Yesterday after exams were finished the school put on the annual Faculty Christmas Party. The name is somewhat misleading because it is actually for all the school staff, not just teachers.
The gathering is an opportunity to talk with people you do not get to see every day throughout the year. A luncheon was served; roasted pork, rice, salad, and desert. I found myself at a table with one of the Physics teachers, a good friend from the Theology Department, two women who work in development, and the two others who I don’t know—though I have seen them around the building. About 15 minutes into lunch the choir performed Christmas carols (this lasted about 30 minutes), names were drawn for prizes related to the school fundraiser, and someone led the gathering in a satirical version of “The 12 days of Christmas.” The chairman of the faculty committee that organized the function spoke for a few minutes thanking everyone for coming, and then we were told the party was over. I still don’t know who the two women at my table are.
All everyone wants to do is mingle and talk to each other, while all the planners do is fill up the gathering with activities that prevent conversation. I’m just not going to attend next year—the meal was not that good anyway.
When I began teaching the Christmas gathering was very informal. We all gathered in a common meeting room and enjoyed Christmas cookies, punch (always spiked with something), and conversation with anyone we wanted to talk with. The party was the only time all year I had a chance to talk with some of the staff. Back then there were 50-60 staff members, and I knew everyone. Now we have close to 200 people who work in the building and I don’t know the names of probably 1/3 of them. If someone is not in my department, has a different lunch period, or is free a period when I teach, I will have virtually no contact with them on any regular basis—unless we work together on some committee.
As a general rule, other gatherings of this nature are handled in a similar manner, making me think that we are an excellent educational institution, but socially retarded.
Take the alumni gathering organized after each homecoming football game for example. The Development office sponsors this event which is attended by anywhere from 100-150 former students each year. As a rule it has been set up in the gym where drinks and food are available. The alumni want to find their classmates or former teachers, some they haven’t seen in years, and talk. This would work out great if the Development Office didn’t hire a DJ to play music at 140db in the gym. The only way you can talk to the person next to you is to scream at the top of your lungs.
Oh well---maybe it’s just me.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
End of Semester Thoughts
It is semester exam time and I am sitting at my desk watching my 2nd period Honors Chemistry Class take their Semester I Exam. The exam covers the first 9 chapters in the text book we use and contains 70 multiple choice questions, about 1/3 of which are problems that require a calculation. The students have 90minutes for the exam. Last period the first student was finished in about 63 minutes, the last quit when the bell rang to end the test period.
To prepare for the exam, students were given a review sheet the Monday after Thanksgiving. The review contained a set of 50 review questions—with answers—and an additional 15 problems. I scheduled several days for review where students worked on the review sheet in class and one period, yesterday, for asking questions. In 4 Honors Chemistry classes I had only one question about a problem on the review. This could mean that the students are so well prepared that they did not need my help at all, or none of them had the review done the day before the test, so no one had a question. I will not know which is true until I check the exams later this week.
Last year the average on the semester exam was approximately 84%, not bad for a comprehensive exam over 9 chapters. While nobody got a perfect score last year, the highest grade was 69/70. Those numbers are pretty typical for the exam, at least in the last 5-6 years that we have used this book.
The text is the 4th edition of the text and the third we have used since 1986 when it was adopted. The last 3 editions are almost identical. In 2000 a few parents complained that the 3rd edition was old and out of date. Our school president asked me to pick a new, more up-to-date textbook because of their complaints, and I choose the 4th edition of the same text. The 4th edition combined two chapters from the third into one—otherwise it is page-for-page identical to the 3rd edition. The 3rd edition was a “state text book” and so is the 4th. The state shelled out more than $44,000 to replace the old edition with an identical new edition. Your tax money hard at work!
The new edition has a more attractive cover and is blue instead of yellow—I guess that justifies the cost. The 5th edition is out and is virtually identical to the last two, with the exception that some new “Teacher Resource Materials” have been developed to use with the text. These new materials can be ordered by schools using earlier editions—something I have done. Within a year or so some parent, probably a physician, will complain that their children are being “cheated” by using an outdated text book and the state will shell out $65,000+ for “new” text books with a different cover and identical insides.
The text book we use covers the same concepts as the one I used in high school, the 1966 edition of “Modern Chemistry.” Except for the addition of photos to replace drawings, 30 year old high school chemistry text books are pretty much the same as today’s, though the problem sets in the older texts are better.
Author’s Note: After grading the first two periods of Honors Chemistry the average is 85.3% and the highest grade is 70/70.
To prepare for the exam, students were given a review sheet the Monday after Thanksgiving. The review contained a set of 50 review questions—with answers—and an additional 15 problems. I scheduled several days for review where students worked on the review sheet in class and one period, yesterday, for asking questions. In 4 Honors Chemistry classes I had only one question about a problem on the review. This could mean that the students are so well prepared that they did not need my help at all, or none of them had the review done the day before the test, so no one had a question. I will not know which is true until I check the exams later this week.
Last year the average on the semester exam was approximately 84%, not bad for a comprehensive exam over 9 chapters. While nobody got a perfect score last year, the highest grade was 69/70. Those numbers are pretty typical for the exam, at least in the last 5-6 years that we have used this book.
The text is the 4th edition of the text and the third we have used since 1986 when it was adopted. The last 3 editions are almost identical. In 2000 a few parents complained that the 3rd edition was old and out of date. Our school president asked me to pick a new, more up-to-date textbook because of their complaints, and I choose the 4th edition of the same text. The 4th edition combined two chapters from the third into one—otherwise it is page-for-page identical to the 3rd edition. The 3rd edition was a “state text book” and so is the 4th. The state shelled out more than $44,000 to replace the old edition with an identical new edition. Your tax money hard at work!
The new edition has a more attractive cover and is blue instead of yellow—I guess that justifies the cost. The 5th edition is out and is virtually identical to the last two, with the exception that some new “Teacher Resource Materials” have been developed to use with the text. These new materials can be ordered by schools using earlier editions—something I have done. Within a year or so some parent, probably a physician, will complain that their children are being “cheated” by using an outdated text book and the state will shell out $65,000+ for “new” text books with a different cover and identical insides.
The text book we use covers the same concepts as the one I used in high school, the 1966 edition of “Modern Chemistry.” Except for the addition of photos to replace drawings, 30 year old high school chemistry text books are pretty much the same as today’s, though the problem sets in the older texts are better.
Author’s Note: After grading the first two periods of Honors Chemistry the average is 85.3% and the highest grade is 70/70.
Friday, December 7, 2007
An Investment
No private school can remain open without being able to attract students. Preferably, students who can pay the required tuition. Families able to afford the $8000+ required each year to attend our school have high expectations concerning the quality of our facilities and programs. To stay open, we need to offer a quality of education that exceeds what a student can receive at the local public school. The 100+ feeder junior high schools that our student population comes from also feed into 20+ public high schools. Some of the public school options are unacceptable to our families, so they choose us. A few of the public schools our students reject in favor of us are truly bad; some to the point that a parent would be neglectful if they sent their child there and could afford not to. Others are among the best in the state. To compete with the best public schools we have built and maintained a modern, up-to-date facility, and offer an outstanding curriculum including extensive access to advanced placement courses. Our fine arts program is probably one of the best in the country, and our standardized test score averages are always in the top 5% nationwide.
Assuming that the average tuition for the last 4 years was $8000 and last year we graduated 320 seniors, parents spent a little more that $10 million total for last years graduates to attend. A local public school spends $14000+ on each student, adding up to a potential cost of almost $18 million had our students attended there. The local public school district that includes 4 high schools proudly announced that their 2100 graduates earned $5 million in scholarships, at a cost of $110 million for 4 years of education. Our last graduating class earned $13+ million in scholarships, about 30% more than the cost of their education. I mentioned before that I had a child who attended the school where I teach. Her 4 years of high school cost between $25-$28 thousand including books and fees. The scholarship she earned for college will add up to more than $50,000 in 4 years. A high quality high school education is an investment.
All this being said, last weekend we had our annual open house for prospective students. The open house is our opportunity to “show off” for the community; let families know what programs we offer for their children. Current students conducted tours of the building for the 429 families who visited us that day. Another 20 or so families toured on their own without a guide. The numbers are up and the administration is happy. We accept about 350 freshmen each year and usually have between 500 and 600 students take the entrance exam. This number has been over 700 and as low as 450 in my memory.
My wife and I had dinner with friends the evening before. The husband is a chemistry teacher, like myself, and once taught with me. His wife is a grade school teacher at one of our local parochial feeder schools. She commented at dinner that she had never been in our building and wondered if I would give her a tour sometime. I suggested that she come to open house and offered to personally show her around. She was amazed at our facilities. She had attended a public high school and always thought that our facilities would be inferior. Her husband left us 16 years ago for a public school job and more money. He reports that he is now ready to return, even if it means a cut in pay.
Assuming that the average tuition for the last 4 years was $8000 and last year we graduated 320 seniors, parents spent a little more that $10 million total for last years graduates to attend. A local public school spends $14000+ on each student, adding up to a potential cost of almost $18 million had our students attended there. The local public school district that includes 4 high schools proudly announced that their 2100 graduates earned $5 million in scholarships, at a cost of $110 million for 4 years of education. Our last graduating class earned $13+ million in scholarships, about 30% more than the cost of their education. I mentioned before that I had a child who attended the school where I teach. Her 4 years of high school cost between $25-$28 thousand including books and fees. The scholarship she earned for college will add up to more than $50,000 in 4 years. A high quality high school education is an investment.
All this being said, last weekend we had our annual open house for prospective students. The open house is our opportunity to “show off” for the community; let families know what programs we offer for their children. Current students conducted tours of the building for the 429 families who visited us that day. Another 20 or so families toured on their own without a guide. The numbers are up and the administration is happy. We accept about 350 freshmen each year and usually have between 500 and 600 students take the entrance exam. This number has been over 700 and as low as 450 in my memory.
My wife and I had dinner with friends the evening before. The husband is a chemistry teacher, like myself, and once taught with me. His wife is a grade school teacher at one of our local parochial feeder schools. She commented at dinner that she had never been in our building and wondered if I would give her a tour sometime. I suggested that she come to open house and offered to personally show her around. She was amazed at our facilities. She had attended a public high school and always thought that our facilities would be inferior. Her husband left us 16 years ago for a public school job and more money. He reports that he is now ready to return, even if it means a cut in pay.
Friday, November 16, 2007
The PLAN Test Dilemma
The other day I had a meeting with one of the assistant principals at our school. This person was concerned because of the results on the recent PLAN test our sophomores had taken. Our goal is that at least 70% of our students answer each question on the exam correctly. I don’t know how it was decided that 70% was the number to shoot for. There were 11 questions on the exam that seemed to be a problem. Of those, 5 had rates of 64-69% correct, only two were below 50%--the lowest being 26%. Seven of the eleven questions were in the “Earth Science/Physics” passages. We do not offer Earth Science, and sophomores have not taken Physics. The assistant principal seemed to think that the problem was the content we were teaching.
The PLAN Science test covers topics in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth/Space Science. By their sophomore year students have taken Biology and a quarter of Chemistry. There is no way to cover all possible topics that could be on the exam in five quarters, but the PLAN test is not a content based test—it is a reading comprehension test. Students do poorly on some of the questions, not because they haven’t covered the content in class, but because they haven’t learned how to acquire information by reading.
My solution to the problem was to help students to acquire this essential skill, rather than to force them to take Earth Science.
My feelings are that some required material in every chapter should be learned by reading only—independent study. Students must be held accountable for this material, and teachers must fight the urge to lecture on it. Classroom tests could routinely contain passages from outside sources that introduced new material related to the main ideas of the unit. Test questions should be asked about this material, requiring students to read and understand it. Students should not be allowed to get their “A” by regurgitating what they are spoon feed.
Some of the best activities that help students acquire these skills were part of the BSCS Biology curriculum of the 1970’s. There were several “dry labs” in the text that challenged the students to read with comprehension and develop an understanding of a concept. The experiment about why oat stem tips bend toward the light is a classic, as well as the peppered moth and natural selection activity, and bacteria that cause pneumonia experiment. Every science student should be required to complete each of these activities sometime during their schooling.
The students will complain. “This is unfair; he/she never taught that ” But please understand, what is really unfair is to cheat students out of the opportunity to master these skills because they are difficult to acquire.
The PLAN Science test covers topics in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth/Space Science. By their sophomore year students have taken Biology and a quarter of Chemistry. There is no way to cover all possible topics that could be on the exam in five quarters, but the PLAN test is not a content based test—it is a reading comprehension test. Students do poorly on some of the questions, not because they haven’t covered the content in class, but because they haven’t learned how to acquire information by reading.
My solution to the problem was to help students to acquire this essential skill, rather than to force them to take Earth Science.
My feelings are that some required material in every chapter should be learned by reading only—independent study. Students must be held accountable for this material, and teachers must fight the urge to lecture on it. Classroom tests could routinely contain passages from outside sources that introduced new material related to the main ideas of the unit. Test questions should be asked about this material, requiring students to read and understand it. Students should not be allowed to get their “A” by regurgitating what they are spoon feed.
Some of the best activities that help students acquire these skills were part of the BSCS Biology curriculum of the 1970’s. There were several “dry labs” in the text that challenged the students to read with comprehension and develop an understanding of a concept. The experiment about why oat stem tips bend toward the light is a classic, as well as the peppered moth and natural selection activity, and bacteria that cause pneumonia experiment. Every science student should be required to complete each of these activities sometime during their schooling.
The students will complain. “This is unfair; he/she never taught that ” But please understand, what is really unfair is to cheat students out of the opportunity to master these skills because they are difficult to acquire.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Two Points to Think About
Anthony was a good friend of mine when I was in college 30 years ago. He came from an all boys Catholic high school in New Jersey. Anthony was very bright, but not so motivated to work and study. At the end of his freshmen year, Anthony was asked by the college to leave for poor grades, but convinced them to give him another chance. He spent the summer taking three classes he had failed over again. After much hard work and a changed attitude, Anthony was able to catch up to his classmates and graduate on time. He now owns a small business back in his home town, has a family, and does quite well for himself.
When he purchased the business, the previous owner promised to train him on the equipment used and help get him started. The previous owner was from a foreign country and, as soon as the papers were signed, left, never to return and provide the promised training. Needless to say this left Anthony in quite a fix; his life savings used to purchase the business, but no way to use it to make a living.
Later he told me that he decided not to let this ruin his dream. “I graduated college.” he said “I can read.” So he picked up the owners manual that was left with the equipment and trained himself.
This little anecdote illustrates my first point-- If you can read you can learn anything.
One of the ways southern plantation owners tried to keep their slaves ignorant was to make it illegal to allow slaves to have books. It is rather sad that if the slaves had the attitude of present day high school students, it would not have been necessary to keep books from them in order to keep them ignorant.
A few years ago, one of my advanced placement students came to see me after school. I had assigned a section of the text book to read; there would be a quiz the next day. This student asked if I would “explain” what was in the section—not because they read it and didn’t understand, but because they didn’t have time to read it. I said no, and told them to read the assignment. The student was quite mad at me and accused me of not “teaching” the material. Apparently I “only” teach when I lecture.
This anecdote illustrates my second point – If I tell you to read it, I have taught it.
Imagine a real life situation where your boss hands you a file and tells you to “Read this and tell me what you think.” Would your response be, “I don’t have time to read it, could you assign someone to tell me what is says?”
The, “I don’t have time to read it”, excuse is a lie, and most students know it. They are incompetent at learning by reading because no one ever requires them to do it.
When we try to make them read the students do poorly on the exam, and we resort to “spoon feeding” to get them through the material. This makes them look like good students; us look like good teachers, and everyone more stupid.
When he purchased the business, the previous owner promised to train him on the equipment used and help get him started. The previous owner was from a foreign country and, as soon as the papers were signed, left, never to return and provide the promised training. Needless to say this left Anthony in quite a fix; his life savings used to purchase the business, but no way to use it to make a living.
Later he told me that he decided not to let this ruin his dream. “I graduated college.” he said “I can read.” So he picked up the owners manual that was left with the equipment and trained himself.
This little anecdote illustrates my first point-- If you can read you can learn anything.
One of the ways southern plantation owners tried to keep their slaves ignorant was to make it illegal to allow slaves to have books. It is rather sad that if the slaves had the attitude of present day high school students, it would not have been necessary to keep books from them in order to keep them ignorant.
A few years ago, one of my advanced placement students came to see me after school. I had assigned a section of the text book to read; there would be a quiz the next day. This student asked if I would “explain” what was in the section—not because they read it and didn’t understand, but because they didn’t have time to read it. I said no, and told them to read the assignment. The student was quite mad at me and accused me of not “teaching” the material. Apparently I “only” teach when I lecture.
This anecdote illustrates my second point – If I tell you to read it, I have taught it.
Imagine a real life situation where your boss hands you a file and tells you to “Read this and tell me what you think.” Would your response be, “I don’t have time to read it, could you assign someone to tell me what is says?”
The, “I don’t have time to read it”, excuse is a lie, and most students know it. They are incompetent at learning by reading because no one ever requires them to do it.
When we try to make them read the students do poorly on the exam, and we resort to “spoon feeding” to get them through the material. This makes them look like good students; us look like good teachers, and everyone more stupid.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
My Day!
If you ever wondered what the day in the life of a teacher is like read on.
This morning my alarm went off at 5:45 am. I woke with a bad sinus headache. After taking two sinus tablets I showered quickly and turned on the coffee maker, then dressed. I took a cup of the coffee with me and left the house at about 6:30. The drive to school is about 30 minutes so I arrived at just about 7:00.
I teach at a Catholic high school and on Tuesdays and Thursdays there is mass in the chapel at 7:05. I attended this morning, along with about 75 others, 20 or so teachers. The school president was present as well as an assistant principal. About a dozen students I teach were among the others. Morning mass is quick and we were finished at about 7:25. When I got back to my room there was a student waiting; Mike was a senior and my student last year. He had one of those university application forms that needed to be filled out by a teacher. It is November 1st today and the form needed to be mailed and postmarked today. Many other teachers would have refused the request, it coming so late and needing immediate attention, but Mike was a good person–if not a great student–and I excused his procrastination and took care of it for him. I then had just enough time to start up my laptop and begin class when the bell rang.
First period begins with a prayer and the Pledge over the PA system. After the attendance was recorded and submitted, I began my lecture on “Types of Chemical Reactions” for the first of my 4 Honors classes. I finished about 2 minutes before the bell rang to end class. In the last two minutes I passed out left-over Halloween candy from last night. This was repeated for the next two periods.
Fourth period began with announcements over the PA followed by a power point on the”Kinetic Molecular Theory” in Advanced Placement Chemistry. Class ended with me answering questions about tomorrow’s exam and the homework assignment that was due. Fifth period is when lunch is scheduled along with home room. My freshmen home room students arrived for their 25 minute holding period–then were released to the lunchroom. I then had 55 minutes off before my next class.
During that time I ate lunch in my room (left over pizza from last night) and stapled the AP exams for tomorrow. After a quick trip to the office to get my mail and a washroom stop I was back in my room and ready to begin 6th period Honors Chemistry, my last class of the day.
When 7th period began I checked in with the office, telling them that I was going to the hardware store nearby to get some materials. I was gone for about 25 minutes, returning with some wood glue and a box of deck screws. When the bell rang to end the day I recruited two boys from the hall to help me turn one of the lab tables over. I used the wood glue and screws to repair one of the legs on the lab table. These tables are over 40 years old and getting maintenance to fix one may take two or three weeks–not because they don’t work hard, but because they have too much to do and are short staffed for a building our size. The repair took about 15 minutes. I had a conference with a department teacher about an up-coming field trip, worked for about an hour in preparation for class tomorrow, then left school at about 3:45.
I have two students I tutor on Thursday afternoons so I got home at about 7:00–12 and a half hours after I left this morning. After dinner I sat down and wrote this. It is now 9:00pm and I am going to bed in about 15 minutes.
This was a very typical day.
This morning my alarm went off at 5:45 am. I woke with a bad sinus headache. After taking two sinus tablets I showered quickly and turned on the coffee maker, then dressed. I took a cup of the coffee with me and left the house at about 6:30. The drive to school is about 30 minutes so I arrived at just about 7:00.
I teach at a Catholic high school and on Tuesdays and Thursdays there is mass in the chapel at 7:05. I attended this morning, along with about 75 others, 20 or so teachers. The school president was present as well as an assistant principal. About a dozen students I teach were among the others. Morning mass is quick and we were finished at about 7:25. When I got back to my room there was a student waiting; Mike was a senior and my student last year. He had one of those university application forms that needed to be filled out by a teacher. It is November 1st today and the form needed to be mailed and postmarked today. Many other teachers would have refused the request, it coming so late and needing immediate attention, but Mike was a good person–if not a great student–and I excused his procrastination and took care of it for him. I then had just enough time to start up my laptop and begin class when the bell rang.
First period begins with a prayer and the Pledge over the PA system. After the attendance was recorded and submitted, I began my lecture on “Types of Chemical Reactions” for the first of my 4 Honors classes. I finished about 2 minutes before the bell rang to end class. In the last two minutes I passed out left-over Halloween candy from last night. This was repeated for the next two periods.
Fourth period began with announcements over the PA followed by a power point on the”Kinetic Molecular Theory” in Advanced Placement Chemistry. Class ended with me answering questions about tomorrow’s exam and the homework assignment that was due. Fifth period is when lunch is scheduled along with home room. My freshmen home room students arrived for their 25 minute holding period–then were released to the lunchroom. I then had 55 minutes off before my next class.
During that time I ate lunch in my room (left over pizza from last night) and stapled the AP exams for tomorrow. After a quick trip to the office to get my mail and a washroom stop I was back in my room and ready to begin 6th period Honors Chemistry, my last class of the day.
When 7th period began I checked in with the office, telling them that I was going to the hardware store nearby to get some materials. I was gone for about 25 minutes, returning with some wood glue and a box of deck screws. When the bell rang to end the day I recruited two boys from the hall to help me turn one of the lab tables over. I used the wood glue and screws to repair one of the legs on the lab table. These tables are over 40 years old and getting maintenance to fix one may take two or three weeks–not because they don’t work hard, but because they have too much to do and are short staffed for a building our size. The repair took about 15 minutes. I had a conference with a department teacher about an up-coming field trip, worked for about an hour in preparation for class tomorrow, then left school at about 3:45.
I have two students I tutor on Thursday afternoons so I got home at about 7:00–12 and a half hours after I left this morning. After dinner I sat down and wrote this. It is now 9:00pm and I am going to bed in about 15 minutes.
This was a very typical day.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The Cornerstones
In my mind, the purpose of schooling is to help students develop the ability to;
1) Understand the cultural heritage that drives our way of life.
2) Make appropriate decisions based on, clear thinking and, an understanding of the natural world.
3) Communicate with others effectively in multiple ways.
4) Live by a set of common moral values.
If any one of these four cornerstones of education is missing, the school has failed to meet its obligation to the students it graduated. In order to accomplish the goals listed above, students must acquire a set of skills which include, but are not limited to; reading, writing, speaking, observing, and calculating.
Understanding The Cultural Heritage That Drives Our Way of Life
I do not believe that students should be taught a particular culture, but rather, they should be exposed to any and all cultures that have a significant impact on their lives. Certainly the European, African, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian cultures have had a significant impact on the way all of us live. But I would not limit exposure to only those. To achieve this goal, students would have to be exposed to music, dance, story telling, food, laws, geography, and the literature common to each. The big idea here is that our present laws and culture have been influenced by many others.
Make Appropriate Decisions Based on, Clear Thinking and, an Understanding of the Natural World.
Should I invest money for my retirement? If so, where should I put it? Should the government fund and control health care or should we be responsible for those ourselves? Is abortion wrong and immoral, or is it a right of women? What environmental damage is acceptable in order to maintain a certain standard of living? What powers should the police have over us? Which treatment should I choose for my cancer or heart condition? What information do people need in order to answer these questions? Only a population versed in History, Science, Mathematics, and Social Science can make such important decisions. Or are we all too happy to let political parties make this type of decision for us?
History gives us a perspective in which to frame each decision. Science and Math help us evaluate information used to persuade (or brain-wash) us into leaning one way or the other. Social science helps us understand our motivation and predict the effect our decisions will have on others.
Communicate With Others Effectively in Multiple Ways.
The educated person should be able to write effectively and read with understanding. I would not limit communication skills to just those. The educated person should speak clearly, listen with an open mind, and understand the powerful messages transmitted through the arts. They should know how to use a computer to research information as well as communicate with others. Language, speech, theater, and art would all be necessary to build these skills.
Live By a Set of Common Moral Values
Except for fostering the idea that one’s health is to be valued, this is the one area where many public schools drop the ball most often. Modern educators are often uncomfortable teaching “morals”, they should not be. Not teaching morals is in fact teaching morals. When we don’t help students develop an understanding of right and wrong, we are in fact teaching that right and wrong are relative—a moral value. I’m not talking here about Religion, I would not favor teaching Religion in public schools, but I would favor teaching what is right and what is wrong. Our framework for making those decisions should be the constitution and laws of this country. Would you not teach that murder and theft are wrong just because there is a “commandment” against them? I am a Roman Catholic, but I would not favor a law making it illegal to eat meat on Friday in lent, or get a divorce. Schools must teach about government and laws, as well as the religious framework upon which these were generated—this does not mean they would teach religion. A clear distinction between what is moral and what is legal must be the driving question that is explored here.
Assuming that students went to high school for four years and there were 7 classes each day, for a total of 28 credits, and I would require students to take 4- 1 credit summer classes for a total upon graduation of 32 credits, I would require the following for graduation. Some particular courses might be ½ or even 1/4 credit.
4 credits in Science (including biology, chemistry, and physics)
4 credits in math (including Algebra (basic and advanced), Geometry, Trigonometry, and Statistics)
4 credits in Social Studies (including both US and world history, government, Geography, Psychology and Sociology)
4 credits in English Language Arts (including Writing, Literature, Drama, and Speech)
4 credits in Life Skills (including physical education, health, nutrition, personal finance, investing, and basic computer skills.
4 credits in Foreign Language and Culture (including foreign languages, world cultures and religions)
4 credits in Moral Development (including religious studies, and our legal and moral responsibilities as citizens.
2 credits in Fine Arts (including art, music, dance, theater, and film)
2 credits in electives
I would consider this schedule a minimum, general educational program. I would allow, even encourage students to pass out of required courses in order to take more electives, personalizing their curriculum. Highly capable students could fulfill some of these requirements in Junior High School and pass out of requirements easily. Others might do independent study to fulfill the requirements.
I would not force curriculum to conform to the 5-day per week schedule. Physical Education would be taken every year. In my school the gym would be more like a health club. Students would “work-out” three days a week all year for ½ credit. On the two off days they could take a 1/4 credit class if it meet for a semester. For example, health, nutrition, personal finance, basic computer skills could be taught 2 days a week for a semester and count for1/4 credit,. Some classes, chemistry for example, might meet three days a week for a double period in order to accommodate extended lab periods, while the other two days might be two ½ credit classes or one full credit class that meet twice a week.
1) Understand the cultural heritage that drives our way of life.
2) Make appropriate decisions based on, clear thinking and, an understanding of the natural world.
3) Communicate with others effectively in multiple ways.
4) Live by a set of common moral values.
If any one of these four cornerstones of education is missing, the school has failed to meet its obligation to the students it graduated. In order to accomplish the goals listed above, students must acquire a set of skills which include, but are not limited to; reading, writing, speaking, observing, and calculating.
Understanding The Cultural Heritage That Drives Our Way of Life
I do not believe that students should be taught a particular culture, but rather, they should be exposed to any and all cultures that have a significant impact on their lives. Certainly the European, African, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian cultures have had a significant impact on the way all of us live. But I would not limit exposure to only those. To achieve this goal, students would have to be exposed to music, dance, story telling, food, laws, geography, and the literature common to each. The big idea here is that our present laws and culture have been influenced by many others.
Make Appropriate Decisions Based on, Clear Thinking and, an Understanding of the Natural World.
Should I invest money for my retirement? If so, where should I put it? Should the government fund and control health care or should we be responsible for those ourselves? Is abortion wrong and immoral, or is it a right of women? What environmental damage is acceptable in order to maintain a certain standard of living? What powers should the police have over us? Which treatment should I choose for my cancer or heart condition? What information do people need in order to answer these questions? Only a population versed in History, Science, Mathematics, and Social Science can make such important decisions. Or are we all too happy to let political parties make this type of decision for us?
History gives us a perspective in which to frame each decision. Science and Math help us evaluate information used to persuade (or brain-wash) us into leaning one way or the other. Social science helps us understand our motivation and predict the effect our decisions will have on others.
Communicate With Others Effectively in Multiple Ways.
The educated person should be able to write effectively and read with understanding. I would not limit communication skills to just those. The educated person should speak clearly, listen with an open mind, and understand the powerful messages transmitted through the arts. They should know how to use a computer to research information as well as communicate with others. Language, speech, theater, and art would all be necessary to build these skills.
Live By a Set of Common Moral Values
Except for fostering the idea that one’s health is to be valued, this is the one area where many public schools drop the ball most often. Modern educators are often uncomfortable teaching “morals”, they should not be. Not teaching morals is in fact teaching morals. When we don’t help students develop an understanding of right and wrong, we are in fact teaching that right and wrong are relative—a moral value. I’m not talking here about Religion, I would not favor teaching Religion in public schools, but I would favor teaching what is right and what is wrong. Our framework for making those decisions should be the constitution and laws of this country. Would you not teach that murder and theft are wrong just because there is a “commandment” against them? I am a Roman Catholic, but I would not favor a law making it illegal to eat meat on Friday in lent, or get a divorce. Schools must teach about government and laws, as well as the religious framework upon which these were generated—this does not mean they would teach religion. A clear distinction between what is moral and what is legal must be the driving question that is explored here.
Assuming that students went to high school for four years and there were 7 classes each day, for a total of 28 credits, and I would require students to take 4- 1 credit summer classes for a total upon graduation of 32 credits, I would require the following for graduation. Some particular courses might be ½ or even 1/4 credit.
4 credits in Science (including biology, chemistry, and physics)
4 credits in math (including Algebra (basic and advanced), Geometry, Trigonometry, and Statistics)
4 credits in Social Studies (including both US and world history, government, Geography, Psychology and Sociology)
4 credits in English Language Arts (including Writing, Literature, Drama, and Speech)
4 credits in Life Skills (including physical education, health, nutrition, personal finance, investing, and basic computer skills.
4 credits in Foreign Language and Culture (including foreign languages, world cultures and religions)
4 credits in Moral Development (including religious studies, and our legal and moral responsibilities as citizens.
2 credits in Fine Arts (including art, music, dance, theater, and film)
2 credits in electives
I would consider this schedule a minimum, general educational program. I would allow, even encourage students to pass out of required courses in order to take more electives, personalizing their curriculum. Highly capable students could fulfill some of these requirements in Junior High School and pass out of requirements easily. Others might do independent study to fulfill the requirements.
I would not force curriculum to conform to the 5-day per week schedule. Physical Education would be taken every year. In my school the gym would be more like a health club. Students would “work-out” three days a week all year for ½ credit. On the two off days they could take a 1/4 credit class if it meet for a semester. For example, health, nutrition, personal finance, basic computer skills could be taught 2 days a week for a semester and count for1/4 credit,. Some classes, chemistry for example, might meet three days a week for a double period in order to accommodate extended lab periods, while the other two days might be two ½ credit classes or one full credit class that meet twice a week.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
The Purpose of an Education
When you go to the golf driving range, you order a bucket of golf balls and practice hitting them. You probably concentrate on the clubs you don’t hit particularly well. If asked the purpose of this activity most people would probably say that it was to improve their golf game, or learn how to better use a particular club.
When you go to the health club you probably work out on the weight machines, or walk/run on the treadmill. You might ride a stationary bike or attend an aerobics class. If asked why you were there, you probably wouldn’t say it was to learn how to use the weight machines. You do not go to the health club to learn to walk or run more efficiently. You go to the health club to condition your body, build up stamina, or possibly lose weight.
Which of these analogies is most similar to school? Why do student go to school?
Some would argue that you attend school to learn to perform particular tasks or acquire a specific skill. Balance a chemical reaction, solve a 2nd degree algebraic equation, identify the parts of speech in a sentence, or outline the branches of government. People of this camp have “state goals and objectives” that schools are required to test on at specified times, to demonstrate that the students have learned the prescribed skills. These are the golf range people.
On the other hand, some people would argue that the purpose of school is to teach you how to learn. These people would argue that it is not so important what specific things you are taught, but, rather, that you practice learning many things. This is to help you develop the ability to learn again under new conditions and circumstances. This camp does not like standardized tests of “state objectives”, but rather evaluate the product of an education after graduation. Their real test is life after school. They are the health club people.
Which one am I you ask? I guess I lean more toward the “health club” people. Except for some basic skills, I don’t think it matters what subjects a student takes as long as schooling teaches him or her to learn in new situations. You can’t learn how to learn until you have acquired these basic skills. The acquisition of these skills is not, of itself, evidence of an education.
I do feel strongly that students should be required to take courses in every subject area, but the content of those courses is not important for most. Those few who will be studying particular fields in university will need special treatment. Someone who aspires to become a physician needs more than a general course in Chemistry and Biology when in high school. A future engineer will need extensive training in Mathematics and Physics before attending university. The idea that everyone should be trained as if they were going to be a scientist or an engineer is wasteful of school resources and generally impossible, even if there would be unlimited funding. Some would label my proposal as elitist, but it is just practical. I would not limit inclusion in special programs to an elite class, but rather to students in any class who show a special interest or aptitude for that subject.
To illustrate how silly the alternate argument is, let me offer this example. Why is it that all students should be trained as scientists? We don’t train all students to be opera singers. Are opera singers and other performers less valuable to society than scientists? Go ahead, I would love to hear your non-elitist argument for that position! Everyone should receive training in both science and music, but everyone does not need to be trained as a scientist and/or opera singer. Every student should be allowed the opportunity to study whatever field interests them, and their success in that field should be dependent on their individual abilities and talents. I might want desperately to be an Olympic sprinter, but no expenditure of money or effort will ever make me one.
A former teacher–more than 40 years ago in fact–had a poster in her classroom. To this day it had, in my opinion, the most eloquent and honest advice for students: “Bloom Where You’re Planted”
When you go to the health club you probably work out on the weight machines, or walk/run on the treadmill. You might ride a stationary bike or attend an aerobics class. If asked why you were there, you probably wouldn’t say it was to learn how to use the weight machines. You do not go to the health club to learn to walk or run more efficiently. You go to the health club to condition your body, build up stamina, or possibly lose weight.
Which of these analogies is most similar to school? Why do student go to school?
Some would argue that you attend school to learn to perform particular tasks or acquire a specific skill. Balance a chemical reaction, solve a 2nd degree algebraic equation, identify the parts of speech in a sentence, or outline the branches of government. People of this camp have “state goals and objectives” that schools are required to test on at specified times, to demonstrate that the students have learned the prescribed skills. These are the golf range people.
On the other hand, some people would argue that the purpose of school is to teach you how to learn. These people would argue that it is not so important what specific things you are taught, but, rather, that you practice learning many things. This is to help you develop the ability to learn again under new conditions and circumstances. This camp does not like standardized tests of “state objectives”, but rather evaluate the product of an education after graduation. Their real test is life after school. They are the health club people.
Which one am I you ask? I guess I lean more toward the “health club” people. Except for some basic skills, I don’t think it matters what subjects a student takes as long as schooling teaches him or her to learn in new situations. You can’t learn how to learn until you have acquired these basic skills. The acquisition of these skills is not, of itself, evidence of an education.
I do feel strongly that students should be required to take courses in every subject area, but the content of those courses is not important for most. Those few who will be studying particular fields in university will need special treatment. Someone who aspires to become a physician needs more than a general course in Chemistry and Biology when in high school. A future engineer will need extensive training in Mathematics and Physics before attending university. The idea that everyone should be trained as if they were going to be a scientist or an engineer is wasteful of school resources and generally impossible, even if there would be unlimited funding. Some would label my proposal as elitist, but it is just practical. I would not limit inclusion in special programs to an elite class, but rather to students in any class who show a special interest or aptitude for that subject.
To illustrate how silly the alternate argument is, let me offer this example. Why is it that all students should be trained as scientists? We don’t train all students to be opera singers. Are opera singers and other performers less valuable to society than scientists? Go ahead, I would love to hear your non-elitist argument for that position! Everyone should receive training in both science and music, but everyone does not need to be trained as a scientist and/or opera singer. Every student should be allowed the opportunity to study whatever field interests them, and their success in that field should be dependent on their individual abilities and talents. I might want desperately to be an Olympic sprinter, but no expenditure of money or effort will ever make me one.
A former teacher–more than 40 years ago in fact–had a poster in her classroom. To this day it had, in my opinion, the most eloquent and honest advice for students: “Bloom Where You’re Planted”
Friday, October 5, 2007
People Don't Respect Teachers
No matter what most people say to your face, if you are a teacher, they have little respect for what you do. Don’t try to tell me otherwise. Most look at you and wonder why you couldn’t get a real job. A colleague, who used to work in the public schools, explained to me one day why the teachers unions want all school board members to be professional people. He said that a teacher’s salary is not that much compared to a doctor or lawyer, but postal workers and clerks think we get paid too much. I have news for him; doctors and lawyers don’t respect us either.
I do outside tutoring, and I often get calls from people who want to hire me to help their sons or daughters improve their grades. Invariably they want to know how much I charge for a tutoring session, and many react with shock when I tell them that I charge $60/hour to come to their home and work with their child. Many say they want to think about it, but never call back. Others can’t contain their utter surprise. I have heard, on several occasions from the opposite side of the phone something like, “You’re just a teacher! How can you charge so much?” I love the “You’re just a teacher” comment; it really tells you who they are. There are many people who value the help enough to pay my asking price, and I generally have a full load of students within the first few weeks of any school year. I try to limit myself to no more than six outside tutoring students at any time, but have had as many as 10 per week. I regularly turn people down when I don’t get the feeling they have the respect for me that I feel I’ve earned—I never have any open appointments for their kids. One especially obnoxious woman rejected my price initially, but called back a few days later and said she would pay, but she wasn’t going to like it—her voice dripping with disrespect. Apparently it’s not easy finding a calculus tutor. I told her that I had an appointment open when she called the first time, but that had been taken since, so I could not help her son.
I was very fortunate when I first began tutoring outside of school; I was introduced to a woman who needed to hire a tutor for her son. She was a member of the school board for a local high school district. My work with her two sons was so successful that she recommended me to several friends who inquired about my work. Through her help and recommendations I was able to build a significant private tutoring practice among the members of a rather wealthy community. I still advertise my services with the guidance departments of local high schools, but most of the students I tutor now have been recommended by some other family or are the brother or sister of a former student.
Tutoring has done more for me than the extra money it provides my family; it has helped me become a better classroom teacher. I have become better able to sense problems my students are having and devise alternate explanations and examples that will help them understand. Working one-on-one with struggling students has given me new insights into the way students learn, and the reasons they don’t. It is, in itself, a methods class with practical applications.
I do outside tutoring, and I often get calls from people who want to hire me to help their sons or daughters improve their grades. Invariably they want to know how much I charge for a tutoring session, and many react with shock when I tell them that I charge $60/hour to come to their home and work with their child. Many say they want to think about it, but never call back. Others can’t contain their utter surprise. I have heard, on several occasions from the opposite side of the phone something like, “You’re just a teacher! How can you charge so much?” I love the “You’re just a teacher” comment; it really tells you who they are. There are many people who value the help enough to pay my asking price, and I generally have a full load of students within the first few weeks of any school year. I try to limit myself to no more than six outside tutoring students at any time, but have had as many as 10 per week. I regularly turn people down when I don’t get the feeling they have the respect for me that I feel I’ve earned—I never have any open appointments for their kids. One especially obnoxious woman rejected my price initially, but called back a few days later and said she would pay, but she wasn’t going to like it—her voice dripping with disrespect. Apparently it’s not easy finding a calculus tutor. I told her that I had an appointment open when she called the first time, but that had been taken since, so I could not help her son.
I was very fortunate when I first began tutoring outside of school; I was introduced to a woman who needed to hire a tutor for her son. She was a member of the school board for a local high school district. My work with her two sons was so successful that she recommended me to several friends who inquired about my work. Through her help and recommendations I was able to build a significant private tutoring practice among the members of a rather wealthy community. I still advertise my services with the guidance departments of local high schools, but most of the students I tutor now have been recommended by some other family or are the brother or sister of a former student.
Tutoring has done more for me than the extra money it provides my family; it has helped me become a better classroom teacher. I have become better able to sense problems my students are having and devise alternate explanations and examples that will help them understand. Working one-on-one with struggling students has given me new insights into the way students learn, and the reasons they don’t. It is, in itself, a methods class with practical applications.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Technology is Fun!
In today’s world of computers and the internet, schools have learned to use new technology to appear to be better than they really are. I like to refer to this phenomenon as “Symbolism over Substance” or “It’s Better to Look Good than to be Good.”
Another local private school built a new computer lab located next to main entrance and the office. As I was told by one of their teachers, the administration planned the computer lab with the idea that it would be the first thing you see when entering the school. A floor to ceiling glass wall makes the addition visible to all. Impressed parents imagine their children learning the most up to date technology, but this is just an illusion.
My own school allows each teacher a generous $950 allowance toward a new computer every three years. I myself am on my third lap top from this program. I have to admit that I would be lost without my computer. When my computer is “down” I am unable to do any of my important teacher duties. I could teach class without one, in fact, all I need to teach chemistry is a chalk board and a periodic table. I have included “power points” in my teaching “bag-o-tricks” because it makes me look good to administrators and parents. In reality, a power point presentation is no more effective than any other kind of teaching strategy.
We do everything by computer. I take and report attendance, record grades, get weekly faculty bulletins, and communicate with other teachers and parents. The students are dependent on a computer to register for classes, order books, and pay for their lunch. I am sure that it is like that at every school–we are not special in that regard.
Another local private school built a new computer lab located next to main entrance and the office. As I was told by one of their teachers, the administration planned the computer lab with the idea that it would be the first thing you see when entering the school. A floor to ceiling glass wall makes the addition visible to all. Impressed parents imagine their children learning the most up to date technology, but this is just an illusion.
My own school allows each teacher a generous $950 allowance toward a new computer every three years. I myself am on my third lap top from this program. I have to admit that I would be lost without my computer. When my computer is “down” I am unable to do any of my important teacher duties. I could teach class without one, in fact, all I need to teach chemistry is a chalk board and a periodic table. I have included “power points” in my teaching “bag-o-tricks” because it makes me look good to administrators and parents. In reality, a power point presentation is no more effective than any other kind of teaching strategy.
We do everything by computer. I take and report attendance, record grades, get weekly faculty bulletins, and communicate with other teachers and parents. The students are dependent on a computer to register for classes, order books, and pay for their lunch. I am sure that it is like that at every school–we are not special in that regard.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Without Parents There Would Be No Students
Just last week we had our annual “Back to School Night” where parents come in the evening and run through a shortened schedule for their child. I have 5 minutes to talk to the parents about that particular class. I usually hand out a one page sheet detailing how to contact me and how to access my web page for each class. This year my hand-out included 10 things a parent could do the help their child improve their grade. Maybe 50% of the parents show up.
Parents can be a remarkable asset to the teacher, helping him or her be more successful at an increasingly difficult job. On the other hand, parents can also be a pain in the ass. As one of my colleagues once said, “At the next school I teach, all the students will be orphans.” I would like to share one example of my experience with a bad parent. This situation occurred about 4 years ago.
Beth was a 16 year old high school sophomore. Her work was usually missing or incomplete, and generally uninspired. As the year went on, she did more and more poorly on exams. She failed 3 of the last four exams, as well as the final. Her grade for the semester was a D+. About a week after school ended, I got an angry email from her mother. The woman said that her daughter had told her that the reason she did so poorly on tests was that the work we covered in class was never the same material tested on exams. This woman demanded that I meet with her and have ready; all her daughters exams from the year, a copy of each study guide, and my lesson plans. I was told she wanted to check each test question with my study guide and lesson plan to verify her daughter’s claim. She also added that when she had the evidence of my incompetence, she would go the school principal and request I be fired. Most teachers I know would have refused and referred the problem to an assistant principal, probably getting in a angry shouting match with the parent for making such a silly request. I, on the other hand, wanted to have some fun with the woman so I agreed. When she arrived, I had 16 exams laid out in piles that included the study guide for the unit and a copy of the appropriate page from my lesson plan book. I said hello to both of them, the girl and her mother, and asked which exam she would like to start with. The woman began to shake her finger at me and threaten to have me fired for being such a bad teacher, but didn’t ask for a particular exam. I suggested the last exam of the quarter, the one Beth had gotten a 54% on, and handed the pile to her saying that the class average was 86%. I then sat back and watched. She opened the exam and began checking, she would ask me to identify the review question, and the lesson plan entry that pertained to each question she pointed to. After 5 or 6 questions, the woman looked to her daughter and said, “Show me what you mean.” The daughter was pail as a ghost, and taking the packed, fingered through it for a while and then said, “I don’t remember ever learning this problem in class.” She said, looking a little shaken. Like a gift from God himself, she chose a problem that was exactly like the one we did in class as an example. I smiled, and took her class notebook from a pile next to me. At the end of each year I collect class notebooks, keeping them for the summer before I throw them out. I opened to the last section of her notes and pointed out that we had done that problem in class and she had even wrote it in her notebook. “Maybe it was a different problem.” She said. I asked her to find one that illustrated what had claimed and handed her the papers, adding that there was no hurry. The mother was turning red as a beet and grew more and more agitated with each minute. The girl thumbed through the papers, them pushed them aside and said “I don’t know.” The mother flew into a rage and began screaming at the girl. As it turned out, the girl had made up the story so as not to be grounded for the poor grade. She never thought her mother would follow through and demand a meeting. Children never consider the consequences of their lies. I asked the girl to leave the room and I scolded the mother for falling for such a ridiculous lie and wasting my time. I added a specific threat that if I found out she had told anyone that I wasn’t teaching the material I would take action, legal if necessary, to expose this vicious lie. I let her know that I viewed Beth’s accusation as defamation and wasn’t going to tolerate it. I purposefully made it as humiliating on the woman as possible, but not in front of her daughter. It was worth the 90 minutes it took me to organize the material. I don’t suffer arrogant fools well and enjoy messing with them.
Here is a tip for all you parents out there. When children do poorly in a class they usually claim that the material wasn’t taught, and its bullshit. Why would I, or any other teacher, spend their time making up lessons over something we weren’t going to test on? Even a bad teacher wouldn’t do that! What’s wrong with you! Maybe a poor job was done in teaching something, but an attempt to teach is always going to be made, or the material would be taken off the exam.
A note to teachers. When a parent accuses you of this, never get angry. Invite them to a meeting and bring out your written record. Collect student notebooks and be ready to show the parent a record of what is covered in class. If Beth didn’t have the problem we needed to see in her notebook someone would have. Show the parent that another student has notes on the topic and you have established that it was taught and it is their child’s fault, not yours. It is very important that any accusation that you don’t teach the material is addressed immediately and directly, but not with anger. If you don’t, after a while, word will get around that you are a poor teacher and your career will be in jeopardy. Unless, of course, the accusation is true, in which case you need to find another career.
Parents can be a remarkable asset to the teacher, helping him or her be more successful at an increasingly difficult job. On the other hand, parents can also be a pain in the ass. As one of my colleagues once said, “At the next school I teach, all the students will be orphans.” I would like to share one example of my experience with a bad parent. This situation occurred about 4 years ago.
Beth was a 16 year old high school sophomore. Her work was usually missing or incomplete, and generally uninspired. As the year went on, she did more and more poorly on exams. She failed 3 of the last four exams, as well as the final. Her grade for the semester was a D+. About a week after school ended, I got an angry email from her mother. The woman said that her daughter had told her that the reason she did so poorly on tests was that the work we covered in class was never the same material tested on exams. This woman demanded that I meet with her and have ready; all her daughters exams from the year, a copy of each study guide, and my lesson plans. I was told she wanted to check each test question with my study guide and lesson plan to verify her daughter’s claim. She also added that when she had the evidence of my incompetence, she would go the school principal and request I be fired. Most teachers I know would have refused and referred the problem to an assistant principal, probably getting in a angry shouting match with the parent for making such a silly request. I, on the other hand, wanted to have some fun with the woman so I agreed. When she arrived, I had 16 exams laid out in piles that included the study guide for the unit and a copy of the appropriate page from my lesson plan book. I said hello to both of them, the girl and her mother, and asked which exam she would like to start with. The woman began to shake her finger at me and threaten to have me fired for being such a bad teacher, but didn’t ask for a particular exam. I suggested the last exam of the quarter, the one Beth had gotten a 54% on, and handed the pile to her saying that the class average was 86%. I then sat back and watched. She opened the exam and began checking, she would ask me to identify the review question, and the lesson plan entry that pertained to each question she pointed to. After 5 or 6 questions, the woman looked to her daughter and said, “Show me what you mean.” The daughter was pail as a ghost, and taking the packed, fingered through it for a while and then said, “I don’t remember ever learning this problem in class.” She said, looking a little shaken. Like a gift from God himself, she chose a problem that was exactly like the one we did in class as an example. I smiled, and took her class notebook from a pile next to me. At the end of each year I collect class notebooks, keeping them for the summer before I throw them out. I opened to the last section of her notes and pointed out that we had done that problem in class and she had even wrote it in her notebook. “Maybe it was a different problem.” She said. I asked her to find one that illustrated what had claimed and handed her the papers, adding that there was no hurry. The mother was turning red as a beet and grew more and more agitated with each minute. The girl thumbed through the papers, them pushed them aside and said “I don’t know.” The mother flew into a rage and began screaming at the girl. As it turned out, the girl had made up the story so as not to be grounded for the poor grade. She never thought her mother would follow through and demand a meeting. Children never consider the consequences of their lies. I asked the girl to leave the room and I scolded the mother for falling for such a ridiculous lie and wasting my time. I added a specific threat that if I found out she had told anyone that I wasn’t teaching the material I would take action, legal if necessary, to expose this vicious lie. I let her know that I viewed Beth’s accusation as defamation and wasn’t going to tolerate it. I purposefully made it as humiliating on the woman as possible, but not in front of her daughter. It was worth the 90 minutes it took me to organize the material. I don’t suffer arrogant fools well and enjoy messing with them.
Here is a tip for all you parents out there. When children do poorly in a class they usually claim that the material wasn’t taught, and its bullshit. Why would I, or any other teacher, spend their time making up lessons over something we weren’t going to test on? Even a bad teacher wouldn’t do that! What’s wrong with you! Maybe a poor job was done in teaching something, but an attempt to teach is always going to be made, or the material would be taken off the exam.
A note to teachers. When a parent accuses you of this, never get angry. Invite them to a meeting and bring out your written record. Collect student notebooks and be ready to show the parent a record of what is covered in class. If Beth didn’t have the problem we needed to see in her notebook someone would have. Show the parent that another student has notes on the topic and you have established that it was taught and it is their child’s fault, not yours. It is very important that any accusation that you don’t teach the material is addressed immediately and directly, but not with anger. If you don’t, after a while, word will get around that you are a poor teacher and your career will be in jeopardy. Unless, of course, the accusation is true, in which case you need to find another career.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
What It Means To Be Educated
Anyone who is interested in education must be aware of what it means to be educated. Rather than write a long article about my feelings on this subject, I will refer the reader to a link on the right side of this page. “The Disadvantages of Being Educated” an essay written in 1937 by Albert Jay Nock. Most of our schools are set up today to train, not educate. The commonly believed purpose of an “education” is to prepare one for a job. The truly educated person is instructed in much more. As suggested rather sarcastically by Nock, an educated person is of no real use to society in terms of the economy. What is implied though is that education is important for the culture to survive. The disappearance of “education” as the driving force behind schooling, and its replacement with “training” has, and will continue to result, in the loss of our culture. To be educated, a person must know more than how to fix a computer, fill a tooth, or remove an appendix. Some understanding of culture, music, art, and philosophy are equally important to the survival of our society.
To illustrate this, let me tell you about an encounter I had with a former student several months ago. Nick was one of the best chemistry students I ever had the opportunity to instruct. He was, at the time of our reunion, an engineering student at a prominent state university. I found out from our discussion that there were so many requirements for his major that engineering students had no room in their schedule for electives. In fact, there were no elective requirements for students in his major. Nick was not being educated, even though the university would have denounced any suggestion of such a thing.
When I attended college, my alma mater was proud to market itself as a liberal arts college. I was required to take courses in philosophy, mathematics, classical and modern literature, as well as courses in the natural sciences. My major was Biology and I had enough credits in both Physics and Chemistry to declare both as minors, but I was required to declare a minor outside of my major subject area. As a result I have enough credit hours to become certified in social studies if I ever wanted. I was educated, and I am proud of it. I was trained to be a teacher during my undergraduate schooling, as well as in graduate school where I received an M.S. in Science Education. Ironically, I feel I learned nothing important about teaching from any education class. I learned how to teach by teaching, and it took 5 years before I really knew what I was doing—some of my students might argue that I still haven’t gotten it right.
Enough ranting for today! I just graded my students’ first lab report of the school year. Needless to say, many of them lack adequate thinking and writing skills, something I will try to improve on all this year. Below are some of the more “interesting” answers I encountered.
Question: A student needs to find the volume occupied by a rock. Describe how this could be done using only the rock, a graduated cylinder, and some water. Answer in complete sentences.
(student answer 1)
The student could carve out the inside of the rock and fill it up with water. Then he could pour the water into the graduated cylinder and find the volume of the rock.
Author’s note: Someday this student will work for the government.
(student answer 2)
Drop the rock into the graduate annafing water displaced minus the volume of water raot with rock from regular volume [typed exactly as it was written.]
Aurhor’s note: WHAT????!!!!!
(student answer 3)
First fill up the graduated cylinder with rock. Next, drop the rock into the cylinder. When that is finished, read the top of the rock for the measurement and subtract the volume from the water up to the bottom of the rock.
Author’s note: I have nothing to say—I am just speechless!
All of these students are in Honors Chemistry.
I have much work ahead of me this year!
To illustrate this, let me tell you about an encounter I had with a former student several months ago. Nick was one of the best chemistry students I ever had the opportunity to instruct. He was, at the time of our reunion, an engineering student at a prominent state university. I found out from our discussion that there were so many requirements for his major that engineering students had no room in their schedule for electives. In fact, there were no elective requirements for students in his major. Nick was not being educated, even though the university would have denounced any suggestion of such a thing.
When I attended college, my alma mater was proud to market itself as a liberal arts college. I was required to take courses in philosophy, mathematics, classical and modern literature, as well as courses in the natural sciences. My major was Biology and I had enough credits in both Physics and Chemistry to declare both as minors, but I was required to declare a minor outside of my major subject area. As a result I have enough credit hours to become certified in social studies if I ever wanted. I was educated, and I am proud of it. I was trained to be a teacher during my undergraduate schooling, as well as in graduate school where I received an M.S. in Science Education. Ironically, I feel I learned nothing important about teaching from any education class. I learned how to teach by teaching, and it took 5 years before I really knew what I was doing—some of my students might argue that I still haven’t gotten it right.
Enough ranting for today! I just graded my students’ first lab report of the school year. Needless to say, many of them lack adequate thinking and writing skills, something I will try to improve on all this year. Below are some of the more “interesting” answers I encountered.
Question: A student needs to find the volume occupied by a rock. Describe how this could be done using only the rock, a graduated cylinder, and some water. Answer in complete sentences.
(student answer 1)
The student could carve out the inside of the rock and fill it up with water. Then he could pour the water into the graduated cylinder and find the volume of the rock.
Author’s note: Someday this student will work for the government.
(student answer 2)
Drop the rock into the graduate annafing water displaced minus the volume of water raot with rock from regular volume [typed exactly as it was written.]
Aurhor’s note: WHAT????!!!!!
(student answer 3)
First fill up the graduated cylinder with rock. Next, drop the rock into the cylinder. When that is finished, read the top of the rock for the measurement and subtract the volume from the water up to the bottom of the rock.
Author’s note: I have nothing to say—I am just speechless!
All of these students are in Honors Chemistry.
I have much work ahead of me this year!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Welcome!
Call me Mario. That isn’t my real name, but some of my students think I look like the computer character that goes by that name. I have been a high school teacher for more than 30 years. At the present time I am assigned to teach Chemistry, but in the past I have taught Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Physical Science, Algebra, Trigonometry, and Calculus. Outside of my teaching duties I am, at present, the Chairman of the Science Department at my high school; and have been Chairman of our Faculty Council, a member of our School Discipline Committee, a member of the school’s Curriculum Committee, and our Student Government Advisor.
Outside of the high school where I teach, I have taught GED Review at our local Junior College, and have, four times, been a member of an outside team evaluating high schools for accreditation through North Central, as well as an advisor/consultant to the Office of Catholic Education in a major American city. I have won an award as an outstanding science teacher by a nationally known research laboratory as well as an international gifted student organization. I have also been a presenter for our state science teachers’ organization on two occasions.
None of this is any reason to think that I am an expert on education or have any solutions to the significant problems facing schools or the “education establishment” in this country. I have former students who think I am the most wonderful teacher they ever had, as well as those who don’t understand how I still have a job—neither of them are right.
The purpose of this blog is not to solve any problems, but to create a forum where they can be discussed. I have many ideas on how we can solve some of the problems facing students; changes we could implement that might improve schools. When I mention one of these ideas to an administrator it is usually followed by an annoyed look and a brief explanation of why “we can’t do that.” Most of our administrators are top notch people who care deeply about students and teachers; working tirelessly to run an efficient and productive school. I attribute their lack of enthusiasm for my ideas to the possibility that they were required to take a class in “administrators’ school” where they were told to reject any idea that wasn’t taught there.
The school where I have taught for all these years is, in my opinion, one of the finest educational institutions anywhere. My own child graduated from the school where I teach and I would have never allowed her to attend if I did not believe it was her best option. In fact, I graduated from this school myself many years ago, and our alumni have been successful and productive members of their communities. Given all of this, we still have problems that need addressing; some of which I will get into here from time to time.
Outside of the high school where I teach, I have taught GED Review at our local Junior College, and have, four times, been a member of an outside team evaluating high schools for accreditation through North Central, as well as an advisor/consultant to the Office of Catholic Education in a major American city. I have won an award as an outstanding science teacher by a nationally known research laboratory as well as an international gifted student organization. I have also been a presenter for our state science teachers’ organization on two occasions.
None of this is any reason to think that I am an expert on education or have any solutions to the significant problems facing schools or the “education establishment” in this country. I have former students who think I am the most wonderful teacher they ever had, as well as those who don’t understand how I still have a job—neither of them are right.
The purpose of this blog is not to solve any problems, but to create a forum where they can be discussed. I have many ideas on how we can solve some of the problems facing students; changes we could implement that might improve schools. When I mention one of these ideas to an administrator it is usually followed by an annoyed look and a brief explanation of why “we can’t do that.” Most of our administrators are top notch people who care deeply about students and teachers; working tirelessly to run an efficient and productive school. I attribute their lack of enthusiasm for my ideas to the possibility that they were required to take a class in “administrators’ school” where they were told to reject any idea that wasn’t taught there.
The school where I have taught for all these years is, in my opinion, one of the finest educational institutions anywhere. My own child graduated from the school where I teach and I would have never allowed her to attend if I did not believe it was her best option. In fact, I graduated from this school myself many years ago, and our alumni have been successful and productive members of their communities. Given all of this, we still have problems that need addressing; some of which I will get into here from time to time.
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