Sub Vision: Some Hope, Maybe?

I was called for a substitute assignment on the last day of the semester, just before the holidays’ vacation.

I don’t know how the full time teachers feel, but I feel the school year is flying bye fast; already half way gone...

Knowing who the teacher I am replacing is, and recognizing her style, I was sure no lesson plan or suggested activity would wait for me, so I came ready with ideas, hoping they will keep students involved, for at least part of the time…

I drew a table of Sudoku on the white board and explained the rules to the few who were interested, and sure enough several did show curiosity. With exception to my own usual rules, I did let them come to the white board and fill the blanks.

Then I drew some brain puzzles, those frames with few words and/or  numbers that symbolize a word or an expression…(e.g., ‘GO IT IT IT IT’ is ‘Go for It’; ‘CAST CAST CAST CAST’ is ‘Forecast’; “Right = Right’ is “Equal rights’)

After showing them few examples students did display some excitement, and soon became real good at that. They were able to figure out every expression I threw their way (a lot faster than I was when I first tried it).

Of course, not everyone participated, only about a third of the class. Later I offered cookies as rewards and that helped too… but each student who did participate escaped for few minutes the tyranny of the digital world, and enjoyed the freedom of creative thinking and solving a puzzle, using their intellect.

So, does it mean that there is hope for disconnecting the young brains from their addiction to the screen if we just challenge them, energize their imagination and encourage their competitive instinct?

Would we be able to apply it to other areas in education, like math and beyond?

Some hopeful thoughts for the holidays’ season…

Sub Vision: The Face of Diversity

The other day I worked at a school located at a relatively good neighborhood, with a diverse student body.

I was assigned to replace an English teacher, and one of her classes was training for the Academic Decathlon competition.

This class consisted of eleven students, seven girls and four boys. I would expect, maybe, more gender balanced group, but what really amazed me was the racial diversity of these top-notch competitors.

I am not a great judge of racial identity, but using my humble tools (looks, dressing items, last names...) I would think that almost every fragment of the population was represented. There were few black student, few white and Asian, about half of Hispanic origin, and there was one Muslim girl.

If that doesn’t warm your heart with gratitude to our diverse, equal opportunity, society and school system, I don’t know what would.

And if diversity is not your ‘thing’ then too bad! It is happening and it is here to stay! 

Good for us!

Sub Vision: A New Low for Mathematics or just the New Normal?

The other day I was asked to cover a math class at a reputable school. The system didn’t give the teacher’s name but when I got to the school I realized I had worked for that teacher before, and he is the math department head.

As in previous times, he left tests for each of his classes with instructions how to sit the students and in what order to distribute the tests, part A then part B.

I was alarmed, though, when I discovered in his instruction that he wants me to grade the tests. Most of the tests were geometry, for sure within my skills, but hey, I am a substitute teacher for that specific reason, so I don’t have to grade 200 tests.

I decided to ignore it and just made sure students were doing their job, answering their own tests (using their own brain), but when a student came to me with what she claimed to be a completed part A, and it was very easy to see that she didn’t bother to solve the equations, I told her she needed to go back and complete it.

She did, but not before she told me it doesn’t matter, what matter is that she showed some work. I rejected that notion and sent her back to her seat.

Later that day I saw the teacher and he asked me if I graded the tests. I asked him if he really meant that I give grades to his students. “Oh no” he said, “all I want you to do is to count the number of problems done, give 10 points for each problem, and write the total, so that my TA (usually a student) can put down their grades…”

So here is my questions, does he also go back to check that the answers were correct? Is it a separate grade or ‘my’ grade is THE grade?

Additional question is, of course, is it reasonable for a teacher to check methodically 200 tests? Is it doable?

My personal challenge was what deserves 10 points. If someone just puts a numeric answer without any proof of work, does that merit ten points? If an equation is clearly incorrect, does that count? What about an unsolved equation (correct or incorrect), does that deserve ten point?

I made my own decisions and I am so thankful not to be accountable for them!

Sub Vision: Private High Education

It was recently in the news that our new secretary of education, and the people surrounding her, think that it is a good idea to ease the accreditation process on private high education institutes… 

It was around the same time that one of my friends told me how her grandson did not like his out of state public university and wanted to move back, but prefers a prestigious private school that is willing to accept him, rather than risking not being accepted to a state university.

 

So here is my dilemma... our state has a large variety of public universities, and every student who wants to learn can find the right place... Some of the schools are better, best in the country, some are just ok, but there is plenty of choice. If a student is not doing great at the present time then he should work his way up through the community colleges. A reasonable performance there will guarantee his accepted to at least some of the state universities. Why go to a private school? And if a private university is the choice for the not so great students, then the last thing we want is easing its accreditation process. We want to make sure that a student who is willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a degree gets the very best education, the sort that is above and beyond of what state universities offer.

People are putting too much weight in to which university they, or their loved ones, go. They feel that their path to opportunities in life all starts with the university from which they graduate. There might be some truth to that, I agree, but mainly only for their first job. On their next job, they will be judges by their experience and past performance. If a person wants to start a career with a debt of a quarter of million dollars then by all means, especially if they believe in their ability to pay it back in a relatively short time, but they have to make sure that the prospects the university is advertising are solid, and should research potential future earnings… It is a hefty price to pay if the returns are not as great…

Yet, one’s choice is his business… Our business, as a nation, is to see that private universities don’t bring false expectations as to future careers, and their ability to make up for their expense, to their graduates. And our responsibilities is to see that a university that charges so much is also that much better than one that does not. We are (still) a country that expects its graduates to earn their degree with hard honest work, and not by purchasing it for a heavy price…

Sub Vision: Back to School? Already?

It is this time of the year, again, when you feel that you just barely started to enjoy summer vacation, and realize it already ended; time to start all over again…

Looks like no one is used to the new school schedule of starting mid-August; parents, teachers and especially students are not ready yet. I, for sure, am not. I still enjoy my time at home, sitting at my patio, drinking coffee. My plans for going out, seeing people, enjoying a shopping spree, are yet to be fulfilled…

We all grew up with the concept that summer months are for summer vacation; cooling at the beach or by the swimming pool during the hot long days, spending extended evenings with friends and family, the day light lasts into the late hours…

When September would roll in, somehow, magically, the weather would signal that it is time to go back to work. The first days of September be cooler all of a sudden, autumn would be in the air, and you would feel that yes, this is the right time.

Of course the reason for summer vacation had to do with hot days at times when schools had no air-conditioning, which made teaching and learning too hard. Now, with inside comfy temperature, there is no real reason why not starting school early.

The main logical reason to start school early is completing the first semester by the holidays and winter vacation. When schools used to start in September, the first semester ended a month after winter vacation, making it hard to maintain continuity. It does make better sense to complete the semester before the holidays.

But there are other ways to deal with this situation. Schools used to have trimester system, instead of semester. The first trimester would end by the winter break, second by spring break and the third by summer, a system that makes sense too…

I would claim that this is a better system, for students, for teachers, as well as for schools. The way it is set up now, teachers have to go through eight grading periods a year, every quarter of a semester, meaning every five weeks. A person who is not a teacher cannot grasp the academic and administrative work load that it entails… Entering grades to a computerized system that is never as reliable or as responsive as you would like, that very often crashes exactly during the time frame you needed it most, on top of all the prep time needed for creating an individual grade for 200 student.

Trimesters enable sufficient updates, and with a mid-trimester, on top of end of trimester grade, it provides six grading periods a year. No educator could claim it to be inadequate. And in addition - more time available for teaching and learning.

So I would say – let’s enjoy the whole summer, and maybe even the beginning of the fall, to have our mind and body much better prepared for another school year…

Sub Vision: World Cup Lessons

The World Cup (Copa Mundial) Soccer (Football) event happens every four years. We follow it closely not because we are such great soccer fans, maybe just a bit more than other Americans, but we do when the big competition takes place…

There is a lot going on around the games besides its sports aspect. There is the national pride, with the terrible disappointment of the losers and joyous triumph of the winners. There are laws known to everyone, but with endless interpretations; what is fair and what is not, who deserves a yellow ticket and who abuses the rules, and the ever going debate on which group to support, and which one not.

And then, there are the simple facts, like names of nations of which we may not have heard, the shape and color of their flags, and their geography and culture…

I wish it has occurred during school year to be used as valuable teaching moments...

There is so much to learn… basic details of the teams and whom do they represent, the hosting country, the star players. There are immense related emotions, there are rules, the consequences of respecting the rules, and the fall out of not respecting them, and above all the overview conclusion that “It Is a Small World After All…”

This is the time when I am musing on how great would it be if we could just direct our frustration, aggression, pride and nationalism into just a game, where the regulations are clear to everyone, when the best team wins, when in doubts we can check the facts on a slow motion TV screen, and even when we still don’t agree we do respect the judgment of the experts…

There are small wins to celebrate even when the final scores are not favorable, and there are small, embarrassing, loses even for the winners…

And maybe the most important aspect of it all is that there is always the next World Cup, where a loser can become a winner, even just in a small way; winning a single game, or scoring one goal in a difficult match. And yes, there is the ever existing possibility of winning the top trophy next time…

***
(Lesson to learn from Group 'F' of the World Cup 2018:
     The team that won, won [Sweden],
     The team that lost, won [Mexico],
     The losers won [South Korea],
     The winners lost [Germany]...)

Sub Vision: Would Money Solve Education Problems?

The education system is being criticized by everyone; the politicians, the educators, the ‘wannabe’ educators, parents, students and teachers themselves… the complaints are as varied as the complainers, with one common ground – they are all unhappy with the end results… The recommended solutions are just as divided, and may have some truth to all of them…

I have written in the past about some of my proposition, and will probably write again as new ideas emerge. One question, however, keeps occupying my mind - would money solve all, or at least most, of the educational problems?

My initial response to a family discussion few years ago was that money is not the problem. I have changed my mind since, encountering instances where money does make a difference.

It is painful to see how budget cuts change the scenery in public schools. In the relatively short time I have been in education I saw positions being dissolved, full time positions become part time, others being combined. Academic coaches, librarians, textbook room operators and testing coordinators are just few on that list. For most of school occupations, work load have been doubled or tripled.

One area that seems almost untouched by budget cuts is the Special Education. Teacher-students ratio is still low, a full time assistant is still there, and with one-on-one aides, sign language interpreters, and other personnel, classes, often, have nearly as many adults as students.

In does amounts to a waste of resources sometimes, mostly when the adults are not doing their job, which results in time misused and students being idle. But at schools where the special education program is solid, and teachers and aides are doing their job, the results are remarkable. Students are engaged in learning, have access to real knowledge, assisted to strive and show true and incredible results.

Comparing the Special Education system to the General Education I can’t help imagining what could have been achieved with like resources; a teacher/student ratio of 1:10, or even 1:20, Instead of a 1 to 40, with an additional full time aide…

Looking back at my short career as a full time teacher, the difference could have been grand. Attracting the attention of 20 students rather than 40 could have been huge just for the fact that noise level would be cut in half. Applying and following up on discipline procedures, reaching all students and checking their understanding and progress, individualizing instruction when needed, could have been only part of the benefits. Help of an aide could have done wonders too - checking papers, tests… things that teachers wish they had more hours in the day to complete to their satisfaction…

Funds to accommodate smaller classes, presence of adult assistant, and additional out-of-class support, would make learning enjoyable for those who want to learn, would encourage those who don’t, and make learning feasible for the rest of the students, the majority,  in between…

Sub Vision: Movie Anyone?

Students always press for a movie day. Whenever a teacher, and especially a sub, seem not to be sure of the lesson plan, it is always – movie, let’s watch a movie…

It used to be the remedy for every space in instructions, but in the past several years the district have put some limitations on it, and schools became more critical of teachers who insert movies too often. Even substitute teachers have to be very careful; it has to be under specific instructions of the regular teacher. I, therefore, carry with me optional activities, in case a teacher had not left a lesson plan.

It looks like the rules are loosening again, though, and I recently encountered more and more instances where a movie was the educational plan. Over the past school year I have seen many pictures in class, too often, unfortunately, not the type I would consider a good choice for high school, let alone middle school, students…

Regardless of choices, one thing never ceases to amaze me; no matter what kind of a movie is being shown, students are not interested. As soon as the movie starts students are turning to their preferred occupancy – talking to a friend, styling their hair, putting on makeup, doing other work, and most often getting on their phones.

Help me, someone, understand… if a movie is such a sought after class activity, how come more than half the class doesn’t even watch it? Why are they tuned out as soon as the screen in the front of them becomes alive with pictures and words?

The teachers who do care prescribe some preventive measures. There are teachers who ask students to write a summary of what they have seen, others give a short quiz about the movie, or part of it, afterwards. One teacher had left me desperate instructions about forbidding any cell phones and turning off all the lights so students won’t be able to do anything else besides watching the movie…

    

But students are smart, skilled and experienced, and would do anything to defy the rules… so then, maybe, just maybe, teachers should be the ones to follow the rules… and not show any movies…

Sub Vision: Charter School (Again)

It is again about a charter, this time a well-established, district affiliated, charter school, that used to be one of the best in our area. I liked working there and hoped for more assignments, which came quite rarely...

Now I am called more often, but the more I do, the less I like it.

This school had changed. I gather that a group of self-interest teachers were taking over the school. They removed a beloved principal one year before his retirement, and replaced him with a young, inexperienced teacher, who has powerful friends. I am not sure if that event coincided with the school becoming a charter but something had changed since...

I was recently called to replace an English teacher who has a good reputation. Two of her classes were honors and were a pure pleasure. The other three were tougher, one of which was real trouble. As it often happens, it was at the end of the day, and relatively populated class. Even taking roll seemed to be quite a task...

The minute attendance was taken, a student grabbed the pass and was on his way out. As hard as I tried, I couldn't stop him from leaving, to the tune of his cheering classmates. From there on it went downhill; students where inattentive, disruptive, disrespectful and defiant. It may have been expected from students, but school's respond was less expected...

I don't take lightly students'  run classroom, and although I could (and maybe should) have let it go, and ignore other defiant acts as well, I decided to call the dean, assuming that dean's appearance would have some calming effect.

The person who appeared on behalf of the dean was a nice, older guy, whom I've seen several times managing staff's parking lot. The students were delighted to see him and were cheering him and themselves...

      He was not anxious to remove the students I wanted to send with him to the dean and instead suggested lecturing to them... I opted out of it and insisted on the removal. I also tried to get his attention regarding the boy who disappeared from the class, without much success...

In the end, that boy came back about half an hour later, and the students who were removed from the class, together with their friends who volunteered to go with them, returned, triumphal, to the classroom, and all I could do was resigning back to my seat and praying for the quick relief of the bell...

It is, no doubt, a lose lose situation, for the students who want to learn and those who don't, for their teacher, and for all the future substitute teachers who are sure to come.

This is a result of a limited budget that is badly appropriated by poor judgment of some individuals. It is a consequence of flexibility given to charters schools, enabling them to neglect critical, desperately needed, services, like discipline enforcement...

Sub Vision: Considering a Charter School? Think Again…

This time it is about an affiliated charter school. While most charter schools are independent, some are affiliated with the district. They choose to turn charter to be able to control the funds they receive from the state. Many of them keep the school intact and continue to operate it as before, at least for a while. Few of these ventures are successful, but many are not.

The charter school I had visited the other day used to be a department of a big public school, one of the better ones in the area. Its major part became an independent charter school, but some parts of it broke into small, district affiliated, charter schools. This was one of them.

I have been there several times before, and never quite liked it; there is always something unprofessional in these schools. The Spanish teacher for whom I substituted several times back then had not been at the school for a while, and it didn’t sound like she was coming back anytime soon. This time, however, I was called for an English teacher (that I later learned was absent a lot too), and since I have not been there for a while I decided to give it a second chance.

The main office person who “welcomed me”, had asked me what I was doing there. When I told her the name of the teacher I was sent for, she told me that she had asked for someone else. I felt that the right thing to do was to apologize for my presence, and I asked her if she wanted me to go away. That irritated her even more and she told me to give her a break; it is too early in the morning (as if I didn’t know that).

At last, it seemed apparent that the preferred special sub decided to cancel his job, and I don’t blame him… It is just that he could have let the school know. I would have…

That was how my day started. And it didn’t get any better…

The first period was relatively OK. They were doing an AP test example. I didn’t think they should be working together, nor that they should use their notes, but I tried, except in extreme cases, to stay out of it, since I didn’t have any specific instructions.

From there on it went downhill; disrespectful students with the confidence of not facing any consequences, flatly refuse to do what I told them to do, and other students who would have been more cooperative had they had some real assignment to keep them busty.

As a substitute teacher, I don’t have to return to a school that I don’t like, but the permanent teacher has to face this reality every day (no wonder he chooses to be absent). But this is not the real problem... The real problem is for the eighty percent of the students, who could have done so much better had the school had a real discipline plan. And further more, it is about those few who really want to learn…

One of these students told me to get rid of those hooligans, and I did… buy only for that one period…

However, it is not that easy to get rid of the hooligans. They are part of the school’s resources. Every small, mediocre, school, depends on every student on their roll, as tough as he/she might be, for the money from the state. This money is not enough, though, for the school to hire additional administrator or a dean of discipline to help with those tough students…   

Sub Vision: Computers in Education II

I was called again to cover a computer class few weeks later, at another school. This time I was less tensed, hoping to serve only one of the two-days assignment. It happened to be a class with tablets and not desktops, which made students’ mobility easier, to their advantage, and to my disadvantage…

As before, assignment seemed to be clear and well defined, but students immediately informed me that they are done with their task and have nothing else to do, and thus will be watching movies and do computer games…

I contacted the teacher to get her advice on the new, students’ defined’ situation. To my surprise she said it is OK; students know what they are doing, and she is NOT really expecting me, the substitute, to monitor their activities. I timidly said ‘fine’, and patiently listened to her real worry – a math class at 5th period. I promised her it will be ok and did not contact her anymore…

Students were having a ball… They defied all the rules, ate and drank next to the computers, and did nothing for two days but watching movies, playing games and texting their friends in other classes. All I could do was to try to somewhat contain the chaos. The teacher didn’t expect me to interfere…

The only class that was productive was that ‘worry some’ math class. The assistant was excellent (I have known her for years), and we worked together keeping students on task, and making sure they have plenty to do. And although this was potentially the more problematic class, it was good and productive.

I, sometimes, imagine writing a letter to class teachers: ‘Dear Mr/Ms Teacher, as a substitute I can’t evaluate your students, so don’t expect me to grade them! Also, don’t ask me to enter comments to your grading book! It is not my responsibility! But, please, do not leave things to students’ judgment as to what they supposed to do. They won’t! They will do nothing, and mostly in a noisy and chaotic manner.

Students need a specific assignment to do on a piece of paper, something I will be able to see they are doing, and collect at the end of the period. Something they will be immediately accountable for, not only on your future returned date.’

I should compose the letter! Maybe even leave it on a teacher’s desk one day…

Sub Vision: Computers in Education

One of the ideas that float among education ‘wannabe’ is that technology will solve all our educational illnesses. Students with a connection to the internet will have an unlimited access to knowledge resources, and will be able to research every topic to their youthful curiosity, independent of a tiresome teacher…

Good idea? Of course! Does it work? Not necessarily…

I have seen it time and again, at public and private school, high level as well as low level classes. Whenever students have free approach to internet during their class time, they use it for entertainment, not to broaden their scholastic horizons…

As a math teacher, I am convinced that technology introduced at a too young of an age, during learning of basics, ruins the ability of students to build their own mental tools to conquer simple tasks, let along challenging ones. Their imagination is being limited, and their young brain is incapable of making easy connections.

There are tools available to portray more advanced concept in math, and I have seen nice concept applications, but if these tools are presented too early, they prevent the brain from developing ability of abstract thinking.

In different subjects, where learning consists of knowledge acquiring, like history and social studies, computers could be very helpful in looking up facts and researching events. However, as good as it sounds, these usages are not commonly utilized; as soon as students are able, they are off to their interests; Facebook, fashion, tabloid, games, even full length movies or football playoffs…

I recently clarify that fact to a group of our friends, who discussed, during a social event, the benefit students may enjoy by having a computer available in each class and subject. I made a strong argument that every internet access is soon becomes a source of distraction. Less than a week later, a new situation highlighted my point...

I was assigned to a computer application class, the perfect place to merge computer capabilities learning with fun skills practicing. No sooner than the class started, it happened again... Despite the fact that assignment was clear, creative and enjoyable, students, instead, chose immediately games, movies and social media…

Unfortunately, once more I was proven right…