Sub Vision: Private Schools

It was exactly three years ago when it all happened. At the time, I was so hurt that I could hardly talk about it; I would get teary eyed... For weeks and months I was hoping to get a phone call, email, or any sign from anyone saying sorry and that I am missed… Not even my good friend, whom I helped through tough times, physical and emotional…

The only communication I ever got was from a girl, unaware of the situation, asking me for help with the school’s newspaper. I answered but never heard back from her. And then one time I emailed, by error, one of the mothers, mistaking her for someone else, and received a cold reply saying she has no idea what am I talking about …

With time the pain subsided; I returned to the public schools system, and this small, private, religious school was forgotten.

Then, few weeks ago, exactly three years later, at a special screening of an ethnic movie, I saw one of my darling students. She was one of six girls that were the pride of the school, and my favorite group. And this student was the brightest and the best…

For a while I hesitated, not sure, but then, all of a sudden, without thinking twice, I stepped forward and said something to the fact that this is my favorite ex-student.

Both she, and her mother, did recognized me, told me where she were since (8^th to 11^th), and then told me about the rest, and what high school they go to now.

It was only when I departed and asked them to send my love to the other girls, that my emotions came full strength, and tearing, I could hardly finish my sentence… It took me another hour, well into the movie, to get back to myself and the pain to faint to the past.

It was a small religious school that invited me for an interview about a month after the school year had started. They told me that the previous teacher of several years had unexpectedly left, and the newly hired is not liked by the students, and being replaced.

I should have been alarmed by this information, but teaching a sample lesson to these darling group of girls I thought I found what I always wanted, students who like to learn, supportive parents, helpful administration, and an opportunity to teach the way I want.

For the first few months I was the hero teacher. My students’ parents were all happy. Parents of younger kids expressed hope I will be there when their kids get to my class. Students told me they understood things now that they had never before, administrators were all approving, and other teachers invited me to their homes for family celebration.

Before the holidays I received many gifts, both from parents and from administrators and teachers, and at a school holiday celebration I was highly praised by my students, with wishes and even with a cute poem. Everyone cheered for my celebrity…

Then, only few days later, just before the end of the semester, a parent wanted to talk to me. She met first with the head master of the school, and their meeting lasted for a very long time. At the end of it, she ignored me and the head master wanted to talk to me…

To my surprise, I learned that the principal was not happy with my performance, claimed that students don’t understand me, said I don’t use enough technology, and so on…

I was astounded, and asked her only half seriously if it means that she plans on firing me. Her answer was not re-assuring at all. Later I tried to get more information of what was it all about, and eventually realized it will be better if I just quit.

I, somehow, managed to teach to the end of the school day, and following an email exchange later in the day it was clear that I should not come back. I still had to fight for my last paycheck, but when it was over I was just left to wonder what had happened.

It took me months to put together events and time line, to realize that the great celebration before the holidays was also before the report cards. This mother with whom I had to meet had two kids as my students, cute and smart but spoiled and undisciplined, and although I did not fail any of my students, and even ‘D’ was rare, I didn’t hesitate to award ‘C’s to many students, and her kids too…

This woman, however, was rich and well-connected, and the school needed her money and influence. They couldn’t effort losing her over a math grade, so they got rid of me.

This was not the only case of unhappy parents with their student’s grade, I assume. Many of my students were sons and daughters of influential people in the school and community, a fact that gave them and their children entitlement to special treatment. The school depended on their money and influence and could not effort to lose them …

It is a sad story, but not a rare one. Sad for me as I was attached to the students and was doing a good job. But even more consequential was its reflection on the education system. It is not rare that private schools depend on parents’ satisfactions, translates to money… So to keep students and parents happy they get (buy) good grades. And with no a standard, mandatory measure of objective achievement, no one will ever know…

This personal story happened to be timely… With a new education ministry, potentially headed by a person who is a product of the private teaching system, with no public education experience, it is just the beginning of unqualified, money driven, schooling… 

Sub Vision: Calculation and Education

It was quite embarrassing… I was part of a group arranging a large tea party. The kitchen was crowded with many good willed individuals trying to help. Two of us were assigned to the tea preparation that included separating small thin bags, opening them up, pouring in a quarter cup of tea leaves, and sealing them with a curling iron…

Then came the real challenge… this time a mathematical one:

There are 105 cups in the water container. The right amount of tea per one gallon is half a cup of tea leaves. How many (1/4 cup) bags should we put in the water container?

I am sure it had to do with all the pressure around, the people, the time limit, the noise, getting ready for the big event, yet I don’t understand why I just could not figure out the right number of tea bags needed… The people around me were ready to accept any answer I came up with, and I got an OK for anything from 4 to 27 bags per container…

It took me a while but at last I came up with the right answer, confirmed by recalculation on the next day, at home. But back then I still doubted my calculation and was afraid the tea was too strong for all the older people participating, so I took out the bags as soon as the color seemed dark enough, and kept adding hot water to the containers…

Later on I learned that miscalculation was not the only problem with the tea; the water was not hot, tea distribution was not even, with no supply to some tables… but I was just thankful that no heart problems were reported… still I was bothered by my inability to solve this simple math problem, being a reasonably mathematically inclined person…

Interestingly enough, what grounded me at last was an old method that I have never learned at school, nor had I ever seen it being taught… I found it out by listening to a neighbor, (not an educated person), explaining it to another neighbor... He called it the ‘Triangle Value’, similar to proportion, but written differently, in a simpler way:

The top line (in my case) is:         1 gallon (water)  –  ½ a cup (tea leaves)

The second line is:                       6.5 gallons        -    X  cups

To find the X: multiply the value above the X by the value next to it, and divide it by the value diagonal to the X…

So… after so many years of education, and in education, what really helped me solve a real life math problem was a method I overheard from a neighbor… isn’t it interesting?

Yet, this is not the only time I resorted to methods and terms I did not learn at school. The basics for algebra and geometry I learned from my cousin. Understanding fractions, setting up equations and understanding their meaning, I learned from my grandfather… From my parents I learned values, logic, history, geography, politics, and much more…

Maybe we don’t need schools, after all, only good, informed, adults around us…

Sub Vision: Election and Education

The result of the last election is yet to be absorbed by many of us… It is not about Democrats vs. Republicans this time… Yes, there are ideology differences, and yes there is a threat of repealing the president’s executive orders that protect the vulnerable, there is the affordable care (that I strongly support), gun control, and of course the nomination of the Supreme Court justices (shamefully handled by the other side of the isle),  but again… this is not it!

My frustration, indignation, horror, panic, are about the person we elected as a president… A person who offended every sector of our sacred diverse society; insulting religious affiliation, dismissing heroes, implying racism, mocking the disabled, disrespecting women, alienating the LGBT community… all while hiding countless scandals, cheating, dis-loyalties, immoralities, and robbing people who work for him…

This is the person whom we elected to replace the classiest, smartest, most honest person ever sat in the oval office, and his classiest, smartest first lady, with their lovely daughters. Darkness that replaces enlightenment, regression replaces progression, dirt to replace purity, ugliness to replace beauty...

How did it happen will take many more pages of rationalization, many hours of explanations, and many sleepless nights of regret and pondering on what could or should have been done differently…

Here is my token… Americans take their democracy for granted.  They rarely flood the streets to protest injustice. They are removed from commitment to democracy; voting is an option, not an obligation!

I was dismayed to discover that election night was the very night selected by organization to which I belong, to have a membership drive. I was even more amazed to find out that no one opposed that idea, and I, the foreign born citizen, was the only person who chose not to participate and to stay home, to watch (with horror) the election. Furthermore, that night happened to be very successful, all members showed up, even those who were absent for months, and new members turned in record numbers…

In my native country Election Day is a holiday. Workplaces are closed, schools are closed, public transportation is free, and thus everyone is part of the democratic process… yes, people do take advantage of the system, but they do vote too, and a long line to the booth does not scare them. Here, it is hard for working citizens to participate in the election, and for those who have not planned ahead of time to use an absentee ballot, there is a good chance that they will let others decide for them…

And it all goes back to education… Over the past year I visited many schools, majority of them are high schools. To my surprise, students showed very little interest, some even told me that they are not allowed to discuss politics. They were usually curious of my vote, but once they were satisfied that I am on their side (many are immigrants) they lost interest. The only time I heard a heated discussion about the candidates was by three students, all from my homeland, and although we were on different sides they showed the passion and conviction I would expect from all teen-agers... Even the days after the election didn’t bring much attention, and although some expressed a mild surprise, no one really cared!

What do we teach in school? Do we teach mere testable subjects? Do we ever put any emphasis on educating the young generation? Do we still stress ‘Character counts’? Do we talk about values? Do we teach citizenship? Yes, at one point they all have to take a subject called ‘Government’, but is this all the citizenship education that they get? Is this the only vehicle to teach right from wrong?

As a teacher, and educator, I like to observe social connections, especially integration. I love watching friendships between young adults that cross race, color, religion or culture. This is our future…

Few days before the election I was warm-hearten to see two students, of the same age and height, the white student standing in front of the colored one, folding his sleeves up… I thought – this is so cute! The real meaning of integration… Later I learned that they share the same first name, and that they are best friends… made my day…

This is, however, what I heard a week after the election, in a middle school. As I turned my head I heard the word ‘Niger’, something about a ‘Jew’, and…  ‘Heil Hitler’… As far as I know, none of the above words were directed to a specific person; they were part of a word game played by few immature students, yet, I have never heard those words said in public, neither at school nor anywhere else. Is the repulsive, regressive, rhetoric already setting in? Are we already witnessing a new permissive rudeness that we worked so hard to repress all these years? Are we going back to a dreadful reality belongs to another life at another time?

There is no escape from the very serious question – is this what we voted for? Is this the person, and his revolting entourage, that we elected to guide us? Is this the person who will give an example to our kids? 

Sub Vision: School Activity that works...

It was amazing! A school activity that actually worked!

The system had called me to cover a class and it turned out to be part of school-wide, two days students’ workshops, coinciding with teachers’ training. I watched few presentations by outside personnel about transportation, nutrition, among others, and although quality was not great, information was well received by students.

My favorite workshop, however, was the one presented by students to students. It was about school sports involvement and time management. A panel of 8-10 students, all involved in sports, mostly water, had discussed their enjoyment, achievements, struggles, frustrations, stress handling and time management; a panel of top students, serious, committed, mature, yet fun and engaging.

During those two days I listened to seven (!) presentations of this panel, mostly by the same people, with some variation, and although I was not involved and was free to do as I liked, I could not help listening and marvel about these young people. Many of them came from Hispanic families, some testified to being their first graduates. Some had young siblings to take care of, divorced parents, sick mother, home chores, live far away with no easy transportation to and from school…

Yet, they were all positive, committed, convinced in their goal and the means to achieve it. They were candid about their struggles, their failed attempts, past bad judgment, bad school performance… each having his/her own way of dealing with the obstacles. They talked about time management, how to arrange their activities, social life, how to stay awake yet get enough sleep, eat well yet watch their diet to fit their activities, how to stay on top of school assignments maintaining good grades, while engaged in long hours of training, and how to keep the stress in check juggling it all.

A student had talked about the need to scream and cry from time to time, another to watches cartoons. Someone confessed to taking four showers a day, another takes power naps, some participate in aggressive gym activity, some talk to a friend, and one real cute boy admitted to talking to his mom… I just wanted to hug him…

I remember years ago, between my technical and teaching careers, I worked with a group of smart professionals, who, like me, were unemployed. For a short, fondly remembered, period of time, four of us worked in a small area we called ‘the white room’. While doing a brainless job we discussed world problems, philosophy, beliefs… One day, discussing education, I expressed my opinion about scholarships being unfairly awarded to ‘stupid’ (pretty sure I said that) football players, instead of academic achievers. My statement didn’t sit well with one of my co-workers, an older, intelligent, kind man, with a long, successful engineering career. Per my insistence he said, ‘I guess this is not a good time to mention that I was one of those benefiting from a football scholarship…’

I have since changed my mind, and am a believer in the benefit of stirring students to academic success through their sports ability, but if I still had any doubt, this workshop absolutely convinced me…

Sub Vision: Just tell me – is it legal?

I was called to a middle school, not a favorite choice and too far away, but since the school is located in a good neighborhood, and I also know the principal, I thought it would be OK.

I arrived a little late, which didn’t seem to be a problem, and was directed to a classroom on the second floor. On the way there I tried to locate the nearest bathroom and couldn’t find one, a fact that didn’t bother me much until I glanced at the bell schedule. It consisted of five classes, (4 + homeroom), back to back, with only five minutes passing periods. 8:00 to 12:30, no breaks.

Well, I came to the teaching profession after a long career in an office, long enough to know that labor laws entitles you a ten-fifteen minutes break after two hours of work, and a lunch break of thirty to sixty minutes. In an office, most people can eat, drink, and tend to personal matters without much scrutiny, and smokers can go outside at their will. There is no limit on bathroom visits, of course, and unless you are in a middle of a support call to Puerto Rico, or in a closed door meeting, you are free to go to the bathroom whenever you need or want.

Life of a teacher is completely different. For one thing, you cannot be late to work and sneak to your desk, hoping your boss is too busy to notice, or not there yet. If you are a teacher, and late to work, everyone is fully aware of that. Forty students gathered at the hallway, outside a classroom, is noticeable by every neighboring teacher, all the administrators and each of the office staff.

Even more important is a rule teachers have to follow, of never leaving students unsupervised in a room. It means, then, that no matter how urgently you need to leave the classroom for few minutes, you can’t if you have students in the classroom…  Thus, if there are no official breaks, and especially if the passing periods are too short, next period’s students arrive before previous students leave, and there is no way you can visit the bathroom for four and a half hours!

This, by itself, makes me want to scream of frustration, and ask every education ‘expert’ if they happen to know what five classes, back to back, do to students’ attention and ability to learn, or what the poor working conditions do to teachers’ ability to teach, or to their motivation?

By the time I reached lunch time (30 minutes, not a minute longer), I was already fully charged with rage and frustration, which I poured on an innocent teaching aide who, naively, invited me to join them… I was furious with the bell schedule, the class size (40-45 students), a counselor that was not supportive, and principal who pretended not to know me, interrogating me about a text message sent to a student’s parents (couldn’t have been me as I don’t have access to that information), while the only person I called, the counselor, didn’t even answer her phone…

Legislators?  Education experts? Administrators? Parents? Am I the only one who feels that something is very wrong with this system, and it is NOT the teachers?

Sub Vision: Back to Back to School - Part II

So, it turned up a lot better than I anticipated. I arrived at the school with a heavy heart, to find out that my first period was a conference. I slowly crept out the office, and then quickly proceeded to the classroom. There were no visible instructions for my first day, but it looked like someone had been there and put up the current date. As I looked around to find more clues, the classroom door was opened, and a young, unfamiliar, teacher entered the classroom. Our surprise was mutual, but soon it became clear; he is the new teacher, and since his processing not completed I was needed there. Yet, he wanted to be in charge and run the class.

Well, I am not a big ego person, and for sure, I am not stupid not to see an opportunity opens right in front of my eyes. I am paid not to do the work; he is doing it, probably without pay. So, I readily agreed (not before checking with the office that it is OK), and offered my assistance; helping distributing papers, showing presence when needed, and even providing few highlights from my math teaching experience, and opinion about the importance of reading. Delightful four days of being on the side and looking with critical eyes at what he is doing.

The truth, however, was not as easy to swallow. I was actually listening with owe to the way this young, new, teacher was building methods and structure to create the foundation for his teaching. He had a good syllabus with clear instructions and explanations of what he expects of his students; everything that I have ever tried to achieve with my students, all written down and spelled out, good ideas, logically explained, expectations with consequences. I was impressed!

So here it is – there is a wounded ego after all… Was I unsuccessful because I didn’t do all these things? Did I not lay a strong, sound, foundation since the beginning? Was I not organized enough to have a stable system, one that my students were able to accept and follow, one that has clear expectations and consequences? Was my syllabus (I always had one) not clear enough?

I have to remind myself not to rush into self condemnation… I think of those nice two math coaches who supported me, years ago, during that tough semester. I was so excited on the first week, and boasted of how well I did with my students. They, knowingly, smiled and promised me – it will get worse! And it did - a lot worse…

My hope and wish for this young and new teacher is that his system, talent, hard work and excellent intentions will prove successful!

Sub Vision - Back to ‘Back to School…’

It is back to this time of the year, and, again, I am asking myself – do I truly want to do it? Am I really ready for another year of 5:30 phone calls, schools that refuse to deal with their actual problems, and a new generation of uninterested students?

A favorite school had called a week ago and asked me to start the school year until their new teacher completes his processing. I know better than rejecting a school that I like, so I agreed, but deep inside I questioned my sanity. I know what it means to start a new school year, been there done that… I had faced, in the past, fifty students being crowded in a classroom too small to contain them, let alone their desks… I had seen completely deficient rosters, with students checking in and out for weeks. I have had classroom assignment change on me several times during the first month, subjects switched, conference hour changed, or worse, taken away.

Obtaining teaching supplies is just as frustrating, and if you are new, especially in a big school, it may take months before you find out where to get what. So people like me – who hate a hassle, just go to the store and spend their own money, with a faint hope of one day discovering the right place for supplies or reimbursement...

Another big undertaking is books distribution. Once upon a time, not long ago, there was a textbook room where students would line up, and one by one be handed their books and sign a paper. No more. Teachers are now responsible for this function too (along with custodial, disciplinary, security, food distribution…).  This new duty includes bringing all the textbooks to the classroom (tens of books, each weighs many pounds), making sure that each is distributed and recorded on a special, bar-code numbers list. To say it is a tidies task is an understatement. Identifying the right label on the book (it always has several), finding the matching (small) numbers on the list, making sure students are writing their (real) name, distributing related workbooks, and later, handling exchanges, adds-on, drop outs.

Those blessed teachers, who are excitedly awaiting the start of a new year; their sacred energy already wasted on clerical burden, energy so needed for teaching...