Let Us Shine

Two weeks ago I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work on my facilitation skills with Emily White. Upon entering the room where the workshop was to be held I quickly found myself joined by a unique grouping of individuals. Three of the four assistant principals from my school, seven of the nine grade level facilitators, three aspiring principals, my current principal (Nigel Pugh) and Emily. I felt a little like how freshmen who are placed in a senior study hall by mistake must feel.

The first task we were asked to complete is to interpret a postcard randomly drawn from a pile. The question was then posed, “What does this card say about your current role as a school leader?”

I was given the attached picture. At first I thought “Argh the beach….I hate the beach…I like the beach….but I don’t like being half naked at the beach.” But I digress…

Looking at the picture I think I had one of those AH HA moments. I was able to make some real connections. I work on an amazing grade level team at QHST. The energy level of each member seems unending and is only overshadowed by their passion.

At any given time each member shines. Generally we are all in tune with common goals but can also embrace a slight bit of ambiguity when life deals us some. A good leader is an individual who can step out of the team’s infectious radiance, put on a pair of shades, and articulate possible difficult questions we are not asking.

The best teams have members who feel entitled to put on the shades at a given point and let the others shine. Every member has done just this at some point. Having the opportunity to sit on the side and reflect is important as a leader.

I guess what I’m trying to say is [ I already know Mayo and Barkan will disagree] during Small Learning Community Meetings, surrounded by respected colleagues whom I’ve come to hold in high regard, is in some way like going to the beach.

“argh…”

Standardized Paradigm Shifting

"When our grandparents went to school, there was a finite amount of information," she said. Now, she said, the focus is "not so much that I have to learn everything there is to learn, but now I need to learn how to find what I need to know." (article linked below)

Is tech-literacy testable? According to ETS, the new skills are testable and standardized tests with these skills are being rolled out in many states. This is very exciting; imagine a Regents Exam with access to the internet.

Students might actually see some relevance, might scare some teachers though.

[Read the Entire Article]

Are "we" Ready

Recently on another teacher blog (Weblogg-ed) teachers are ranting about the new skill sets our students will be asked to tackle. I wonder what we are doing currently in our classrooms to enhance these skills? Are we as successful products "traditional" skill set value system ready to make a paradigm shift?

This following is excerpted: [entire post]


Our kids’ futures will require them to be:

• Networked–They’ll need an “outboard brain.”


• More collaborative–They are going to need to work closely with people to co-create information.


• More globally aware–Those collaborators may be anywhere in the world.


• Less dependent on paper–Right now, we are still paper training our kids.


• More active–In just about every sense of the word. Physically. Socially. Politically.


• Fluent in creating and consuming hypertext–Basic reading and writing skills will not suffice.


• More connected–To their communities, to their environments, to the world.


• Editors of information–Something we should have been teaching them all along but is even more important now.

Wounded Teacher

OK.... I know the NYPD is labeled "New York's Finest", and the FDNY has been labeled "New York's Bravest", and the Corrections Officers are "the Boldest" and court officers unofficially call themselves "the Smartest", but I want to make it official that NYC Teachers are "the most Resourceful". Why?

I witnessed an amazing thing today. As I entered room 205, the freshmen art teacher who is temporarily unable to move around the room on account of a weekend injury to his knee was being helped by no less than four other adults.

Any other person would use a knee desperately needing surgery as an excuse to not try any grand project with their students, but his unwaivering commitment to providing a content linked interdisciplinary experience is worthy of applause. Brian (the Visual Arts teacher) was resourceful enough to solicit help from a permanent sub with no placement for the day, myself, another teacher, and a student teacher from Queens College. Together everyone joined in to help facilitate the lesson.

In awe of not only his dedication, but his resourcefulness I felt compelled to share this with you.

Budget Cuts

Jeff Utecht suggests that a school schedule teachers for "google time". I know the city is cutting budgets, but imagine a world where classrooms and schools were linked via 2.0 technology. Schools show what is important by what fills lines in their budget. The Queens High School of Teaching values DEAR and ADVISORY. What might a school which values social networking look like? Here is an excerpt from his blog.

I found myself wanting to be involved in helping schools define their future. I have a passion for sharing and teaching others and love to watch teachers and students alike get excited and hear that passion spark in them around new ideas they can use in their schools and classrooms. That was ‘different’, that was exciting.

The only issue then was how do you continue to affect change in a school and have time to explore a niche that is just starting to emerge (or that you hope emerges)?

You need time, time to explore, to think, to reflect. That time can not be added onto what you already do, it has to be part of what you do. It should be part of what we do in education. So I set out to explore schools that would challenge me professionally within the system and at the same time allow me to explore options and learning outside the system. This explore time would come to be known as “Google Time.” As I talked to schools, I pitched the idea of allowing me 20% of my time to explore other options outside of my regular duties. My thinking was twofold, not only did I want 20% time, but I also wanted to be a part of a school that I felt was heading in a positive direction, and that I was excited about. After all, 80% of my time is still working within the system affecting change in that organization and with students and teachers. That school, then, needed to understand who I was and what I could offer.

Google Time

How do you sell Google Time to a school? How do you help administrators understand that this time would not only benefit oneself as an educator but would then also benefit the school?

Google Time allows an employee time to explore, take risks, learn, network, and create opportunities. Some, if not most of these opportunities, will affect the employee in deep and meaningful ways. Whether it is taking time to create networks, write, play with new software, read about new theories, or just explore the world around them, this time adds value to employees and the time they spend on the other 80% of their job. Add to that the opportunity for those employees to build a social presence within networks on the web, this also brings something back to the school (think free marketing, too).

Here is a link to the rest of his blog.

The Tracks of My Fears

Sorry for the awful attempt at humor in the title.

I'm a little bugged by a buzz that's going through my school right now, centering on our math classes.

As I'm sure in many schools, in a single math class, there are extremely wide disparities in student performance, ability, grasp of concepts, etc. More proficient students are complaining when the pace is too slow, and less proficient students shut down when faced with things they can't handle. To that end, there is talk of grouping students based on math ability. Proponents of this idea say that it will allow the students to be taught at an ability-appropriate level.

My fear is that this will turn into full blown tracking.

Any thoughts, suggestions, alternatives?

“How far is the moon from the Earth?”

Today a colleague whom I have come to regard very highly told me a story. They spoke of a friend who, upon interviewing for a position in a District Attorney’s Office, was asked the question, “How far is the moon from the Earth?”

What skill would an aspiring assistant district attorney need to answer this question?

Those of you who know me are well aware of my feelings toward the NYS REGENTS exams. The best argument I have heard defending the test is that its not a test of content but of basic skills.

With this in mind I entertained the idea that I may be wrong. So I now look at the test as on of basic skills. Skills these students will need to be successful.

On the global history exam students were asked to analyze a political cartoon depicting the cultural reform of Peter the Great. Is it more likely for our students to be asked to analyze a political cartoon or to create and edit a video using movie maker? Is the skill of writing a thematic essay more highly regarded in our society or are creations like collaborative web 2.0 http://www.youtube.com/ or http://www.secondlife.com/ a more valuable asset to have? Should students be able to explain the difference between relative and exact location or should we teach them how to use "Google Earth", or program a "Magellan".

Having a test of skills isn't a bad idea, but our current exam system might be obsolete, giving false hope to those who "do well" and discouraging our future leaders with low standardized test grades.

I overheard a teacher comment, “They make these tests easier and easier, but the kids keep getting dumber and dumber.” Is this true? Or are the skills being tested further and further from those valued by our students and society?

The answer the interviewers for the assistant district attorney’s position were looking for wasn’t, “Gosh I don’t know.” It was, “Can you give me a minute?”, as they pulled out their Blackberry. (which teachers confiscate upon entry into exams).

New York Measuring Teachers by Test Scores

Can teachers only request to teach the good test takers?

NYTIMES:

"New York City has embarked on an ambitious experiment, yet to be announced, in which some 2,500 teachers are being measured on how much their students improve on annual standardized tests.

The move is so contentious that principals in some of the 140 schools participating have not told their teachers that they are being scrutinized based on student performance and improvement.

While officials say it is too early to determine how they will use the data, which is already being collected, they say it could eventually be used to help make decisions on teacher tenure or as a significant element in performance evaluations and bonuses. And they hold out the possibility that the ratings for individual teachers could be made public.

“If the only thing we do is make this data available to every person in the city — every teacher, every parent, every principal, and say do with it what you will — that will have been a powerful step forward,” said Chris Cerf, the deputy schools chancellor who is overseeing the project. “If you know as a parent what’s the deal, I think that whole aspect will change behavior.”"

ENTIRE ARTICLE

Finally Some Accountability ????

After reading the following article I began to ask myself what problem is this new DOE policy going to address? and what is the solution? If the change in policy is meant to help the HS system by filtering out reading an writing problems then I believe he is on to something. Freshmen classes would be more academically sound for the first year. I suspect however that sophomore reading and writing skills would be about the same.

However if the change is being put in place to genuinely help the struggling students I question this practice. With the advent of the smaller HS should not they be better equipped to handle the struggling student rather than the overcrowded middle school. Holding students accountable for failed instructional practices upon hearing strikes an awkward tone in my ears.

Imagine if a doctor punished patients for not getting better with the hope that they would not return for more medical care.

It sounds like the we are almost literally throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Excerpted from the NYTIMES:

"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Thursday unveiled strict new criteria for promotion to high school that could, if current testing patterns hold, put nearly a quarter of New York City’s eighth graders in danger of spending an extra year in middle school.

The new policy, which Mr. Bloomberg announced in his State of the City address, would require next year’s eighth graders to score at a basic level on standardized English and math exams, and to pass their classes in core subject areas in order to be promoted. It is stricter than similar policies that the mayor has put in place in the third, fifth and seventh grades, all in an effort to end the practice of social promotion, in which students are moved ahead despite academic problems."

READ MORE

Professional Development is Coming!

In order to maintain our smallness we must first get to know one another. I hope the atmosphere at QHST can remain positive the way it has for the past 5 years.

I'm genuinely looking forward to PD on the 29th. We need to refocus our attention back onto the things we are doing right. What separates us from other schools? I hope we can rediscover the unique school culture that drew us all to this school. There are so many talented professionals that work at QHST and its time we celebrate our successes rather than vent about the mundane problems all schools face.

I personally have grown further than I would have at the school I used to work at. Never have I been held back or asked to conform to anything I didn't think was just. I applaud the effort my colleagues display everyday. I am consistently impressed by the amazing new ideas students share.

I am still learning. I need to listen better. But within the last four years my career has flourished within the walls of QHST.