Bubble Students

Recently I was instructed to "not pour [my] time and resources into these (low achieving) kids. They're not going to move. Focus on the movable kids, the ones in the bubble."

Dear World,
Every student with whom I come in contact and who I have the privilege of teaching is in my "bubble." Every student will move forward if I push hard enough! Period! So shame on you school district personnel, principals, teachers, and others who want to just focus on the "bubble" kids! Every child deserves a chance to learn and deserves a high quality educational experience!

I am not a charter school teacher, nor do I embrace the overall charter school philosophy that I will pick and choose with whom I'll work! Students are expelled all the time from charter schools for infractions that real public schools must face and deal with (a challenge I actually welcome).

Personally, I hate it when my students get suspended, in-house or out-of-school. My philosophy? I can't teach you if you're not here! The rapport that I intentionally establish with each and every child is absolutely fundamental to academic success!

So, sorry to bust your "bubble" school district big wigs, curriculum developers, and whoever else doesn't actually teach, but if you are looking for a "yes" man and a "fluffy" type dude-teacher, I "ain't" the one!

Focus on the "bubble" kids only? You got me "chopp'd" psh!

Sincerely,
Flem

5th Annual Read-In

Five years ago, I started a tradition with my 6th graders. I called it a "Read In". The last day before Christmas break, this annual reading event is held.

When I first rolled out the idea, a kid replied that year, "That's decent!" Ever since then, I knew I was on to something.  The premise is that we spend extended times reading whatever we like to read, while nibbling on cookies and sipping hot chocolate supplied by me.

This year, I continued the tradition. Other teachers have come to look forward to this ELA tradition in room 105. This year we were privileged to have our Councilwoman, Mrs. Cindy Bass come and read to one of the classes! This year I also had a caterer, make homemade cookies. She baked over 300 cookies; over 300 big and soft M&M, chocolate, and oatmeal cookies!

Today was such a huge success! Those Common Core folks would probably have my head for being such a nontraditional teacher. But I have a few words for them if they dare to set foot in my classroom and tell me it's all about the nonfiction and that reading is not a personal act! Psshhh!!!

By the way, the kid that replied "That's decent!" was a young lady with an IEP for reading. She scored achieved "proficient" that year in reading on the state assessments! I'm just saying....

The 8-Week Plan

So I have a question. What kind of an "educator" from out of town walks through a school for the first time and deems it necessary for the said school to develop an 8-week plan/instructional focus on graphic organizers?

What???!!!???

Who does that? It's laughable!
Go somewhere and teach something!

I Had A Dream

Last night I had a dream. In this dream a few colleagues and I led an Occupy Schools movement for a day in a single school. We took over the school in this dream and taught. We knew we would be arrested for teaching, so we explained it to our children. As the dream continued, we were arrested. The charge was "teaching".

There was more to the dream, but I reckon I remembered the most important parts!

The conversation

A few days ago I was on public transportation here in Philly, overhearing a conversation two young children were having. The conversation went from the regular happenings in school, to who was running for president. The children must have been in the second grade or so.

What was most troubling was the fact that their mother was ostensibly weary of the conversation and promptly ordered an end to the their conversing.

When children and caregivers engage in conversations like the one these children were having, they build interpersonal skills, listening skills, schema (background knowledge), and create opportunities for authentic learning.

The children check each others' facts and perhaps learn something from the others involved in the conversation. Parents have the chance to gauge what learning has taken place in school and even set the stage for what could happen later that evening, sitting and watching the news together.

Such conversations are prime opportunities for true out of school learning.

I regret that these children on that bus that day did not have the opportunity to develop that conversation further.

Cameras or tests can't capture....

....the emotional distress a child experiences when he has to leave a school where maybe for the first time in his life he felt like the staff cared...

...the moment when teachers converse about after work plans and one responds that they aren't the real social type and the eavesdropping kid says, "yeah, you just come to teach..."

...the moment when the journal topic is all about kids writing about themselves and a kid asks her teacher, "tell us about you..."

....the moment when a kid just wants to get away from the other kids for a second or two and asks to come back to the classroom at lunch and he is permitted to do so...

...the moment when a former student comes back and lets a former teacher know that he got in trouble at his new school defending that former teacher's honor and name...

...the moment when kids are running into the classroom to grab specific books to read during SSR...

...the moment when after reading silently for at least 15 minutes the teacher asks who'd like to keep going and 97% of the class raises their hands...

...the moment when a simple procedural change gets children even more excited about reading and discussion...

...the moment when a teacher goes "old school" and reads a book to the kids that their kindergarten teacher may have read and sees the excitement in those kids' eyes and the enthusiasm to lift the flaps that were on the pages of the book...

No, cameras and tests cannot adequately capture those moments...

#EngSSchat low tech idea...

I just read through dozens and dozens of tweets from teachers around the nation and world who used the hashtag and trend topic #engsschat. Here's a low tech idea that I did not read about but I've tried.

1.  Have students read whatever nonfiction piece you want them to read, news article, chapter in the history or geography text, etc.

2.  On a 3x5 card, have each student list at least three facts or things they learned while reading.

3.  Have the students form themselves into a certain number of groups (or you do it, depending on your class).

4.  On chart paper, they are to come up with a group summary of that chapter or section of the chapter you had them read. Each student is to bring their 3x5 card to the group and contribute to the summary.

5.  They can begin by turning the chart paper over, jotting their names on that side and plan for the summary.

I just tried this with my three 6th grade ELA classes. The reviews are mixed, but I'm encouraged to revamp and try again.

#Sandy Quick ideas...

So, I'm sitting here in the middle of Hurricane Sandy in my Philadelphia apartment, thinking about some quick ideas for lessons dealing with Hurricane Sandy. Since my students and many along the east coast will have experienced this storm, we can build upon our students' schema by engaging in meaningful teaching and learning experiences.

This list is no way exhaustive, but just some quick suggestions.
I'm an elementary/middle school teacher, so these ideas are primarily geared toward PreK-8th grade, but I know my experienced high school colleagues could also find some of these ideas useful and can adapt them for our older students.

Social Studies
1. Quickly display a map and have a brief discussion of the states that Sandy passed through.  Have students color in maps of the states that this storm has passed through. You can also have a brief discussion about cardinal directions. Students can even stand and move their arms in those simple directions.

2.  Have older students look up the states that Sandy passed through. Then have them identify the capitals of those states and perhaps five or six other cities in those states. You can also have them draw those states' flags, identify those states' governors. You may also have them look up how many electoral votes they have up for grabs in the upcoming election.

3.  For younger - Have students identify and spell their city and state. Spell out your city and state, writing one letter per piece of construction paper. Distribute the "city" construction paper pieces. As you spell, have the student with that letter come and begin to form the city's name in front of the class. Repeat for the "state" construction paper pieces.

4.  Older students can do research on the most devastating hurricanes in U.S. history. It'll be also interesting to have them do research on huge hurricanes that remained at sea.

5.  Foreign Language - Have students look up "hurricane" (or the language's most equivalent word for it) in many languages and have them practice pronouncing those words.

6.  Find and read tweets with the hashtag #Sandy from different cities, including those outside of the hurricane zone --- (preview the tweets ahead of time

Science
I honestly don't have many hours of science instruction under my belt.  Here are sites that may be helpful...
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/activities.html
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/weather/childrens-science-activities/56106.html
http://theweatherchannelkids.com/
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/

Math
1.  Younger - show a map of the states that Hurricane Sandy passed through, count the states. Write or trace the number (depending on just how young the children are). Count to that number using other objects in the room.

2.  Older - gather statistics from reputable online sites about this storm. Report those statics to the class. The class can even be divided into groups and each group can take a state to research. Statistics may include, miles of wind/water damage (convert miles to kilometers, meters, feet, inches, etc.), square miles of impact (whether damaged or not), the number of crews dispatched to aid in power restoration, the pounds of food that the Red Cross & Salvation Army brought to shelter sites, etc.

3.  Younger/Older - Money - Have them bring in money to donate to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army to aid in their efforts.  Count it then send it.

4.  Older - Inquire of the Red Cross approximately how much it costs to care for an individual. Set a goal to help a particular number of individuals and set out on approved fund raising efforts with all of the funds going to the Red Cross. Count the funds raised, determine about how many individuals these funds would help.

English/Language Arts
Journal Topic ideas
1.  How did you keep yourself busy during the storm? Did you have fun or were you worried?
2.  In life we sometimes we go through "storms" (situations that sometimes seem real difficult). What storms have you gone through in your life? How did you make it through those storms? What advice would you give to those who are going through difficult times?
3.  Listing all of the letters of the alphabet, what names would you give to hurricanes?
4.  Write a letter to those who are responsible for rescuing individuals who may need to be rescued or restoring power.  Some of the people may be firefighters, police officers, the national guard, electric crews, water crews, gas crews, and tree removal companies. What would you say to them?
5.  Write a letter to whoever takes care of you. Thank them for keeping you safe and giving you snacks during the storm.

Reading
1.  Find and read nonfiction news articles on Hurricane Sandy.
2.  Find and read OpEd pieces on the responses of various government entities.
3.  Find, read, compare and contrast the content of the articles on previous huge hurricanes like Katrina, Irene, Andrew, and others.

Viewing
1. CNN Student News www.cnn.com/studentnews
2.  National Geographic videos on storms
3.  Discovery education videos on storms

Writing
1.  Have younger students write a class book. Each student can contribute one line to the book and an illustration. Compile the book and either photocopy it for everyone or scan it and upload an e-version of it to your class website.

2.  Older students can do an amended version of a class book. You may want to have them write a page and illustrate.

3.  Students may prefer to write poetry. Create a poetry anthology. They may create poems about their feelings during the storm, their observations, the storm from the storm's perspective, etc.

Speaking
1.  Debate - Hurricanes are worse than tornadoes.
2.  Debate - Meteorologists "hype" up storms, just to get people to evacuate.
3.  RE: the narratives and poems discussed in the writing section above, have students read what they wrote to their classmates or in front of the class
4.  RE: the journal topics mentioned above, have students read what they wrote to their classmates or in front of the class

Forbes and Foreign Language

I have a few passions when it comes to teaching and learning. One, both can be of the highest quality in a public school, I don't care what anyone says! Second, foreign language should be as much a part of the elementary school curriculum as reading, math, science, physical education, and the arts!!!

Apparently, Forbes.com shares my same sentiments as detailed in a report online!

Read, enjoy, and advocate!!
http://www.forbes.com/sites/collegeprose/2012/08/27/americas-foreign-language-deficit/

Insane

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.....THE definition of insanity!

One way to get a teacher's pressure up first thing in the morning is to have a memo in his mailbox that legislates a repeat of the same failed policies of the previous administration (lol at the political verbiage).

I have a novel idea, let us teach.
I say we give that a try and see what happens!

Every now and then....

Every now and then I stop and think about the world from the view point of the students with whom I have the privilege of working. Every now and then I think that there are times when they come to school and it's an escape from the adult world.

Every now and then I think of how being at school, some have a chance to be a real kid, playing and laughing and joking with their friends.

Every now and then I think of how public school was for me as a kid and how I'd like to replicate some of those experiences.

Every now and then I think of how the teachers and staff represent the only caring figures in some of these children's lives.

Every now and then I think of the child that acts out, and though they cannot express it, is grateful that some adult has taken notice. Taking notice says to them, "I care about you."

Every now and then I think of the kid who found out that I, Mr. Flemming, will come to your house, knock on your door and ask about you. Every now and then I think of that kid who found that out and intentionally didn't do homework because he wanted me to come meet mom.

Every now and then I think of that kid who shared with me that there was no one in his life who understood him and that I was the last one in his life he had to look up to.

Every now and then I also think about those children who do having loving adults in their lives. I think about how some might not realize just how blessed they are. I think about those good fathers out there who stayed to love their child's mother and their children. Not all fathers are dead beat, just like not all mothers are there, present, and taking care of their children!

Every now and then, stop and think. Stop and think about where some of our children are coming from in the morning and where they are going to at three o' clock. Every now and then, drive by your students' neighborhoods at night or on the weekend. See for yourself what life is like. Every now and then ask your students how their weekend was, what movie they saw last night, or what they did for their birthday.

Every now and then, take off your "teacher" robe and put on your "listening ear" robe.

The words of a young kid a couple of years back still stings my ear today. He was crying because he was in trouble at school again. While crying buckets of tears, he said to me "THAT'S WHY I HATE THIS SCHOOL, NOBODY LISTENS TO ME!!!" I started to get something in my eye as I choked out, "Well, I'm listening. What do you want to say?"

Every now and then, listen!

Got PD?

Sitting in today's "professional development" I got bored! Just plain and simple! No fault to our principal or SBTL, but to the school district which seems to hand out cans of professional development, like cans of pork-n-beans!

I do have a few suggestions for PDs

1. Allow teachers time to converse with each other over pedagogy. We should bring student work samples and come up with real plans and entertain real suggestions for how we can maximize the potential of our children.

2.  Permit teachers to converse with other grade teachers, subject area teachers and specialists in order to get a real idea of the teaching and learning that goes on outside of our individual bubbles. We should leave that session with a greater sense of community and understanding of the goings-on in our buildings.

3. Coordinate grade group and subject area PDs around the district. A few years back all of the 6th grade teachers in the district went to a school. I am still grateful for and employing the suggestions for teaching and learning I received from colleagues there!

4. There most definitely should be time allotted for us to spend in our classrooms. To assume that a 45 minute prep is sufficient and that work should be done outside of the work day is "bafoonery" at its finest! While we do what we can and when, never assume that this "should" be done!

So those are just but a few suggestions that I have to make professional development meaningful! Meaningful to me does not mean sitting through a webinar or analyzing data. Call that a "meeting" but not professional development!

Charter truancy response #2...

From Rep Roebuck's office, explaining the current law...

Mr. Flemming,

 

Under Current law the following applies for compulsory attendance regarding charter schools :

 

Compulsory Attendance

Charter schools must report to the student’s school district of residence when a student has accrued 3 or more days of unexcused absences. It is the responsibility of the school district to enforce the compulsory attendance laws in accordance with the Public School Code.

 

A student does have the option of no longer attending a charter school, at that point the school district of residence would be responsible for the education of that child.  So technically if a student stops attending a charter school, the charter school must notify the school district of residence of the withdrawal of that student, and no further requirements are placed on the charter school for enforcing truancy proceedings.  Charter schools must provide school districts with the PDE Charter School Student Enrollment Notification Form for each district student enrolled in the charter school within 15 days of the student’s enrollment and must notify the school district within 15 days of a student’s withdrawal.

 

Rep. Roebuck put a proposal in to change the law to require charter schools, to include cyber charter schools to enforce the compulsory attendance laws for the students enrolled in charter and cyber charter schools, rather than simply un-enrolling them from charter schools and placing the ownist on the school district of residence for enforcing the law.  This proposal is contained in HB1657.

Charter truancy response...

From the school district....

Hi Mr. Flemming, 

The Charter School agreement states that charter schools shall report to the School District’s Office of Truancy and Attendance all unexcused absences of any duration greater than three (3) days.  The Charter School Agreement also states that the Charter School shall submit to the District a report for any student after ten (10) consecutive days of unexcused absence. 

It is important to point out however, that Charter Schools are independent LEA’s, and because of that they are solely responsible to provide prevention and outreach support to truant students, as well as take action if students are repeatedly truant.

The District’s Office of Truancy and Attendance has been successful however, in working with the city’s Truancy Court to expand services to charter schools.  In November, charter schools that meet the proper requirements can refer truant students to Truancy Court for review by DHS and family court.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out.

My student teaching experience

Driving this evening I passed the school in West/Southwest Philly where I did my student teaching. The school is not too far from the Checkers on Baltimore Av. I student taught in a third grade classroom and had the WORST experience!

The children weren't the problem. I'll leave that there! My vocal opposition to "bafoonery" didn't just begin! I had quite a few opinions then too! Looooong story short, I ended up getting thrown out of the school just before my final observation! My local, huge university on Broad street called me and informed me that things like graduation were now on the line! Me not happy!

Fortunately Cook-Wissahickon allowed me to come teach a final lesson for observation purposes!

As I reflect on that awful experience, I began to think of a few questions for my colleagues!

Do you say "Good Morning" to your students?
Do you ask your students about their weekend?
How often to you inquire about their pets, out-of-school activities, their family?
Do you give them hand shakes, pounds, high-fives?
Do you have them show you the latest dances?
Do you start each day yelling?
Do you wonder why she sleeps in your class everyday or do you just judge?
Do you walk around their neighborhood, perhaps to the corner store?
Just a few questions for my colleagues....

That student teaching semester was......interesting!
Two of my student-teaching headaches retired and we're all the better for it!

Foreign Language in Elementary School

In addition to the myriad of arguments that can be made in defense of public education, another passion I hold dear is the idea of foreign language being taught in elementary schools.

I developed my love for French language and culture in a public middle school, but my exposure to French began in kindergarten at the YMCA Academy. Disclaimer: My parents attempted the private school setting for us twice before 1st grade before settling on public school for good with a heavy dose of parental responsibility for education in our household!

But I digress...

Whatever it takes, let's try to make it happen! To make up for this need, every now and then I'd introduce French words and phrases during Social Studies lessons. This year, I hope to whet their appetites with Spanish dictionaries. This is going well! Some students choose these dictionaries to read and "try out" during SSR!

Idea: EC clubs with a foreign language focus!

A bientot!

You Don't Get To....

You don't get to reduce an already under-funded school system, divert the public dollars to privately managed entities and call me a failure at the same time!

You don't get to put the entire responsibility of educating a child solely in the hands of teachers while absolving many caregivers of their role in the process!

You don't get to call poverty and lack of resources, excuses!

You don't get to evaluate and lecture me on quality instruction when you haven't set foot in an elementary classroom since you were in elementary school!

In the venacular of today's youth.....naw dawg!

Here...Here...Here....Absent

Here's the text of a blog post I started. Once I drafted this, I thought to head to the Philadelphia Daily News instead....I started this on Oct 6th....

Sometimes 140 characters just isn't enough!

Lately I've been thinking about a kid I had a few years back. Much to my chagrin, many of my 6th graders and their families choose to enroll in a local charter school after moving on from our K-6 elementary school. Be it known, I don't believe in the concept of diverting public money and resources away from an already underfunded district to fund a privately managed educational experiment, all while holding the schools from whom the money was diverted to higher standards than that of the ones who received the diverted funds and resources. But I digress!

It was on a Saturday in June when I learned that a former student of mine had not been attending school and as a result got into some trouble which landed him in jail (or likely some other juvenile placement). He and his family chose to enroll in the local charter middle/high school.

What troubles me most is not knowing what protocols are in place for students who are enrolled in charter schools and who may end up truant. What steps must these publicly funded, privately run and managed schools take to ensure that their students are attending school? Since the idea is less oversight, who is monitoring that such protocols are adhered to and with fidelity?

Notes and phone calls home, steps that the teacher has taken, CEH 14, C-31, CSAP, RTII, counselors, home visits, and the list goes on of the truancy vocabulary that we employ and the steps we take when a child is absent THREE times (even sporadically) without having submitted an absence note!

So I just want to know, what do our charter counterparts do? To whom do they report? What is the process? IS there a process? I need answers!

iRobot....NOT!!!!

The legislation of particular pedagogical practices seems to be on the rise.
"Put this on your wall."
"Do this strategy daily."
"Post this!"
"Say this!"
"Read this with your voice in a low pitch and one hand on your head with your big toe slightly elevated!"

When is it going to end? I know this may come as a surprise, but we're teachers! WE, unlike many, actually went to school for this! Four or five years of undergraduate courses and two more years of graduate school, endless "professional development", in addition to participation in informal teaching groups, the reading of professional journals, watching teaching videos and other activities baptized in educational theory and research! This doesn't count the informal lunch time conversations we have with colleagues, the texts about strategies and what has worked or not worked, the discussion of plans over coffee in the morning, and the Friday night dinners at restaurants that we vow will NOT turn into discussion over work, but almost always do!

We're not robots! We're teachers! Leave us to teach!

Let me be clear, I'm speaking of this "teacher-must-be-dumb" world in general, not about specific schools! Let that be made known, because apparently the first amendment applies to everyone but teachers! Not only is our opinion not valued in the classroom, but we also can't seem to put anything on facebook, twitter, or in a blog without being called into question either!

What happend?

Without getting into too much detail, since the 1st amendment surely limits teachers from blogging about certain topics unless they want to get fired for blogging the truth, I have a question for a certain charter operator. What happened?

I quickly ascertained the cause of particular situation upon viewing the submission of a particular adolescent. It is quite apparent that this particular charter operator is unable to perform the miracles that the business community, politicians, Oprah, the president, and many parents swear they can perform.

That said, I am up to the challenge! I decree that progress will be made! I want to say to this hypothetical (ahem) minor, welcome home! All will be well!

Level the Playing Field...

Imagine two swimmers competing in a race in an intra-company swim-a-thon. One swimmer has nutritionists, a  personal trainer in addition to a phenomenal swim coach and big name sponsors. He comes to the race adorning a company sponsored high quality swim trunk and is ready to compete.

The other swimmer also has a phenomenal swim coach. He comes to the race wearing a company sponsored high quality winter coat and believes he too is ready to compete. The signal is given to begin the race. The two begin to swim.

The swimmer with the trunks wins and the swimmer with the winter coat loses.

The company pulls its sponsorship from the losing swimmer and decides that he needs swimming lessons, drills, tests, and benchmarks from a highly qualified teenage lifeguard before he can compete in a race again.

Meanwhile, the winner of the race is basking in his glory and the company could be no prouder!

O_o

School Supply List

To begin the school year here's a small list of school supplies:
(this list will be updated throughout the year as various needs arise)

Art teacher
Music teacher
Gymnasium
Counselor
Social Service Organizations
Updated technology including lap top carts
Fresh paint
Greenery
School flags to display school spirit (outside of the school)
tutoring programs
nutritious lunches
morning or afternoon recess in addition to lunch recess
strong discipline policy
NTAs
Emphasis on small class sizes, ESPECIALLY in the early grades
professional respect for teachers

I've undoubtedly missed a few items, but I'll be in contact!

Made In America Concert...

This Labor Day weekend, 2012, Philadelphia is center stage, in the spot light, is concert central for Jay Z's Budweiser Made In America Festival. The event has literally shut down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway!

This post is not about my personal opinion of the genre or of the performers themselves. I'm a teacher, so when I found out what the ticket prices would be (http://www.madeinamericafest.com/ticketing.html) and the number of enthusiastic concert goers they were anticipating, the wheels in my teacher-mind began to spin.

I began to think of how many of the concert goers would be parents of school age children. I began to think of both the responsible and irresponsible parents that would be in attendance. I began to celebrate in my mind, those parents who would spend some of their money to go and enjoy the festivities AND who also made sure that school supplies were purchased, uniforms were updated and clean, the refrigerator and cupboards were well stocked, among the countless other responsibilities that come with the words "It's a boy/girl" (and even prior to....but I digress). I began to respect the fact that these parents can go and have a slammin' good time with the peace of mind that they did right by their children!

Then I thought of those parents who would be in attendance, who may be irresponsible. So many other appropriate adjectives come to mind when describing "those" parents, but I'll be nice......today. I began to think of those hands that will be out, looking for someone to "hook them up" with supplies, uniforms, food, etc. I began to think of the field trips that their children will be invited to attend and the "I don't have the money" notes that undoubtedly will arrive at school. I began to think of the class dues that "we can't afford" which may be $150 for the year (http://www.madeinamericafest.com/ticketing.html). I began to think of this, as the irresponsible parents will shell out $99+ without regrets or second thoughts while the needs of their children go unmet.

Because of the uncertain economic times in which we live, I wouldn't dare make the erroneous assumption that everyone that needs help is being irresponsible! Mais-non! Everyone needs help from time to time. I have no problem with my tax dollars and even my personal dollars going to assist (whenever I can do it responsibly)! Make no mistake! But to those who would spend $150 at a concert and have their children come to school ill-prepared, shame!

To the parents who are parents indeed, balancing your personal pleasure and fun with your roles and responsibilities as caregivers, I applaud you!!! You are phenomenal!! Many of you are single parents making it work and you are to be commended! Many are two-parent households, also struggling to make it work! Sometimes we don't celebrate you enough! So here's to you! {clapping hysterically}

To the other parents who put your looks, your fun, your enjoyment, your relaxation, your needs, you you you, you, you, you, you, above your children, I really hope you change your ways! If not, then I earnestly hope that your children will grow up to be better parents to their children than you were to them! So many have done it!

Won't Back Down!

Neither will we! #PublicSchoolTeachers

What will it take?

Will it really take the conversion of our schools to charters in order to get long overdue tasks checked off of the list? Plumbing? Electric work? Paint? New facades? Green space? Cleveland Elementary School prior to its renaissance to a charter operator, was one of many who could have used these particular upgrades. But as stated in an earlier post, once converted the work was done.

#EnonAndJBKelly

Today, Saturday, 8/25/12, I had the opportunity to witness one of many ways that faith-based groups and community organizations can partner with public schools for the success of our students.

Today, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church partnered with John B. Kelly Elementary School to provide hundreds of book bags (and school supplies I believe) to the school's children. Hundreds of people showed up at Kelly today, early, to be entertained with singing, step groups, a drum line group, inspirational remarks and prayer for the success of the school year.

In an environment and world in which some of our colleagues don't want church and state to EVER cross, I disagree! There is a place for religious groups and other community organizations in a collaborative effort to meet the needs of our students. Enon proved that today. With the supply of free book bags, these families can now focus their financial resources, whether limited or not, on other supplies or services.

While $15 or $20 may not seem like a big deal to some, multiply that by the number of children in the family and something as simple as a book bag now becomes a huge expense.

So a huge ((((SHOUT OUT)))) to Enon for supplying our children with book bags!
While other wealthy organizations are providing millions in funding and resources to others, Enon was a blessing to the children and families of John B. Kelly Elementary School today and for that I'm sure they are grateful.

A Barbershop Convo

So today, while in the barbershop, I had a small conversation with a person I had never met prior to today. From his conversation with the other barbers, he seems to be an entrepreneur of a small restaurant here in the city.

Here's how the conversation went as I made my way to the barber's chair:

Barber (to me): The TEACHER!!! Ready to go back Mr. Teacher?

Me: Yes I am actually!

Barber: They gettin' rid of gym this year?

Me: Who knows, with everything going on!

Man: What school do you teach at?

Me: John B. Kelly, right up the street

Man: Oh yea, Kelly! What do you think about all of these charter schools popping up taking money away?

Me: Sir, that's my soap box!

Man: I can tell!

You can imagine how the conversation continued from that point! It is important to note that this businessman is not in favor of schools popping up that are draining our true public schools of money and resources. He made that clear!

Needless to say, I made a new friend today! A non-teacher who also doesn't like what's going on in this city!!

Mastery Charter @ Cleveland....hmmm

In April of 2012, the School District of Philadelphia authorized Mastery Charter Schools to seize control of the Grover Cleveland Elementary School in the Tioga-Nicetown of Philadelphia, forcing all of its teachers and principal out to choose other schools for the furtherance of their academic careers. http://webgui.phila.k12.pa.us/offices/r/renaissance-schools

Under the renaissance model of school management, a certain percentage of the teachers can reapply to work at Cleveland with Mastery at the helm, generally for less pay and longer hours.

According to Mastery Charter Schools' website for Grover Cleveland,
 "During the months of July and August, there will be lots of construction at Cleveland. There will be new paint, windows, furniture, bulletin boards, updated plumbing, electric and completely new lighting school-wide!  The exterior of the building will be undergoing some major reconstruction which will prevent leaks from reoccurring in the building."
http://www.masterycharter.org/schools/cleveland-campus/about-12.html

I have just a few questions.

1.  Why couldn't all of this happen while Grover Cleveland Elementary School was still under school district control?
2.  Why were our children forced to come to a school without those particulars remedied?
3.  Does the school district believe that environment has no impact on learning?
4.  Why couldn't the district fix those problems and give the children and staff at Cleveland a chance before allowing them to become a charter?

So allow me to rewrite those news notes and let me see if I have this correct?
"Prior to the months of July and August, there weren't construction projects at Cleveland. There was old paint, old windows, old furniture, old bulletin boards, outdated plumbing, outdated electric, and old lighting school-wide! The exterior of the building had not undergone major reconstruction which allowed leaks to reoccur in the building."

Things that make you go hmmm!

Balance...

Recently, I made the intentional reconnection with a thought that I had some time ago, balance. Reading tweets, blogs, news articles, etc. RE: public education in the United States today and the defensive stance that we as public school teachers are forced to assume can be unnerving at times. Many times WE, as public school teachers tend to focus on the negative of the whole situation. Our opponents do as well.

So with all the negativity, who is going to focus on the GOOD that is happening each day in our public school classrooms? Who is going to tell the positive "goings-on" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goings-on)?

With that, I propose we strike a balance. Yes, the situation is bad! Yes, we must tweet, blog, email, write letters, lift our voices, stand in solidarity, etc. At the same token, let's inform the public that John has improved three reading levels, even if he state tests don't reflect that fact.  Let's tell the story of Jane, who transferred in rather rough around the edges and is now speaking politely, is studying harder now more than ever and is even tutoring. Don't forget about Bob, who at twelve years of age cares for his younger siblings and still manages to make the honor roll each report card period. While the characters are fictitious, the situations are real!

Keep advocating for our children, absolutely! I will, that's for sure. But I will tell their powerful stories as well! #Balance

Duhh!!

The Philadelphia Public School Notebook, an independent newspaper, recently did a story on the School District of Philadelphia's plunging test scores for the 2012 state-mandated tests.
http://thenotebook.org/blog/125072/big-test-scores-drops-schools-targeted-cheating-probe-and-early-grades

This isn't a scathing criticism of that story, it's a response to our elected officials who don't seem to "get it." The reports concluded that "Across the District, the test-score declines are most stark in the elementary grades."

To this I say, duuhhh!! Two weeks prior to the administration of these unnecessary and stressful assessments, school district teachers/faculty were informed that we would not be testing our own students, because apparently we cheat....(catch the sarcasm, I'd hate to give fodder to those who would read this and assume an admission of guilt...not so...cheaters are stupid).

As a teacher,  I immediately thought of each and every one of my 55 students. Immediately I wrote a letter to the "would be teacher" and politician detailing the individual needs of each and every one of my students. This was more like a journal entry to myself, but I digress.  The point? A "stranger" would not know such details and therefore this whole arrangement would amount to nothing more than a concerted effort to set us up for failure. Honestly, what did the state really expect?

The report also concluded, "Scores leveled off somewhat in grade 7 and 8, and actually rose slightly in grade 11."

To this I say, duuhhh!!! Older children, adolescents, are more mature mentally and emotionally than younger children! 7th and 8th graders see many teachers in a day/week. Certainly 11th graders do! Testing with another teacher would not have as much of an emotional effect as elementary age children!

I never was a conspiracy theorist or barbershop philosopher, but that stunt the state pulled has me rethinking my barbershop discourse!

$1330 extra per kid...

Contrary to popular belief, there are great schools that make up the School District of Philadelphia. Among them is the highly lauded Penn Alexander School in the University City section of West Philadelphia. Penn Alexander is a University of Pennsylvania Partnership school. To read more on the partnership, click on the link ----> http://webgui.phila.k12.pa.us/schools/p/penn-alexander/

The one thing that most stands out to me is the extra $1330 per child that this school receives. I like to think of what each Philadelphia public school be like if each school received an extra $1330 per child? I think of the technological advances that could be made. I think of the reduced class sizes. I think of the classroom assistants. I think of the arts. I think of foreign languages in elementary schools. Oh the resources that an extra $1330 per student to purchase for the sake of the students!

Building Reps Retreat...

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers decided to engage its federation building representatives in meaningful and informative dialogue centered on the current landscape of public education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the country as a whole. The first Building Reps Retreat was held in Atlantic City from Monday through Wednesday of this week.

In a nutshell, I loved every minute of it!!

Sessions centered around engaging our schools' communities at large, technical language of our contract, and the law. The agenda also included a session on an unprecedented collaborative effort between the School District of Philadelphia and the PFT to provide an historical level of support for new teachers and tenured teachers whose teaching has been weighed in the balances and found wanting.

It is important to note, that last collaboration is contrary to popular belief that teachers unions are about protecting dead wood, teachers who clearly need to clap their erasers for the last time. But I digress.

Each session was informative and rekindled the fire in each of us to fight for public education! Thank you PFT! I'm looking forward to another successful year in the classroom and hope for the same success in the corridors of City Hall, Harrisburg, DC, and 440!

New found respect for teachers...

Within the past two weeks two different individuals approached me and commented that they have a "new found respect" for teachers. The first was a parent who recently retired, freeing up more time for her to be more involved in her high schooler's education and school overall.  She spent a considerable amount of time in the school itself. That experience enlightened her to the difficult tasks that teachers perform on a daily basis.  She informed me that she had a new found respect for teachers having spent some time on the "inside".

The second individual was employed with the School District of Philadelphia, but with budget cuts and an uncertain future, he decided that it was time to move on, before he HAD to move on. His comment to me, "Man, I have a new found respect for teachers having been on the inside."

Suggestion: Everyone should spend some time on the "inside" and they, too, should discover a new found respect for teachers and the respectable work and service that we perform on a daily basis.

Asked and Answered???

After realizing the 140 characters just didn't seem enough, it was my nephew who inspired me to brush off my blog and get to...well....blogging!

Recently, my state Senator and I, along with some of my twitter friends and colleagues, engaged in a twitterlogue about public education. This state Senator opened up a charter school that shares a corner with the neighborhood public school.

I sent the Senator (via @kellygrade6) the following tweet, "@SenTonyWilliams @TimothyMBoyle @rmschloss have u tried to get Mitchell Elem, BB Comegys and schools like them the resources and services they need b4 u decided to open a charter on the same corner?"

The Senator's response to me was sent in this tweet, "@kellygrade6 @timothymboyle @rmschloss I attended Mitchell and I visited last year."

I'll let you judge for yourself what this "nationally recognized expert on educational issues" (http://www.senatoranthonyhwilliams.com/sen-anthony-h-williams/about/biography) meant by that response, because I think I may have misunderstood something.