Ramblings of A Frustrated Teacher

Last day of summer vacation…. I always experience mixed emotions about going back to school at summer’s end. I mourn the end of summer vacation and all my glorious free time, but I usually also look forward to seeing colleagues, meeting new students, and planning new and interesting projects for my classes.

This year, though, I find myself faced with a different set of emotions, or maybe I should say concerns. I’ll still enjoy reconnecting with school friends, and I’m still happily anticipating a new set of students. I even have some fun, worthwhile projects already planned, but sadly, I’m not looking forward to the upcoming school year.

Thanks to the tremendous dedication and diligence of the entire staff, our school remains “recognized” by the state for the second year in a row because we have successfully accomplished the heretofore seemingly impossible: encouraging and teaching the most economically diverse middle school population in the district, perhaps the city, to raise TAKS scores to the “recognized” level. Undoubtedly our students are proud of their accomplishments, and certainly our staff is pleased, yet I dare say I’m not alone in dreading the year ahead.

You see, despite our terrific TAKS scores, our school is broken. A year ago, the staff discovered that, based on the school’s discipline statistics, an unnamed group of people “in the community” judged our campus to be bigoted and racially biased. Because of this perception, our discipline continuum changed considerably. Disruptive children were minimally disciplined in order to keep them in the classroom where, in theory, they could continue to prepare for TAKS. In time, many students from varying economic backgrounds realized that unless they brought drugs or weapons to school, punishment for disrupting instruction and order in our school would be innocuous at best.

As educators, we must strive to teach the entire child. Of course enabling our students to score as highly as possible on standardized tests is a crucial part of our job, but we are also largely responsible, especially at the middle school level, for training young people to become responsible citizens. Part of this task includes teaching appropriate social interactions within a community. When students are allowed to disrupt the school community with nominal consequences, we desperately fail in our charge. Ultimately our students are the ones we harm, not facilitate, with this lasses-faire policy. We inflict a grave disservice upon our children by teaching them that we tolerate undisciplined behavior in our school community.

Understandably during the past year, morale among the staff plummeted as teachers became increasingly frustrated with the lack of disciplinary support they received. When disciplinary concerns were voiced, the responses, in essence, failed to validate the concerns and indeed often belittled them. Frequently staff members heard that since our TAKS scores were recognized, “we must be doing something right.” Unfortunately, an “us against them” relationship developed between administrators and teachers, an attitude that only escalated an already tense and stressful situation.

So, our school is broken, but surely not beyond repair. What must we do to mend our school and restore it to an outstanding educational institution which encompasses the needs of the whole child, which teaches individual responsibility as well as test-taking skills to all children regardless of economic status? Clearly the answer lies in team work, cooperation between teachers and administrators, and open lines of communication. Our teachers undoubtedly enrich their students’ lives with academic subjects and learning tools, but they must also dig deeper into their bags of disciplinary tricks and perhaps utilize more creative forms of classroom management techniques in order to help students develop self-discipline and individual responsibility. When the bag of tricks is depleted, teachers and administrators must work collaboratively with students to remedy discipline shortcomings. Finally, administrators must appreciate all the teacher has attempted before involving the administrator, and realize that now stronger measures are warranted.

Unmistakably, mending our broken school will require great effort, dedication, and cooperation. As a staff we possess an infinite pool of resources to accomplish this mission, but together, and only together, can we succeed.

Thing #23: Summarize Your Thoughts about This Program

Technology is like a box of chocolates - so many tidbits to discover and enjoy.

Like the delicious all-chocolate piece, I was already familiar with some of the tidbits in 23 Things, but I believe I came away from each Thing with a new tasty tool, skill, or insight into technology and how to apply it to my classroom. Here's a few of my observations:

• My "Favorite Things" include the ones covering Google tools, especially Google Reader, image/text generators, and finding, embedding, and using video. Google Reader enables me to stay current in topics that interest me like never before, and the image/text generators and video applications offer many possibilities to add a touch of creativity to documents or assignments that might otherwise be somewhat bland.


• Overall the program encouraged me to delve deeper into the opportunities technology offers and provided me with interesting new tools to use both in teaching and privately.


• I can't believe it, but I LOVE blogging! Admittedly, I was skeptical when first instructed to start a blog, but before long the blog bug bit, and I was hooked. I actually look forward now to creating new posts, reading comments on my posts (sadly very few, but still nice), and following other players' blogs and even professional blogs, especially the political ones. The infinite opportunities for blogging in education excite me, but are also somewhat frustrating because so seemingly few of us are interested in and willing to utilize this tool to reach and collaborate with colleagues, students, and event parents. Unfortunately the wheels of change tend to roll at a snail's pace in our field.


• With my newly discovered fondness for blogging, I eagerly sought friends and colleagues also playing 23 Things, but I found it a little difficult to find blogs to follow by authors I actually know. Following the blogs of educators from other districts was helpful and informative, and it was helpful to see SBISD bloggers identified, but it would be even better if bloggers were identified not only by blog title but also by name. Making this information available might encourage those teachers working together to share ideas specific to their school and learning environment.
  
• Would I play again with L2P? You bet! When does the next game begin? My only hesitation would be playing during the school year for fear that I would spend more time playing than teaching. Summertime, however, is a perfect time to play.


• Describe 23 Things in one word? Enlightening
• More detail? 23 Things broadened my technological horizons while providing a worthwhile and fun summer staff development experience.

Thanks, team captains, for developing and organizing the game and giving me the opportunity to play!

Thing #22: Nings

What a good idea! Nings could be used in a variety of ways in education, and since kids love Facebook and MySpace, they should really buy into using a Ning sponsored by a teacher, coach, club sponsor, etc.

At first I thought that the most successful application of class Nings would be in college, or maybe in upper level high school classes. But then I thought about how many of my own students have requested to "friend" me on Facebook, something that is strictly forbidden in my personal Facebook rules. So I decided to try out using a Ning this coming year. I'm not sure exactly how I'll use it yet, or if my students will even be interested (since so few of them ever visit my school web page), but I've set up a Ning account and will work on the page over the next few days. Who knows, it might never be visited, or I might decide it's folly and delete it before it ever gets started. Guess we'll see....

Thing #21: Podcasts and Videocasts

I enjoyed this Thing, especially learning to use Photo Story. It's like an advanced PowerPoint. It's also very similar to software I've been using to create DVD's of our family vacation photos. I like that you can tell a story without narration too. Sometimes images paired with music creates a more powerful message than the spoken word. My students would enjoy using this on a variety of projects, but I think I'd like to see them create a story that documents the process used in creating a final product. Here's my Videocast. It was fun!

Thing #20: YouTube, TeacherTube and Zamzar

I enjoyed this Thing. It was fun to explore videos that actually pertain to what I teach. I found YouTube easier to use than Teacher Tube. When searching TeacherTube, I kept forgetting to specify "video," so my search took longer. Buffering on TeacherTube also tends to take awhile longer than on YouTube.

Here's what I found on YouTube. I've enjoyed this group for awhile and have shared another of their videos with my students in the past. Once I saw them create a full-size elephant with shadows!



Here's what I found on TeacherTube. A handy, quick tour of a theatre to use when I introduce parts of the theatre and theatre etiquette.




I've actually used Zamzar before to convert a YouTube video to DVD so I could share it with my students on a larger screen. Now if I only had an Active Board (Smart Board?) in my classroom so I could show videos on the really large screen. Alas, I'm but a Lowly Elective Teacher, so I'm at the bottom of the list of Teachers Worthy of Active Boards. I'll put that on my Perfect World Dreams List....

Hey! These are the first videos I've embedded! My how far I've come....

Thing #19: Web 2.0 Awards List

I was pleasantly surprised at how many of the award winning sites I'd heard of and how many I'd actually had experience with.

I chose Etsy.com to play with. I especially like that all the items on Etsy are handmade. So much creativity! It's well organized and easy to maneuver. I enjoyed looking at all the cool handmade items and making a mental list of possible Christmas gifts. Unfortunately, I don't see much use for it in a school setting, but it's lots of fun for personal use!

Thing #18: Online Productivity Tools

Um, I think I missed something. I'm not sure why one would use Open Office instead of MS Office. Maybe it's because I'm so comfortable and familiar with MS Office, but it seems way easier and more flexible to use that Open Office. Maybe I just need more time with Open Office and I'm judging it too quickly, but I don't anticipate using it in place of MS Office.

I did like Google Docs however. I like having a secure place to store my docs so easily, and I really liked the templates - much more convenient and easier to find than MS templates. Most of all I like the flexibility of accessing my docs from any computer. No more emailing docs to myself! This is another great tool for students to use when collaborating on group projects - if all of them have access to computers away from school.

Thing #17: Rollyo

I liked this Thing and see lots of potential for Rollyo. I really like the idea of narrowing searches for both students and for myself. I created a search for Shakespearean plays, and there's a definite advantage to search in a limited number of sites. Next I'm going to combine my American musical theatre sites into a search roll. Very worthwhile Thing.

Thing #16: Wikis

I added a comment to the sandbox. How easy was that? I'd like to start using wikis in the classroom to encourage collaboration among students on projects. For example they could keep track of brainstorming sessions from home so they don't spin their wheels back in class. Of course that would assume all the kids have access to computers at home. A big hole in my idea....

BTW, I was actually discouraged from encouraging students to use Wikipedia and Google by a school librarian I worked with about three years ago. She said Wikipedia information was too undependable, and she preferred her district's approved search sites to Google. I can't imagine not using either now! Another indication of how slow some are to accept new technology tools.

Thing #15: Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the Future of Libraries

I have to admit, I've not given libraries and their functions much thought before doing this Thing. In fact I haven't been in a library in years - except to use the photo-copier and to attend meetings. After watching the thought-provoking video, reading the first two articles, and scanning a couple more, I realize what a monumental challenge librarians, especially school librarians, have. Not only do school librarians need to equip students with the necessary tools to effectively utilize Web 2.0 in a learning environment, but they also need to convince many reluctant teachers to accept Library 2.0 so that the librarian and the teacher can work together in the best interests of the students. At the same time, the school librarian must constantly strive to stay current in Library 2.0 developments so that they can incorporate changes into their library systems. Whew!

After completing this Thing, I'm more tickled than ever that I'm participating in L2P. Already I feel more competent using Web 2.0 tools, and together with my school librarian, I will be able to help my students increase their technological knowledge.

Thing #14: Technorati and How Tags Work

I completed the required searches in Technorati, and in all three several "Thing 14's" popped up. There wasn't a significant difference in the three searches, but the search in tags turned up some really old posts. No surprises on the popular searches either.

I think using Technorati would be a useful search tool - less broad than say a Google search. Using tags definitely helps to narrow the search within specific interests, etc.

I also claimed my blog on Technorati and added a widget. I have "no authority" and still don't seem to be getting any readers. :( But I'm getting better at manipulating my blog and I'm more satisfied with its appearance now. :)