The Accidental Teacher: Bang Their Heads Together: Chapter 2

We came in from recess like any other day. As we entered the room Q and M, who were walking on my right and left, just started swinging at each other with everything they had. I yelled, "Stop!" At the same time  I tried to push them apart and ended up holding them up on the wall by their necks. They kept trying to hit each other and we're demanding, "Let me down!"

I asked, "Are you going to stop hitting each other?" 

Both Q and M sputtered out, "No!" 

"Then I'm not letting you down!" I explained. Finally after a few minutes they finally stopped swinging. 

I decided that their punishment would be sitting together for a week. At a table that was about four feet wide they must of been six feet apart. I had told them that for the entire week if one got in trouble, they both got in trouble. For the first few days, every time I turned around I heard, "Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!" When I looked back at them they would be there, sitting still, as far apart as they could be. 

About half way through the week after dismissing the kids an older lady (Q's grandmother I believe, she never actually introduced herself.) walked up to me and demanded, "What you doing sittin' two boys together knowing they're just pound each other every time you turn around?"

I told her, "Well, ma'am, I figure I can't bang their heads together, so I might as well let them do it for me."

She leaned back, started to laugh and said, "You're a pretty smart man!"  As she walked away laughing, she shook her head saying, "Let them bang their heads together for me. You're a smart man. That's the funniest they I've heard in a long time!"

I never saw her again and Q and M hardly looked at each other for the rest of the year. 

That was long ago and a different era in education. That method didn't work for all kids who fought, for example "fightin' friends". Fightin' friends fight, busting each others lips popping each other in the eye, but, in fifteen minutes they're laughing and messing off like nothing happened. But, for Q and M, sitting together taught them to leave each other alone. 

My Teacher Tech Opinion on Edmodo

I have two guidelines when evaluating and using technology: one, does it help students learn and two, does it make the teacher's job easier? If it doesn't do both those things the chances are slim to none that I will use it. 

A few years ago I ran across Edmodo, a free application for educators and students. Last year I was able to use it on a limited basis because the classes I taught were already using an online format. But, I did have the students turn in some assignments using Edmodo. This year I taught sixth grade English and Ancient History plus one period of "New Media" that was for eight grade students.

This past year the students were promised iPads at our school. The teachers were given (lent) one and had a two day training before the beginning of the year, so I was looking forward to trying some new apps and lessons. Edmodo was the app I used the most and has fulfilled my two guidelines. The students can access Edmodo with ease and check their work without problems. I don't know if Edmodo itself helps students learn but, it does help students interface with several different applications, turn in work, take quizzes, tests and polls. 

As far as making my life as a teacher easier I have to give Edmodo a big thumbs up. I have used polls to check for understanding, the assignment function to create assignments and turn in assignments, and I have given quizzes of all kinds. I will probably write a few more posts about Edmodo and my positive experiences with it, so I will just leave you with this: If you are not on using Edmodo, give it a try at https://www.edmodo.com .

If you have used Edmodo and have an opinion please share it in the comment section. 

Open Wide, It's the Common Core

I have been in education for twenty five years and I've seen programs and mandates come and go. Goals 2000, No Child Left Behind and now the Common Core are the last three. The more more I come in contact with the Common Core, the less I like it. 

The Common Core is the current administrations educational initiative that demonstrates both the ineptitude of the federal government and the manipulation of those who wish to "change America".   

I was just involved with the online "Smarter Balanced" testing. We were the test group to help iron out the kinks. If it wasn't for the fact that our school is blessed with some great problem solvers we'd still be trying to access the test online. When something gets shoved down my throat I generally don't like the taste and I can definitely say I can see a myriad of problems on the horizon. 

The idea of a centralized federal department of education, the U.S. Department of Education has got to be one of the biggest scams and waste of money every perpetrated on the American public. Just the fact that taxpayers send money to the federal government is a loss of money. It's a loss because some bureaucrat must be payed and the office they sit in must be rented. That much will NEVER see a student, a school or a teacher.  

Let's not even mention the ridiculous idea that said bureaucrat then decides who should receive how much of the tax they paid back into their local school system. It's like a bully who takes someones lunch and then teases them by holding it up and making them jump for it. Does the phrase "redistribution of wealth" ring a bell to anyone? 

I read this article by a fellow teacher who was part of the so called teacher input group. Give it a read and share any experiences you might have had.

http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2014/05/22/a-scathing-interview-with-a-5th-grade-teacher-who-was-in-the-room-when-common-core-was-being-created/

IS THAT WHERE YOU WANT YOUR MONEY TO GO?

I have always been against the idea that my union dues go to causes that I fundamentally disagree with. If anyone wants to make a donation to any of those causes, more power to them. Just not with my money, my union dues. Because of the spiteful and brutal manner that they routinely and smugly operate with I am hesitant to go through the process (I attempted it once). 

Neil McCabe  wrote a pretty good article on this. Give it a read and tell me what you think. http://townhall.com/columnists/neilmccabe/2013/05/12/chalkboard-rebellion-in-the-golden-state-n1591943/page/full

Have a great day! 

PTVoice

Common Core or just another con?

Common Core standards. Another "gift" from the federal government. As an educator anytime someone out of the classroom comes up with an idea, I get nervous. The further they are away from the actual classroom with real live students the more dangerous the directive. Common Core Standards fits right in with all the other "great ideas" from those who don't know or should know better. Rachel Alexander has written a great peace entitled 

"Common Core: What's Hidden Behind the Language".

"Conservatives are in an uproar over Common Core, an educational curriculum being forced upon the states by the Obama administration, which is scheduled to be mostly implemented this year in the 46 states that have adopted it. Common Core eliminates local control over K-12 curriculum in math and English, instead imposing a one-size-fits-all, top-down curriculum that will also apply to private schools and homeschoolers.

Superficially, it sounds good. It creates universal standards that supposedly educate all children for college. But along with the universal standards come a myriad of problems, which the administrators of Common Core are disingenuously denying. The American Principles Project released an analysis last year of Common Core, exposing the duplicitous language. Common Core describes itself as “internationally benchmarked,” “robust,” “aligned with college and work expectations,” “rigorous,” and “evidence-based.” None of this is true."

http://townhall.com/columnists/rachelalexander/2013/03/18/common-core-whats-hidden-behind-the-language-n1537017?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

The more I read about it the less I like them. What's the old saying, "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts"? How about beware of your federal government taking over your state and local governments choice to teach your students as best as you see fit.

OK my fellow educators, do you know what the common core standards really are

WE NEED AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

I am deeply concerned about the state of our American educational system. I have been in education of over 23 years now and I have seen quite of few exceptional educators teaching in some very difficult situations. I have one son who is now part of the working class. One son who is putting himself through college. A daughter in middle school and a son in elementary school. Education is all around me. 

What is raising the warning flag for me is the Department of Education and it's current influence. I believe it is a financially silly practice to send money to the federal government to have them redistribute it where they see fit. To do so assures that a certain percentage of local tax dollars will never see a school or a classroom because it will be used to finance the people who redistribute it. That is just a plain waste of taxpayer money. 

Candice Lanier in her article Government Information Documents Replace Traditional Curriculum as Feds Seize More Control of Schools (http://redpillreport.net/2012/12/17/government-information-documents-replace-traditional-curriculum-as-feds-seize-more-control-of-schools/) describes how teachers are having to sacrifice some classic texts for what I can only describe as government propaganda. The race to the top has turned out to be trap. It is not about teaching to standards and test score which has been a source of discontent for many educators for the last decade, it is about teaching a very narrow indoctrination. That is where I am afraid this government is now headed. 

Now I am going to get down to my real concern. This is not about Democrats opposed to Republicans, this is about the American ideals opposed to socialist ideals. It is no secret that most universities are run by left leaning (to say the least) elitists. They use revisionist history to rewrite history to suit their political agenda. They have swallowed the media by training journalist to be liberal propagandists. High school teachers feel the need to push their opinions on children with brutal force. I know. I fought it even 30 years ago. Now it is only worse. 

In Los Angeles they are naming Elementary schools schools of social justice! Are you kidding me? Social justice!? I taught through the whole multicultural charade. What it produced was culturally aware illiterates who could not think by themselves but were easily manipulated by emotional pleas. You know, "the rich people don't pay their fair share!" "Those tea party people are bigots!"It is just like being on a schoolyard when some manipulative punk plays a sucker with the old "Did you here what he/she said about your mama?" maneuver. It was very successful politically. The last two elections demonstrate this to the tee. 

I have come to the place where I think our educational system is hopeless. I don't think that the universities can be won back over. I believe a new group of universities need to be formed. I think they need to be financed by the business community. I believe that they must be cost effective. Meaning affordable and well run. America needs places of higher education where the constitution is taught with respect and an understanding that it is no simple compilation of ideas. There must be an alternative to the current university system because if we don't be just be another socialist state. 

The Accidental Teacher: One line, three days and welcome to the program!: Chapter 1

The line was long. Not around the corner long. More like around the corner and out into the parking lot long. I had just received my CBEST results and the two week long strike finally ended so I went down to The District to apply to be a substitute. That would allow me more time to volunteer at my church. I figured I would be done by lunch.

After three hours in line and just getting a view of the front door, I was seriously thinking about coming back another day. But, by that time it had become more of a quest than just applying for a job. So I hung in there. We hadn’t quite reached the state of delirium yet so no one was really in a talking mood.

Just before lunchtime I made it to the front. No one had been able to confirm for me that this was actually the line to apply to become a substitute. When I asked the lady a the first desk, she said, “No, this is the line to apply for the District Internship Program. Next week is for substitutes.” I almost screamed. But, the nice lady asked to see my paperwork. She suggested I apply for the program. If they hired me I could teach with an emergency credential and then take the NTE (National Teachers Exam). Plus, I would get full benefits right away. I figured I had stood in line for three plus hours already, so why not spend a few more minutes filling out the rest of the paper work. God works in mysterious ways.

Three day later I stepped out of the building a District Intern. One week of training and two weeks later I was teaching my very first class.