Publishing Reading Levels to Parents

Our school has an unwritten policy not to give parents reading levels after the initial parent/teacher conference in the fall.  Parents in the past have used this to compete with one another about their kids reading levels.  The school decided to keep the levels quiet and not post the actual level on the report card. On the report card we just put if they are Exceeding, Satisfactory (at their right level) or Progressing.  I just had a parent e-mail me this week wanting to know what level their child was on so that they could check books out at the library.  The information of their child's reading level was irrelevant because the library does not level books like we do for testing.  I keep going back and forth with posting actual levels. For my own children, the teachers give me their reading assessments.   They don't use the same testing kit that we do, so it is very confusing for me.  At the end, I just need to know if they are at least where they should be or advanced.  Being behind would be a concern but one that the teacher's would have had to tell me about.  I'm not sure if posting reading levels is a good thing or not.

Classroom management apps

I recently came across a classroom management app called ClassDojo.  I downloaded it and plan on using it next fall for my kindergarten classroom.  Without a class to practice on I did not have a clue on how to use this app for my room.  Luckily, I came across an article titled, Classroom behavior? There's an app for that. by Lisa Mims.  The article goes on to give great ideas on how to set up a class, assign points and rewards.  I really liked the article because it leans towards using points for positive, not taking points away for negative behaviors.  I really can't wait to use it this fall...after a nice long summer break of course:)


http://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-behavior-classdojo-app-lisa-mims

School lunches

School lunches are something that really gets teachers worked up.  I'm not sure about other schools, but it seems to me that every time we have French toast or pancake breakfast with syrup at our school it is a snowy or rainy indoor recess day.  When we pick up the kids from the lunchroom they are off the hook.  Getting them settled down is nearly impossible.  Thank goodness I had afternoon specials so that those teachers had to deal with my kids on those syrup days:)  Kidding aside the state of our public school lunches is a disgrace.  Our lunches are gross, high in fat and carbs and the kids barley eat it.  Along with the syrup lunches, the strawberry milk and fake orange juice rubs me the wrong way.  What's wrong with bottles of water?  I read an article titled, Cooking up change-students transforming the future of food in our schools by Kelly Donohue 6/11/13.  Here is an excerpt from the article

On Monday, June 10th, the U.S. Department of Education hosted student chefs from high school culinary programs as part of Cooking up Change, presented by the Healthy Schools Campaign. This healthy cooking contest puts student front and center by challenging them to create a great-tasting lunch that meets nutrition standards on a tight budget. After winning first place in their local Cooking up Change competition, eight teams of student chefs traveled to Washington to lend their voices, and their culinary creativity, to the national conversation about the future of food in our schools.

How awesome would it be for high school students create nutritious meals that kids would love to eat. 

When is is time to turn off electronic devices

I went to my daughter's 8th grade ceremony last week.  It was a very nice event with lots of family and friends. It was a packed house.  I happened to glance to my left to see a sibling of one of the 8th graders with headphones on his head playing a game on a mini ipad.  Not once did he look up from the game to the events going onto the main floor.  The parents completely ignored the child...no effort made to correct his behavior.  After the event was over, we all moved as a heard out of the hot gym to the outside to meet the 8th graders.  I managed to land behind this young man still with his headphones plugged in playing the same game as he was walking out of the building.  I had to physically bite my tongue to stop myself from yanking those headphones off his head and asking him to pay attention to where he was walking.  Again, parents right there not correcting his behavior.  I was hot and irritated.  What is wrong with these kids and their parents? 

Tenure and teaching...huge topic in my beautiful state of Michigan.  Our latest legal change allows school districts to move teachers as they wish.  Seniority or tenure no longer protects a teacher's position.  Our district has used this new power to move teachers who don't want to move to positions that they are certified to teach, even though they may not have taught in that position or may not want to.  Teachers have made so many concessions and the one thing we had was security with tenure and seniority and now that is gone along with our pay and other things. It's becoming hard to make a living with the reduction of pay.  What is left to make teaching appealing to our youth when they know they will not have any benefits, security or money to survive?  I caution young people who want to be teachers to think long and hard before making it a profession. 

As this year has wound down for me, I am happy to report that I will be in a kindergarten classroom for another year which I am very excited about.  Besides the age level that I am teaching for the 3rd year in a row, I love my teaching partners.  Our school is K-2 but we have a wonderful atmosphere.  Our principal works hard for our school and our teachers and all of us teachers get along.  I read a great article on Edutopia called Alike-Minded Community:key for Sustaining Our Work as Educators  by: Elena Aguilar.  The article goes on to talk about how important it is to have a strong teaching community to lean onto during good times and bad.  We know all the tough battles and the sheer joys that we as teachers have everyday.  Unless your spouse/family members are teachers, even though they try they just don't get it. Having someone to talk to during lunch, meetings and prep times that understand what you are going through really helps to make it to June.  I am truly fortunate to have a great school support system.

 

I read a great article titled:  Ask Arne: Elevating the Teaching Profession by Dan Brown.  The article goes on to talk about how teachers are perceived by many outside of the profession. Some think we are awesome and some think we are lazy deadbeats.  As a teacher, I struggle every day with trying to get respect from parents.  The families love you until you tell them that there could be a behavior or learning issue with their child.  During an IEP I had a parent tell me that his mother (the child's grandmother) would like to come and observe me.  They did not feel what I was saying about their child was true.  I flat out told him that no, she would not observe me.  She could however volunteer to help in the classroom and I had those days and times published on my newsletter.  Seriously, I wouldn't go to any of my parents and say that I am going to watch you work, then tell you what you are doing wrong.  Seriously?  What gives the parents the right to want to observe me? 

 

Putting teachers on Edge

So, I made it to the end of another very successful school year.  Unfortunately not without some drama.  This morning we were told that our school was laying off para-pros and we were gaining 2 young 5's programs.  Well not only did we lay off the para pros, but a long time teacher was being displaced to the middle school to save a younger teacher's job.  She was completely caught off guard.  Then I was told at 4:30 that I was moving rooms, not sure to which one, so I would have to put everything in the gym all summer.  Now I was on edge worrying about layoffs, but now I am freaking out because I have to move rooms, but don't know where. I did not have anything packed and had on tomorrow being my last day.  Now I have to finish my CA-60's and then pack my room into boxes and move it into the gym until August.  I'll get a nicer room, but I am really stressing out.  I just keep thinking how grateful I am to have a good job that I love.  The rest will fall into place. 

The Perfect Classroom

I just read a great article titled,  Progress, not perfection: 3 tips to Your Journey, by Lisa Dabbs.  During the first year of the author's teaching year she strived to build the perfect classroom.  She even color coded her crayons, turned down social invites and spend evenings working on the perfect classroom and evenings working on the perfect lesson plans. Only to find that the kids really don't care about color coded crayons.   That lasted one whole year for the author:)  I can attest that I strived to keep my head afloat moving from 3 buildings in 3 different grades in 3 years. I learned after that first year of working non-stop and trying to unsuccessfully balance work and family that it was impossible to be perfect at anything.  As this year winds down, I am learning that comfort for the students and their families is the key.  I have received many thank you gifts, cards and e-mails all relating back to how comfortable and relaxed they and their child was while in my care.  For the past 2 years, my tables and chairs were a mishmash of leftovers from other classrooms, my carpet badly stained and the walls a dull beige paint.  But I lovingly filled the room with things to make the kids feel comfortable and at home.  I welcomed the parents with open arms into the classroom from the very first day.  Perfection is not the key, but making kids and their parents feel comfortable is the key.