’t…remember, we’re ranked 48th in teacher pay.

So, that brings me to my question, what happens when you raise the bar too high?  Set the norms too high, too fast? Well, apparently, you add another level of proficiency.  That’s right.  Instead of the Level 1-4 scale, we now have Levels 1-5.  The state board just passed it.  Read more about it here…

http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/split-education-board-oks-new-testing-levels/article_a9813667-15f7-54c8-a283-4205f6fe985a.html

Reluctant Readers (Fry Phrases Bookmarks – NEW)

A few years back, I taught at an alternative school (for behaviors).  It was so very difficult at times, but extremely rewarding.  I truly enjoyed working with my students and I miss them.

Most had horrific home lives that could turn anyone’s stomach.  And it was hard to not dwell on it outside of school hours when I was safe at home in a cozy, warm house with my two well-fed boys.  And that’s why when I was there with them for the few hours I had them, I gave them everything I had.  I just wanted them to know that they mattered and that they were beautiful and smart in so many ways.

Many days it felt like an uphill battle but I hope that I made some kind of positive impact on their lives and not just academically.

Several came to me either as non-readers or just barely reading and that’s difficult for an upper elementary boy (or girl) to admit.  Sometimes it seemed easier to disrupt than to admit they didn’t understand.  Many had experienced very little success  and were starved in more ways than one.  One of my many goals was to build their confidence.

A friend introduced me to fry words/phrases.  Those partnered with repeated readings, I was able to see great gains in many of my students.  And as soon as the students started seeing these gains too, they actually started trying harder and slowly believing in themselves.

I’m always trying to find resources for teachers that are quick and “easy”.  I know how hard it is in the classroom to address the needs of 20+ students.  Since I’ve seen the positive results of using Fry words/phrases, I thought the idea of having the words/phrases on bookmarks might just qualify as quick and “easy”.

Many reluctant readers feel discouraged when presented with a passage/book but a bookmark’s not so scary.  And I thought there were so many possibilities of how to actually incorporate them into the classroom.  Homework.  Partner/buddy reading in class.  Independent reading.  Small group.  Teachers can stamp, sticker, initial, hole-punch, etc. as they become fluent in each section.  Students can track their progress through the words/phrases.  Many possibilities but all require very little time.  Which is a must these days in education.

As always, so thankful for all the educators out there!  Happy Thanksgiving!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fry-Words-Bookmarks-986021

 

Let us TEACH!

You know the overwhelmed feeling you get when tears seem to be ready to flow at any given moment? Today was one of those days.  Who I am kidding, this school year has been one of those years!

Today, I had grade level meetings with all the grade levels to discuss supplemental groups/tier 2.  Response to instruction.  RTI.  Yep, I said it.  R.T.I.

You know  3 letter acronyms in the education world are far worse than certain four letter words? Generally speaking, I can say RTI and you can see the teachers scatter.   And trust me, I get it.

The sad part is it really has nothing to do with RTI though.  Response to instruction.  That’s what we as teachers do EVERY day and have been doing all along.   If a student is not responding to our instruction, guess what?  We try something else.  If it is working, guess what?  We keep doing it.  I know RTI is nothing new.  However, dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s is new.  Translation: paperwork.  I know, I know.  “It’s not about the paperwork.”

I wish I could believe it wasn’t about the paperwork.  But it is.  Teachers are actually now spending more time proving they’re teaching than they are teaching!  Someone please tell me how this is helping our students.   I’m all about accountability.  However, I’m also ALL about treating our teachers with respect and as professionals and…allowing them to TEACH.  Shocking, I know.  Allowing a TEACHer to teach!   (I apologize for the sarcasm.  This is what happens after an entire day of shuffling papers.)

It is just so frustrating to sit and watch phenomenal teachers so overwhelmed, so beaten, so defeated that they start to question why they are even there in the first place.  It is so disheartening to watch them crumble.  And I feel so helpless.  I try so hard to make meetings like today beneficial and as painless as possible.  But when teachers are getting hit from every direction, it all just seems impossible.

And I should clarify.  It is not just RTI.  It isn’t RTI or PEPs or AMOs or MSLs or IEPs or PEPs or EOGs or PDPs or PLCs or TRC or…I could go on and on.  It isn’t one single thing.  It is the combination of it all.  Enough is enough.  When do we get to say enough is enough?  When do we get to say, please, let us do what we love?  Let us do what we know how to do.  Please just let us TEACH.

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Parents, please understand that our hands are tied in many situations that you probably are not pleased with.  So many things are mandated now.  People in offices that haven’t set foot in an elementary school since they were in grade school are making decisions for us…for your children.  Please know that we as teachers always have and always will have your child’s best interest in mind.

Opie Taylor fit

What do Christmas Eve and the night before school starts back after summer break have in common?  All teachers around the world can NOT SLEEP!  Well, okay, maybe it is just me…  I can’t sleep on Christmas Eve because it doesn’t matter how old I get, I just get too darn excited!  And I can’t sleep the night before school starts back because no matter how old I get, I just get too darn excited I want to drain every single last drop of my summer vacation…and not waste a drop!!  And if I go to sleep, I’m admitting that it is over.  I don’t want it to be over!  I know, I know, I should be happy I even have a summer break at all, right?  Yeah, yeah, I can only hold on to that thought for a second before I want to lie down in the floor, hold my breath, stomp my feet and throw an Opie Taylor fit.

Actually, I’ve been back to work for weeks but tomorrow is the first “official” day back.  Sigh.  I actually worked all day today training teachers on a new assessment (fun!) but there’s just something different when it is “official.”  Of course, it is not that I dislike my job.  That’s not it AT ALL.  I just really LOVE summer!  🙂  Summer time with my boys makes me one happy momma.  Time flies when you’re having fun.

And I promise no Opie Taylor fits tomorrow…at least not in public.

(The Opie Taylor fit starts around 2:13 and lasts until 2:45 if you need a visual.)

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Unsung Heroes

Yesterday, I was a reference for yet another colleague/friend that is leaving the state.  In the past 10 years, I have watched quality teachers of all ages either leave the state or leave the profession of education all together.  The reason?  Lack of respect, lack of pay…  It is a sad day when our educators are flocking to other states and/or seeking employment outside of their called profession.

What does this mean for our students?  What does this mean for the future of North Carolina?  Unfortunately, the legislators don’t seem to take this into consideration.  The latest budget is sickening.  Over the past week, I’ve wondered many things but most of all I’ve wondered why anyone would think this budget is acceptable at any level.  I know money is tight and I know public education is a huge portion of NC’s bottom line.  However, shouldn’t it be?!  Shouldn’t we invest in our children, in our future in a big way?

I’ve been puzzled as to how this could be happening but then I realized something.  Those creating this budget, how many of their children/grandchildren actually attend(ed) public schools?  Very few, I’m sure.  Very few.  So I’m speculating that this is the grand scheme…to slowly dismantle the public schools system of North Carolina.  And they’re doing it in such a sly manner.  First, they set the bar so incredibly high, that it will appear that we’re failing even when we’re not.  It will appear that we, as educators, are not doing our jobs, that we, as educators, are failing our children, our future.  But in fact, it is not the educators at all.  In fact, educators are staying even when they’re underpaid and underappreciated.  In fact, educators are spending more and more of their own personal money for supplies, materials, subscriptions, texts, books, etc. so that they can continue to deliver the best education possible even when they are not supported by their state.  In fact, educators continue to spend less and less time with their family in order to master/complete the ridiculous requirements and new mandates continually dumped on them.  Year after year.  Month after month.  Week after week.  Day after day.

Educators continue to be the door mat.  Educators continue to be the scapegoat for all that’s wrong.  When in fact, educators are one of the few reasons we’re not in worse shape than we’re in now.

But now, legislators will be able to say that public schools are failing so we’re not supporting them. We’ll not give them a raise.  We’ll pull all assistants out of the classrooms.  We’ll cram as many kids as possible in a room.  We’ll not give teachers any compensation for completing graduate degrees.  And when asked why, legislators can simply answer with, they failed to perform.  Which in fact, it is quite the opposite.  The only ones failing to perform are those that voted to pass this budget in the first place.  The only ones failing are the ones that aren’t thinking of our children in public schools.  The only ones failing are the ones that aren’t thinking of the future of North Carolina.  And that is unbeliveably sad.

My husband, Daniel Justin Smith, wrote “Unsung” years ago.  However, his lyrics still ring true today.  Educators are real heroes.  Unsung heroes.  And, I for one am beyond ready to hear their song.  I’m ready to see them dance.

Chorus:

These are my tools, this is my trade.

It’s how I make a living, but I don’t do it for the pay.

It’s my life that I’m living, loving everyday.

These are my tools, this is my trade.

When I wake my mind is racing

thought, will not leave me alone

I cannot look into those faces

without giving them my all

I teach the lessons of the ages

fate puts it’s weight on me

I am knowledge and understanding

I will show you the power of your mind

Working “Vacation”

My musician husband often takes on jobs that have nothing to do with music.  And as his wife, I usually somehow end up helping him complete these jobs.  He accepted a job to help remodel a cabin about two hours from our house.  The main task being painting the outside of the cabin.  He first enlists a friend to help and tells me they’ll be able to knock everything out in two days.  When they come back home, he tells me they didn’t even get started on the painting.  He convinces me that it will be fun for the two of us to go for the weekend and work.  It’d be good for us to spend some time together.  We drive two hours to drop the kids with their grandparents, drive four hours to the cabin, and cannot paint because it rains the ENTIRE weekend.  We drive four hours to get the kids and two hours back home.  And by the time we crawl into bed Sunday night, we realized we really didn’t need to spend any time together.

Unfortunately, the cabin still needed to be painted.  Yet again, my husband convinces me that it’d be fun to take the family up there for a few days.  We could enjoy the serenity of the mountains.  So my second week of summer “vacation”, I end up painting a cabin in the middle of nowhere.  Monday and Tuesday, he and I paint all day.  The kids join in at various times.  Usually just long enough for me to have to redo something.  We encouraged them to entertain instead (see below).  We drive home late Tuesday night because he and I both have meetings the next day.  My one hour meeting turned into 7.  Sigh.  After the meetings, we take the increasingly familiar trek back up the mountain.  We arrive at dark.  The husband paints until after midnight while the boys and I snooze.  One way the husband convinced me that it would be fun was to tell me we’d take some time to do something fun.

Child Labor

We decided to raft the Tuckaseegee.  We stopped painting in the early afternoon on Thursday and loaded up to raft.  We rented two duckies.  My mom had sent me several text messages warning me of the incoming storms but I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be as bad where we were at.  I even called my dad to see what he thought.  All clear.  The staff at the rental company even showed us the radar.  Well, apparently, the husband and I are not trained at reading a radar.  We hadn’t been in the water 5 minutes before it started to rain.  But it wasn’t pouring.  It was just a steady rain.  Not that bad.  Just paddling down the river with the family. Today’s going to be a good day.  We hit a few rapids.  Fun.  I was going to have fun.  Who cares if it is raining just a little.  And then…the flood gates opened.

It started to pour and I mean pour.  And in the words of my screaming 6 year old that was riding in my duckie, “Momma, it feels like nails!”.   It was raining so hard that I couldn’t keep my eyes open to see where we were going and it was very difficult to catch my breath.  And of course, there was thunder and lightening.  And little did I know, the “big” rapids were fast approaching.  I kept seeing all these signs but I couldn’t make out what they said.  I pass my husband and other son in their duckie.  They were stuck on a rock which probably wasn’t a bad place to be in all that mess.  My duckie, on the other hand, was heading straight for the biggest rapids of the entire run and I couldn’t see a thing!  And not to mention, I always prefer my husband go first so he can scope out the best route and then I just simply follow.  So now, not only am I leading but I am leading blindly with a screaming kid in the front in the middle of a thunderstorm!  After feeling sorry for myself for about 3 seconds (any longer and we would have been in the water, out of the boat), I put on my big girl panties and nailed those rapids.  My husband and the other kid were close behind.  He had spotted a place to beach the duckies.  Of course I’m in the middle of the river and had quite a difficult time getting our duckie to the side in the pouring rain and wind but finally made it.  And when I get out of the raft , I see my two boys heading up to some stranger’s house.  I yell for them to wait on me!  We run underneath the porch and wait on Dad to get the duckies out of the water.  The kind people that were staying at this cabin invited us on the porch and brought my shivering boys towels.  As soon as we got on the porch, it started to hail.  Thank goodness we were not stuck in that! Turns out the people that were staying at the cabin were from the town we live in.  Thankful for good neighbors!

After sitting on the porch for about 10-15 minutes waiting on the storm to pass, the rain started to slow and we decided it’d be safe to finish our trip down the river.  We hop in our duckies and all seems to be clearing up.  And it did for about 20 minutes.  The boys were still a little traumatized so they kept going back and forth between, “this is fun!” and “is it over yet?”.  We finally see where we to get out.  The guy is standing there waiting on us.  He looked a bit relieved we were okay.  And when we’re about 10 yards from getting out of the river, the skies open up again.  In the pouring rain, the boys and I run to the truck for shelter.  While the husband helps tie on the duckies, I sigh a big sigh of relief once in the truck safe with the boys.  What I didn’t realize is that I would be much more terrified on the way back to our car because the college kid didn’t slow down at all in the hellacious storm!  I kept thinking, we made it through the horrible storms on the river, now we’re all going to die because this kid won’t slow down (or turn on the flipping defrost so he could see out the windshield)!! Geez, I was so relieved when we pulled in the parking lot safely.

By the time we get back to the cabin, we look (and feel) like wet rats just washed ashore.  And it is still rainy so we forego painting.  Friday, the husband lets me sleep in while he paints.  We have to leave by 2 to get home for my nephew’s birthday party.  And FINALLY, the first coat is complete!

As I type this, I’m waiting on the musician husband to get home (he was up at 5:30 to mow) so we can take the familiar roads up to the cabin that I’m beginning to think is my second home.  Oh, and did I mention the cabin is unfurnished.  Working vacations. Love/Hate kind of thing.

School’s Out for Summer!!

First Day of Summer!!  I always feel like a kid again on those last days of the school year!  Love it!

As for my first day of summer, I spent…working!  Apparently, that’s what all school teachers are doing these days!  Boo for summer jobs! 46th in the nation!  Come on NC!??

And tomorrow, I have training at the county office.  But only for a half day and after that I’m all free!  Well, as free as one can be, I suppose.  I am going to the grocery store directly after training with no kids in tow.  I guess that is kind of like a vacation.

So, Wednesday, I actually am all free.  My kiddos (ages 5 and 6) have never been to Carowinds.  I never wanted to pay money for the ticket unless they could do most of the rides.  They are now both 48 inches or taller so here we come Carowinds!  Well, maybe.  I thought we should go as early in the summer as possible because I know some counties are still in school (so sorry for all you that are still in school!) and I was hoping it would be less crowded.  Plan in place.  Right?  Well, not exactly.  So I look up the ticket prices online.  Wow!!  I’m not even sure with my summer job we can afford to go to Carowinds!  So I hunt for coupons.  The best deal I could find was to order online…39.99 each.  So 39.99 x 4 = 159.96.  That’s just the tickets to get in the place.  Not to mention gas to get there and FOOD!!!  Needless to say, I’m on the fence about the whole Carowinds trip.  If we do go, my kids will be eating pb & j sandwiches in the parking lot.

The life of a educator/musician’s wife.  🙂

Winding Down…

I absolutely cannot believe that it is the LAST week of school!  I know I say that every year but it really seems different this year…(I think I say that every year too)!

It doesn’t help that I’m out of my schools for two days this week working at the county office.  I feel so far behind! But just like everyone else, I’m very excited for SUMMER!

When I was in the classroom, I always loved to get feedback from parents (some parents more than others). 😉  I sent home surveys often and welcomed suggestions/comments/concerns.  I’m always looking to improve.  Click here for a FREE pdf of an end of the year survey that I would send home.

Good luck to all as the school year winds down.  Here’s to a refreshing summer!