Where is the Village? A Multi-post Perspective

It takes a village to raise a child ~ African proverb

Over my adult life, I have heard this cliche countless times. However, in education, this famous proverb speaks volume because it is the blatant truth. Raising and educating our children -- our future -- required a collaborative effort and commitment. Despite this fact, if the truth is to be told, the village is doing a horrible job in raising our children. Yes there are societal ills and times are changing; yet, these are not valid reasons to give up on our kids and stop work together. Surely, our collective priorities are out of sync and not in order.

The village are the school's "stakeholders", a corporate term that is commonly tossed around within the educational community that has no real meaning to it, in my opinion. Collectively, there is no walk in their talk. Instead, we are playing the blame game with one another, instead of honestly working together. Understanding, compromise, and collaboration are needed to share a vision and to achieve a common goal. The reality is, in today's schools, these are sorely lacking while these stakeholders are faking the funk.

So who are these stakeholders? They are as follows:

1. Students
2. Parents
3. Community
4. Government
5. Local Education Agency
6. School Administrators
7. Teachers

My next several blog entries will critique each of these stakeholders individually; of course, they will be based on my professional perspective as a teacher. You know, a while back, I was talking to one of my colleagues about writing a book about my frustration with a lack of a professional voice in education and in the school house. Initially, I jokingly called this book Punk'D, from the popular TV show. Due to possible copyright infringement issues, I changed my mind and settle for this instead.

I hope you guys read, embrace, and understand what I have to say. Enjoy...

Our Own Worst Enemy...Damn!

As professionals who work with other people's children, the public inherently entrust us teachers to educate their children and protect them of all harm. But when harm is perpetrated by the teachers themselves, those individuals just don't bring trouble upon themselves, but also on the teaching profession overall. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons why the public views us in a negative light and don't take us seriously as professionals. We can't demand respect unless you command it first. So when I read articles like this and this or come across websites like that and that, I just have to shake my damn head. I am like "why"?

Personally, my journey in becoming a highly-qualified teacher was not cakewalk. In fact, it was full of red tape and several setbacks. I endured too much to attained my professional credentials.  Therefore, there is no way in hell I am willing to jeopardize my livelihood and career behind a child. Now, I am no doormat, letting my students run all over me. Whether they like me or not, most of my students have the utmost respect for me as their teacher because I strive to always maintain order in my classroom in a firm, fair, and consistent manner. In addition, I strive to maintain a caring yet professional relationship with my students. I don't care how old or cute my students are; if their names are on my official class rolls, in my eyes, they are JAIL BAIT! No way! No haps!

While they are bad apples in every profession, with teaching or any occupation that involves working directly with children, more must be done to better screen for potential troublemakers. If a person has a record of being abusive toward anyone and/or lacks temperament, then he/she does not need to be working with children....PERIOD. For us teachers to regain any control of our profession, we have to walk the walk and display professionalism all the time. We have a huge responsibility to take care of the students we serve while they are in the school house. Once that responsibility is compromised, it build a public case against the teacher that is hard to overcome. Do better by doing your job right the first time.

A Neutral Stance: Facebook and Teacher Censorship

Last week AJC's Get Schooled blog posted an entry concerning a growing problem among teachers, as well as other working individuals -- Facebook (FB). Currently, the social network giant boasts at least 500 million users. Despite its enormous popularity, in recent months, FB has been in hot water since it sold out for a buck at the expense of users' privacy. As the number of users increase exponentially each year since its inception over six years ago, the more tempting it became for greedy corporate advertisers to use users' personal information -- voluntary and involuntary -- to make a profit. FB betrayed its following by permitting these greedy fools access to users' personal information, even without the users' content. Now, FB has compromised users' privacy for a buck. In addition, not only corporations are using privileged information to make money, but they are using that information against FB users. Many employers are using their FB access to research potential future employees and weed out unfavorable job applicants. Of course, this process is highly subjective, which makes it worse for FB users. However, using some common sense can go along way in protecting you for a bad perception.

With us teachers, our FB problems are two-folded; not only can school districts can access the information on your FB profile prejudge you before hiring you, but also they can use that same information to fire you as well. In recent years, there has been an increasing numbers of teachers who have been terminated for displaying "inappropriate" information on their FB profiles, ranging from what is said in their FB statuses to what is on their posted pictures. So many teachers have become more reluctant to be themselves on this social network. Is this censorship toward teachers justified?

A part of me says no. Every public school teacher I have encountered have been 21 years old or older; hence, they are legal adults and they should embraced their freedoms, as long as they don't do anything illegal or offensive to the masses. Such infractions are small in numbers compared to the what nots. However, if a teacher post a picture of himself/herself having an alcoholic drink on FB, the public will prematurely believe that the teacher is a bondafide drunk? Are you serious? Or if a female teacher likes to dress provocatively outside of the job and has posted several pictures of herself dressing as such, is she consider promiscuous? C'mon man! That's passing judgment prematurely. If the pictures displayed are problematic, then what one says on his/her FB statuses. Some people used FB to "release" their frustrations regarding various things, including what goes on at work. To a certain degree, in my opinion, it is a good thing. It is better to let it out than hold it all in; however, there are other means of releasing your stress than doing so in FB.

Hence, a part of me says yes. Whether we like it or not, we are public servants and 24-7 role models, at least this is the underwritten rule for teachers to the public at large. Consequently, we can be and will be scrutinized for our actions, words, thoughts, and deeds. In the Get Schooled blog I referenced earlier, the teacher in question was terminated for her unfavorable comments about one of her students in her FB status. The student's parents stumbled upon her status and the rest is history. When I was teaching, I vented on FB about my frustrations on many occasions; however, I was carefully not to use proper nouns to imply anyone, anyplace, or anything specific. To me, that's common sense, because I rarely think about privacy issues. One of my friends reminded me a few days ago that "they don't call it the WORLD WIDE WEB for nothing"; he was so on point with his comment. However, I am learning to be mindful of what I put out there for the world to see. Besides, if students can be held accountable for the content in their FB postings, why not teachers?

Those who knows me personally know that I am a bonafide FB-holic. I am highly active on FB daily, especially since I am currently umemployed. I live interacting and reconnecting with others, revealing information and news with my numerous linked postings, debating issues, and sharing ideas and viewpoints on various topics.While I do have a life outside of FB, the social network site can be just freaking addictive. Perhaps this is the reason why so many people are still using FB, regardless of their positions on its privacy issues or lack thereof. Nevertheless, the reality is folks need to remember this: what is published on the Internet becomes accessible to the unknown masses and it become fair game for public perception. So, regarding FB, do you, yet be careful.

LA Times...WTH?

Graphic retrieved by http://www.facebook.com/BoycottLATimes?ref=ts

Speaking of test-based teacher evaluation, over two weeks ago, the Los Angeles (LA) Times, the 2nd largest newspaper in the country, went on a blazing assault on teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District. What they did was indefensible and cruel. In its effort to better inform the public on teacher effectiveness in this school district, the LA Times commissioned its own value-added modeling analysis of student academic growth based solely on standardized test scores, using only one researcher by the way, and published a database of effective and ineffective teachers based on the findings of this analysis. This was so wrong on so many levels. Public education advocate Barnett Berry and countless others have expressed their disfavor of the senseless action done by the LA Times. Based on what I know so far, this is my assessment:

• The LA Times did this without the consent and support of the teachers. Can they do it? Sure; we teachers are public employees. Should they have done it? No; you leave that to the EXPERTS. Just because the LONE researcher who conducted the analysis is from RAND Corporation doesn't mean anything.
• There are countless research studies done by respectable education researchers who discouraged the use of test-based teacher evaluation (e.g., see my blog entry on Relying Heavily of Student Test Scores to Access Teacher Effectiveness...Negative!)
• The analysis was not thoroughly done since several factors, as stated in Berry and Rick Hess's blogs, were ignored; these factors can greatly influenced student performances on these standardized tests.
• All the newspaper did was further politicized the issue of teacher evaluation by perpetuating the notion that student test scores alone determine teacher effectiveness, which is so far from the truth.

The newspaper's publicized motivation is to merely inform the public; "the public has the right to know". No one disagrees with that. However, in his blog entry, Rick Hess has eloquently implied that the newspaper forgot its public role:

Third, there's a profound failure to recognize the difference between responsible management and public transparency. Transparency for public agencies entails knowing how their money is spent, how they're faring, and expecting organizational leaders to report on organizational performance. It typically doesn't entail reporting on how many traffic citations individual LAPD officers issued or what kind of performance review a National Guardsman was given by his commanding officer. Why? Because we recognize that these data are inevitably imperfect, limited measures and that using them sensibly requires judgment. Sensible judgment becomes much more difficult when decisions are made in the glare of the public eye.

LA Times -- Know your role. Inform the masses with factual and logical information. Stop spreading senseless propaganda.  Shame on you!

FYI...If you have a Facebook account, there is a fan page called Boycott LA Times, which has additional links to several articles and op-eds on this newspaper's blunder.

Relying Heavily on Student Test Scores to Access Teacher Effectiveness...Negative!

This morning, AJC's Get Schooled blog reported on an extensive research study conducted by a group of well-known educational researchers who dismissed the use and over-reliance of students' test scores to measure teacher effectiveness in teacher evaluation. The study made some valid points in discussing the adverse implications these approaches would have on teachers and school progress, which I wholeheartedly agree with. In addition, I also agree with the Get Schooled blogger with her initial assessment; the study called for an additional investment in time, resources, and staffing in utilizing its recommended "comprehensive evaluation model" that most school districts don't have. Nevertheless, something must be done to improve teacher quality and effectively evaluate teachers. A quick fix won't do; our children deserve better.

I understand evidence of student learning is needed to evaluate teacher effectiveness; but referring only on standardized test scores to do so is silly at best. Students learned in various ways; hence, teacher must deliver instruction in a way to addresses those different learning styles. Standardized testing only addressed one or two of these learning styles. In addition, the study alluded to something that I have been saying for years:

Social scientists have long recognized that student test scores are heavily influenced by socioeconomic factors such as parents’ education and home literacy environment, family resources, student health, family mobility, and the influence of neighborhood peers, and of classmates who may be relatively more advantaged or disadvantaged...Because education is both a cumulative and a complex process, it is impossible fully to distinguish the influences of students’ other teachers as well as school conditions on their apparent learning, let alone their out-of-school learning experiences at home, with peers, at museums and libraries, in summer programs, on-line, and in the community...No single teacher accounts for all of a student’s achievement. Prior teachers have lasting effects, for good or ill, on students’ later learning, and several current teachers can also interact to produce students’ knowledge and skills.

Also, last year, this is what I stated in my Master's thesis concerning the effects of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on the teaching profession:

Under NCLB, schools are blamed for student failures, while the public judges them harshly and, ultimately, the students pay a heavy price. Ironically, there is no extensive public accountability outcry for parental supervision and care-giving, student responsibility, community support, or government obligations; in addition, poverty, breakdown of the family nucleus, and other societal ills are not factored into the public school accountability equation, although these factors can greatly influence student achievement. Schools should be accountable for what they can control, and that is student learning. Student learning is a life-long and complex journey that involves numerous educators and experiences that should not be confined to mere test scores.

See the connection...from a teacher's perspective? HA!

Apparently, when these educational researchers who conducted this study received their doctoral degrees and other accolades, they didn't forget where they come from. Many of them were former teachers themselves. Plus, it is evident they understand how test-based teacher evaluations will affect teacher performance and teacher morale within the school. It will foster division and competition among teachers. Why do that when the ultimate goal for teacher is the same, i.e., student achievement? One of the effective ways to improve teacher performance is collaborating with other teachers, particularly those teachers who teach the same content. This sounds too much like common sense.

But hey, what do I know?

FYI...Wordle

Last semester in one of my graduate courses, one of my classmates shared with me this interactive site in which you can creatively combined a list of words into a cute work of art called a Wordle. I decided to use the latest content of this blog to create my first wordle. In my (and any) wordle, the words that were used most often are larger than those that weren't. You can edit it in various ways. While the HTML codes cannot be shared (see FAQs), the website refers users to an external link for instructions to save your wordle as a graphic.

Teachers, this is a great tool to use to review vocabulary and such, instead of creating that boring, dreaded word wall. From time to time, I will post new wordles as I expand the content of my blog. Enjoy...

RTTT...Questioning its intentions

Now you know...and knowing is half the battle. ~ G. I. Joe

Besides the blogs on Educations Week's websites, one of my favorite educational blogs that I viewed frequently is Get Schooled blog. Despite Atlanta-Journal Constitution's sometimes biased agendas toward the right, Get Schooled's blogger, Maureen Downey, in my opinion, is fairly balanced; well, meaning it is I who is biased toward her training of thought and insights most of the time. So, don't be too surprised if I post and discussed many of her blog entries on here.

On that note, the inaugural Get Schooled posting deals with the recent firing of New Jersey's state school chief for his unprofessional blunder that cost the state a very good shot in becoming one of the recent Race To The Top (RTTT) grant winners, announced late last week; I mean, New Jersey lost in the running by a mere THREE POINTS.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about all of this situation. While the New Jersey governor was justified in firing the state school chief for his "clerical error", this just shows how politically intrusive this federal education initiative is. Essentially, RTTT grant competition links lucrative federal funding to education reform practices appeasing to the Obama administration that states vowed to implement if awarded this grant.  The problem is, some of these appeasing tactics are driven more by politics than serving the best interest of all children. Yes, the education system in American as a whole is broken and need to be fixed. However, it should be fixed from the bottom up, not the top down.

Locally, all school stakeholders should come together and make a concerted effort to transform our schools and  to improve student achievement. As constitutionally overseers of education, each state should support its own school districts and their local efforts. Federal intervention should be limited at best. With No Child Left Behind and now RTTT, those times are becoming more extinct by the moment. While both federal initiatives had good intentions to help improve public education in America, the manner in which they do it are inconsistent to their overarching purposes...to provide each American school child with a solid public education that will prepare that child for the future ahead.

Five Years Later...

On August 29, 2005, the lives of residents in the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region were forever changed when Hurricane Katrina made landfall and almost destroyed these areas. The international community watched as one of America's jewels was mostly underwater and the pathetic federal government response unfolded. Also, an ugly side of America was exposed for all to see...and even today, political rhetoric and disregard for the "little people" hinder significant progress. Nevertheless, progress has been made throughout New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. As the region commemorates and reflects on its Katrina recovery during its fifth anniversary today, while there is much to celebrate and be thankful for, there is still work to be done.

One area that has been improved greatly is the public education system in New Orleans. Prior to Katrina, New Orleans' school system was one of the most ridiculed and corrupted public school systems in the country. After Katrina, this same school system became a huge experimental breeding ground for education reform tactics. Five years later, the Recovery School District of New Orleans has received national accolades and praises for its student achievement gains and development of successful charter schools. While there are still challenges that must be addressed, the successful progress in this short period of time is short of remarkable. Education Week (and others) recounts the resurgence and current obstacles of New Orleans' school system. Even with the current drama with another major disaster, the BP oil spill, and the shocking failure of Louisiana becoming one of the Race To The Top grant funding finalists, the show goes on. Well, at least New Orleans' school system will be receiving some long overdue money from FEMA for Katrina-related damages to school buildings in that district.

Hurricane Katrina was the worst natural disaster that hit American soil. The BP oil spill is the worst man-made disaster in American history. Both events affected the Gulf Coast region. Nevertheless, while this region has an overall poor showing in education ranking nationwide, you couldn't tell by the resilience and strength of the people there. May God continue to bless you all.

*This blog entry is dedicated to the over 1,800 people who perished during Hurricane Katrina, as well as the several thousands of people who are still displaced and struggling since the storm. As a Katrina survivor myself, I will always remembered the dead and the suffering, reflect on my own personal journey, and count my blessings as I continue on this journey called life.*

Teacher Evaluation Domains

*my first posted article...awww*

This morning, via my Twitter account, I came across this blog article entitled Top Teachers. Basically, it discussed the excitement of new teachers coming into this new school year and how critical evaluating teachers will be this year. However, what caught my attention the most was the use of  the four domains of teaching, in accordance to Danielson's Framework of Teaching, in teacher evaluation. The domains are as follows:

1. Planning and preparation
2. Classroom environment
3. Instruction
4. Professional responsibilities

Ladies and gentlemen, guess what?

THESE ARE ESSENTIALLY THE FOUR AREAS TEACHERS HAVE CONTROL OVER!

So to the public at large: please hold us accountable for and evaluate us teachers on these four criteria alone. In advance, thanks.

For more information on Danielson's Framework for Teaching, please visit their website at http://www.danielsongroup.org/theframeteach.htm

Ground rules

As I am pursuing a career change and looking for work, this blog will become my part-time hobby. While my intentions are not centered in making money, perhaps this endeavor of mine can help my personal finances. So, please spread the word about my blog if you like what you see and see potential in my voice. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated.

While this blog will be opened to everyone, in an effort to keep it partially professional and partially informal, I feel compel to state some simple ground rules. Hopefully, my followers are 21+ in age; I am not trying to be your mother. Nevertheless, the rules of engagement will be strictly enforced.

So here they are:

• This blog is geared toward K-12 teachers and our supporters to discuss and debate current issues on education reform and the teaching profession. Any other unrelated topic of discussion is strictly prohibited
• We can agree to disagree. As long as it is constructive criticism and respectfully done, bring it. However, any personal or offensive attacks toward me and others are strictly prohibited.
• Spam and such are strictly prohibited.
• If you know me personally, I asked that you do not post my actual name; please respect my wishes.

Any comment poster who violates any of these rules will have his/her comment(s) deleted and/or will lose posting privileges on my blog. My decisions will be done case-by-case. I respect the First Amendment and encourage you all to use it; just respect my parameters and we will have no problems.