An actual good API report

What to look forward to when in college.
My local newspaper published this article a couple weeks ago. It's good to hear that schools are making gains in their API scores. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that most schools make some sort of gain - just not enough to satisfy NCLB.

The people I know who are current/former students of Middle College are super smart, super ambitious, and super decent people. They are the type of students who would succeed anyway, no matter what school they attended. I wonder what would happen if a below-average student, one who is on the path to non-graduation, was placed in Middle College?

Middle College is not the average high school, despite the article calling it a public school. Middle College does not have a campus of its own - the students actually attend junior college courses, with maybe a few special ones geared just for them. They do not have their own sports teams, academic or social clubs, or pretty much anything else associated with a typical high school experience. The students I know who attend Middle College are sometimes over-worked, stressed-out, and high-strung.

But then, maybe that's just them.

I'm very much a proponent of a smaller school though. Middle College has 300-something students. Total. My high school graduating class outnumbers the whole of Middle College by 100+. Smaller schools are awesome. Less red tape, more staff to take care of the students, increased atmosphere of a real community, individualized attention for students and staff alike. There may even be a lot less waste since it seems like a situation where it'll be simpler to keep everyone accountable.

Notable quotes from the article:

"None of our kids get lost in the shuffle."

(which happens all too often)

"Some of our schools are showing improvement. Others have work to do."

(which will probably be true forever and ever, world without end, amen)

Math - a teacher's Waterloo

"73% of teachers taking the math test (of the Massachusetts state teaching licensing exam) fail. That's almost half." - Jay Leno

The CA credential process, part I

During a conversation with a friend recently, I suddenly realized that the whole teaching credential process is quite a mystery to the general public. I don't know why I didn't realize this earlier - I was pretty clueless as well. Still am, in many areas. And no wonder, there are so many flaming hoops to keep track of!

So, here's the first in a new series giving the inside scoop of the nuts and bolts of getting a license to teach in the golden state of California. It's another way for my to organize information, but hopefully it'll be useful for other people too. Yep, all 2 of you who stumble upon this blog.

First and foremost in getting a credential (which, by the way, is completely different from getting your own classroom to teach in - more on this later) is that much lauded Bachelor of Arts/Sciences degree. I hold a BS in Mathematics (general study), but any field of study will do. Simple enough so far, right?

Well, to be frank, I didn't find it very easy at all just to have the honor of being called a college graduate. I made the typical mistakes - freedom to the head, didn't study as hard as I could have, etc. Not that I was party-hardy either (not sure this is even in my genetic make-up), but I failed my fair share of courses. Thankfully, I did better the second time around.

I can't say I would make the same choices if I could re-do my college education, but I'm also glad for the experiences of failing as well. I will say that I'm much more careful about this kind of stuff now; although still with plenty of room to improve.

One thing I wish I had taken more advantage of was the "add/drop" period. Those first two, silvery weeks when you can try out classes and drop them if you don't like them. Or more precisely, if you don't like the person teaching the course. How many times have I stuck to a class where I can't understand the instructor because his accent was just too heavy? Twice, I disastrously stayed with a class where the professors were unhelpful to my needs. Granted, I was a pretty needy kid. But still, I would have learned better in a different class, with a more sympathetic atmosphere.

A friend's wise dad once said, "This is YOUR education, and YOU (i.e. your parents, but he didn't say that) are paying good money for it. So be your own advocate for your own education. No one else is going to do it for you." I'm still working on this.

Note: There are actually several different ways of getting a credential, as will be detailed later when that step is addressed. Some schools offer a combination BA/credential course you can take in four years rather than tacking an additional 1-2 years for the credential part to your BA/S part. This still means you have to have a BA/S though. It's a BA in Elementary/Intermediate/Secondary Education. Plus a credential. The difference is that you study education as an undergraduate, which gives you less time to study whatever else you want to study.

In California, the BA in Secondary Education is rare because of the law that says all teachers must be "highly qualified." Which means you need to have taken certain college courses in the area you teach. For example, if I wanted a Single Subject Credential (also explained later) in Mathematics, I would need to complete the full range of lower division courses as well as a specific selection of upper division course work. I'm lacking two courses of analysis, so I can't go that route. But if I took the CSET (also to be explained later - man, this process is confusing!) in math, I would have fulfilled that requirement.

Confused yet? Believe me, the most confusing parts are yet to come. That's right, in the plural.

Stream of (un)consciousness

Oh boy. What did I get myself into now? Although I feel better about re-classification from credential student to masters student than I did about the whole NET thing, I'm still a little anxious. Only a little little. And only about money. Dear FAFSA, please let there be some federal money in the pot still for me to last through 2009. I know I rushed in getting you all filled out and submitted today, but I swear I'm a good investment for Uncle Sam!

I've made more impetuous decisions about big things in the past two-and-a-half months than I have made in the past two-and-a-half-years. Longer, probably. It kind of feels good.

I was not at my teaching best today. My students were not at their learning best today. Let's all learn from our mistakes and then put this behind us. Tomorrow is a fresh start.

Tomorrow I'm going to the first high school graduation since my own high school graduation. I'm strangely looking forward to it.

Reading Three Cups of Tea brings back happy memories of one of my fifth graders who had just arrived in the US from Pakistan. He's my all time favorite student thus far and deserves an entire blog post in honor of his name.

We are all 60-year-old grandmas at heart

There have been rumors that teachers sometimes teach their students how to knit. Which I think is an awesome idea. Because one of my other pet peeves with students is the perpetual, "I'm done, and I'm bored!" student.

There have been rumors that students who know how to produce something from practically nothing have higher self-esteem, are better focused during lessons, and are more willing to take on challenging tasks. Oh, and supposedly the students love knitting as well. No need to dig motivation out of thin air here, for the most part.

Now, I'll always have a "What To Do When You Are Done" list on the wall. I'll take each item, teach it individually, then provide it as an option for students who are quick finishers (which is not always a good thing - I'll have to teach this too, but hopefully marking off careless mistakes will do most of that work for me). Included in these items are, but not limited to:

- silent reading
- extra credit work packets
- getting ahead in that day's homework assignments
- knitting

I know this kid who seems to ALWAYS be bored. She is bored even though she has a DS to play with. She is bored when I offer her books to read. She is bored when I offer to read aloud to her. She is bored when there are board games around to play. She is plain bored all. The. Freaking. Time.

However, I understand her type of boredom - the kind that doesn't stem from a lack of things to do. I think it comes from the motivational corner, although there are probably other factors too.

Students sometimes cry bored when all they really want to do is get under your skin and show that they don't appreciate your hard work in creating something fun to do. I've had fifth graders say this to me for this very purpose.

So I think I'll be one of those teachers who teach their students how some sort of handicraft. So that they don't cry bored. And so I can channel my energy to other things, like say, ignoring attitude-y and hurtful student comments.

If anybody knows how to not care so much about what students think, please fill me in on the secret.

P. Elementary

Yellow.
Plaque behind chain.
Patriotism?
Security.
Ubiquitous primary rug.

Lessons on communication

I've worked very hard at improving my communication skills. Writing comes pretty naturally. Speaking I've had to practice a lot on. Non-verbal I'm still working through it but I'm making headway, although I think this area will always hold some confusion due to cross-cultural differences and me being oblivious.

Because I've had to work so hard at communication, I know I'm decent at it. I know I'm much better than I used to be. But there are times when I feel like I'm not getting through to anyone at all.

Today was one of those times. The other person was half at fault for not letting me know. I was at half at fault because today was not the first (or second or third or....) the other person has done this, and hence I should have known better, and hence I should have taken the initiative to double check with them. I'm really hung up over this because I HATE getting my lines of communication crossed.

So here is a list of some the things I've come to learn - the hard way - about communicating with people. Hopefully making a post about it will make it a big enough deal for me to remember the steps I've grown lax in. Some exceptions are applicable.

1. Never ever ever ever NEVER assume anything. People cannot read your mind. You cannot read other people's minds. Exception: you know each other so well that you've been able to anticipate each other's actions nearly 100% correctly. Still, sometimes it is useful to confirm.

2. Write it down, whatever "it" is. Write the date you wrote it down. If there is a deadline, write it down. If there is some action that needs to be done, either by you or someone else, write it down. Write all of it down!

3. Scan what you wrote frequently. More than once I've wrote things down then promptly forgotten it and I never go and look back because I don't think I've forgotten anything. But I did. This is why I painstakingly developed a habit of reading what I write in my daily notebook whenever I get a spare moment. Like at a red light (which is slightly dangerous, but I drive so much I can time the lights pretty accurately), or in an elevator, or in the waiting room, or on hold while on the phone, in the check-out line, during the few minutes before class starts, on public transport, etc. I also look through my day's notes before I leave the house, right before I leave every other location, and before I go to sleep at night.

4. Get a notebook. Carry it, and a pencil/pen, around all the time with you. I use a pencil (so I can make changes easily, although usually I just cross it out because I want to know what changes I made) and a really small pocket notebook. I also have other notebooks for more detailed planning + a monthly and weekly calendar.

5. Re-confirm. Send a summary message to the other parties involved. Make sure everyone has received it. They are ultimately responsible for making sure they read it and know what they need to do. I'm just making sure I do everything in my power to make sure other people know what I can (or can't, in today's case) do.

6. Did I mention writing it down? Documentation is also useful for when conflicts arise after the fact. Sometimes the mistake is mine. Because I'm human too, no matter how much I want things to go perfectly. When it is not my fault, I'll have proof, and no one can say otherwise. I know people who photograph/take video/voice recordings too.

7. After whatever the action is, send a follow-up. So the other parties know what happened.

I've been told to get a PDA device to do all this stuff more than once. PDAs are nice, but they are not for me. Personally, I think Blackberries are the ugliest handheld devices on the face of the planet. And to me, there is nothing so satisfying as writing in a pretty, Japanese style notebook with a Muji pencil. I also like to take out my old notebooks and read through them every so often. It makes me feel accomplished.

Because interviews are scary, part VI

Self-analysis

Self-analysis

During your student teaching experience, what did you find most challenging?

Balancing student teaching with the intensive courses of the credential program and being employed all at the same time. Student teaching is like an extended job interview, and often times I felt like I shouldn’t say no to taking on responsibilities or attending a school event even when I was stretched too thin. I’ve learned that when I am exhausted and over extended, then I do not teach as well as I can, and my students should hold priority over extra responsibilities. Sometimes saying no is the best thing to do, for myself and for my students.

Describe a time that you were in a difficult situation and explain how you resolved it.

During my first student teaching experience, my school took an overflow class of first graders for the district’s elementary schools. This created a period of tense staff transitions and changes. My CT, being the only one on the first grade team with a student teacher, was assigned to help the sub with the overflow class. On more than one occasion, my CT had to leave our class abruptly during my teaching, leaving me completely solo for the entire day way before it was required in the program to take a solo lesson. It helped to know that my CT wouldn’t have left if she felt I couldn’t handle it. She also left sufficient instructions so that I could determine how the flow of the day should go. It also helped that the principal took time to drop in once or twice to check on me and that the other first grade teachers were always just next door if I needed them. These sudden solo days were my crash course on how the school runs: the roll must be submitted by a certain time, how to use the school phone system, how to time transitions to minimize lost instructional time but also to get to the cafeteria (we had staggered lunch times for different grade groups) or buses by the appointed time, how to handle visitors and interruptions like assemblies, and other details I had yet had a chance to ask my CT to explain. I had to think on my feet and pulled out nearly every theory I had learned in the program. I started keeping post-it notes and a pen in my pocket as well as jotting down notes on the whiteboard to help me keep track of everything. By the end of the semester, I had accumulated three times as much, if not more, solo teaching time as the program required. Which, I believe, helped me to become a better teacher.

If you were doing something for students that you knew was right and your principal told you to stop, what would you do?

I would first ask the reasons why I should stop. Perhaps there is something the principal knows that I don’t. I would want my principal to disclose necessary information, especially pertaining to instruction. I would also explain the situation of why I want to help my students, because perhaps the principal might not know all the details that I know too.

Tell me a story from your experience that keeps you up at night.

One of my first grade students can sometimes have an attitude, dragging his feet about being on task. One day, he came to school saying he was feeling sick. I told him he may put his head down for a little while and come back to the group when he felt better. During the morning, he would be lethargic on and off again, sometimes participating with enthusiasm (for the fun parts of lessons), and sometimes not (for the more routine parts of lessons). I thought he was just being his usual self, since he tends to lack motivation unless the lesson involves fun and games. My CT was out of the room all morning, but returned after lunch with the students. She spotted that this particular boy was looking lethargic and felt his forehead, then immediately sent him to the office to have his temperature taken. He had a 101 degree fever. I felt so bad that I had pushed him so hard that morning and didn’t realize he was much too ill to be at school. Other teachers have told me that it doesn’t necessarily make me a bad teacher, just possibly a bad parent. Still, from that experience onward, I always keep an open eye out when students say they are not feeling well.

Describe in detail your best and worst days in a classroom.

Best day: I remember to do everything associated with running a classroom. Students are engaged, actively participating, with minimal time spent on management. We are all flexible with changes that occur throughout the day. It is a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Worst day: I am unprepared and disorganized. I don’t have a firm grasp of the procedures set for the day. There are difficult tensions throughout the room in myself and the students. I can’t seem to refocus students, and some time is taken up just recreating the proper community again.

Describe the best lesson you ever taught and explain why it was great.

The best lesson I ever taught involved a lot of student teamwork. The objective was to write as many words as they can with certain vowel sounds. Since it was a new game, some students had trouble catching on to the objective, but I modeled it several times, reassuring them that CVC words (this was a first grade class) were perfectly fine to use (they wanted to use a lot of longer, complex words they have yet learned to spell). The students helped each other, and everyone contributed even those who are typically below basic level. The friendly competition seemed to be very enjoyable for this class.

Describe a challenge you encountered during student teaching. What did you learn from it?

Even thought the NCLB act mandates that K-3 grades should have a class cap of 20, often that doesn’t happen. I taught a class of 21 first graders until the overflow class was created. Some 2nd and 3rd grade classes still contained an over-the-cap number. I learned that the law and its intentions are usually not aligned with what happens in reality. If teachers do not hold these laws accountable to politicians and the general public, then people outside of working in education might not realize what is happening with our nation’s students.

Glee

Photo
I heard NPR interviewing the creator of this show while on holiday in San Diego last week. Needless to say, I was intrigued. So I watched the pilot.

This is not your average high school musical.

And then, in some ways it is. The single most incredibly high school thing that I have kept is the desire to do something, be a part of something, greater and grander than little old me can ever be. Glee taps into that, and I like it. Sometimes the show looks into the world of a high school as well, which is a bonus.

I'm looking forward to the fall.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day. Sadly, I never got to celebrate it for what it is as a kid - I only remember it as a day when mattresses were always on sale, and we got a day off from school.

Another thing I didn't know about: The White House Commission on Remembrance. I didn't notice anywhere on their site that says what year they were formed, but they seem to have been around for awhile now. This page on their site lists the number of people killed or wounded in action during international conflicts from the Revolutionary War through 9/11. Apparently there are a whole bunch more missing from the list, but it seems pretty comprehensive to me.

Maybe it's because I didn't really learn about it in school (that I remember, maybe I did...), but I don't really know what to do in class for Memorial Day. Just from that list alone, I could probably make up some sort of math lesson on statistics or graphing. Or a geography lesson (where on earth is Matsu and Quemoy?). Or a timeline project. But outside of that, I'm lacking creative ideas.

Maybe that's enough though. To just remember. To study past conflicts, if only for one day in the entire year, and to reflect on how we can make the future less conflicted.