Fahrenheit -451, The Temperature At Which Schools Close

It's been a long winter for those on the East coast, the plains, and the Midwest in the United States.  My Twitter feed has been constantly filled up with posts about temperature (or the dashboard thermometer 'selfie' proving it's real damn cold where your at) and massive snow fall.  Many schools have been cancelled due to these circumstances.  However, many have not.

This is an impossible position for superintendents.  Cancelling school creates a ripple effect of other issues- most notably day care concerns.  While the occasional unexpected day off may be welcomed by some teachers, the extension of the school year later on is rarely popular.

Still I find it odd that in a country where New York has a limit on the size of soda you can buy, where seat belts & helmets must be worn by law, where most states have enacted smoking bans/limits of some sort, where metal detectors & cops are standard in school buildings, and where school districts are held to strict dietary cafeteria regulations- all in the name of safety and health, that superintendents are left to have to arbitrarily decide at what negative wind chill it's too low for a six year old to walk to and stand at a bus stop (is -25 degrees wind chill too low?  -30?).   How many inches of snow and freezing ice are unwise to send school buses (and staff) out on?

In weather as frigid as it's been this month in many parts of the country, frost bite can set in in under 10 minutes.  Is it more likely that one of our students DOES have a gun or DOESN'T have a pair of gloves?  Do our laws and procedures reflect the answer to that question?

I know, I know- we all walked to school in much colder temperature (uphill, both ways, barefoot...), kids are soft these days, blah blah blah.  Perhaps there's some truth there as well.  But when a five year old loses her fingers because his bus is late or a bus slides off an icy road, I can assure that 'meeting the demands of the Common Core' will be a very distant afterthought.

Some winters are tougher than others.  The number of days in question can probably be counted on one hand over the course of several years.  But on those days, I would urge leaders and policy makers to show the same concern for safety as we do when it comes to so many other areas.

Winter Break Revelations

We returned to school this week after our nondenominational winter pause.  The return of students after break reminds me of when my daughter spends the weekend at grandmas- all rules, guideline, and procedures, no matter how basic, need to be refreshed, re-modeled, and practiced.

Students are also super excited to share what they did over their respective breaks.  One of our third graders piped up right away on Monday.  "My auntie had to go to the hospital!"  The teachers showed concern and asked why (always a dangerous invitation with little ones...), and the child revealed her aunt had a baby over break.

Those who work with elementary students (particularly young ones) know that this exchange now invited 25 other children to raise their hands (or simply blurt out) anything that had to do with hospitals, doctors, babies, aunts, winter break, or anything else for that matter.

Little Xavier struck first.  "Yeah, we had to take to my sister to the hospital too."  The teacher was pretty much obligated to show the same concern and again inquire what had happened.

"Awww, she partied too hard and shook it till she broke it."

Having had all of this little boy's sisters, the teacher wisely elected to inquire no further.

A Story Of Survival

Yesterday, likely in my excitement to escape the office before Mrs. Lopez called me back for the third time, I did the inexplicable.  I left my iPhone on my desk at work.  I was half way home (and live a pretty good haul from my school) and had an obligation that prevented me from turning around.  This was set to be the first time in at least 10 years that I was without my phone.

I should probably share at this point that I consider myself an addict (likely in the clinical sense) to this technology.  It started with my move into administration.  I wanted to use phones that got e-mails to show my superintendents and teachers that I was totally accessible.  It's grown into something I barely can control anymore.  Responding to e-mails in as short a time as possible is something I've created for myself regardless of when they come in, who they're from, or what the issue is.  I estimate it's affected my ability to sleep through the night.  I'm ashamed to admit I once responded to a work e-mail while on a run.  I wouldn't share this if I felt I was the only person facing circumstances like these.  As I look around any room that has other humans in it (especially educators...), I'm pretty sure I'm not.

Well, I'm here to tell you that I survived!  The sun did rise again.  I ate dinner without the ding of e-mails and texts tempting me to check them.  I watched Monday Night Football without the interruptions without wondering what issues might be waiting in my inbox.  I drove to work this morning without the boneheaded temptation to respond to the vibrations in my pocket while driving.  I'm alive, healthy, and I do believe school will open as regularly scheduled.

I love my iPhone and all it's wonderful capabilities, and I don't believe it is particularly practical in this day and age for a school administrator to not have a smart phone.  However, last night was another reminder of a really bad habit that I've created and need to adjust.  Smart phones have off buttons which can be used during family dinners (while driving?).  E-mails should be addressed in a timely manner.  The next day is timely for messages sent well after school closes for the day.  My phone can charge just as well somewhere other than my night stand and I'd still be able to hear it if an emergency occurred in the middle of the night.  Family, friends, and colleagues can adapt to a world where my accessibility is less that 24 hour a day by phone (several numbers), e-mail, text, Facebook, Twitter, or Skype.

The same goes for just about everyone else.  My goal is to begin, today, to start restoring some balance in my life when it comes to web based technology.  I challenge each of you to reflect on your own use and ask yourself if your use is balanced.  I challenge each of you to reflect on whether you would want your students to grow to use technology the way you currently do.

Was The Olive Garden Open On Thanksgiving?

Autumn is a beautiful little second grade girl in my school.  She's the type of kid that you almost need to seek out when you're having a shitty day because she reminds you how awesome it is to work with kids, and even with all the bureaucratic morons making decisions, the testaholics, and Common Core nonsense, it's ultimately a very special privilege to be an educator.

Every time I pass Autumn in the hall, she comes over and gives me a big hug.  She doesn't scream and act obnoxious like many little girls who want to give hugs to teachers, just a beautiful smile and a warm genuine hug.

The Monday following the Thanksgiving break, Autumn approached me for a morning hug just like any other day.  As I hugged her back I said, "Good morning! How was you Thanksgiving Sweetie?"

"GREAT!" she said with a giant smile, "But I had a ton of diarrhea."

Oh.  Um,...

 

Wait? Teachers Don't Suck After All?

There is a story on page 6 of the October 30th issue of Education Week.  To clarify, page six is NOT the front page, and Education Weekly (while a fine publication) is NOT The Washington Post, New York, Times, or the Chicago Tribune.  This story, by Catherine Gewertz, indicates that most U.S. states are outperforming the global average in Math and Science.  Really?!  

Teachers, particularly in public schools, have been beaten up and degraded for years for the alleged repeated failures of their efforts.  The calls for higher standards can be heard from sea to shining sea, particularly from political windsocks (terrific news for those who sell tests, test preps, newly aligned textbooks, workbooks, and software to fearful districts...).  The results are terrible moral issues, teachers leaving the field in droves, and of course tougher standards. 

We are literally and needlessly torturing some children with these new standards.  Yet, now there is a report that 28 states are actually outperforming the mighty Finland in math.  According to the article, U.S. public schools collectively outperformed England, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates among others. 

The data used are predictive statistics applied to the 2011 TIMSS test for 8th graders.  Look, I get it.  Data can be twisted and manipulated to tell you anything you want, but let's also acknowledge that this truth applies both ways.  Nowhere is data more abused than in education when it is published or distributed without any qualifications or understanding accompanying it.      

There are some states that measured poorly, and certainly room for growth for all of our great states (isn't there always?).  Obviously we're going with the stick over the carrot on that one.   

These statistics are particularly impressive when considering that the United States takes all children. Students are not tracked into certain future career paths at early ages.  No one is told they can't come to school based on ability or income.  Patrick B. at my school has been kicked out of class 4 times today already, and 7 times total this week.  If he gets himself straightened out, there's not reason he couldn't become a lawyer, or a doctor, or, um, a teacher.  Not in China he couldn't though.  

It's frustrating that our profession is abused by twisted statistics and repeatedly put down (thank Governor Christie).  Sweeping, poorly thought out, reforms are often the result of the panic set forth by misunderstood data and sensationalized headlines.  The truth most likely lies somewhere in the middle.

Reform doesn't have to be an ugly word.  Schools, teachers, and administrators can all evolve and get better.  But change is a slow process.  Results shouldn't be expected immediately, yet we move to the next reform before we figure the current one out half the time.  These reforms should be guided by experts from the field- not politicians and business leaders.  Reforms should match the needs of the local area and not be totally identical because the needs certainly aren't.

I unfortunately cannot fix the whole media.  But from my little corner of the Interweb, allow me to publicly celebrate educators, and the fact that a new report shows that we don't all totally suck.  Hooray.    

These Questions Need Some Teeth!

Perhaps I'm being too dramatic and reactionary here, but a recent experience has really pissed me off.  While in a training, the presenter passed out what they claimed was a Smarter Balance sample question for writing.  The prompt asked, 3rd graders, to "write two to four paragraphs describing and comparing different tooth traditions.'

What the hell is a 'tooth tradition?!'  These ridiculous tests have the potential to have significant impact on the children to who take them, and the teachers who bust their asses to better them.  Peoples entire careers can be affect by these test results and this is how they assess?!  Tooth traditions?!

Students of affluent backgrounds already generally do fine on these tests.  It's often children of impovershed backgrounds that struggle.  So why are we stacking the deck against them with questions like this?

Several years back we had a boy who was having such severe tooth pain that another teacher and I drove him to a free dental clinic.  He was in 4th grade and had never been to a dentists.  He had teeth that were literally rotting in his head, were infected, and that need to be pulled immediately.  Is that the kind of 'tradition' the test writers are after?

A couple years ago one of the principals in my district delivered a Christmas tree to one of our families.  The children cried and hugged him- refusing to let go.  They'd never had a Christmas tree before.  I find it difficult to believe that families that can't support one of the most common American holiday traditions, have an abundance of background knowledge on traditions of teeth.

I'm obviously aware of the tradition of putting a tooth under your pillow and having the Tooth Fairy leave you some money.  But this simply isn't a traditional for all.  Schools and churches collect canned food, toys, mittens, coats, soap, etc., all holiday season because of the volume of families who need them and can not afford them.  It is fair to conclude that many of our families do not have the means to place money under their young childrens pillows when they lose a tooth (or won't if they work nights, are neglectful, or gone from the child's life altogether).

Sure, a great writer could read a couple passages and depending on what knucklehead is scoring the test, probably 'pass' it (I barely know what means anymore).  However, there is no doubt that having a background in having your mommy sneak in and put money under your pillow each time your lose a tooth gives those students a profound edge in succeeding on this question.  

But it's the teachers and schools who are failing the kids right?

He Knows If You've Been Bad Or Good...

My wife and my 1st grader have recently been banging heads about (among other things...) her completing her writing homework.  The other night, as has become par for the course, my daughter sat at the kitchen counter whining about it being too hard while my wife thundered away at her about how she needed to stop moaning and get her work done.  It was then her three year old sister injected, "You better do your homework or else Santa Claus will see you!"

After pausing for a moment, my wife thought to herself, "Hmm, maybe I can use this."  After nodding in agreement she added, "Yeah, and I have Santa's number.  If you don't get working right now, I'm calling him."  Well our sassy little six year old wasn't biting so my bride grabbed her cell phone, called her dad, and pretended to have a very disappointed conversation with the famous fat man from the North Pole.  After concluding her conversation, my wife threw the kid a look as if to say, "I didn't want to do that, but you made me" only to have the child come back with, "Come on mom, that was grandpa you were talking to."  This was starting to backfire.

Now backed into a corner, my wife needed a strong move to save this routine.  "If you don't believe me, I'll call him back and you can talk to him!"  With that she again whipped out her cell phone and began scrawling through her contacts.  She certainly couldn't call her dad back as grandpa's voice would be obvious.  Desparate, she called my buddy Kurt who I went to high school with and now enjoy frequenting local taverns with.

Kurt (5'9'', 160 lbs) doesn't have a creative bone in his body.  What I wouldn't have given to be a fly on the wall when he answered his phone and listened to my wife say, "Hi Santa Claus, Marie won't do her homework, can you please talk to her?" and handed the phone to my daughter (while praying he'd get it and play along).

After a long pause, and no doubt some supressed laughter, my pub mate hacked through a performance that would get you booed off a community theater performance. "Um, (lowering voice), ho-ho-ho, you better do your homework like your mommy says, or else I may not stop at your house this year!"

Sadly, the kid bought the whole thing and immediately completed her writing work.  The three year old of course went crazy and needed to talk to Santa as well thus necessitating my buddy continuing his performance a little longer.  

Hmm, I wonder if a conversation with Santa might help my tier 3 kids at school....