Thursday, May 16, 2013
Where have I been
I have really been focused on trying to help my students prepare for their AP exams. I was amazed by the effort many of the students put in. So now that this is behind us I am hoping that I can get back to my blogging self
Friday, April 12, 2013
grades
As I am preparing for third quarter grades, I am amazed at how many students have made such great progress so far this year. As we prepare to get ready for the AP exam, many students who came into the year with no AP experience or skills now seem ready to conquer this college final. Of course there are students who have not made the progress I would have liked so far but they have a chance to push themselves the next couple of weeks. It is a chance to see can they master the work that they did not get the first time around.
When I see students improving, it allows me to forget all the other craziness in the world of education. It about the students stupid.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
a glimpse into the future and appreciation of the present
As I am visiting my Dad who is sick, I get a glimpse into how I am going to be when I am older. It is sad to watch how he has trouble taking care of himself. What this however has forced me to reflect upon is how lucky I have been in my personal life to have a great family who has always been supportive of me.
As you can tell if you have read this blog I am not a very positive person, who rarely says positive things to anyone. However, I realize how lucky I have been this year to work with a group of really great students. In the past I have been lucky to work with intelligent young men and women. While this years students are extremely bright what impresses me is the type of people they are. Frequently in class I see people helping each other either understand the concepts, or ways to remember the concepts. They are completely unselfish in their actions to each other. If you look at our library it is amazing to see how many people tutor each other and how often they are their to comfort each other in a time of need.
In the future I am sure that many of these students will be doctors, lawyers, teachers (sorry I had to throw that in), and other great professionals. What is more important is that I have never had a group in where so many of the students are the type that will change the world for the better . It makes me happy to know that these bright and caring young people will be able to fix the problems that my generation has left them.
What I also realize is how much I learn from my students each year. When I think of any good changes I have made in my teaching it has been something that has been suggested to me by a student to help make the class better. Recently, at a forum meeting, i was able to hear from students first hand what they wanted from teachers. There comments were open and honest which made me realize that I have a long way to go to on this journey of teaching. While I often see the glass as half empty many of these students thought of the class as totally full which made me think hard about changing my attitude in both my professional and personal life.
When we comeback from vacation for many of the seniors we have less than 30 school days left together. I am going to use these days to enjoy my students and appreciate the moment. As we will have to work hard to prepare for our AP exams, my job is to put you in the best position to be successful on these tests.
As the weather gets nicer, the end gets closer, and the distractions increase we will all need to show our character. We will need the GRIT to continue to fight the good fight to the finish line, we will need the self-control to study when the weather gets nicer and we will need the support of each other when we stray off track.
I am extremely confident that this group we get the job done in the next couple of weeks. That the relationships you have with each other will help push yourselves to excellence.
As you can tell if you have read this blog I am not a very positive person, who rarely says positive things to anyone. However, I realize how lucky I have been this year to work with a group of really great students. In the past I have been lucky to work with intelligent young men and women. While this years students are extremely bright what impresses me is the type of people they are. Frequently in class I see people helping each other either understand the concepts, or ways to remember the concepts. They are completely unselfish in their actions to each other. If you look at our library it is amazing to see how many people tutor each other and how often they are their to comfort each other in a time of need.
In the future I am sure that many of these students will be doctors, lawyers, teachers (sorry I had to throw that in), and other great professionals. What is more important is that I have never had a group in where so many of the students are the type that will change the world for the better . It makes me happy to know that these bright and caring young people will be able to fix the problems that my generation has left them.
What I also realize is how much I learn from my students each year. When I think of any good changes I have made in my teaching it has been something that has been suggested to me by a student to help make the class better. Recently, at a forum meeting, i was able to hear from students first hand what they wanted from teachers. There comments were open and honest which made me realize that I have a long way to go to on this journey of teaching. While I often see the glass as half empty many of these students thought of the class as totally full which made me think hard about changing my attitude in both my professional and personal life.
When we comeback from vacation for many of the seniors we have less than 30 school days left together. I am going to use these days to enjoy my students and appreciate the moment. As we will have to work hard to prepare for our AP exams, my job is to put you in the best position to be successful on these tests.
As the weather gets nicer, the end gets closer, and the distractions increase we will all need to show our character. We will need the GRIT to continue to fight the good fight to the finish line, we will need the self-control to study when the weather gets nicer and we will need the support of each other when we stray off track.
I am extremely confident that this group we get the job done in the next couple of weeks. That the relationships you have with each other will help push yourselves to excellence.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Why?
In full disclosure, I was blessed at my last school with having a great Principal, Assistant Principal and department chair who developed a team which had no ego just thought about what is best for kids. This group worked as a team as nobody really made decisions without consulting each other and at least getting feedback from the team. While, the teachers on the team, realized that we were not final decision makers we always felt valued and an important part of the decision making process.
That being said, I was terribly spoiled by this great leadership who cared passionately about student success in the classroom. That leads me to this present situation in which our administration scheduled a 5K race to raise money for cancer and our schools fitness race, the day before our AP exams. I realize that you need a spring or fall day to do this race but it leaves a lot of Sundays available. So why would they schedule it that day? Why would they not ask the AP teachers what they felt about scheduling the race on that day? Why would they at least when it was pointed out to them say "sorry we will not do that next year" Why were they so defensive about the entire situation?
While most students will be fine if they run the race, help out during the race etc, is it worth it if it causes one student to possibly fail the exam. For some students this is an exam that they have worked hard for all year and now they are faced with helping the school or studying for themselves? Is this fair of our school to do this to the students? Should we putting more pressure on them or taking the stress off of them?
That being said, I was terribly spoiled by this great leadership who cared passionately about student success in the classroom. That leads me to this present situation in which our administration scheduled a 5K race to raise money for cancer and our schools fitness race, the day before our AP exams. I realize that you need a spring or fall day to do this race but it leaves a lot of Sundays available. So why would they schedule it that day? Why would they not ask the AP teachers what they felt about scheduling the race on that day? Why would they at least when it was pointed out to them say "sorry we will not do that next year" Why were they so defensive about the entire situation?
While most students will be fine if they run the race, help out during the race etc, is it worth it if it causes one student to possibly fail the exam. For some students this is an exam that they have worked hard for all year and now they are faced with helping the school or studying for themselves? Is this fair of our school to do this to the students? Should we putting more pressure on them or taking the stress off of them?
Saturday, March 23, 2013
The Perfect Storm
The other day I went to do a psych review at Western High School. I was very excited since there are a couple of people at the school who I have worked with and have great respect for. Still I had the touch of nervousness, as I always have on the first day of school.
Once the review started however, it seemed that I had been teaching these kids for years. They had great knowledge of the subject which is a tribute to their regular teacher. It was great to see how focused they were on the subject, how they participated in class, and how they took down notes on important points. When you see a class work like that you know that the teacher has done a great job instilling good habits in them.
One of the things that we are trying to do with Western is Skype our reviews and review on chat boards. This allows two schools to collaborate to make each other better which is very exciting. This is when technology can really be useful as students from two different schools combine to make each other better.
Now, what to do with my classes when I was at Western. We have an activity called graphing weds. in economics which we practice the key graphs of the year. It is neat in that we compete against each other as teams to make sure that we have mastered the graphs.
Once a month, our department chair comes in to observe our classes. I suggested to him that my observation this month should be on graphing weds when I am not in the class. I think the fact that I actually suggested this shows how much faith I have in both my department chair and in my students. My department chair is not the type of person looking to catch bad things, a matter of fact quite the opposite.
When I came back from my visit to Western I ran into one of my economics students. The first words out of her mouth was wow, the student in charge was amazing, she knew everything. So a new idea came into my head to allow a different student each week to be in charge of graphing weds. It would force them to master the material and give them a great experience in front of the class.
A great day of education. I learned a better way to teach, saw a teacher whose class had mastered many skills, and connected with old friends.
Once the review started however, it seemed that I had been teaching these kids for years. They had great knowledge of the subject which is a tribute to their regular teacher. It was great to see how focused they were on the subject, how they participated in class, and how they took down notes on important points. When you see a class work like that you know that the teacher has done a great job instilling good habits in them.
One of the things that we are trying to do with Western is Skype our reviews and review on chat boards. This allows two schools to collaborate to make each other better which is very exciting. This is when technology can really be useful as students from two different schools combine to make each other better.
Now, what to do with my classes when I was at Western. We have an activity called graphing weds. in economics which we practice the key graphs of the year. It is neat in that we compete against each other as teams to make sure that we have mastered the graphs.
Once a month, our department chair comes in to observe our classes. I suggested to him that my observation this month should be on graphing weds when I am not in the class. I think the fact that I actually suggested this shows how much faith I have in both my department chair and in my students. My department chair is not the type of person looking to catch bad things, a matter of fact quite the opposite.
When I came back from my visit to Western I ran into one of my economics students. The first words out of her mouth was wow, the student in charge was amazing, she knew everything. So a new idea came into my head to allow a different student each week to be in charge of graphing weds. It would force them to master the material and give them a great experience in front of the class.
A great day of education. I learned a better way to teach, saw a teacher whose class had mastered many skills, and connected with old friends.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Why we need our best and brightest
Lately, I have been asking many of our brightest students to consider teaching as a career. It has become evident to me that people like myself are not the ones that are going to change education. The truth is that anyone who has been in the profession for a while is part of the problem. It is hard for any of us, most with the best intentions, to admit that we need to re-examine the way we are doing things.
When I look across the room at many of my students I am convinced that if they were educators that they would make our system better. They have the creativity, energy, and leadership ability to bring major change to this profession. They are the type of people who have the proper combination of big heart and big ideas.
If you get by money, one of the biggest obstacles they face is that they do not think that they have the patience to deal with kids. The lack of patience might be a good thing. Maybe this would produce more teachers who would demand excellence from their students. Maybe it would create teachers with less patience from their bosses? Maybe it would develop teachers with less patience for mediocrity.
The lure of money sometimes is what keeps people from becoming a teacher. However, when you get that letter, e-mail or eventually tweet that tells you that you have made a difference in their life, you are hooked forever. You can not put a price tag on that feeling or what you have done for an individual.
So, even when I am extremely frustrated, i always realize that teaching is the only job that I want. There is no other job I would want at this stage of my life.
So these past couple of years I have been blessed to teach students who I know will make a difference in the world. They are the type of kids that will make the world a better place. My hopes however is that they decide to make the world a better place by fixing our education system.. That might be our biggest strategic advantage a great education system
When I look across the room at many of my students I am convinced that if they were educators that they would make our system better. They have the creativity, energy, and leadership ability to bring major change to this profession. They are the type of people who have the proper combination of big heart and big ideas.
If you get by money, one of the biggest obstacles they face is that they do not think that they have the patience to deal with kids. The lack of patience might be a good thing. Maybe this would produce more teachers who would demand excellence from their students. Maybe it would create teachers with less patience from their bosses? Maybe it would develop teachers with less patience for mediocrity.
The lure of money sometimes is what keeps people from becoming a teacher. However, when you get that letter, e-mail or eventually tweet that tells you that you have made a difference in their life, you are hooked forever. You can not put a price tag on that feeling or what you have done for an individual.
So, even when I am extremely frustrated, i always realize that teaching is the only job that I want. There is no other job I would want at this stage of my life.
So these past couple of years I have been blessed to teach students who I know will make a difference in the world. They are the type of kids that will make the world a better place. My hopes however is that they decide to make the world a better place by fixing our education system.. That might be our biggest strategic advantage a great education system
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Is technology the answer
I have not blogged for a while since I have been so frustrated with the educational system. My school has made me feel like a really old man who is totally out of touch with students needs and wants. I hope that we will have some students reply honestly to this blog so that I can get a better understanding of how they feel about technology.
One of the things that our administration does not seem to understand is that for every second you spend doing something that does not impact the class room it is a second you are not helping students in the classroom. This seemed to come to mind the other day when I found at we had a Twitter for our school. It seemed to me like a waste of time to tweet things about our school on Twitter.
So as a totally old fashioned person I use e-mail to communicate with my students. I was told that if I used Twitter it would make the communication with the students much better and more students would read my announcements. So trying not to be an angry old man I asked a couple of my classes how many students did not have a twitter account. To my total surprise about half my students did not have twitter. So this great communication tool that some of us were raving about does not connect to half the class. Am I missing something here?
As an older person I remember how TV (yes TV) was going to save education, then VCR's, computers etc. I have had students evaluate me for the last ten years and while they have offered very valuable information on how to get me better nobody has ever told me to use more technology. I think of our math teacher who is by one of the best teacher in the school and she does not use any thrills or technology. She just works harder than most to make sure that her students understand the information. There is not a student who has her who every walks away thinking anything but she is the most caring individual.
So I ask, what do students want from teachers? Do they want teachers who use the coolest technology? Or do they want teachers who worked their hardest to deliver the material in a way that students can learn. Do they want teachers who are open to suggestions or teachers who hide behind technology? Do they want teachers who care about them and support them?
I am listening and hoping I get honest feedback. What do students want?
One of the things that our administration does not seem to understand is that for every second you spend doing something that does not impact the class room it is a second you are not helping students in the classroom. This seemed to come to mind the other day when I found at we had a Twitter for our school. It seemed to me like a waste of time to tweet things about our school on Twitter.
So as a totally old fashioned person I use e-mail to communicate with my students. I was told that if I used Twitter it would make the communication with the students much better and more students would read my announcements. So trying not to be an angry old man I asked a couple of my classes how many students did not have a twitter account. To my total surprise about half my students did not have twitter. So this great communication tool that some of us were raving about does not connect to half the class. Am I missing something here?
As an older person I remember how TV (yes TV) was going to save education, then VCR's, computers etc. I have had students evaluate me for the last ten years and while they have offered very valuable information on how to get me better nobody has ever told me to use more technology. I think of our math teacher who is by one of the best teacher in the school and she does not use any thrills or technology. She just works harder than most to make sure that her students understand the information. There is not a student who has her who every walks away thinking anything but she is the most caring individual.
So I ask, what do students want from teachers? Do they want teachers who use the coolest technology? Or do they want teachers who worked their hardest to deliver the material in a way that students can learn. Do they want teachers who are open to suggestions or teachers who hide behind technology? Do they want teachers who care about them and support them?
I am listening and hoping I get honest feedback. What do students want?
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