Wednesday, October 31, 2012

A little light at the end of the tunnel. . . .

Yes, that old joke!  The light is the on-coming train. 

When we stop "passing the buck" in education and start really doing the hard work to make things better, then education will improve.  If we are not "passing the buck" then we are throwing money at the problem and we keep asking "why can't Johnny read?"

I see one of the real issues with students is that they are not being held responsible for their own learning.  I know there are some students who have support and good homes that value education.   Although for the most part, that is becoming more and more of a rarity.  The "talk" in the media is continually negative about teachers.  I posted some time ago, that I am so defeated because the media floods the airways and fiber optics with every negative story that can be found on bad teachers.  I tried to find a number for the total people employed as teachers, I checked the US Census. . .one number I found was approximately 7 million.  WOW! 

Yes, there could be some "bad apples" but not all are, for the most part we are concerned and care about our students.  Society needs to stop playing the "blame game."

I think one of the other issues we need to look at (besides student responsibility) is effective use of time and money.  Let's see, where is our money going???  To programs that are purchased and partially implemented?  To technology that is not maintained?  To training that is obsolete when the teachers get it? 

How is our time being used?  I was interrupted in one class 5 times by PA announcements.  It became quite comical, I would begin a sentence, stop, say another word, stop, and finish the sentence when I and the students had forgotten the beginning of it.  It is really imperative that we start managing our schools better.  Going to school is about learning and it should be emphasized as the end goal.  In many schools it is not emphasized. 

What is the atmosphere of your school?  Is it always a "reward day."  It is okay to interrupt the flow of units and education to reward the students for their good behavior?  When do all the parties turn the school into a circus or an amusement park?  Rewards loose their value when given too often and when the rewards are given for little or no effort, or not for academic achievement.  What message are we sending our students?  It's okay that you can't read, your behavior is great!  Is that what we are saying with meaningless rewards?

We need to get serious.  It's time, perhaps too late for some, for everyone (parents, administrators, support staff, community members, and anyone that is complaining about education), that is involved with a school to get in there with kids, roll up your sleeves and do the hard work!   Your child's teacher is already there.


Sunday, October 14, 2012

Solutions?

Okay, so everyone knows that I am a teacher. 

It is a thank-less job. 

I am tired.  I am exhausted, I am stressed, I am physically sick . . .it is only the first nine weeks of school.  I have already gone through 2 doctor's visits and 2 prescriptions for antibiotics.  I have a dehumidifier in my classroom and it is full every day. . .the work environment is adding to my sinus infections, the stress is adding to my sickness. . .

I am a teacher, not a miracle worker.  Everything that is wrong today can not just be fixed by teachers, even though society tells us all the kids problems are the teachers' fault.

Here's a link to an article that elucidates these ideas better than I can. . .

Exhaustion of the American Teacher

As a teacher, if I point out a problem and suggest a viable way to fix the problem, then I am told I am not being professional.  If I object to the way things are being run in our school, then I am told I don't want to reward kids, help kids, etc. 

What I do as a teacher is always based on my students.  I want them all to succeed and when they do I want to reward that success.  What I don't want to do is to teach them that just showing up, socializing with their friends, not doing their work, bullying each other, disrespecting adults and breathing are what they get a reward for doing.

What happened to being proud of doing hard work and taking pride in that work?

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The connection between handwriting, reading and success in school

Once again, I have been reading.  I have witnessed students that have poor handwriting skills that also exhibit poor success in acquisition of new knowledge and of the ability to produce and explain coherently complex thoughts.

That has led me to explore the development and instruction of handwriting.  I have come to the conclusion, through reading multiple studies and research articles that handwriting and learning are definitely  connected.  The connection between handwriting and reading acquisition is definitely evident. Without the acquisition of adequate handwriting skills students will habitually struggle with conveying complex thought on paper and developing an ability to analyze complex thoughts which they read.

I know the argument is (with the development of computer technology) "why teach handwriting, you don't need it."  I object, I believe otherwise.  The physical act of typing on a keyboard is extremely different from handwriting the letters.  The sensory processes that are involved are complex and involves many different areas of the brain to produce handwriting.  The learned processes in the brain that are activated during automatic handwriting leads to the greater ability of the student to produce complex thought.  Without practice and the mastery of handwriting skills the brain struggles with the process of writing, thus using memory that can not be used in more complex higher order thinking.

That being said, the process of cursive writing or writing in long hand, is conducive to more fluid thoughts being expressed in essays and papers.  The automaticity of the act allows for the student to not only express more complex ideas but also to write more physically.  This skill will benefit college students during lecture.  Early education should build the foundation for success in those students who do continue their education through college.

So, is you child learning manuscript and cursive?  Perhaps they should be. . .especially if they are poor readers or are not experiencing success in school because they can not write legibly.