Curriculum Blogger: Highlight Week 1-7

 The blogging and connecting to the resources provided in this class allowed me to think critically about the learning that goes on in my room and the curriculum of our district.  The blogs also allowed me to evoke change, instead of just stewing about the issues to myself.  Many of the highlights below include blogs that I used as a way of making positive change after reflection of the material presented in the class.  Some of my favorite blogs are below with a short description of why they stood out to me.  The bold beginnings give a brief connection to the big ideas that I learned in the class.

1. UPDATING CONTENT:  
• "Sustainable Education"  This blog gave sustainability integration ideas: hiking, beach, descriptive writing in the woods.
2. EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY:  
• "Persistent Issue Assignment" I spend a lot of time on this assignment and even included a power point presentation and essay about grading that will be taken to the school board next year.
3. INTEGRATION/ASSESSMENT: 
•  "Metacognitive Writing"  For this blog, I commented on a new found technique that I would use in my curriculum called a RAFT.  It was really exciting creating a new aspect of my curriculum for next year: metacognitive writing in the form of RAFT's.  So far, I have made RAFTs about colonial America, causes of the American revolution, storms, water cycle, and the atmosphere.
4. FUNDING 21ST CENTURY LEARNING / MEANINGFUL ASSESSMENTS / SAMR MODEL REDEFINITION:  
• "Grant Application Technology Fair" I took quite a bit of time to create a meaningful grant application on donorschoose.org that may give students more opportunities to grow in the ways we learned about in this course.
5. REDEFINING SCHOOLS
• "Who Me? Yes You. Couldn't Be! Then Who"  An insight on how our society is needing to figure out who to blame in our failing education system.  
• "Educators Unite:  Reflection on 'The Myth of Charter Schools'"  Diane Ravich had some great insights on charter schools.  I outlined in this blog my feelings about Ravich's article, and gave some suggestions for keeping public schools progessive.

What's The Big Idea? Curriculum 21 Ch.1-4 Summary

The BIG Ideas In Curriculum 21 (Ch. 1-4)
By Heidi Hayes Jacobs

1. With different expectations yield different results.  Conversely, different results yield new expectations.
• Comparing state to state or country to country is hard because each has different needs and comes from a different place.
• If we expect 21st century citizens, we should have 21st century curriculum and assessments.
• The needs of students for the world they live in needs to be considered when writing assessments or curriculum.
2. The structure of education as we know it needs updating.
• Aspects of school like scheduling need to become more out of the box. 
• The separation of subject matter needs reconsidering.  More interdisciplinary work. Expanding beyond separated periods of one class or another.
• The way we group students is pivotal to how they learn.
• The way we collaborate is pivotal in our own professional development.  Getting out of the self-contained philosophy.  
• The use of space in the classroom and out of the classroom are equally important.
• Creativity needs to make a come back in schools assessment and curriculum.
3. The way that we assess students should define what life skills we want students to have.
• Start with assessment and then develop the content and skills necessary.
• Some assessments are just more effective than others, but you have to use a variety of techniques not just one type.
• Update the types of assessments to be meaningful and influential.  
• Technology can be a great resource in helping to assess student growth.
• Use a professional development day to help change assessment ideas.
• Sometimes the content will stay the same, but the way students need to show understanding is different.
4. The curriculum itself needs to be more useful to student and global needs.
• Social Studies: Students should be studying people as rich, historical, economical, geographical ect. beings.
• Social Studies: Are we preparing our students for a global economic movement?  Will the U.S. ever be independent from foreign economic control?
• Writing & Science go hand in hand.
• Science & Social Studies are very important and yet are being neglected.
• Religion studies should be a part of the learning experience as far as social studies is concerned.
• Science is a process of living, observing, and deducing.  It is a subject that includes many of the skills essential to learning.
• As well as science and social studies vocabulary, sustainability, health and wellness, listening and speaking, and languages are also mentioned as important subjects that are not getting enough focus in curriculum.
• There is a stigma against being smart.
5. When creating content there are essential questions that need to be asked.
• "Within the discipline being reviewed, what content choices are dated and nonessential?"
• "What choices for topics,  issues, problems, themes, and case studies are timely and necessary for our learners within disciplines?"
• "Are the interdisciplinary content choices rich, natural, and rigorous?
6. When content is meaningful to students, they will embrace the learning process.
• Learning needs to have real-world connections.
• Assessments also need to have real-world applications, failures, successes.
• Involving the community in projects can really make learning come alive.
• Not many schools were build for student success. Schools need to be redesigned to fit how students actually learn.

COMMON CORE RESPONSE

My experience with the common core standards is that it makes education more accessible to students.  For example, in mathematics, students who no longer understand long division are given a greater understanding so they can divide in their heads.  The Mathematics Common Core standards move away from memorization of step-by-step math.  It makes students understand and comprehend mathematics. In As the How The Common Core Became Education's Biggest Bogeyman, the article states, the common core focuses on a few standards that go greatly in-depth. 

In Common Core Resources, it explains how the  “ASCD received a $3 million grant from the Gates Foundation to support implementation of Common Core State Standards over a three-year period, and it has become an endorsing partner in the initiative. “ Ravich also enlightened her readers on how teachers unions are even receiving money to promote the common core standards by Bill Gates. 

I was unaware how much funding played a part in the support of organizations.  I cannot say that I am surprised.  With the financial needs of local organizations to fight larger battles, the money could come in handy!  

Summary Persistant Issue Assignment

My persistent issue is the form of grading used in our district.  Our district uses both standards based grades and numeracy grades.  Each grade level has different subjects that they grade differently and it is really confusing for teachers, students, and parents.  Students can receive failing grades and meet the standards in some cases.  There needs to be a change.

For my persistent issue, I wrote a letter to the school board and put together a presentation outlining how the two systems of grading make no sense together on the same report card.  My hope is to collect more data from parents, students, and teachers and then to make the presentation to the school board.

Grant Application Essay: Technology Fair

Based on Chapter 7 of Heidi Hayes Jacob's book Curriculum 21, I have decided to create a new project for my students.  The project is based on Jacob's idea of having students create films for a Film Festival.  My project is similar in that it would still be for the 21st century learner and would still challenge students to strive for more real outcomes than grades. However, students would have more options to use their creativity besides just movies.  Students would be able to create movies, podcasts, scratch video games, slideshows (for the more scaffolded learner), or graphic novels via comic life.  Last year I tried to implement this project, but the resources were not available.  For this blog post I am going to write the grant request for the technology required for the project.  The grant I am writing will be through donorschoose.org a great site for all educators and support professionals who are looking for funding.

GRANT WRITING ESSAY
In room 20, students define passion. Through self-directed exploration they gain a hunger for information and a love of learning. Working in groups to solve real-life problems, they are in control of their destiny and I am merely their guide. Students transform into influential members of society.

Jimmy slumps into the classroom.  He walks to the back of and settles into a desk in the back row.  At the beginning of the year, he believes his F's are inevitable.  By fifth grade the labels in education, have instead started to define him (special education, behavior room, etc).  So many times students think that information is only an entity to receive and accept.  But it's not.

In my classroom it can be hard teaching students that through mistakes we learn our best.  That failing means trying again that there is hope for students of all levels and abilities.  The poverty in our school is rampant with 75% of students getting free and reduced lunches.  Students are trying to escape situations of abuse, poverty, chronic illness, and incessant moving/ transferring schools.

That being said, every student with passion and motivation can influence their world.  With your help we can empower students to do so with the ability to think beyond the desk in the back row.

After reading Curriculum 21 by Heidi Hayes Jacobs, I was inspired to create 21st century projects that promoted learning outside of the classroom walls.  I wanted real-life learning that would require creativity, technological fluency, and a love of learning.

I am requesting 5 Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Android Tablets.  The tablets will be used for a community service project where the students in groups of around 4 will choose a real life persuasive essay topic.  Students will then research their topic.  The assessment will be either a podcast, movie, graphic novel, music video, slideshow, or video game.  When the products are finished, we will invite the community to come and see their creations.  Students would need the ability to take video in a portable way and format the video.

The tablets will not only allow students to create technology fair projects, but they will also be used on a daily basis integrating them into math, science, social studies, and language arts stations.

Sure, a donation to my project is going to greatly help my small group instruction, and my students ability to make a technology project, but the donations to this project will be used to provide our generations with technological fluency.  You and I together can give students the ability to take control of their education.  We can encourage students to use their knowledge as power by contributing to their community and eventually the world they live.

Educators Unite- Reflection on "The Myth of Charter Schools"

Diane Ravitch in "The Myth of Charter Schools" describes how the film Waiting for Superman is written by a private elite school graduate with incorrect facts.  So what now?  Now that we know the truth about this slanderous film which was viewed by the nation, how can we let America know that our public schools largely successful compared to their charter school and even global counterparts?  Schools need to start getting positive attention, lawmakers need to be educated on education, the truth about high stakes testing and charter schools needs to be revealed, and their needs to be shared accountability between parents, students, communities, politicians, teachers, and schools.

Public schools need to start gaining national attention.  It should be a responsibility of every public school teacher & employee to invite the nation into the school to see the amazing work that goes on.  With every lesson that goes above and beyond a textbook teachers need to invite in the media, parents, lawmakers, and community.  Democrats, republicans, and independents need to see struggles, successes, achievements, and even failures of public schools that are real and not manufactured as in Waiting for Superman.

It would be nice to have someone in office who supports the education of the United States.  A lawmaking official who stops blaming the educational system they've created, and instead supports the system with funding, professional development, positive publicity, and a community of support.  Teaching is a political profession.   For example, in the state of Maine there is around 20,000 members of the Maine Education Association.  It is not acceptable to have an elected Maine governor who slanders education, grades schools districts unfairly, and claims that private schools are the only good schools in Maine.  With an election approaching, and three candidates, Maine needs to unite around a single candidate for governor, one who's own sister is a teacher, and who has visited classrooms (including mine). Maine's educational candidate for governor is Michaud.

The truth about high stakes testing needs to be revealed.  On a global scale, the United States is continuously compared to China.  In an interview with Yong Zhao, Joan Richardson uncovers truths about China's education system that the United States needs to be made aware of.  Zhao encourages the United States to continue to support the public schools in a more in-depth way rather than trying to change to a standardized test model like China.    Richards points out one of the most prominent ideas in the book is that, "developed nations like the United States should not be following developing nations like China. We got where we are by being leaders, and now it appears that we’re turning around to follow those who are trying to catch up with us."  As American's we needs to have confidence in the public schools that we have created because we became international leaders that way.  Instead of shunning the system, the communities and politicians should be supporting the system.

The truth about charter schools was clearly outlined in this article.   Ravich points out that only 1 in 5 charter schools even get amazing results.  That is only 20%.  A study reported that in charter schools, "student progress on math tests in half the nation’s five thousand charter schools and concluded that 17 percent were superior to a matched traditional public school; 37 percent were worse than the public school; and the remaining 46 percent had academic gains no different from that of a similar public school."  We can not buy into charter schools with such a terrible success rate.  It would be expensive and detrimental to the rural areas in our country.


There needs to be accountability for parents and students again.  We need a country that agrees that success is what you make it.  That in order to be successful, you need to work hard. As a nation isn't that what we are still all about?  As Ravich states,"There was a time—which now seems distant—when most people assumed that students’ performance in school was largely determined by their own efforts and by the circumstances and support of their family, not by their teachers."

With any purchase comes investment.  Community members, politicians feel like they have paid for education time and time again and are frustrated by that.  However, there needs to be continued investment.  The investment is not only money it includes giving public schools positive attention by taking the time to actually step foot in the schools.   Lawmakers need to invest time into researching education.  The truth about high stakes testing and charter schools needs to be revealed, and their needs to be an investment in our students by continued accountability by everyone involved.

Metacognitive Writing-- RAFT

When reading chapter 13 of Curriculum 21, I got stuck on the part about metacognition and habits of the mind.  I found this part facinating.  So much so that I was looking it up on the internet and found a great teaching tool called a RAFT.  I have been looking to boost my writing curriculum with some free writes to get students interested about writing.  A raft seems like a fun activity that encourages different habits of the mind.

A RAFT is when a student is able to choose a Role (basically what perspective they want to write in) to a chosen Audience (who might the piece be read by or seen by)  in a Format of your choice (letter, essay, commercial, etc.) , and then students choose a topic to write about.   This week I made 6 RAFT assignments that fit the curriculum of my fifth grade class for next year.  I am excited to use them as a connection between disciplines, and as metacognative activities.

"Sustainable Education"

Waves crashing on the shore, the sun's rays beating down on the hot sand.  It has been refreshing this summer to have some time to go to the beach.  Heidi Hayes Jacobs in Curriculum 21 talks about educating for sustainability.  Letting students have time to be reflective on how humans influence the world around them should be a focus for everyone.

In the book, Last Child In The Woods by Richard Louv, he talks about the importance of nature education just like Jacobs.  Louv also explains that exposing students to nature and natural settings can improve development.  Louv also talks in the book about Montessori schools.

I found the following quote very relatable, "70% of school-age youth feel hopeless about the future and disempowered in their daily lives."  I found it relateable because I see that many of my students don't believe that what they do will effect anyone else.  They don't even necessarily believe that what they do will effect themselves.  Most people, including adults, have a self imposed ignorance when it comes to where our food comes from, the destruction of the environment, and other aspects of life that are uncomfortable.

Some ideas I have had to integrate nature into my lessons next year...

1.  Hiking field trip.   A mountain is a metaphor for school and work because hiking is at times very difficult.  At times it isn't possible to quit, and you have to finish.  It is important to have a positive "can do" attitude.  You sometimes need to figure out ways to solve problems.  Giving up is tempting until you see what is at the top.  It can be connected to goal setting, mental and physical determination, and curriculum.  In fifth grade we learn about organisms, clouds, weather, erosion, and rocks.

2.  Beach field trip.  The beach is also a great place to learn about erosion, the water cycle, clouds, and organisms.  The beach is a perfect place to learn sustainability lessons such as cleaning up trash, recycling, leaving wildlife alone, etc.

3.  Descriptive writing in the woods.  Using figurative language to describe, observe, and compare.  Letting students use the outdoors as a quiet place for thinking and being calm.

Define Education!

21st Century Learning-- BUZZ WORDS

When reading and listening to all the resources lately I have noticed a lot of buzz words occurring over and over.  In just three years of teaching I notice some of the same types of teaching strategies being called different things depending on what book or research is popular at the time.  These buzz words define education.  As time goes on, education evolves therefore causing differences in the teaching techniques of teachers.

There seems to be a disconnect in my schools and in other schools when it comes to the "new" teachers and the "old teachers"  (not referring to age, but the amount of time spent in the school).  Often I hear complaining either of "those old teachers" or "those new teachers".  There is a very big difference in the buzz words used as well as in some cases pedagogy and that interests me between the two groups of teachers.  The differences in education view point not only comes through with teachers but also in the general public. 

 A 21 year old non-educator defines education very differently than a 65 year old non-educator.  How does the age or experience of a person help or hinder their ability to define education?  Also, how will we ever become united on education pedagogy when perspectives of how education are as diverse as the citizens of this country?  People use words all the time to describe education, but why? In the scheme of this world, what are the important skills that are relevant? 

It would be interesting to start a study of people in different age groups, both in the general public and with educators to see what the common buzz words they use to describe their teaching or their learning experiences.  I would imagine that there would be a difference in the buzz words.  The study would even indicate if there wasn't a significant shift in pedagogy and if so when it occurred.  Perhaps different areas of the world or even nation are using buzz words that more quickly progress education.  If so, it could inform curriculum immensely.  

First Experiences of Teaching (Kiran Bir Sethi TED Talk & Teach Like A Champion Connection)

     "Teachers get summers off, they are working until 3:00 and then they get to go home to their children, all the while collecting benefits.  They have got it made those teachers."  All arguments my dad made to me when I was 17 years old picking a forever career to apply to college for.  While he had a point, I didn't really care about that stuff, it was nice, but not what made me decide to do it.  I wanted to make a difference.  I was a great student.  I never struggled in school.  My parents supported my many adventures and whims.  I knew that I was going to be able to teach school that it would be easy.  What a shock when I arrived at Gilbert Elementary in Augusta, ME as a long term substitute.  

     The teacher had left mid year to take another position in the district.  The principal warned me of the difficulty of the student combinations in the classroom.   The previous teachers words, "Good luck," with a snide tone haunted my dreams the week approaching the day I would finally have my very own classroom.  To say that I had mixed emotions is an understatement.

     Overlooking the playground my first day on duty, I was in shock as I watched a girl playing jumprope with her friends.  She had a lip ring and was about to be in my fifth grade classroom. Early on, the practice fire drill started a brawl in the back of my classroom.  The tension and hostility between students was such that moving 5 feet to the back of a classroom was a challenge for them.  On another occasion, one student refused work and crawled under the front table.  A student held up the sign saying, "We want Miss ___ back!"   I was in over my head.  Under prepared, emotionally, and physically exhausted so I called my dad crying.  I didn't think I would ever teach another year.  He did not remind me of the summers off, or of the benefits, or that I  would get out at 3:oo, what he did was remind me why I started teaching.  I wanted to make a difference.  

     In order to do that, holding high expectations was key, and never backing down.  I did a lot of collaborating that first half year, as well as taking advantage of every possible professional development there was.  I got together with a fourth grade teacher and she gave me the best behavior plan which reminds me of the principals Kiran Bir Sethi talks about in her TED talk.  She gave me 6 guiding behaviors to encourage students to say, "i can".  Self directed learning, collaborative working, involved citizen, effective communicator, quality producer, and versatile thinker.  Those simple 6 behavior principals paired with positive reinforcement I learned from the book, "Teach like a Champion" made the students empowered to say, "i can".  When the students were done testing me, and were able to trust that I wasn't going away, we were able to finish the year with great successes.  Misconceptions exist about teaching, and therefore it is easy to blame teachers for the struggles of schools. 

As a side note:  Another connection I had to Kiran Bir Sethi's TED talk happened this year.  Three of my students were having trouble making friends, and getting homework done.  They were more attracted to negative attention than positive.  Perhaps confused about what the difference between positive and negative attention looked like.  The students who were doing homework and exerting positive behaviors confessed to me in the mornings that they loved positive attention.   They got to go up in front of the class and say, "I am ____ and I love positive attention."  Just doing that simple thing, convinced 2/3 to start bringing in their homework, and look for ways to attract better attention.  They started to realize that they could do it!

My Inspiration to Teach-- SHARE YOURS!

This week as I was preparing myself for this I was wondering what it could be that I could share with all of you.   I wanted something positive and inspiring.  I was thinking maybe a short poem, quote, song lyric, or even a Shakespearian sonnet.  I looked online and asked friends.  What I came up with was a bunch of cheesy quotes and poems some good, most really bad.   Most overused words like hope, success, aspirations, determination, dreams all words meaningless unless you know how to live life exemplifying them.  This is my journey to becoming a teacher, I hope you will share yours.

A teacher provides the knowledge to live successfully.  Teacher’s invoke hope when all other hope is exhausted.  Dreams are planted in the minds of students across America five days a week eight hours a day.  The job of a teacher is to convey that your experiences tell about who you are and who you can become.  Life will be full of overused words however teachers have the power of inspiring action that fuels our society. 

I then realized that what I could share with you is an educator who taught me how to turn the meaningless words in society into life altering action.  Other than my family my biggest mentor was my third and fourth grade teacher Mrs. Guptill.  She is the woman who taught me that the sun is more than five miles away.  

More than just facts she encouraged my imagination, and individuality she explained to me that sticking up for my beliefs, despite stubborn obstacles, makes me a responsible citizen.  She taught me how to count money denominations yet instilled in me that being a genuine and caring person will get me more than money ever could.

Another lesson that I learned from Mrs. Guptill, which has changed my life thus far, is how much of an impact a teacher has.  From her example I knew I wanted to join the profession of teaching.  I wanted to make more than money; I wanted to make an impact. 

For those of you who are or are becoming a teacher I say good for you.  Don’t let anyone deter you from a profession that is underfunded, underappreciated, and underestimated.   You are more than an evaluation sheet or test score.  Your future and might I add the future of your students is also much more than a state budget liability. 

The purpose of this post is to show the vast support teachers across our community have.  Today we can demonstrate that with comments below about a teacher that positively influenced your life.  Thank you for posting your support below for teachers like Mrs. Guptill and also thank you for caring about all students whom good teaching can influence.

Who Me? Yes You. Couldn't Be! Then WHO?

Public education is failing, or at least that is what you would think in Maine.  "If you want a good education go to private schools. If you can’t afford it, tough luck.” Paul LePage, the governor of Maine, described in a talk at York County Community College.  As a teacher and long time advocate for students and schools, I am hurt, but does he have a point?  Are "WE" failing?  Who is included in this "WE"?  Are the teachers and teacher preparation programs in the state of Maine failing?  Could it be the standards?  Are parents to blame? Do the policy makers need to stand up and take the blame?  Are the kids just lazier today?  The blame sure does get passed around in news and with political figures.  Who or what is failing and how can it be remedied?  Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?

THE TEACHERS stole the cookies from the cookie jar!

If anyone here is to blame, it must be the teachers.  They have the students after all for 7/8 hours each day in their secluded classrooms.  The problem as Jacobs points out is that teachers are secluded.  Teacher's today do not have say many times about curriculum because they are either to teach to a test, or encourage creativity.  There is hardly room for both as suggested by the Elementary Education: Current Trends article.  Administrators are many times concerned that time for collaboration is code for time off which is simply not the case.  A student that has moved from 4 places in the school year can likely not be taught as well as a student who has been in the classroom year round.    Students that are not coming in with homework done, or studying multiplication facts will not have the same sort of practice or opportunity as a student who does.  A teacher with 10 student in their class will be able to devote more time per child than a teacher with 21 students in their class.  There are ultimately some ineffective teachers, however, with the pay, competition for jobs, and morale of being a teacher today, the job is done out of passion not ignorance or lack of ability.


THE STANDARDS took the cookies from the cookie jar!

I had a major "Ah ha" moment when reading Heidi Hayes Jacobs book Curriculum 21 book when she said at the very beginning, "A prevailing myth is that the standards movement exists to prepare students for their future.  I wonder which particular standards movement we are talking about?...  The disparities between states on the number of standards, the actual standards themselves, and the graduation testing requirements are so vast as to be startling... To be blunt, some tates have lower standards than others."  She is saying that before the Common Core Standards, it has been impossible to compare schools because the curriculum has been inconsistent.  And yet, our policy makers have been comparing schools to other schools, our state to other states, our country to other countries.  It all goes back to the fact that you can't compare apples and oranges.  I would like to add to her point. Just as the the standards are different so are the students. Students all have different needs when it comes to standards, and students need support at home to be successful.

THE STUDENTS took the cookies  from the cookie jar!

It must be those lazy students!  Are students the culprit to a failing US educational system?  Students are complex individuals who have challenges as diverse, if not more diverse, than adults.  From the obvious factor of ability, mental stability, parental support,  interactions with peers, to the less obvious factors such as how their day went, the life of an elementary student trying to find their way in the world can be hectic and unpredictable!  If you were to give the same exact curriculum to the most talented teacher in the world in a class of 21, the outcome would be different every time.  There is no way to make education a factory where the students are "perfect" products who all meet the standard as a result of a hard working teacher.  It is really hard to get someone who is use to the mantra hard work= success to understand that, which is the mantra the country is founded upon.  I think that as a teacher one of the hardest things you have to accept year 1 is that you can't change the lives of everyone in your class.  When applying to jobs and writing scholarship essays in college that is what people wanted to hear.  But, there is too much out of your control to change the lives of every student who walks into your classroom. Not everyone will end up meeting the standards.  The question then becomes is it the parents, the fault of the teacher or the faulty standards?  There are these tests to determine if students are meeting the standards.  Which is great, if the standards apply to that student. Otherwise, the tests are degrading and unnecessary.  The students diversities ultimately stem from the parental differences.  Oh, I got it,

THE PARENTS stole the cookies from the cookie jar!

 Are parents to blame for not supporting children.  After all, students go home to do homework and practice skills from the day.  They are being taught at home more often than they are at school.  It is my opinion that the majority of teaching and learning of a student will be encouraged by the parent.  In my experiences, I did not have the best teachers every single year.  I was not the smartest person.  I had support of my parents, telling me that no matter what, I was going to be successful.  That failing wasn't an option.  In my classroom this is the approach I use.  When reading the article about schools around the world, I appreciated the Japanese model for its parental involvement and building of a community around learners.

THE POLICY MAKERS stole the cookies from the cookie jar!

Should we be looking at policy makers for the answers to education reform?  Does giving schools grades motivate them, especially with a governor who doesn't appreciate Maine schools.  If as a teacher I told a student that there is nothing good about them (Paul Lepage with the quote in the introduction about schools) and that they were failing (the grading system created under his administration) I would /should get fired.  Not only would it be inappropriate, but this is never an approach that I would use in the classroom because it just wouldn't work as a motivator.  Students don't want to hear they are failing and that they are worthless just as teacher and schools don't want to hear they are failing and worthless. It will not solve the problem at hand.  

 It is a reality that the schools, teachers, and students get the majority of the blame in this epic match of finger pointing.  Stop the finger pointing.  Stop bashing the hard work of students, schools, and teacher and instead stand up and make positive collaborative change.  As Loundsbery and Vars state in The Future of Middle Level Education: Optimistic and Pessimistic View, "Resolving conflict demands and and expectations of various stakeholders is a never ending challenge."  but one that needs to be addressed.  I urge law makers, students, and parents to work together with schools.  Actually go into a school and see for yourself the struggles facing schools, students, teachers.  Weigh in with an educated, up to date viewpoint.  

Questions On My Mind About School Districts In Maine

     After researching so many different types of schools and trying to decipher it all, I was really curious to know about other districts and how you all feel about educational political topics that are going on in your districts.  I have included a link to a voicethread that has questions about the important educational political issues in the state of Maine currently.  I hope to get a few either voice, text, or video comments describing your experiences with the issues at hand. It is a respectful forum that supports only professional responses and values all appropriate viewpoints. If you don't have a voicethread account, or would rather respond on this blog, I have typed the questions below.

https://voicethread.com/share/5736008/  

COMMON CORE

1.  How comfortable are you with implementing the common core standards?

2.  How prepared is your district's curriculum with the common core standards?

3.  What is your opinion about the common core?

PROFICIENCY BASED INSTRUCTION

4.  How has proficiency based instruction/grading effected your students?

5.  How has proficiency based instruction/grading effected your classroom?

6.  Has your district encouraged proficiency based instruction/grading, if so, how?

SMARTER BALANCED TESTING

7.  Did your school decide to pilot the smarter balanced testing?  If so, how did it go?

8.  What do you think of the smarter balanced test?  Discuss potential positives and potential challenges surrounding this test.

TEACHER EVALUATION

9.  What would you like to see for teacher evaluation?

10.  How is your district deciding on teacher evaluation?

SCHOOL MODELS (not on the voicethread yet)

11.  What is your feeling about charter schools?  Discuss potential benefits and challenges facing Maine charter schools.

12.  What school model would you support the most?

13.  How do you feel about virtual schools?  Are there some schools that could be virtual and others that could not?

Teaching- The Art of Selling Cars

Week 1:  Blog 1

As I was reading Chapter's 1 & 2 of the book Curriculum 21:  Essential Education for a Changing World Edited by Heidi Hayes Jacobs for my graduate class, I wrote quite a few notes about assessment.  One note I wrote that got me thinking was, "Assessment drives instruction and content."  Being the literal person I am, and being a lover of figurative language, I thought more about the note I had written, and it made me develop a metaphor with cars and education.  My thoughts that follow are all about the metaphor sparked by this weeks reading.  It still could use some developing, but I think I'm on to something.

Teaching-  The Art of Selling Cars

Imagine going to buy a car.  The process starts before you even know you are going to buy with the quirky television commercials, incessant flyers, and radio advertisements claiming that there is no better deal to be had than by that company.  Anyone who went to business school knows that part of the 4 P's of Sale Price, Product, Place, Promotion (we'll return to this later) is advertising.  Advertising is an annoying but necessary tactic for the dealerships to promote product.  Anyway, the day comes when you have squeezed every mile out of that "hooptie" you've had since high school, and are finally going to commit to buying a new/used car.  Cash in hand, you approach the dealership, carefully avoiding hitting the 100,000 dollar cars parked when the dreaded sales people dressed in their fancy suits, and uppity attitudes start to circle you like vultures.  Your adrenaline is at the max, and you palms sweat because you know that whatever price you pay will put you in debt for the next 3 years or so.  Finding that just right car, for the just right price is a hard job to face.  Now the feeling of buying a car can be a trying time because the salesmen are intimidating, and the day requires patience, energy, persistence, and at time disappointment.  This feeling of buying a car is for some students the feeling they get going to school.

Salesman--    As a salesman you are committed (in dealerships by commission) to selling cars quickly and for the highest price possible.  As a teacher you are committed (by a labor of love, and contract) to sell curriculum in order to better the lives of children.  A teachers job is to make someone believe that education is worth the price to pay.  That through effort and hard work, you can be whatever you want.  The same principals our nation is infamous for. Teachers can come off as intimidating, and pompous to some families.  As Jacobs says, "Intellects are scoffed at in the United States."  Many who do not support a public education, or teachers, are intimidated by their intellect, and themselves probably didn't have the best salesteacher.  Teaching and selling are two hard jobs that correlate perfectly.

I have been teaching for 2 1/2 years now, and already I have many examples of how teaching is like selling.  Most recently,  I had a student who was impossible to motivate.  After many IEP meetings, one on one conferences between myself and other support staff, he just wasn't buying his education. He was in Project Pride, Special Education, and even in a morning and afternoon check in program.  As for curriculum variation and modification, I know he couldn't have been bored.  I tried traditional methods, plays, slideshows, typing, podcasts, garage band projects, voicethreads, etc.  What this student was lacking was hope for a "good" product.  He was convinced that his life would be nothing but what his parents had.  When I asked what job he wanted to do he replied, "nothing".  An obvious question to follow was, "How are you going to support yourself?"  to which he said, "My grandparents are going to give me $100 a month to support me."  For this student, education was an impossible sell and it was not because I was a bad salesman.  These cases are few and far between, and as depressing as it is, I know that as a teacher, I did what I could to sell his education.  The role of parents as described below, is an essential component to the public education system.

Another good example of how teaching is like selling, is the book Teach Like A Pirate.  In this book, Dave Burgess tells how to engage students in their learning.  Many hooks he gives are all about presentation, and essentially advertising the product of curriculum.  Why students would want to put in the effort/pay the price when maybe they have no promise of a good product a "good" life.  The advertising must come from home and school both.

Buyer--  The buyer is the student.   Students must choose what they are going to buy into.  In the metaphor students do not have cash to buy a car, but their potential and efforts are used to learn new information in order to gain a better life for themselves.

Advertisement-- The advertisement or lack thereof for students getting an education is for the most part parents.  It is impossible for a teacher to sell an education car without the positive support of parents.  The supports of parents are so helpful to the learning of a child.

• Basic Needs Of Children (To Support Maslow's Base In The Hierarchy of Human Needs)
• Parent Home Communication   (Parent Teacher Conferences/ Answering the Phone)
• Hope For A Prosperous Independent Life   (Without Welfare or Parental Support)
• Positive Daily Communication   (Especially About Their Ability, The School & The Teacher)

Cash-- The cash in this scenario is potential and willingness to learn.  In order to acquire education, students need to have some want, interest, and ability.  If these components are not there, then no "car" can be bought.

The Car-- The just right car is a couple things in this metaphor.  First of all, the most obvious is that it represents the product that is trying to be sold.  It is what students put in effort for which is the promise of a "good life".   A life that supports an independent citizen.

The just right car is also the knowledge acquired shown with assessments which drives students lives after the student leaves the teacher's class.  The car is the content which students are willing to put the time and effort into.  Finding the content that sparks such interest should be the goal of classes curriculum.

The just right car can also be curriculum.  Sometimes the car is hard to sell because it's a piece of junk (let's face it, some curriculum can be boring and harder to sell).  Sometimes learning can be a cadillac.  For example, everyone wants to know how to make a rocket out of a film canister and alkaseltzer tablet.  Learning and teaching about CO2 is not going to be hard to sell with a lesson like that.


THE FOUR P's of SALES

PLACE-  The school and home must both be learning environments for the student to be successful.  The school must have high expectations, and be safe.  The home environment must support homework and practice of school topics, as well as be safe.

PROMOTION-  Promoting comes in the act of selling lessons.  It also comes into play for parents to positively promote schools and teachers.

PRICE-  The price is how much effort a student puts into their education.  The price directly correlates to the quality of the product.

PRODUCT-  The product is not only the assessments and information learned, but also the "good" life which is promised to those who are willing to put in the effort.