That's our fault too I guess!!

On the trolley a few moments ago:

I'm sitting, rereading a William Still book for the third time and a couple of early 20s get on with about four children. Based on some of what I heard, I don't think at least two of them belonged to this couple. I'm also unsure of the relationship of the couple. Nevertheless...

I'm reading, one little girl, maybe 3 years old, is very active, refusing to sit down as the trolley is moving. She's playful and jovial, but even over the playful "demands" of the young woman refuses to sit down. She falls a few times, but no injuries. The young woman says "that's what the @*%$ you get" and laughs!

The little 3 year old girl replies, "Who you talkin' to you dumb @*%$??" Because she was loud, most of the trolley, including the young woman, erupts in laughter!!

Me? I'm FUMING!!!! Here's what I see.

I see a future 5th or 6th grader who is out of control.
I see non-supportive parents.
I see a spoiled brat who'll get whatever she wants.
I see parents that will only come to the school if there is a problem and will defend this girl.
I see a child who will likely not get A's and B's because education doesn't seem to be a priority.
I see suspensions in this child's future.
I see early sexual activity.
I see looking to the government for help.
I see a cycle that I've ALREADY SEEN over and over again.
I see legislatures in Harrisburg and City Hall putting the blame on teachers.
I see principals who want to know what "strategies" we have in place to put this child on the road to proficiency.

At this point, I don't care if I'm being judgmental. I don't care if I'm being a doomsday prophet. I don't care if I'm being stereotypical. I don't care if I'm being insensitive. I don't care if anything I just wrote is politically incorrect! I don't care if this post offends anyone! I'm calling a spade a spade! A rose by any other name is still a rose! I don't care!

I am sick and tired of our public schools and my colleagues and I taking the fault and taking the blame for circumstances beyond our control!!! That little girl needs some REAL parents! Parents who will model before her appropriate social and academic behaviors! Period!

Sue me!

~Flem

I MUST be tough!

I'll be moving to a different section of the city soon. Today, as I met with the leasing agent, she noticed that I was a teacher. When it came out that I was a 5th grade teacher in our city's public schools, her response? "Oh you MUST be tough huh?"

I didn't take offense at all in the least bit! I chuckled and said, "you better know it! I have to be!"

I firmly believe that public school teachers anywhere, especially in urban areas, are THE toughest in the profession! Those of us who remain for a number of years, our skin MUST be made of teflon!!

We get attacked by politicians, demonized by philanthropies, unappreciated by some parents, harrassed by many students, frequently observed by some "out to get you" principals, yet we STILL come to work every day! Some would call that crazy! I call it dedicated! Years of dedicated service and commitment to students and communities needs to be celebrated, paid well, and not considered dead weight!!!

Yup, we MUST be tough!

Made My Day

{Walking up 38th Street, toward the Wawa, young man walks up to me and shakes my hand. I give the "Oh Lawd, you're one of my alum from somewhere but you're grown up and I don't recognize your face" look}

Him: You had me at the Y

{I look at name tag then at his mom who was with him, spit out his last name then his whole name excitedly! I then proceed to not believe who I'm looking at and how grown he had gotten! We commence the inevitable small talk and realize there was a connection between another former student I had some years ago in public school}

This encounter really made my weekend, especially since he's doing well and hasn't been beat up by urban life and the struggles that come with being around so much foolishness!

Shout out to his mother who I recognized once o took a second look!! Mom dukes, you've done a great job!!

Shout out to him (I'll call him Bob). Shout out to you Bob for staying on the straight and narrow!!

If we have had the privilege of being in a teacher/student encounter (even if you were 7 and in the second grade 12 years ago) stop me! Say hi! Give me a few seconds and I'll spit out your first and last name too!

That really made my day!

No cops?

I'm wondering where the throngs of police are! I'm in Center City and I see dozens and dozens upon dozens of teen, twenty, and thirty-something year old people at Suburban Station. They are loud. They are carrying boxes of beer. Some have these noise makers. And all of them are dressed in green! What I don't see is what speaks volumes. Not a police officer to be found. Not one in sight! No news cameras covering the "violence" or "flash mobs"! No press conferences by the mayor or any other public official about how they are not going to tolerate this in Philadelphia!

Maybe if everyone's skin tone was a darker hue, we could get a cop around here! Surely because all these young people are gathered and are loud, they MUST be up to no good and need the heavy arm of the law to come down on them!

Geez, the things we have to do to get cops around here!

Oh Freedom! - The Golden Gospel Singers (Lyrics in Description)

Showed this to one of my classes today. You cannot talk/teach about American History without talking/teaching about Black History! African American History IS American History!

Help Wanted in 215!!!!!

This whole submitting lesson plans thing....OLD!!

Today's view from 105 is centered on the main office and the bins for lesson plans! I'm sitting here plotting out a general outline for the week, complete with where I hope to go and how I plan on getting there. Real teachers know that lesson plans are working documents; ever-changing, adjusting, amending, working documents to guide the teaching and learning continuum.

Submitting plans is really starting to get a bit old, especially since what we submit and when may be the farthest thing from what will actually occur.

Here's a solution. Put in place, principals who are well-versed in "classroom", well versed in teaching and learning, one who knows what teaching/learning looks and sounds like (including the differences in teaching/learning styles among the faculty and students) and those who can demonstrate the same at the drop of a hat! If those types of leaders are in place, then random spot checks of plans are in order.  This tired way of submitting plans in a bin or basket on a given day for instruction a week or two away and the funny looks when a walk-through occurs and the plans are different from the reality, that has to go!

The Greatest PDs

In my opinion, the greatest professional development sessions are those that come early in the morning over coffee at the xerox machine. They're the ones that are held during lunch in another colleague's classroom. They sneak up on you at casual nights out for a random dinner at a local spot. They're on twitter, facebook, blogs, and at events prepared by and for real teachers, active or retired!

Real and useful professional developments end with teachers having the very real and practical tools necessary to improve upon one's classroom practice or try out a new and exciting idea, game, website or book the very next day!

If you've never taught, or it's been a month of Sundays since you were last in the classroom, or you are a 5-week trained/2 year old "experienced" teacher, you need to get somewhere and sit down! Let the real teachers do the work!

No Test for you...

So, today I gave a test on early battles and conflicts of the Revolutionary War and their root causes. We've been reading a grade-apprpriate book on the history of the Revolutionary War.

There were a few who I felt were not ready for the test for a variety of reasons including but not limited to grade level reading proficiency.

It actually felt good to run my classes my way (even though I do that anyway) and to put those students in a position to succeed! There is no hard and fast rule that says I HAD to give those students that test on this day! Even with two different sets of tests prepared to meet the "zone of proximal development" needs of my students, there were a few who I felt weren't even ready for that!

It felt good to put them to work, reading materials on the war much more suitable to their level of proficiency at this time (with the expectation that they will grow and move forward as we work together).

It's this type of teaching, the philosophical aspects of the profession that reformers don't understand. Teaching is not a simple algorithm! It can't be "gotten" in five weeks!

I'm not going to end writing about "them". Rather, I'll celebrate in advance the success these students will have this year. I'll take some progress over no progress at all!! The journey of a thousand miles, someone said, begins with the first step.

Grandmom

As I'm preparing for work this morning, I'm reflecting on a conversation I had with the grandmother of one of my students. She was very pleasant and pleasantly pleased with the education her granddaughter is receiving at her very public school.

She spoke of her granddaughter's excitement when she comes home from school and how excitedly she relays what she learned on that particular day.

She also spoke of how she felt that for the first time her granddaughter was being challenged and really learning.

She ended the conversation by being thankful for me and her other two teachers and how she wished that her granddaughter could stay at the school next year.

Uhhh, #evaluatethat!