I don't want to hear another person endorse the concept of "school choice" for parents without acknowledging the hypocrisy of also being in favor of No Child Left Behind.
The idea of school choice implies that parents will choose the "better" schools, leaving the "bad" schools with little to no enrollment so that they will eventually disappear. Not only would it not work out that way, but that's the same as giving up on the students who still attend those supposedly terrible schools.
Teachers don't get to choose their students. We don't say, 'I don't want that one; he's never going to be good enough.' Schools are not allowed to give up on their students. How is it acceptable for society to give up on our schools?
Furthermore, some people need a reality check: this is not Lake Wobegon, "where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." It is impossible for all children to be above average. It is impossible for all teachers to be above average. It is impossible for all schools to be above average. What we should strive for is giving every child the tools and opportunities for success. That's not only attainable, but meaningful.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
3D Printing, Here I Come!
Last night was my first of 3 sessions learning about 3D printing at Math for America with George Hart. I've been looking forward to this for so long!
We got to watch a 3D printer in action, and after a Mathematica refresher, we started playing around with attempting different challenges. Now I can't stop trying to design something fun. This is addictive. Any suggestions?
Of course, if I get good at it I'll probably want to have my own 3D printer. I'd love to hear about your experiences with different brands, opinions about cost and/or materials.
We got to watch a 3D printer in action, and after a Mathematica refresher, we started playing around with attempting different challenges. Now I can't stop trying to design something fun. This is addictive. Any suggestions?
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| I wish I could make ALL OF THESE! |
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Prevention Instead of Intervention
A few years into my teaching career, the school year started on a Wednesday. On Friday, the 3rd day of school, two of my 9th graders cut my class.
Red flag. BIG red flag. I know that teenagers have been known to cut class, but 9th graders? On the 3rd day of school? That's not normal. That's a sign of bad things to come.
I saw this as an opportunity to prevent what I saw as a clear sign of the future. I went to my department chair and told her what happened and that my prediction was if we didn't step in and do something, these children would fail Algebra and maybe not even graduate on time (if ever). Her response was, "Let's wait to see how they do on the first report card."
I couldn't believe it! She was telling me that we had to wait for them to fail before we could take any action to fix the problem.
1. It should be clear that there IS a problem.
2. Once a problem has been identified, action should be taken to prevent it from getting worse.
3. As educators and professionals, we should not allow students to dig themselves into a hole that we know they are not equipped to climb out of.
Back then, I was shocked that this was the school's response. By now I'm much less surprised; this is how our system works.
What I want to know is, aside from alerting parents and guidance counselors and administrators to our concerns, what can schools do to prevent students from skipping down the path of failure instead of waiting until it's probably too late and attempting what is often an unsuccessful intervention?
(By the way, I was right about the two students who cut on the 3rd day of school. This became a pattern of behavior, among a host of other issues, and they failed tests, marking periods, courses, and so on. Once the ball was in motion, there was no stopping it.)
Red flag. BIG red flag. I know that teenagers have been known to cut class, but 9th graders? On the 3rd day of school? That's not normal. That's a sign of bad things to come.
I saw this as an opportunity to prevent what I saw as a clear sign of the future. I went to my department chair and told her what happened and that my prediction was if we didn't step in and do something, these children would fail Algebra and maybe not even graduate on time (if ever). Her response was, "Let's wait to see how they do on the first report card."
I couldn't believe it! She was telling me that we had to wait for them to fail before we could take any action to fix the problem.
1. It should be clear that there IS a problem.
2. Once a problem has been identified, action should be taken to prevent it from getting worse.
3. As educators and professionals, we should not allow students to dig themselves into a hole that we know they are not equipped to climb out of.
Back then, I was shocked that this was the school's response. By now I'm much less surprised; this is how our system works.
What I want to know is, aside from alerting parents and guidance counselors and administrators to our concerns, what can schools do to prevent students from skipping down the path of failure instead of waiting until it's probably too late and attempting what is often an unsuccessful intervention?
(By the way, I was right about the two students who cut on the 3rd day of school. This became a pattern of behavior, among a host of other issues, and they failed tests, marking periods, courses, and so on. Once the ball was in motion, there was no stopping it.)
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