I Went to a Job Faire Today for Teachers

Last year about a thousand teachers in attendance, this year's attendance seemed to double that. Schools in California are ranked 47th in the nation in per student spending. Pretty poor for the nation's richest state! I read a report a few years ago stating that if California were a nation, it would have been the seventh wealthiest nation in the world! And we can't make our students a high enough priority to at least put them somewhere above average?! Much less at the top?

I think our state spends too much money trying to take care of every last need, to the point that now we can't balance our budget. While I have nothing against taking care of people, we have to make sure that welfare of the state is met in the process. We can't do everything that makes us feel good. We can't pay for everyone's college, including illegal immigrants, as I've heard suggested. We have to meet the needs, basic needs, of citizens first. Make sure we have a healthy budget, that income exceeds expenditures (creating income that won't frighten off business) so we can meet obligations. Then we look at what we can do to lend a hand, not just hand out to everyone.

I get the sense from time to time, that what used to be considered as privilege is now seen as entitlement. I see raising a generation of people with the sense of entitlement is very dangerous. People who feel entitled to something don't feel the need to work for anything, and they don't feel they should have to wait for anything. And I believe people who feel entitled to something are much more likely to take what they feel entitled to if it is not given to them.

Another sad thing about our state's budget... education is about 40% of the state's budget, the single largest expense in the state. Where does that money go, that this state is 47th in the nation on per student spending? How do we fix this? A lot of teachers are already having to look at other districts for work because they have received pink slips. Many districts in my area don't know what their funding will look like for next year until several months from now, at least.

At what cost do we gamble with the education of our children? How long will this state be blessed with the dedication and self sacrifice I have seen in the teachers who teach our children?

Homework; What Is It For?

Home work is such a highly debated subject. I have seen this issue from two sides of the argument, definitely not all sides.

As a parent I have bemoaned the fact that my children had homework as kindergartners, especially since we already read to them quite a bit. My wife and I have always encouraged our children to express themselves through words and drawing, or coloring, so the homework they brought from kindergarten just seemed redundant. It was not a big deal, just a nuisance. Our children are two years apart, had different 1st grade teachers, and had very different types of homework from their first grade teachers. As my children have grown older, homework definitely becomes more relevant to their learning.

In first grade my son had reading, some math and occasionally spelling or some other topic to work on. All of his work was required to be turned in. My daughter on the other hand, had everything from reading (with a log), to observing the changing of seasons, to spelling words, to math. Only occasionally was her work required to be turned in. There was a sheet to be signed by the parent stating all work was completed, and questions about what was learned, what was most fun, etc., though my daughter always had issues with homework that the teacher did not want to see. I can't say I blame her.

I believe strongly that home should always be made relevant to lessons in the classroom (which was the case with my daughter,) that homework should be used to reinforce skills taught in the classroom (questionable at times,) and should never allow the student to feel like they are being made to waste their time (my daughter usually felt like she was wasting her time - the teacher didn't want to see her work. Or at least didn't feel the need to see her work.)

My daughter had the same teacher again for second grade, which was fine with my daughter, and with my wife and me. Other than the homework, we feel that this teacher truly cares about her students, works hard to make them feel successful, and is good about communicating with parents.

Homework for in upper elementary, middle, and high school, years is increasingly important. The amount of homework varies greatly based on parent demand, teachers' philosophy, and district policy. In areas where competition for access to ivy league or top 10 universities is high, it seems homework is a major focus. I can only wonder how homework is viewed in schools where attendance, and the educational process are viewed as something of a nuisance, or worse. In schools where survival is more important than education, how do teachers reach parents and students?

Whatever the situation, I believe that communication between parents and teachers is essential for homework to be worthwhile. And homework needs to reinforce what is taught in the classroom. If that can incorporate something from the student's life, culture, interests, so much the better.

What do you think?

Parents' Perceptions of School

From experience I would think that most people's perceptions of schools and teachers will be affected by their memories of their own years in elementary school. From reading, conversations with adults of various ages, and my recollections, I have found that unhappy memories of the elementary years dissuade parents from trusting school staff members and they are less likely to participate in classrooms or on PTA, and are less likely to trust their child's teacher, much less seek out the help or cooperation of their child's teacher.

Conundrum

I observed a Master Teacher yesterday. She is so good she is one of two math coaches for the district she works in. I saw her do some fantastic things with her class, challenging all of her students at once, with a single math lesson, from the lowest to the most advanced learners in the class. This teacher is focused on advancing each and every student as much as possible.

Before I left she showed me some tools she teachers to her students for two digit subtraction, multiplication, and long division, which takes the pain out of doing these problems! It was fantastic. Students aren't struggling with borrowing (or regrouping, or whatever it's called in schools where you are,) which frustrates students and slows down the learning process. The students are sharing their thoughts on how they solve problems, and seeing their ideas on the board. None of them are told they are wrong or that they have a bad way of approaching something. They are learning that there is more than one way to approach something.

This is something I have tried in various ways as a substitute to help students understand relationships between numbers, with limited success. I find some students already get it, others just needed to have a little light cast in the shadows to see the problem in a new way, and the rest are so stuck on how things are normally done they end up frustrated or confused. But they do understand that I am trying to help them which they appreciate.

So at home, I'm going to use what I saw yesterday to help my daughter — and what do I get? "My teacher wants us to do it this way." "I'll get in trouble if I do it that way. " She shuts down and refuses to let me help. It doesn't matter to her if it is easier or not; it's not the way her teacher wants it! I don't blame the teacher for this, though I wonder who else has dealt with this same issue, and how you have dealt with it - with the teacher, without the teacher, in spite of the teacher?

I can understand that there are occaassions when concepts need to be taught a certain way, but few things have only one way of being done. I can understand many teachers don't want to have conflicting ideas floating around because it takes time to cover more than one way of doing things. What I saw today showed me how helping students understand different ways of looking at something should be integrated into lessons, and it can be done in a timely and effecient manner. Though I have to keep in mind, some students can only dealing with one way of doing something.

As a parent I find it baffling and frustrating to no end to have my child fight me when I try to explain something because it is not done that way at school. Yes it is possible for parents to set their children back if they teach something wrong. What I am suggesting is a closer partnership between parents and teachers. Having school and home at odds with each other is not good for the children.

What do you think?

Engagment

Too many of my elementary school memories consist of (these are the memories of a 'Calvin & Hobbs-esque' boy) sitting through hours of droning by the teacher at the front of the classroom with little in the way of conversation or participation. And the kind of participation we had I was not interested in because I was not fond of being laughed at. All of the classrooms I was in since 1st grade had the desks with the integrated seat, lined up in rows, or columns, depending on one's point of view. As soon as the teacher mentioned something that did not interest me, or that I did not understand, I would tune-out. I was gone until the bell rang for recess, lunch, or the end of the day. I also resented being called on to answer questions my teacher knew darn well I hadn't heard.

On occasion there were those days when lessons were interesting because the teacher was interested, and added relevant material. Material which tied the concepts or skills to our everyday lives. Most everyone can relate to sharing cookies, eating a slice of pizza, or getting change from a purchase. For other students the lessons they remembered may have revolved around sports or music. But to have something that interested me, gained my attention, caused me to care about what was being taught, and I put effort into learning. My comprehension improved tremendously during these times.

Creating lessons for every topic, for every day of the week, for an entire year, that engages all students, at various levels of development, is an extremely tall order. Impossible if the teacher doesn't know anything about the students in his/her class. This is why, when teachers send home questionnaires about your student(s), it is so important to fill them out and return them. The feedback will not only provide the teacher with ideas of what interests are common to students, to aide in the creation of engaging lessons, and it will help teachers build a relationship with each and every student more quickly. This is critical to creating a community within the classroom; healthy community promotes learning; safe community promotes exploration and a willingness to share thoughts, ideas, creations, and opinions. This is where learning happens at its best.

As parents we can help provide the optimal environment for our children by helping them to express themselves by listening to them patiently and asking guiding questions. Helping children be comfortable at home and around other people besides family sharing ideas and opinions will help develop the confidence they need at school. Communication with your child's teacher is also important to find out how your child is doing in class, and to know what his/her teacher's expectations are with your child.

Getting Started

Everything has to start somewhere. Here's my start.

A former IT geek, I have been a full time dad, gone through teacher certification, currently a substitute teacher, and am looking forward to earning my Master's Ed. in Best Practices. All during an economic crises where CA schools are looking at unprecedented cuts in funding.

In this blog it is my intention to provide information that will help parents feel more comfortable with public education; something I have gone through myself, being the parent of two children in public education myself. I have met a number of teachers as a parent, a substitute, and a student teacher. While the school system can be rather impersonal, the teachers and staff (in general) are caring adults who truly care about the students/children in their schools and classrooms.

In future posts, I will share some of my vague memories of elementary school, my impressions of what children want or need in school to be engaged, and how as parents we can make children's school the best possible.