NCLB - Great Idea.... In Theory

I recently finished the book "The Death and Life of the Great American School System" by Diane Ravitch.  Below is my posting on our school website which gives an overall opinion on one topic from the book:

I will start his off by saying that I have only been in education for four years.  However, I think that, in some ways, that is an advantage when it comes to assessing some of the issues Diane Ravitch focuses on in this book.  While I don’t have the many years of experience that many of my colleagues do, I can offer a simplistic viewpoint of a “newbie” who has many years of experience dealing with Corporate America.

I have to say that the combination of reading this book and observing how education works has struck a nerve with me.  As teachers, we are constantly under fire from numerous angles, yet I truly believe that we are all trying our hardest to do what is right for the students.  However, what others fail to realize, is that our hands are tied in many areas.  

The main issues I see is NCLB.  Ms. Ravitch does a great job summarizing what NCLB was meant to do, and, unfortunately what it has done.  A valiant idea has forced teachers to “teach to the test”.  I see so many teachers who have to alter their curriculum in order to prepare students for testing.  Weeks of practice and repetition in order help our students achieve a proficient score on a test that the state makes, and deems as an accurate measure of “learning”?  To me, it seems like we are teaching them how to take a test rather than focusing on learning.

In addition, while I agree that Math and Language Arts should be the key areas for students, I keep seeing examples of other subjects being pushed aside.  What happened to developing a well-rounded student?  How about focusing on those students who excel in Art, Music or Science?

Lastly, the goal of 100% proficiency by the year 2013/2014 is  a perfect example of a great sounding idea from someone painfully unaware of the education system.  While we should all strive for this goal, it is very unfair to punish schools who do not meet these standards, when we all know, they are impossible to reach given the structure of the program.

Like so many of my colleagues have mentioned above, why doesn’t anyone ask the people in the trenches, educators, to help reform what everyone else thinks is broken?

Why I Teach

Coming from the corporate world, teaching is a totally different culture.  In the corporate world, we have someone constantly giving us feedback, be it a boss or co-workers.  We usually know where we stand and how our performance is.  We also see the efforts of our work since most things are tangible or measurable.  But what about teaching?

I knew that when I became a teacher, I would have a lot of freedom in my classroom.  However, I did not realize that I would not get much feedback from administrators, mentors or supervisors.  To me, I wanted more than just 3 observations per year (and now only 1 since I am tenured).  Compound that with the fact that you really don't know how much your students will take with them once they leave your class and you can see how tough it must be to know if you really are making a difference, let alone doing a good job!

It made me wonder, why do teachers teach if they rarely get praised and have no clue if they are really helping students?  At times this gets somewhat frustrating as I want to make a difference with my students and I want to teach them things that they can use in the future.  Most of my classes are project based since I believe that application (as opposed to memorization) is the best form of learning.

I have realized that this is the best way I can see if I am really helping students learn.  By focusing on projects, I have been able to see more tangible results.  I can see students improve their computer technique throughout the year.  I have even had students come back after leaving my classroom to say that they have used something I taught them.

I also try to stay focused on real world applications in my classes.  Luckily, I can bring many years of corporate experience to my lessons.  I constantly give examples and stories of how what they are learning has been and can be used outside of school.  Doing this, brings a more personal atmosphere to my classroom.  It makes my day to hear students say that mine is their favorite class, or to hear them mention that mine is the only class they do work in (!!??).

As educators, sometimes we have tough days and feel defeated.  We start to get frustrated by those 1 or 2 classes that drive us crazy.  We question if what we are doing is making a difference.  Then, out of nowhere, a student will show you something they did in another class using a technique learned in your class.  Or a student struggling with grades in other classes says how much they enjoy yours.  You ask why and they say, "Because you get it, you get students".

I had that exact conversation with a student this year.  That is why I teach.

What to do With Education?

Last night I saw the much heralded documentary Waiting for "Superman".  As an educator, I had heard a lot about this particular movie and was very eager to see what aspects of education it was going to tackle.  I did not know much about it, so I was somewhat surprised to learn about a whole new aspect of education that, I believe, most students take for granted.

The documentary focused mainly on inner city schools and the poor conditions the students face.  It shows some very personal stories about students trying to get into a better school through lottery systems as there are not enough spaces available.  While it was both heartbreaking and encouraging, the most interesting aspect I walked away with is the fact that most kids take education for granted.

In this documentary, good kids, who want to succeed and work their butts off struggle to get into a school that can truly help them.  Instead they are stuck in low performing schools, some called "dropout factories", with no hope for the future.  It made me angry to a point, with some of the students I teach.  We all have them, the ones who complain, say things are too hard, do the bare minimum and want to coast by.  They take for granted the great education they are getting and don't see that there are so many others who would love to be in their position.

It gave me a renewed energy to work more with those kids and push them past "acceptable".  I know I can't stand there and lecture them about what they take for granted, they will just roll their eyes.  However, what I can do is not accept the bare minimum, thinking that it is their choice to get that grade if they want.  In fact, is started today with a student and a project he wanted to hand in.  I told him he was capable of more, gave him suggestions, and told him I would check back in a bit.  He did not complain and with a mere 15 more minutes of work, he improved the project. 

We tend to sped so much time either with the students who need attention or the ones who want to excel.  Often we forget the middle group, who might need our help more than the rest.  These are the students that have the potential, but not the desire.  It is our job as educators to instill that desire in them and help them push past what they think is acceptable.

They Are Just Kids

One thing I have noticed with teaching is that I tend to view my students as older than they really are.  We forget that they are still kids.  In my case, 12-14 year old kids as I teach Middle School.  Each student has their own persona or "reputation", even if they don't know it.  We have the quiet kids, the outgoing kids, the hyper kids, the artists, the writers, etc.  And then we have the trouble makers.  The students whose name on our roster makes us cringe.  The students who keep us on edge all the time. 

I have been very fortunate in my early years of teaching, to be able to reach these students.  I hardly have behavior problems and I even hear these types of kids say, "I love this class".  Sometimes I wonder how I am able to do this.  I think partly it is because I teach in a computer lab, so they are always busy doing something.  However, I also think I must have some intangible  way about me that relates to these students.

One thing that discourages me is to see these students always getting in trouble.  I try my best to talk to them about decision making and consequences, but I still see it happen quite often.  I see them walking through the halls, acting tough.  I see them after school hanging out on the corner with nothing to do.  We see them as problem students, with a tough image. 

However last week, something happened that really surprised me.  I was leaving school, driving down the road.  I see a group of these tough kids on the corner hanging out.  I drive past and don't make eye contact as I think they won't want to tarnish their image acknowledging me.  However, as I passed them, I glanced in my rear-view mirror and, much to my delight and surprise, I see them waving to me.  It truly warmed my heart and served as a subtle reminder that, after all, they are just kids.

Rubrics - Hazardous to Student Learning?

Coming from the corporate world, one thing I never quite understood in education was the rubric.  After all, I never had any of those when I was in school!  Throughout my four years of teaching, I have come to understand why they are a necessary evil, but I believe that they can be a detriment to student potential as well.

My big gripe with rubrics is that I feel many students will look at it and do the minimum, thus skirting some sections because they are only worth "X" amount of points.  While I believe that students should be informed of how they will be assessed, I never give a rubric to a student while they are working on a project.  Instead, I give them a project worksheet, which details each element that is required and what categories they will be graded on.  However, I do not reveal what point totals go with what section.  I feel this keeps students on their toes, thus motivating them to maximize each requirement.

Another thing I make sure to do with my rubrics is allow for flexibility.  My course projects are very visual in nature, thus I always leave a few subjective sections on the rubric.  I let the students know that two sections on each of my rubrics are "Improvement Shown" and "Creativity & Effort".  I give my students plenty of feedback on their projects, so I expect to see growth and improvement as we progress in the course.  To me, that is the essence learning.  I also want them to make sure I will always reward/penalize for effort.  Many times I have had a great looking project, but a student missed one or two requirements.  On the other hand, I will get a very poor looking project, but every requirement is met.  The Creativity & Effort section allows me to recognize a great effort or a lack of.

Another wrinkle I have found is that many times, the student lands in between the scoring category (did not earn all 10, but better than 5).  Again, in this case, I allow for flexibility and have no hesitation scoring in between the scale (it is my rubric after all).  Lastly, I always revisit my rubrics.  If I notice that the grades just don't look right or there are too many high or low grades, I will revise a rubric. 

My goal as an educator is to help students grow and learn from their mistakes.  If we are not careful, rubrics will be used by students as an easy way out.