Censoring Email

In my ongoing struggle to get ALL of my email, I have finally discovered why some of it goes astray.  Background: I sign up for most things with my Gmail account, because I have changed ISPs several times and then I don't have to switch accounts if I change again.  From Gmail, I have everything forwarded to my current ISP account and deleted off of Gmail.  I then read my mail using the Mac Mail client. 

A few months back, I logged on to Gmail to change some parameters and I noticed that I had hundreds of bounced email messages.  Nearly all of them said that they were rejected because of the spam content in the messages.  Only they weren't spam.  They were from various groups that I subscribe to - on PURPOSE.  The weird thing was that some email from those groups got through just fine, but some of the posts were bounced back to Gmail as spam.

So, I contacted my ISP (Centurylink) and told them about the problem.  They traced it to a filter default that was supposed to filter out spam.  The rep then turned off the filter - and I thought things were going to be fine.

Only, I kept myself logged in to Gmail, in order to monitor it.  Sure enough, the bounced messages were reduced in number.  BUT, there were still some that were sent back to Gmail as spam.  WHY???  Finally, when messages from Gifted-Teachers and Gifted Homeschoolers Forum were bounced back, I decided I needed to contact Centurylink again. 

The rep I talked to wanted to blame all sorts of things.  Gmail, first of all.  But I patiently explained that the return message said that it was Centurylink's server that was rejecting the email, not Gmail.  Then, he tried to blame the way I read my mail.  It was too convoluted and that made it hard to trace the problem.  After explaining that it was working fine for most of my mail, even from the SAME senders, (and considerable arguing on my part), he finally gave up and sent the problem up a level. 

I got an answer yesterday.  Centurylink subscribes to a service that lists addresses that frequently have spam-related problems.  If a link to any of the black-listed sites is included in the email, then it is marked as spam and returned.  There is no way to "white-list" the sender.  It just is sent back. 

So, Gifted Homeschoolers Forum and Gifted-Teachers list-serve, if you suspect that some of your messages aren't getting through to the subscribers, you may be correct, especially if they contain a significant number of links to other web sites. 

Annoying.  And I wouldn't have discovered this at all, if I hadn't had my "convoluted" way of reading my mail.  Now, I am wondering if some valid mail is also rejected by Gmail.  I don't have any way to see that.

Teaching GT Kids

OK.  I will just admit it.  I love teaching GT kids.  I was at a charter school for GT kids today - 5th and 6th grades and I really enjoyed the day. 

First of all, the atmosphere of a GT school is different.  There is an enjoyment of learning that I don't usually see at other schools.  The teacher left some "Plexer" style worksheets for them to do if they had some time and the kids grabbed them enthusiastically.  Then later in the day, they were reading aloud from a book with multiple characters and they really enjoyed listening to different kids read their parts.  There was a willingness to tackle problems and think about the implications of different aspects of their learning. 

And the students are also a bit different - the interest in things; the acceptance of each other; the acceptance of "the sub" as a person of interest and not an adversary. 

It was fun. 

I suppose this is one reason why teachers in regular classrooms sometimes feel that teaching GT kids is "easy".  In general, they WERE more compliant that kids I teach in regular classrooms.  Their enthusiasm carries over to their work and it makes teaching more interesting and more fun.  And, in general, as this is a charter school, their parents are committed to their education.  The parents who picked up the kids seemed genuinely interested in what their children had to say. 

As a sub, I can't really tell much about their ability levels.  My guess is that most of them were moderately gifted, with a sprinkling of students above and below that.  I still didn't see accommodations for kids who would be outliers, even in this environment, the EG and PG kids, but the general attitude that learning is interesting should make it more comfortable and accepting even for those students. 

Good day, even though I am coming off of an illness and am not at 100% myself. 

Thinking about Praise

This is an exploratory entry - I am thinking about this problem and haven't yet reached a complete answer or answers.  

Re: http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/08/beyond-grades-and-trophies-teaching-kids-the-definition-of-success/

7.  DON’T DROWN YOUR KIDS IN PRAISE 

I have been thinking about this in terms of substitute teaching.  What things can I say to kids that are markers to success, but are not over praising?

One day when I was subbing, I gave out an award at the end of the day for "Best Wrong Answer".   In giving this "reward", which was just a sticky note with a sticker and the name of the award, I explained to the class why the wrong answer was excellent - it showed that the student was thinking about the problem and connecting it to things he already knew.  It was wrong, because he left out one key thing, but it showed courage to be wrong, as well as good, though incomplete, thinking.  Was this an example of good praise?  I think so.

I sometimes also give out an award for "Best Weird Question".  It has a similar premise - thinking about the subject matter and connecting it to things that are not necessarily explicit.  And, again, having the courage to ask the question, when it might seem strange.

Kids seem to like these awards.  I had a class for two days and gave out the Best Wrong Answer award the first day.  The students really looked forward to the end of the next day, as the Best Wrong Answer award had piqued their interest.  

How else can I not overpraise students?  What should I say when students turn in papers?  I tend to say, "Good job."  But is that too much?  In many cases, I don't know if what they did is a good job; I only know that it is a finished job.

I am mindful of Dweck's work on mindsets - fixed versus growth.  Praise the effort and not the inherent ability, but being effusive with "excellent effort"s and "good job"s may also lead students to value the reward, rather than the process.

The other day, I taught a very difficult math lesson.  The students were supposed to use calculators to compute the answer to questions like -25 + (-16) and -4 - (-5).  The problem is that there was no classroom set of calculators.  Some of the students had their own calculators and the teacher had a supply of two different kinds of calculators.  One style of the teacher's calculators had a "change sign" key; the other did not.  There were at least 5 different kinds of calculators in the room.  How can you tell if the students (31 of them) are getting it?  You give them the answers and see if they can explain how to get them with their calculator.  It was very difficult.  But the students did actually work at it.  And I told them so.  "This is[was] not an easy lesson.  These calculators work differently.  So what you need to do is to see if you can figure out how YOUR calculator works.  I appreciate how hard you worked on these two pages."  In fact, I still can't get my own calculator to computer -25 + (-16) correctly, unless I KNOW that adding a negative is the same as subtracting.

I am still thinking about teacher praise.  How much is enough for encouragement?  How much is too much?

No Room to Move

I had two classes this week that have 31 students.  Both were 5th grades.  The other class (of the three I taught this week) was around 20.  The room size was perfectly adequate for the 20 student classroom - it is a charter school.  The room size was also adequate for the 31 students in an upper socio-economic school.  The room in the lower socio-economic school was cramped to absolute capacity.  I don't know where they would fit another desk, should a new 5th grader move into the district. 

Managing a class of 31 students, several of which have special needs, is a challenge, no matter what the room size.  As a sub, it is nearly impossible for me to get to know any of the students.  It makes substitute teaching more like being a clerk (or a prison warden).  The job is to make sure the kids are accounted for; that they pretend to do some work; and that they make it to the end of the day without any major disasters.  There is little time for connecting to students. 

But worst of all, for the students who have to be there every day, the crowded classroom is very uncomfortable for several of the students.  One student was physically very large - just moving around the classroom must remind him several times a day that he is much bigger than most of the others.  Another child seemed uncomfortable sitting - but standing means he blocks someone else's path.  One student was on a behavior plan - and has temper issues.  How do you make sure the other students can be away from him, if he has a melt-down? 

Then there was the terribly quiet girl.  I couldn't tell if she was shy or just completely overwhelmed with all the people.  What pain she must be in every week day, with no place where she can get away from all the kids and not be constantly on guard.  And what about a few of the others, who also seemed introverted.  There was no place to escape from the overwhelming crush of other students. 

And, I suppose it is equally painful for students who need to move.  With 31 students in a packed classroom, any movement is disruptive. 

The students were actually pretty nice, and I was only there for a half day, so it didn't overwhelm me.  But it is painful for me to think about the situation we are putting those children in.  Imagine adults in that situation.  They would find it intolerable.  Why do we do this to kids? 

Because we can.

Montessori Upper Elementary

I got to sub in a Montessori school today - only a half day, but I had wanted to sub in that school for a while.  When I lived in Alaska, I subbed several times in a Montessori school and was impressed with it.  And I have wondered since then how general the Montessori model was for upper elementary age children.  It was interesting to me that several of the things were the same and others different.

Physical characteristics of the room
True to the Montessori model of schooling, there were a lot of wooden materials in both classrooms.   But, also in both classrooms, the wooden materials don't seem to be being used much.  For instance, today I saw a couple of interesting models of the sun and the planets, including the Earth and its moons, but they were high up on a shelf and not in use, while the students worked on a worksheet packet about phases of the moon.  There were a lot of reference books available, but the students seemed to use the information in the packets the most.  The room in Alaska had wooden tables of various sizes throughout; this room had standard desks for each student, with small tables at various places around the room.  The room in Alaska seemed spacious; this one seemed very crowded.  But, in this case, some of the crowding was due to a plethora of large tanks for turtles, lizards, fish, and other creatures.  Personally, I would like to have seen some more large tables for their work.

Assignments
In both classes, the students had a work schedule that they filled out.  Long term projects were listed in one section, daily work in sections devoted to each day.  In both classes, the assignments seemed to be specific to grade levels and not to current achievement levels.  The 4th graders had one social studies assignment; the 5th graders had a different assignment.  There were two different math books, one for 4th grade, one for 5th grade.  In a way, I am a little disappointed that there didn't seem to be much individualization of achievement levels.  It may be that the classes are differentiated, since there are multiple 4/5 grades in this school.  I really couldn't tell that.

Textbooks/Worksheets
This classroom seemed to use worksheets more than the school in Alaska.  In Alaska, they had a lot of laminated assignment materials that the students rotated in using.  Since the assignments usually came in 2 or 3 week chunks, there was plenty of time for the students to rotate through the assignment materials.  Neither school used textbooks for much of their work, except for math.  

Other interesting things
The class had an aide; the one in Alaska did, too.  What a difference this makes!  Supervision is easier, grading is easier, talking to individual students and small groups is easier.  It was a moderately large class, 25 students, but you can get to know the kids better, even in just a half day, with another adult in the room.  Your focus doesn't need to be quite as widely scattered.

The academic level of the students in this class seemed average.  So perhaps the same work for all of them in each grade was appropriate.  It was hard for me to tell.

Final thing
Both Montessori schools address teachers, administrators, and staff by their first names.  It must be a characteristic of the Montessori philosophy.  I am not sure I am comfortable with that.  I think I would prefer some mild honorific, such as Teacher Laura or Ms. Laura.  I guess I am not as egalitarian as the Montessori philosophy would have me be.  Still, I had a interesting morning.  I would go back.

Class List Rant, Again

Yesterday, I had a class with 31 or 32 students.  Why am I not sure how many I actually had?  Because the teacher didn't leave me a class list.  I found a seating chart - it was outdated.  She said in her note to me that two of her students were in the special education classroom and would be in and out with their aides all day.  She didn't give me their names, so I didn't know if they were included on the seating chart or not.  One girl was mentioned in her note as a person to ask to do a specific task, but her name wasn't anywhere on the seating chart or in the emergency folder.  The kids said there were 32 students in the class, but even if I counted the extra girl and the two "in and out" students, I only got 31. 

When the students went off to music, I went to the office to get a class list.  The secretary hid her impatience with the request pretty well.  The district has class list forms that subs are often required to sign and date, avowing that the attendance so marked is correct.  But these class lists are also very often NOT given to subs, especially in elementary schools.  They rely on teachers to give the subs class lists - and they often don't.

Then came math time.  The students switched around for math.  This time, the class swelled to 34 students - I think.  There was no class list for this class either.  Good thing we didn't have a fire drill or other emergency.  And, 34 students was more than there was room for - not enough desks, so some kids had to double up. 

There were 4 or 5 fifth grades in this school.  Let's say 4.  If each class had 31 students, that is 124 students, more than enough for 5 normal, large classes.  Part of the problem is though, that this school, like 4 others that I go to, even though it is fairly new, was not built large enough for the growing population around it.  The school already has mobile classrooms and there is limited space for more.  Each time they build a new school, they seem to under-build.

I like this school.  I enjoyed the kids.  I just wish there weren't so many of them at a time and I had an accurate class list, so I have a hope of learning who they are.  Subbing doesn't have a lot of rewards, but getting to know kids is an important part of it.  It is hard to get to know them when there are SO many and you don't have a list with their names - preferably one you can keep and not send to the office, so you can write notes about them during the day. 

Sigh.

"Stop" Means "STOP"

Recently, I was teaching in a 5th/6th grade combination class, where a group of girls were acting silly (not unusual)  and directing their silliness at various other girls.  Some played along and had fun, but it clearly annoyed one girl.  She first politely asked them to stop, but they didn't.  She attempted to physically remove herself, (we were lining up to go somewhere), but that also didn't work.  Finally, albeit a bit late in the game, I realized that this was a good opportunity to give the kids the message that "Stop" means "STOP".  So, I told the girls who were being silly that when someone says the word "Stop", it means that they need to "STOP".  They weren't actually bullying anyone with their silliness (I think it was something like just saying a goofy word over and over again).  I told them that, as long as the people around them didn't use the word "Stop", their silliness was just annoying, but once someone asked them to "Stop", then they needed to do so around that person.  "Stop" means "STOP".

The young girl who was the target of this, but didn't like it, looked at me with extreme gratitude and it occurred to me that I should have been doing this MUCH more often.  I can't believe it has taken me so long to get here.  I guess it is because, in my family we would tease each other quite a bit.  Sometimes "Stop" really meant - "This is funny and if it doesn't get worse, I am actually enjoying the attention."  The problem is, the person doing the action isn't always aware of the point at which "Stop" ceases to be funny and crosses over to "STOP" meaning "This is enough."

Now I need to think of a word to use that means "This is funny and fun, but be careful, because you are getting close to my limits."

"No" means "NO" and "Stop" means "STOP". What would be a good word for "Watch out; I am enjoying this now, but I may have enough of it in a minute."  -- "Careful"?  "OK"?

Difficult Day

I had a really difficult day today.  The job I took said it was third grade, which is the youngest grade I usually sub for.  But it turned out to be a second grade.  OK, I can deal with second grade for a day, I thought. 

Wrong.

This was one of the most difficult classes I have had all year.  It wasn't that large - only 24 students and one was absent, but about one-third of the class had huge problems in focusing on their work.  And about two-thirds of the class could best focus on which rules the other kids were breaking and which rules they could get away with breaking because I was a sub.  Talk about tattling.  Sigh. 

The morning wasn't terrible - they started out with a "social studies" assignment, drawing food groups on plates.  Indoor recess was not great, and then came their literacy block.  They were supposed to write a summary of a book they read yesterday, then move on to a list of activities (spelling, read to self, computer work, read to partner, read to teacher).  They all insisted that they had read the book yesterday and we went over how to write a summary.  Only half of the class wasn't listening - they were busy trying to kick their neighbors.  And by the time they got to their seats to start writing, most of them couldn't remember anything about the story they insisted they knew.  Fifteen minutes later, they were finally settling down to writing, and then some students started finishing - everyone was distracted again. 

The afternoon was worse.  I was supposed to teach a math lesson to a smaller group, when the better math students left for a different math class.  Only this group of about a dozen couldn't focus on anything.  Even more of a disaster.  One kid kept putting his hat on as an ammo belt.  Another kid kept putting his shirt over his head like a hoodie.  One girl kept moving around and annoying everyone, then complained that they were "mean to her".  One boy who was supposed to sit next to me to work, insisted on sitting by himself.  A girl who was supposed to sit next to me got NOTHING done, unless I was working with her directly.  And on and on.  I finally had to send Mr Shirt Over His Head Distracting Everyone to the office.  Another gigantic sigh.

Then came library.  I was relieved to see that the library teacher also had trouble getting them to settle down and pay attention - even for a short time.  And finally computers.  Over half of the class had trouble logging on (and I had no passwords to help them).  Some finally managed to do so, but 8 students never could log on. 

Back to class to get ready for dismissal.  Little Miss Get Everyone Angry at Her is hitting people, because they said something unkind about her sister.  They, of course, insist that they didn't say that.  Little Miss Get Everyone Angry at Her then gets mad at me, because I tried to do something fun for dismissal.  Sigh. 

Never again.  Their regular teacher is a saint. 

Kids and Wastefulness

Why is it that, when kids need a circle about an inch in diameter, they cut that inch-sized circle out of the middle of the piece of paper they are given?  Why is it, when a girl has a runny nose, she takes two tissues to dab at her nose and then throws both of them in the trash?  Why is it that kids will cut through several sheets of paper to make a construction and then minutes later throw the whole thing in the trash?  Why do they use up a whole tape roll putting together pretend wallets and then pretend that they are not theirs when they are later found on the floor?  Why is it that, given brand new pencils, one of the first things kids do is to pull the eraser off of the top?  Why do kids cheerfully grind new pencils down to stubs in electric pencil sharpeners? 

OK, so I understand the grinding down of brand new pencils.  It is rather pleasing to let the sharpener grind away, for some inexplicable reason.  But, in general, why are kids, at least American kids, so wasteful of what they have in their classrooms?  How many times have I found complete sheets of paper in the recycling containers, just because they have one pencil mark on a corner?  Why do kids grab a whole handful of index cards, when they need just two? 

When kids have to provide their own pencils, colored pencils, highlighters, markers, and paper, you get the constant complaints that they don't have the supplies that they need to get their work done.  If the teacher provides the supplies (often out of his/her own money), the kids have no concern whatsoever for being conservative in their use.  At the end of the school day, I ALWAYS find pencils or markers on the floor - even if I have had the students clean the room, until it is spotless just before they leave.  Somehow, the mere movement of children through the classroom causes pencils to jump out of desks and boxes and place themselves on the floors - optimally in a hard to reach place under a desk. 

And, what is the solution?  How do you get kids to think about all the stuff they are wasting?  In one classroom I went to, the teacher put the student's initials on each pencil that the child was given out of the classroom supply.  At least then, you could tell who was constantly leaving pencils on the floor.  Maybe you could set up a class economy, where they have to 'buy' supplies by doing classroom jobs.  Alas, that doesn't work for a sub, but it might make me feel better. 

The Difference between Respect and Esteem

I hear the aphorism, "Respect has to be earned," and it makes me discouraged.  This idea is a source of some of the bad manners and disruptive behaviors I see in students, especially middle school and older students.  It conflates two attitudes toward authority figures and I think we need to use two different words for these ideas. "Respect" can be used for the decent treatment we give to everyone - the honorable treatment of those in positions of authority, especially, regardless of our knowledge of that person's behavior. This meaning is embodied in the aphorism, "Treat everyone with respect."  

"Esteem", on the other hand, is what needs to be earned. We give esteem to those who earn it by their exemplary behavior.

I think it would help to make the distinction.

Re: Intensive Small-Group Tutoring and Counseling - NY Times Article

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/education/intensive-tutoring-and-counseling-found-to-help-struggling-teenagers.html

This is a great and effective idea, except for one major flaw:  they are paying the tutors $17,000 per year to do this job.  This is well below poverty level in most urban areas.  Why is it that a lot of "solutions" to problems in our culture mean creating new, part-time jobs at poverty level pay?

I guess I get frustrated when solutions to educational problems include having people volunteer or accept very low wages - like substitute teachers. One principal said to me once, "Oh, but don't you get $100 a day?" I said, "Yes, so the maximum amount I could get in a school year, even if I were lucky enough to get jobs EVERY DAY, would be $100 * 180 = $18,000." 

Sure, these tutors could get part time jobs during the summer or weekends - if such jobs were available. So, as soon as something better turns up, the tutor leaves and the students get a new one.  

The tutors do well.  Yes, people should not be greatly surprised that, with 2 to 1 help, plus counseling, these students do markedly better.  That is a good, even great, thing.  But, does it scale up?  I am not so sure. 

I hear repeatedly the claim that you can't just "throw money" at education.  No, you can't.  But there are effective and less effective uses of money.  Millions of dollars spent on standardized testing?  Questionable.  Millions spent on adequate staffing?  More likely.  People cost money; really good people cost a bit more.  


__________

Addendum: The school districts I work for are also increasing the number of half day jobs that are available for subs.  Since it is often very difficult to coordinate the ending time of one half day job with the beginning of another half day job, taking into account driving times between schools, subs frequently take only one half day job.  This cuts sub pay even further.  I suppose, to be fair, it does make it easier to take another regular part time job.  If a sub has another regular part time job that starts some time in the afternoon, that sub could take only morning half day jobs.  Still, it does make transportation costs a larger issue in relation to pay.

I Didn't Do So Well

OK, first of all, it was a very snowy day and the school I had accepted a job for a couple of weeks ago was a long drive.  A commute that should have taken around 40 minutes took over an hour and I saw several accidents along the way.  So I was strained and on edge when I got to the school.  I had actually subbed for this teacher before and I like her and her co-teacher.  She was there when I arrived and walked me through a computer-based lesson that I was to give.  The technology was messing up a little though, so we spent a bit of time talking to the tech person and going over what to do if the technology didn't work. 

Then, I discovered I was missing attendance sheets, so I had to go back to the office to get them (they were in a folder I had accidentally left on the sign-in counter.  The lesson plans weren't long, but I had hall duty, so I glanced at them and stood in the hall until the bell rang. 

So, I wasn't really prepared for teaching the lessons.  The first lesson was a character lesson on cheating.  There were three videos to show.  They were supposedly tabbed on the browser for me to just click on, but, of course, it wasn't that easy.  The lesson plan pdf was supposed to be clickable, too, but that didn't work for me either.  I finally got each of the videos to work and the lesson went pretty well.  Then it was time for math.  I feel really confident about math and this was a curriculum I have taught many times, so that went fine, too. 

Then came recess.  I was supposed to keep some kids from recess, because they had missing math assignments they were to do.  The problem is that half of the students were in one class and half were in the other class.  And, I didn't know how to get copies of the assignment sheets, if the students had lost them.  AND there was indoor recess.  Instead of a calm study hall, it was a mass of confusion, with students wandering back and forth between classrooms, eating their snacks, me trying to check off students and completed work, and some students trying to get missing assignments finished.

After recess, I had to repeat the two lessons I had already taught for the other group of students.  So far, so good.

But it was at lunch I discovered that 1) I had had a packet with missing assignments for each class that they were supposed to do during the character lesson (only some of the students) and 2) I hadn't done the second page of the character lesson, because I thought it was a separate lesson and the first page had taken up the correct amount of time.  I also noticed that the teacher had wanted the character lesson completed even if the math lesson had to be shortened.  Sigh. 

It isn't that it was a bad day - although the level of constant talking was above that with which I am comfortable.  It is just that my own mistakes and failure to do what was expected were a disappointment to me. 

And then, there was a harrowing commute home again.  Two major accidents along the route.  I was thankful to get home safely and I was very tired. 

Early bedtime and I took today off.  Being able to take days off when I need them is one of the few advantages of being a substitute teacher. 

Gifted Goal Setting

I was subbing not long ago and while I was cleaning up the room, some other teachers were having a planning session there.  They were discussing goal setting for their gifted students.  Whenever I hear people discussing gifted students, I listen.  They knew I was there, so I don't feel like it was eavesdropping - just interest.

What were their goals for their gifted students (elementary age)?  Academically:  they should score a 4 on the state tests in either math or reading (depending on their area of identification).  How would they accomplish this?  They should be included in the higher group of math class or the higher groups in their classes for reading.  Affectively:  they should display good social behaviors.  How would this be accomplished?  They should attend the counseling sessions for GT identified students. 

I am still thinking about these as goals, but I am disappointed that they seem so canned.  Are all of these GT kids so similar that they have nearly the same goals?  Are high scores on state standardized tests our best measure of acceptable achievement?  Is simple attendance at group counseling sessions a measure of success? 

A few years ago, I had a job as a GT coordinator for a school.  I wasn't in the job when the goals for these students were developed, but I did have to evaluate the achievement of the goals at the end of the year.  I was pretty taken aback by some of the goals.  I don't remember them exactly, but they were on the order of:  "Get A's on all of my work."  "Win the hockey tournament."  "Turn in 80% of my homework."

It seems to me that we need to think a bit more about this goal setting requirement.  What is a good goal?  How can we encourage kids and teachers to set good goals?  How detailed do the plans have to be for achieving the goals?  Who decides if the goal has been met?  How often do we look at setting goals?  Who is involved in setting them?  Ideally, the goals need to be set for each particular child.  Achieving a 4 on the state test in math may be a good goal for many students, but it is rather limiting.  Is the only math worth learning that which will be tested on the state tests?  What if the student could have achieved that 4 without learning anything new for the whole year?  What if the student is a model student, does all of the work, gets all of the answers right, but has no idea why math is of any interest other than just filling in bubbles or clicking boxes? 

Teachers are overworked and I do not blame them for looking for simple, canned goals, especially since they are required to set these goals with little (or no) training in gifted education.  But I am sad for the GT kids.  One teacher remarked, as they were entering the goals on their computers, that they do these things already.  They have groups for math and reading and the bi-weekly counseling session.  In essence, she was pointing out that they don't need to do anything different.  Goals set; learning plan implemented.  Now it was just up to the state test to determine if the kids met their goals.  Done.

Engage Me vs. Engage Myself

In a Facebook discussion the other day, SH and I were discussing corporal punishment.  I am still on the fence about it, but I find his arguments interesting.  And, I agree that we need disciplinary options that currently aren't available or aren't working.  For instance, the favored disciplinary option in the US seems to be either lunch or recess (if there is one) detention.  After school detention usually isn't available in the US, at least where I have lived, because of bus schedules.  Even recess detentions are problematic, with the already too short lunch period (frequently just 35 minutes) and the demise of additional recess times. Add to that the complaint, usually valid, that the kids who earn the detentions with their behaviors are also frequently the kids who need recess the most, and there is a real problem.  What options do teachers have?

I am, as I said, on the fence about corporal punishment, but I am very concerned about the lack of other disciplinary options. I have had some very bad experiences subbing in high schools, middle schools, and even some elementary schools, all three of which needed some more consistent and more frequently enforced options for controlling student behaviors. The favored mantra in most schools now is "Get the students engaged and then they will behave". But I am not convinced that that is the proper causality. More and more, I am thinking that we need to get the students to behave and they pay enough attention to the lessons to actually become more informed and more willing to become engaged.

SH pointed out that the mantra "Get the students engaged and then they will behave." puts all of the responsibility for students' behavior on the teacher.  The student is not given the primary responsibility for his/her behavior.  If they misbehave, it is the teacher's fault for not giving them something that they can take an interest in.  But, in my experience, the students are misbehaving well before the teacher even has a chance to give them something to take an interest in.  And, on top of that, some of what they need to learn in school will inevitably NOT be highly engaging.  School is not an endless video game. 

I was subbing in 3 beginning German classes several weeks ago and they were a "challenge". The students would not listen, would not even attempt any of the work, and actively tried to do everything they could to disrupt the class and prevent anyone else from learning. I taught (full time) in a class several years ago, where about 10 of the students (out of 35) begged me to ignore the impossible behavior of around 6 of the students, so that they could actually learn the material. The discipline in the building was impossible. (long story) In both of these cases, the student misbehavior was high, in spite of interesting projects and attempts to make the material more relevant to the students.  I think it is high time we acknowledge that students also need to take responsibility for their behavior and for their engagement in the material they are to learn.  

Kids will sometimes tell me that I have to EARN their respect. I don't know how they got this into their heads, but the respect should be there BEFORE they even meet a new teacher. If the teacher does something to have that respect taken away, that is another issue, but the respect should be given to the position and the authority until it is "un-earned".  Similarly, the students should have an open mind about the material to be learned.  They may find it much more engaging if they actually make some effort to understand it.  

Time Off

I seem to have lost some of my drive for subbing lately.  I haven't had any particularly bad days, but somehow, my non-working days are getting to be more and more appealing. 

One of the things I am working on during my non-subbing days is my music.  I am having fun writing out the songs that float around in my head and working to make them be decent music.  Some of the songs have to do with the children's musical I am trying to write, based on Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede.  Some of the songs are more what I would call "slice of life" songs - about growing older, about things that have happened to me over the years.  Still other songs are more of the popular genres - country, soft rock.  I have written kids' songs, including a recent Halloween Boogie, which I really like, and a song titled Ig-Pay Atin-Lay, which is mostly done, except I am still not satisfied with the lyrics.

The most recent piece I have been working on is a choral piece titled "Dona Nobis Pacem".  The basic music line is mostly done, but I am still working on harmony and, my biggest challenge, the lyrics. 

I wish I knew how people get other people to sing their music.  My voice is good, but not good enough.  Some of my music is on SoundCloud, but there is so much there, it is hard to get noticed.  I wonder if I could bribe my former chorus conductor to have her chorus sing my song in a rehearsal and record it for me.  I would love to just hear it performed. 

At any rate, I have taken quite a few days off from subbing now and I am enjoying them.  It is nice to be able to swim a bit earlier (and avoid the times when the swim team is in the pool and taking up most of the lanes).  It is nice to be able to work a bit on the music and then fix lunch, read the mail, pay bills, etc.  It is also nice to be able to use the bathroom when I need to, rather than planning to run to the bathroom, when the kids are at specials or lunch. 

Maybe I am ready to retire.

Interview Question I Won't Ever Ask

At the end of those canned questions that they ask you at an interview, they also usually ask the canned question:  Do you have any questions for us?  I have some stock questions I generally ask, but there is one question I wish I could ask, but have never had the courage to actually do so.

Most of the people who have read other posts on this blog know that, while I think differentiation for gifted students is a good idea, I think that it isn't a good strategy for gifted educators to tout it as a GIFTED strategy.  Teachers just aren't doing it.  They may have been trained to do it; they may think they are doing it; but if they are, it isn't having much visible effect.

So here is the interview question:  if you truly believe in differentiation, why are there still learning disabilities teachers, reading support teachers, math support teachers, BD teachers, ESL teachers, ELL teachers, etc.?  If we accept that these students need more support than the regular classroom teacher can offer, why do we assume that s/he can offer enough support for gifted students?  Why is it that the only outlier students with different needs that don't have special teachers are usually the gifted students?

And, no, extending the curriculum isn't easy for teachers.  It requires going beyond what they regularly teach, finding resources and materials that they don't normally use. 

Saying Thanks

As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday here in the USA, I was reading a Facebook post suggesting that parents give a handwritten note of thanks to their children's teachers.  I was feeling a bit morose about the fact that I won't get such a handwritten note, from the parents of the children I have taught, from the teachers, or from the administrators.  But, then I also got to thinking that many of them do not see the work I do and I would probably feel that their thanks was nice, but a bit generic.  They don't know how hard I work.

But there is one group of people who do:  the students I work with.  And I am reminded of the young 4th grade boy who thanked me on his way out of the classroom.  And the older boy, who asked me if their class was the worst class I had ever taught.  He knew how hard he had just made that class (he was one of the ringleaders), but, in a way, his acknowledgement that I had survived the class, with some of his respect was validation, too.

Little girls sometimes give me handwritten pictures of rainbows and hearts.  And there is the occasional, "I hope you come back!" 

Not all days are good.  Subbing is hard and often thankless, in every sense of the word.  I am thankful for the kids who acknowledge somehow that I helped make their day a good one. 

Anonymity

I have a favorite water bottle - or I should say I have four of them.  I think the brand is Contigo.  It has a wide enough mouth that I can fill it with ice, then water, directly from the refrigerator's ice maker.  It doesn't leak when it is turned sideways or upside down.  So now, rather than freeze plastic bottles partway and fill the rest with water, I just take one or two of my Contigo bottles with me on subbing jobs.  They keep the water and ice cold for at least 24 hours - I have tried it.  And I like my water very cold. 

The fact that these bottles are so convenient meant that, when I accidentally left one on the teacher's desk at a job, I was anxious enough to get it back that I actually turned around to go back and get it.  But, alas, the door to the school was already locked and there was no one there to let me back in.

Fortunately, a few days later, I was called for a job at that school again.  So, I went to the teacher in whose room I had been.  I told her that I had subbed for her a few days before (and got a blank stare) and I asked if she had found my water bottle.  She said they had found a water bottle, but that no one claimed it.  Maybe I should look in Lost and Found.  I did, and it was there!  I was happy.

And then, I got to thinking:  the water bottle was left on her desk.  Why, when she asked the students, did no one even think that possibly it was The Sub to whom the water bottle belonged.  She had my contact information - I leave that with the teachers I sub for.  But no one thought about The Sub, that the water bottle might possibly be hers.

And that is because The Sub isn't a real person.  She is just a place holder.  Someone who goes through the motions of being the teacher for the day, but someone easily replaced and - anonymous.  Yes, they know my name.  And sometimes they even remember my face, or that I have been in the school before.  But I am not someone they think about.

I once introduced myself to a teacher for whom I had substituted for 8 days.  He showed absolutely no interest in talking to me.  I have, at various times, also mentioned to other teachers that I subbed for them - again, no interest, no positive response - just like the blank stare I got when I asked about the water bottle.  I am a non-entity.

I understand how busy teachers are, how much they have on their minds, and how much they need to care about the students in their charge.  I know they don't have much left over for The Sub.  But a smile of recognition would be nice.

No Keys

Once again, I didn't get keys to the school room for the job I had today.  The room was unlocked when I got there, but when I needed to go to the bathroom at lunch time, I couldn't get into the teachers' rest rooms, since the doors were locked.  I tried to use the kids rest rooms, but there were only two stalls and both were busy.  So, I waited outside the adult rest room, until a kind teacher let me in.

I also had to escort the class I had just before lunch to the playground for their recess.  Since I didn't have a building key, I had to take the long way back to my classroom - and was a bit late getting to my next class, not to mention the fact that I had had to leave my purse in the room while I took the class to the playground.  I suppose I could have taken my purse with me, but it is awkward carrying your purse around, when no one else does.

And, finally, I was in a computer lab, into which you are not supposed to bring food or drink, but where else was I supposed to store or eat my lunch?  I suppose I could have taken my things to the teachers' lounge on the other side of the building, but I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my purse there.

There is too much to do about the teaching part of the job to spend all my time worrying about petty things like rest room keys and where to put my lunch.

Annoyed.

Geographic Knowledge

I taught a math lesson this past week for fifth grade students.  It was evidently a lesson that the teacher had skipped over and planned for me to teach the day she was gone, as the students remarked that they were going backwards in the book.

The lesson had to do with using map scales to find the straight line distance between two places on a map.  Interestingly, using the scale and even the rulers was not really a problem for the students.  The biggest problem was trying to find the cities in the U.S. that were to be used for the measurements.  The students mostly had no idea what the letters MS, KS, CT, or IL stood for.  They also didn't know where most of the notable cities were located.  I was asked more than once if Chicago was a city or a state.  They needed help to find San Francisco.  I knew that kids' knowledge of geography, even US geography, was not great, but I was a bit surprised that it was this bad.

I frequently play a game with kids if we have extra time before going somewhere.  I have the students name a country in the world that is NOT the United States.  I get all sorts of interesting answers - Chicago, Texas, and, it never fails, Africa.

I love maps and I cannot quite fathom that kids are so lacking in knowledge about basic world geography.  I wonder if it is just Americans, or if children (and adults) from other countries are also lacking in this knowledge.  Even the kids I taught in Alaska, many of whom were children of military personnel, were really unsure about whether Alaska was a different country from the US.  They kind of knew that Germany was a foreign country.  And, even though many of their parents were stationed in Iraq at the time, I don't think many of them could find Iraq on a map. 

This is discouraging to me.