Thoughts on Being a Teacher

If test scores are the measure of a teacher’s quality, then I am a great failure. The students that I have taught in the past 15 years did not score well on ACT’s or ISAT’s. They probably left high school to get married or go to work in some menial job. A few will go to a community college to become trained in a trade of some sort. I feel I had as much a positive impact on these “kids” as I did with the super brains that I taught my first 15 years. The early years I guided young people to aspire to be doctors, lawyers and business owners. In my latter years, I helped young people become patients, clients and employees. I hope that I steered each group to discover something of themselves and be tolerant of the something in others. I hope that I offered an example of being a learner for life. What you do is not so important as how you do i

This is what makes a good teacher. Test scores are diagnostic tools to help teachers and administrators design ways of improving a child’s education. Every child is an individual. To apply test scores as a blanket to cover all students is ludicrous. Children not only learn differently but at different rates. This is not an earth-shattering concept. Parents take their babies to the doctor. The baby is weighed and measured. Some babies are shorter than others. As the doctors tell these parents, it is okay some babies are shorter than others. They may catch up later, they may not. Test scores are a measure too. Some kids may catch up later, some may not. That’s life. It does not mean you are deficient or abnormal. You are a part of the range. If the doctor notices no improvement over time, diagnostic tests might be in order. How does education handle this?

Education designs school improvement programs. Politicians, local school boards and administrators incorporate these into the schools. It often takes years for new programs to installed in school systems. Change in education has been traditional slow. As frustrating as this can be, it often proves a good filtering system. Beneficial alterations survive the quick fix excitement. Consider the following partial list of programs:

• Behavior objectives
• Programed learning
• Learning packets
• Self paced learning
• Barrier-less schools
• Big schools
• Little schools
• Little schools in big schools
• School Improvement plans (SIP’s)
• Outcome-based learning
• Standards
• Integrated learning
• Hands-on
• Constructivism
• Piaget
• NCLB

Education is always searching for improvements and new approaches. This is a good thing. Education has never been stagnant. It is dynamic and evolving. Good teachers are able to adapt to these demands. Good teachers will always create a classroom filled with opportunities to learn. Good teachers recognize that students have different learning styles. Like these learning styles, teachers have a variety of teaching styles. There is nothing wrong with this. The driving question in education is what makes a certain teacher so great? Its his or her style. It’s the climate they establish within their classroom. Teachers are not robots. They relate to their students and motivate them. They offer a path with a light to seek. The means of achieving that end might be wildly different for each student but the good teacher is able to encourage and lead his or her students.

I come from Chicago area. Like so many large cities and small, the news media feeds us a daily diet of death, beatings and violence. I see innocent children shot or beaten and I feel pain. I see the violent beating of a high school student with a crowd watching and wonder why. I read of a young girl raped with a crowd of voyeurs cheering the events. Someone points to the schools as a the source of the problem or the means of the solution. Schools have always been the natural place to solve society’s problems. Nuclear bomb drills, immunization requirements, school breakfasts, free lunches, buses to integrate, driver education, good health, test scores: These all had a basis in a need to try to improve a social issue. In most cases, the programs were underfunded or vaguely designed. Measuring the impact of these programs are unclear. There are still sick children who are hungry. There are still segregated neighborhoods and poverty. There are bad drivers and obese youngsters. We still do these in hopes that they will have some impact. We will create other programs in the future to solve other issues. There is nothing wrong with attempting to improve life. The press, politicians and public need to realize that schools are doing the best that they can.

I am retired now and I miss the interaction in the classroom. I miss the challenge. I miss the banter of learning. I have been fortunate to have touched so many lives. I have roller-coasted from one end of the bell to the other. It has been a great trip. What I have discovered over all those years is that its not the test scores or the honors or trophies or ribbons: it’s the light in a child’s face when they finally get it. It’s the smile a kids shares with his classmate. It’s the voice of a student who once stood silent. It is great to have been a teacher!

Ladybug! Ladybug!

Great Projects for Great Teachers

Ladybug! Ladybug!
Fly away home.
Your house is on fire.
And your children all gone.
All except one,
And that’s little Ann,
For she crept under
The frying pan.

Ears to the ground and eyes on the horizon! Every quality teacher is in constant search for the new experience to bring into their classroom. Extraordinary teachers go beyond the textbook and find relevant activities that stimulate their pupils to learn. You must be an extraordinary quality teacher (EQT) because you are here! You are searching to become a better teacher. You are interested in creating a classroom environment that is special!

In case you missed it! This is worth exploring:

http://lostladybug.org/index.php

Ladybugs are tiny fascinating creatures that offer an opportunity to open a door to learning.

Can you ask for more?

This project is adaptable to every grade level. It can be integrated with math, science, and civics (Ohh! That’s an old word!).

Inventive elementary teachers can even incorporate art and music into the adventure.

This is well worth the look. Give it some thought.

New approaches and ideas are always good!

Related sites:

http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/ladybug.htm

http://www.geocities.com/sseagraves/schoolyardscience.htm

http://www.ladybuglady.com/

Think FUN This Year!

Back to school! Summer is over! Labor Day has come and soon is gone. Its time to dig in and start the battle. It’s a new beginning for most but an increasing number of schools are year-round. September is always a good time for new beginnings. It’s a time to revise approaches and attitudes. Each fall teachers plant a field of learning. Teachers prepare the seeds to germinate and plan activities over the year to help these seeds of learning to grow and bear fruit.

This year teach! Have fun teaching! Let kids be kids! Allow them to learn! Learn in their way! Know that the learning at the next harvest will leave pupils a better person. Plan to do this now. NCLB has a tremendous influence in the classroom. In some cases it has become a poisonous cloud that diminishes the positive learning experiences. Plan to have some fun in learning. It is contagious and kids catch it!

Can you imagine a world without books? The knowledge and adventures offered in books provide all of us learning, entertainment and fulfillment. As this year begins, help your “seedlings” discover the joy of reading and the wealth that books hold. NCLB offers no means of measuring this vital aspect to education!

The beginning of an “appreciate a book year” is to get a library card! This is

Library Card Sign-up Month

Consider a field trip to the local library or school library. Assist each child to get a library card. Check out this site:

American Library Association

Have fun and share a little learning today!

IT’S MAY! IT’S MAY! IT’S THE….

“It ain’t over till it’s over.” — Yogi Berra

 

 

Like any good teaching lesson, there needs to be an end. The end lets the teacher and pupil know it’s over. Soon it will be time to evaluate the year’s teaching efforts.

Close! It has been a long journey. Now its near its finish. As with any trip, there were good moments and disappointing ones. Hopefully, this year’s adventure will be a memorable one. Some years are quickly put aside while others are years to relish. It’s a little early to appraise this year.

The voyage is not over. It is near an end but a good excursion needs a conclusion. May is the month to tie up loose ends and bring projects to an end. Summary and closing are the focus for activities for this month.

If the teacher is rushing to finish the curriculum, there is a problem. Next year, this teacher needs to review where the program fell apart. There are a number of reasons for failure to complete the curricular content. In too many cases, the curriculum needs a revision. Inexperienced teachers and some veterans become frustrated when the fault lies with the curriculum. Of course there are times that the teacher bears responsibility. Too much wasted hours watching videos or going off on irrelevant tangents can leave time short in May. There are times where the class needed more than usually reinforcement activities. Whatever the case, trying to cramp the last material into this time of year is fruitless. Pupils are not open to be cramped with any more. They are ready for the closing activities.

Mother’s Day activities fill many great creative activities. If you did plant the marigolds, now it’s payoff time. Suggest that the student’s bring in a cup or glass. (If its allowed, have kids chip in and buy a bunch of plain cups). Whatever, use the container and have the kids decorate the container. (This even works with secondary biology students).

Magnificent Social Studies Adventures
§ The first post card was issued in 1873. Do your pupils know what a post card is? Most will recognize an advertising piece of junk mail. Post cards also are collected as evidence of adventures on vacations. Less popular today as years ago but still a fun geography activity. Gather post cards from as many locations as possible and mark it on a world map.
§ The Empire State Building opened, 1931
>>What other tall building are there? What is the tallest today?
§ Captain John Smith landed at Jamestown, 1607
>>Pocahontas and the first settlement in new world.
>>What’s the true story?
§ The only Presidents born this month is Harry S. Truman on May 9, 1884 and John F. Kennedy on May 29, 1917.

Great Science Investigations
§ On May 14, Lewis & Clark’s expedition began in 1804. Observations of nature. Exploration as a adventure in science.

Monthly Math
§ Too late to begin something new! Review and piece together the material studied. A glimpse into how this year’s learning will carry them into the next year.

Language Arts
§ The yearbook project
>>What a great idea! Use this collaborate project to create an end of the year “yearbook.” Pictures, cartoons, stories, math, science, social studies and physical education events can be relived. The use of fine arts and language arts are incorporated into this creative fun end of the year culmination activity.

Fine Arts
§ First United States newspaper cartoon published in Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette in1754
§ Draw a cartoon or a good collaboration project. Especially as part of the “yearbook” project.

Physical Education
§ Babe Ruth hit his first and last home run in May (1915 and 1935). Great time to review baseball rules and even play a game outside. (Permission slips needed).

Do you know…

This is International Year of Astronomy 2009

Check it out at

http://www.astronomy2009.org/

April

 

Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

This Month’s look for New Beginnings and lots of laughs (it is good for your health!)

Teacher Trash Talk

Spring Break has either just finished or will begin soon. Spring has stirred some restlessness in pupils. As the sun warms the day and the buds appear on many shrubs, thoughts of summer and the break from the classroom routine settles into both to pupils and teachers alike. Many schools administer some type of standardized testing or state testing during April. As much as many pupils seem to slough off the idea of testing, the stress of doing well or not doing poorly is a big factor.

Testing is worth a few words. Brighter pupils strive to do well. These highly motivated individuals stress themselves in their drive to do well. It is what makes them better students rather than just pupils. On the other hand, pupils who struggle with academics often cringe at the thought of testing of any kind. Older pupils see standardized tests as just another means of confirming their view of themselves- “I am dumb!”

The teacher needs to develop strategies to help their students and pupils cope with standardized testing. In far too many schools, specific time is expected to be spend teaching pupils to “take the test.” Administrators, politicians and anyone directly not involved with your pupils will push you to stress the importance of this testing to the school’s image, the state’s requirements, the value of real estate and the evaluation of the teacher. Oh Yes! Pupils will get something out it!

Opps! Sorry! I don’t want to get on my soapbox. It is pretty clear where I stand on standardized testing that is used for non-diagnostic purposes.

It’s spring! The flowers are pushing through the soil and the buds on the trees are bursting open. It is a time to feel good! Smile and be happy.

Among a wealth of great events for April are:

The 4th is School Librarian Day. Thank a librarian. Go to the library. Pupils should have a library card.
The 7th is No Homework Day. (See my upcoming post on Homework!)

Magnificent Social Studies Adventures
Presidential Birthdays:
<> Thomas Jefferson (April 13)
<> James Buchanan (April 23)
<> Ulysses S Grant (April 27)
<> James Monroe (April 28)

Great Science Investigations
<> Famous Apollo 13 mission occurred in 1970
<> Great tale of space exploration
<> Humans travel to Mars
<> Walk on Moon
<> Laws of motion
<> Gravity

<> Plant studies
<> Seed germination
<> Planting the home garden
<><> ® Could your school provide a small patch for a garden?

Monthly Math
<> Apollo 13 provides ample opportunity to discuss
<> Angles and prediction
<> Trigonometry
<> Effects of forces

Language Arts
<> April 23 William Shakespeare was born in1564.
<> He died on the same day, 52 years later, in 1616
<> Historical Fiction
<> Writing poems

Fine Arts
<> Still life
<> flowers

Physical Education
<> Get outside!!
<> Baseball rules

 

Explore the Web:

http://www.openeducation.net/
Great sight for articles about teaching. Not a resource.
http://scout.wisc.edu/About/subscribe.php
The Scout Report (Publication of the Internet Scout Project)
Sponsored by University of Wisconsin
Great site. Subscribe to weekly email. Lists of fantastic sites of interest.

March

Quote of Month:
Richard M. Nixon: “Always remember others may hate you but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.”
This Month’s Theme: Spring and Diversity
Teacher Trash Talk:

Spring is always a great time. Fresh air and warm days! The sun is noticeably warmer. The spirit seems to be lifted. The gloom of January and February get blown away by the winds of March. The winds are the result of increased heating over cooler surfaces. “You gotta take the batter with the gooder!” Spring is in March or Awaits very soon in April. Many teachers look to travel during spring break! It is a great time!

The good side always has to have a tails side. With the first warm breezes of Spring comes the dreams of vacation, summer, warm days, picnics, and all those other things that usually offsets the hard work of school work. It’s “spring fever.” Teachers and students suffer.

It’s a good time to remember the basic rule of good teaching: Relevancy! Incorporate the conditions to your favor. Outdoor activities, such as collecting weather data, preparing a garden patch or even helping pick up the school campus area, are good reasons to take the pupils outside. Use what you do outside to incorporate what you do inside. Use weather data to make weather predictions. Create maps of garden patches or even the school campus. Organize into groups to do projects. Competition can have negative results but friendly competition is a good learning experience. Life is completive.
This Month’s Events

1-Congress authorized the creation of Yellow stone National Park, 1872

3-Star Spangled Banner adopted as National Anthem of the United States, 1931

5-The Boston Massacre took place, 1770

7-Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for his telephone, 1876

11-Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone call, 1876

14-Physicist Albert Einstein was born in Ulf, Germany, 1879

15-Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of nobles that included Brutus and Cassis, 44 B.C.

15-President Andrew Jackson was born, 1767

16-President James Madison was born, 1751

17-So Trick’s Day

18-President Grover Cleveland was born, 1837

27-First long distance telephone call made from Boston to New York, 1884

29-President John Tyler was born, 1790
Magnificent Social Studies Adventures

§ Reports on Presidents

§ Effects of The Telephone on Society

§ The Boston Massacre

§ The Star Span gel Banner

§ Julius Caesar

§ Conservation of natural resources (Yellow stone was established in 1872)

§ Society is a diverse mixture of cultures and peoples. (Everyone is Irish on So Pat’s Day)!
Great Science Investigations

§ Spring = Vernal Equinox

§ The “Tin Can” Telephone

§ E=mace

§ New ton’s Law of Motion

§ Weather projects are good (Wind measurement)
Monthly Math
§ Solving Equations

§ Einstein who corrected New ton’s work was born in 1879 and Newton died this month 1n 1727
Language Arts
§ “My Fair Lady” opened on stage in 1956 based on George Barnard Shaw’s Pygmalion

§ Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born in 1806

§ Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter published in 1850
Fine Arts

§ Broadway musicals My Fair Lady and Oklahoma opened

§ Johanna Sebastian Bach born in 1685

§ Art Project: Create own Monster (King Kong opened in 1933)

§ Create a kite to fly
Do you know… That each of us has an ancestry that becomes closer to each other as we trace our heritage back? It is amazing to discover who are related to as the doors of genetic roots are explored. (Make up a family tree that relates to people that you admire In history.)
Questions That hunt Answers: Who are You? Who am I? (Communication is a key to social relations. Part of a curriculum must address the social skills. Tolerance and acceptance comes with understanding which depends upon communication. Use the two questions of the month to have students randomly talk (diad) and interview each other. As pupils age, it is more difficult to talk about yourself. Begin with an activity that make them create an ancestry. I am… Ford, Dodge, Toyota, etc.. Or I am an tiger, snail, jellyfish.. It’s spring so make it fun)!

Explore the Web:
For K-8 check out:

http://www.funbrain.com/

February

Quote of Month:

“… we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.” President Barrack Obama, First Inaugural Address.

This Month’s Theme:

In this year of new hope, the election of a new President zooms to the forefront. Valentines and President’s Day are the two major holidays of the month. This is also Black History Month. What a great opportunity to bring the relevancy into the classroom. It is a newly elected President taking office. He is an African American with roots that extend to Africa and Ireland or England. Every four years (two years if you count the Congress) an American revolution happens. Without the shedding of blood, a new regime takes over control of our government. American can show their satisfaction at the ballot box. This year American has chosen an African American to lead our ship. This Month’s Theme calls for New Beginnings and Fresh Starts.

Teacher Trash Talk:

I hate February. It is the shortest month but it seems to go on forever. The road ahead seems so long. Spring break is still away off and Summer vacation is not even a glimmer on the horizon. In the Northern states, it cold and snowy. There’s the dreaded Valentine’s party! Candy and cake and kids making a mess. Kids are tired and they don’t want to do anything but grumble and complain. Forget homework. The days seem dark and gloomy. The kids are getting on the teacher’s nerves and on each other’s nerves. All I want to do is scream!

It just seems that bad! Think positive. Spring is almost here! This is a good month to move your teaching plan along. There few interruptions from the return in January until the spring break in March or April. This provides the opportunity to do long term learning projects. Its a great time to try out some integrated lessons if you have not tried any. The flow of lesson development is great during these few months. After the days begin to warm, the learning curve will begin to dip.

It is a good time for teachers to plan Spring adventures or Summer plans. It is important to avoid burnout at this point. Do some fun activities in school to help keep everyone focused and relaxed.

This Month’s Events:

• Valentines Day (February 14)
• Lincoln’s Birthday (February 12
• Washington’s Birthday (February 22)
• President’s day is the third Monday of the Month (usually a school Holiday)
• Mardi Gras (varies – February or March)
• February 4, 1902 Charles Lindbergh
• February 6, 1895 George Herman “Babe” Ruth
• February 7, 1812- Charles Dickens
• February 9, 1773- William Henry Harrison, 9th U.S. President (1841)
• February 11, 1847- Thomas Alva Edison, inventor of the light bulb
• February 12, 1809 – Abraham “Abe” Lincoln, 16th U.S. President (1861-1865)
• February 22, 1732 – George Washington, 1st U.S. President (1789-1797)

Subject Matter Topics

Magnificent Social Studies Adventures

Four Presidents were born

>William Henry Harrison
>Abraham “Abe” Lincoln (Bicentennial)
>George Washington
>Ronald Reagan

Queen Elizabeth II succeeded her Father George VI in 1952
First Public School in America opens
>Boston Latin School (1635)

Great Science Investigations
Great Astronomers
>Galileo Galilei
>Nicolaus Copernicus
§ First Woman Doctor to open practice in US
>Elizabeth Blackwell
§ Biology
>Charles Darwin

Language Arts
§ James Joyce
§ Charles Dickens
§ Sinclair Lewis
§ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Fine Arts
§ Two great painters were born this month:
>Grant Wood
>Norman Rockwell

Explore the Web:

Mathwire.com Great place for Elementary Math Activities

January

Quote of Month:
Thomas A. Edison who happened to have obtained patent for electric light bulb on January 20, 1880:
“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”

Teacher Trash Talk:

After the long winter break, it is necessary to reestablish the routines. It is amazing how quickly pupils lose memory. This also affords the teacher who has had some control issues to get a new beginning. It usually does not take long before every one is back to the routine, Now begins the long haul to the next break. January to February to March to April. Some school districts have established set times for the Spring break while other schools hold to the Easter schedule. For the Northern tier of schools, cold and snowy days are not uncommon.

As much as it is important to clean the cobwebs from the brain, it is also a time to consider resolutions for up coming year. These should be considered in at least three levels: family, personal and work. Stop smoking, lose weight, spend more time with family, go out to dinner once a week- these are personal and family resolutions. BUT this blog is about teaching and that is work related. It is a good time to reflect on the past and how to build into the future. The past cannot be changed but the future is open for change. Experienced teachers reflect on some new approaches or a new textbook or a new course or a new committee. Beginning teachers will most probably spend time hoping for a fresh beginning. If the past was a nightmare or not living up to the expectations desired, here is the opportunity for a new start. Routine-Routine-Routine!! That is the name of a good teaching situation. Kids from K to 12 need routine. They need to know what to expect and what, when, where and how to succeed in this classroom. Communication is a skill that needs development. It is important not to spend too much time on school work. It is very important to enjoy a vacation.

This Month’s Highlight Events

• 1st
  Paul Revere was born in Boston, 1735
  Flag maker Betsy Ross was born in Philadelphia, 1752
  Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, 1863
• 7th
  The first presidential election was held, 1789
  President Millard Fillmore was born, 1800
• 10th
  President Richard M. Nixon was born, 1913
• 14th
  Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris formally, 1784
• 15th
  Martin Luther King, Jr., was born 1929 (19th this year)
• 26th
  Chinese/Lunar New Year (Year 4707 Cow)
• 29th
  President William McKinley born, 1843
• 30th
  President Franklin D. Roosevelt born, 1882

This month is:

Hot Tea Month
National Oatmeal Month
National Soup Month
National Blood Donor Month
(2nd Week) Letter Writing Week

Ideas for Subject Areas

Magnificent Social Studies Adventures

• January 20 Inauguration day
• Presidential Births:
  -January 7- Millard Fillmore
  -January 10- Richard Nixon
  -January 29- William McKinley
  -January 30- Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Major American Historical Events
  -Births of Paul Revere and Betsy Ross
  -First Presidential election
  -Treaty of Paris ending the American revolution ratified
  -Martin Luther King born January 15, celebrated on 19th this year
• Chinese or Lunar New Year on January 26
  -Year 4707, Year of the Cow

Great Science Investigations

=January is the middle of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the middle of Summer in the Southern Hemisphere
-Winter/Summer solstice, affects of tilt of Earth and Sun’s rays
=Winter meteorological measurements provide great interest in measuring temperature, air pressure, precipitation (type and amount), cloud types. Using this, predict the next day’s weather. Maintain a weather log and collect data.

Monthly Math

=Great time to integrate math work with science. Use data collected to make graphs and illustrate purpose of graphing.
-Convert temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius.
-Use graphs constructed to make predictions. Predict weather for next month.
(Old Farmers Almanac- uses historical weather data to predict year’s weather. (show a copy and compare predictions with actual events.)

Language Arts

=The second week of January is National Letter Writing Week.
-Types of letters
-It is Blood Donor month- letter appealing for blood donations
=Great month to integrate with Social Study events
-Reports on presidents, Paul Revere, Treaty of Paris, Emancipation Proclamation, Martin Luther King

Fine Arts

=Winter scenes to draw, black and water
=Mozart’s 302nd birthday this month, a little classical music

Physical Education

=Indoor exercise
=Basketball

Do you know…

That this the time of year that outdoor gardeners plan out gardens, order seeds and plan a calendar of indoor plantings.
§ A long term activity is to begin growing plants this month in the classroom. Each pupil can plant their own seeds and care for their plants. As age increases, activities, such as measuring height, weight, leaf growth can be collected as data. Graphing and data interpretation can be learned.

Questions That hunt Answers:

• What plants would be best to grow in a classroom?
  § This reader loved marigolds! In all grades, it can be a “Mother’s Day’s” project begun early. Depending on the plant chosen:
  • How long does seed planting to seed germination?
  • How long from germination to flower development?
  • What conditions are needed to cause flowering, if any?

Explore the Web:

Resources for the Presidential Inauguration

• http://www.presidential-inauguration.com/
• http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/ (lib of Congress)
• http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Election_2008.shtml (USA.GOV)

December: Expectation and Hope

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier – not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

(In other words “Repetition is the mother of learning!” Or “If you don’t succeed the first time try. Try again.”)

This is probably the most difficult few weeks of the year for pupils and teachers. The excitement of the winter break begins to peak as the month moves on. Teachers and pupils are ready for a break! It’s a fgood time to get away from kids, teachers and the rigors of a schedule. Tempers tend to get short and in secondary school, fights are more common during this time of the year. Solid educational practices are ready needed at this time. The teacher who has “control” can ease up a little bit. But as the days near the break, the smile needs to go and the stern finger of rule must come out. This does not mean that teachers should revert to the days of September but rather the business face of the day before a holiday.

Testing have questionable results. Intelligent kids always do well because of their nature- highly motivated . The problem rests with the broader band of motivated, near motivated, unmotivated and anti-motivated. Each teacher needs to appraise their individual situation and decide the course of action. It is important to find activities that are meaningful and keeps the pupils busy.

FOR THE ROOKIE: This is the test time. Teachers set routines the first weeks of the school year. They reinforce the rules as the days pass. If routines are established, it is natural to ease up a bit. The month following the Thanksgiving break is the next big challenge. Kids get antsy, so do the teacher. Attention spans diminish and fuses tend to be shorter. The tendency is to “let up” as the days roll closer to the break. “Keep ‘em working!” the pro will tell you. Be careful of putting too much weight on the graded work. Be leery of parties. Get help from the veteran teachers. The holidays will provide the rest and regeneration needed to return. Don’t let up too soon.

And to all a Happy Holiday….

Month’s Events:

<> This is Human Rights Month A good chance to teach a little love and respect for self and others. Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus (12/1).
<> This is also the Holiday Month: Thanksgiving leads into December which celebrates Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa. It is a time of family and sharing and good feelings.

Dates to know:

On the 5th……….. The 8th President, Martin Van Buren, born
On the 7th……….. “A day that will live in infamy”
On the 16th………. Let’s have a Tea Party in Boston
On the 28th………. The 28th President, Woodrow Wilson, born
On the 29th………. The 17th President, Andrew Johnson, born

Occurrence This Month:

<> The Christ child is born in the year 0
<> A Christmas Carol is printed in the year 1843
<> Chewing Gum patented in the year 1869
<> Sherlock Holmes appears in print for 1st Time in the year 1887
<> Wright Brothers first flight is in the year 1903
<> First heart transplant is in the year 1967

Ideas for Subject Areas

Magnificent Social Studies Adventures

History of the Christmas tree
Candles of Hanukah
Origins of Kwanzaa

Great Science Investigations

The winter solstice
Snow Flakes

Math Marvels

Counting flakes

Degrees in Geometry (related to winter solstice)

Land of Language

Writing Tales of Scrooge and Tiny Tim and Christmas or Hanukah or Kwanzaa
Reading Sherlock Mysteries
Group project: Write a serial (cartoon, series of short tales, etc)

After Arts

Make paper snow flakes
Snowmen
Winter scenes

Body Works

Floor hockey
Elements of Basketball
Snow safety

Do you know…

Otzi has no living relatives.
its summer in New Zealand!
Romans celebrated Saturnalia in mid to late December.
Silent Night was first song on Christmas Eve 1818.
Beethoven was born this month.

Questions That hunt Answers…

Who is Otzi?
What is Saturnalia?
Who is St. Nicholas?
Why is the poinsettia so closely associated with Christmas?

Explore the Web:

A Math site: http://www.mathwire.com/
Social Studies sites: http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm
http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml
http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/hanukkah/hanukkah.htm

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conference are a part of the teachers job description. As a professional, it is the teacher’s role to maintain a line of communication between home and school. Late Fall is a time where Parent/Teacher Conferences become a prominent issue. Public or Private. Elementary or High School. College prep or vocational schools. It makes little difference, Parent/Teacher Conferences are a fact of life for the pre-collegial teacher. There are different types of conferences basically driven by how many people are involved and what is the purpose of the conference. This time of the year the school-sponsored Parent/Teacher Conference are prevalent. These formalized conferences are by far the most demanding and exhausting. But any conferences can be nerve racking. As the school formatted day of parent/teacher conferences arrived, chances are that the teacher has already had the opportunity to confer with several parents. Teachers or parents, administrators or counselors, special education personnel can request a conference at any time for any reason. There are common components to any Parent/Teacher Conference. Experienced veterans have learned the mechanics of a Parent/Teacher Conference. Most have learned the hard way. They made mistakes and paid dearly for it. It is the intent here to provide an opportunity for the experienced teacher to refresh what they already know and offer the rookie a few pointers.

Parent/Teacher Conference can be classified according to circumstance. The following is a list of types of Parent/Teacher Conferences. These are presented as a means of discussion.

 

The School Parent/Teacher Conferences

• • Initialed by administration on a school wide basis
  • Designed to offer a chance for parents and teacher to discuss the progress of pupil.
• The one-on-one conference
  • Initialed by teacher, administrator or parent
  • Usually to discuss an issue
  • The Phone call
    • Initialed by teacher or parent?
    • Variety reasons
  • The Informal Conference
    • Initialed by parent or teacher
    • Avoid school issue if possible
• The small group conference
  • Initialed by an administrator or counselor
  • Usually to discuss a common problem in situations where more than one teacher interacts with a pupil
  • The Special education Conference (usually referred to as a staffing)
    • Initialed by Special Education Department
    • To determine if a child needs special Education services or update an enrolled pupil.

 

THE SCHOOL PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES:

Each year the school organizes a Parent/Teacher Conference. In fact most schools have two conferences in the year as well as a “Back to School Night”. These conferences have a set structure. Teachers are in their classroom or, especially in secondary school, the gymnasium. The hours of the conference may be all day, late afternoon into evening or just late evening. Appointments can be made or parents can just roam in as they are available. In some cases, parents pick up report cards at a Parent/Teacher. conference. The difficulty with this conference is the volume of pupil information. Teachers can have 20 to 175 pupils. Preparing for the 20 isn’t too bad but it is difficult with 175. The key to success is to have a set routine to occupy the parents while you quickly access the pupils information. It is important to present the information without relying too much on the grade book. Appointments are much better than the random arrival. Teachers usually have no classes on Parent/Teacher Conference day. It is a rigorous and demanding day. Some school districts still require teachers to teach the school day and then host Parent/Teacher conferences until 9:00 in the evening. It is important to take a break every so often and move around. Too often the parents most wanted to be seen either do not show or arrive so late that the time is not enough to fully to discuss the problems.

THE ONE-ON-ONE CONFERENCE

Teacher initiated usually indicates a problem that needs to be addressed. The problem may be academic or behavioral. Parent initiated usually indicates a concern about something that the child is saying at home. Pupils tend to embellish things to explain away school problems. One of the most common calls comes from the parent who cannot understand why the teacher is not assigning homework. The parent goes on to say that the teacher told them that there was homework three nights out of the week. His grades are poor and he is doing poorly. When the teacher explains that there is homework assigned, the parent sometimes will shift to the argument that the teacher should have called the parent and informed her that her son is not doing his homework. The best way to avoid the issue is to have called home but sometimes mistakes can be made. The parent is right. The teacher should have called but the child not doing homework is a clear indication that a problem exists. The parent is partly at fault as well. It is best to say that a new approach on both parts is needed. The teacher should remind the parents of a rough guideline of homework assignments. The parent can then observe the work at home. When the teacher is concerned with an academic or behavior problem, parents can be helpful with identifying the problem. The teacher needs to be specific as to the identified problem: Grades on tests are very low. He seems distracted in class. He has difficulty discussing reading assignments. He talks out when the class is involved with a quiet activity. He appears to have a difficulty relating to authority figures. Teachers need to be careful not to express problems in demeaning terms or gross generalizations. THE PHONE CALL is a one-on-one but it is a quick convenient and effective means of identifying a problem. It is not good for a lot of problems or a major concern. No homework, talking out inappropriately, poor test grade, etc. THE INFORMAL CONFERENCE is a one-on-one as well. It however is the conference to avoid. Meeting a parent in a store or on the street or at a party, is not an appropriate place for a conference. Confidentiality is a concern. Approaching a parent in a public place to discuss a child’s school issue is unprofessional. A parent approaching the teacher can be a problem. In both cases, it is suggested that the teacher suggest a meeting time at school (the teacher’s office) where the child’s privacy can be maintained.

THE SMALL GROUP CONFERENCE

This conference involves a group of people and the parents. There are three kinds of Small Group Conferences: The counselor calls an academic summit with all a pupils teachers and the parents, the administrator organizes a meeting of teachers and parents to address behavior issues and the Special Education Conference which addresses issues involved in Learning Disabled pupils. These “staffings” are regulated by Federal, State and Local rules and laws. A staffing involves a special education teacher, the person running the meeting, a regular education teacher (sometimes more than one), a psychologist, social worker, nurse, academic counselor, school administrator, parents and pupil. Staffings, for obvious reasons, are confidential. Personal information is private should not be divulged or discussed outside the conference room. This is general principle for any conference. The information is privileged and like a doctor, lawyer or priest it should be kept confidential. The end product of a staffing is an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The IEP spells out the skill that needs to be addressed. Activities that address the issue. And a timeline is often included. All teachers, regular and special Education, that interact with the pupil should be aware of the IEP. Knowledgeable parents will confront the teacher during a conference to ensure that the plan is in operation.

There is so much more to be said but at this point there is more than enough to digest. Years of teaching experience help to melt the occurrences of many parent/teacher experiences into providing excellent Parent/Teacher Conferences.!