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…