Reflections

So many of the recent changes proposed for our schools relative to the APPR process don't make sense to me. I assume the plan is to send the message, loud and clear, to public schools that we don't trust you. The Governor and some politicians are certain that there are rows of bad teachers in our schools. They're basing that on the ratings teachers earned last year and statewide test scores. Those are the two data points that seem to be fueling the majority of the conclusions. The newest add on that no one will explicitly explain yet is the addition of second evaluator. Without even being given a chance to defend our work, Albany has decided that principals are likely cheating on teacher evaluations and just giving away effective ratings. I can assure you that none of the teachers in my building feel that way. Don't believe me? I invite you to stop in and hear from them yourself.  The idea that principals are not needed in their OWN buildings and can casually go...

I went to bed last night thinking about how I really needed to capture all of my thoughts around these last 2 weeks. These last 10 days of school included hours from 6 days where we needed to administer state tests. I've kept up with what I've seen on twitter about testing over these last 2 weeks and have seen little that matches the experience of our school. Earlier today, one of my teachers bravely posted about her experience in our school. Patti's reflection is a bold one as there are few that are willing to speak against the anti-testing machine. While we may not agree with all of the pieces that are used to make up state testing (we don't!) , the fact of the matter is our school was required to give them. We could have chosen to do this begrudgingly. Or, we could choose this opportunity to show students (and each other) the best way to face adversity. We did the absolute best we could do to set up a positive environment for those taking the tests. Part of my ...

When students ask to talk to me about conflicts with other students, it sometimes involves mean words. Unfortunately, the words aren't the mean words I grew up with. No one is calling each other a jerk or carrot head anymore. The words have grown to a new level. I can't even write some of the words here.  I don't see many students about this kind of conflict but when I do, these are tough conversations to have. I was talking to a reflective teacher on my 7th grade team about words and he challenged my thinking by thoughtfully suggesting that some kids are using mean words (that we would have not used when we were younger) without fully realizing their impact. I think he's right. I also think there is small percentage of students that are using the words to harm and I want to dissect the causes for that.  I know we all make mistakes with our words. At least, I know I have. But these most recent conversations have me thinking about how to do better and how to better ...

I have an awful habit of leaving too many to do items on my list for Sundays. There are certain things I "need" to be done each weekend. This includes housework and schoolwork. Usually, a long weekend or vacation gives me time to get ahead of those tasks. Yet, this vacation I did little of both. I abandoned my responsibilities for most of the week as we took an actual family vacation to Tennessee for our Spring Break. The trip was a good one. As I think about the end of Spring Break nearing, I am excited. Excited? Yes. I am keenly aware of my blessings as an educator. I am able to work in a career that I chose when I was merely 8 years old. It's been a pretty straight line for me in my trek to become an educator. I looked up to educators throughout my school career and was rescued at times by a few of the most amazing ones.  There was the third grade teacher who let me grade papers at recess. There was the sixth grade teacher who shared her love of poetry with me ...

I am a member of #compelledtribe and this week's assignment for posting is about "something new" we have tried this year to better our work as educators.  Getting better is a marathon of sorts. For me, it's the race that never ends. One way I am trying to improve my work as an educator is through blogging. When I first began blogging, I did not anticipate the therapeutic release it would give me. There is something cathartic about putting your opinion out there. There. In print. I also underestimated how it could help me celebrate the school family I am part of and continue to be incredibly proud of. I feel a sense of connection each time one of my teachers tell me, "Hey, I read your blog and...". I think my blog gives them a clearer picture of who I am or what I want to become better at. Putting thoughts to paper and then actually sharing them is scary at first but I've gotten better at believing in what I think and then actually pressing the pub...

For the last nine years, our school has hosted a Career Day program for our middle school students. It's part of our career awareness program. After last year and brainstorming with my amazing school counselor (he's the brains behind the Career Day), we wondered about adding a College Fair piece to it. He took that idea to his colleagues in the guidance department and they made it bigger and better than we could have anticipated. Yesterday, our entire student body sat in on four self-selected career sessions. We had nearly 20 careers represented including state trooper, photography, cosmetology, sound technician, military, and culinary. Many of our presenters graduated from our district and were able to come back and share "their stories" with our kids. Each presenter went out of their way to connect middle school learning to his/her career. There were messages of perseverance and commitment throughout. After the career awareness part of the morning, we colle...