Second, anyone who would use the phrase, "we have been inserviced on", in a discussion of the teaching of language must be considered presumptively untrustworthy. There is a more-widely understood synonym of "inserviced on" that one might expect a teacher to know and use: "taught".
Willfully and egregiously bureaucratic phrasing of this sort raises a rebuttable presumption of a willfully and egregiously bureaucratic mind. I contend that presumption has not been rebutted in this case.
Damn straight.
We're now going to be no doubt endlessly struggling with the writing curriculum destined to be implemented on C. next year. (And yes, I do mean "implemented on" as opposed to "taught to.")
ReplyDeleteThe whole Writing Situation here may be the real brick wall: I keep looking at the prose people turn out and wanting simply to say: no.
No, this is wrong.
This is not writing.
This is....not....writing.
The primary focus of our ELA Committee has been to focus upon our writing approach K-12. Consequently, we reviewed several writing programs before deciding to hire Shelly Klein as a consultant. We also hired a Teaching and Learning facilitator (Joyce Chapnick) this past summer to work with grades K-5. Subsequently, Shelly and Joyce conducted a Writers’ Workshop during the week of August 21 for 31 elementary teachers and 7 administrators. Over the course of four days, the two of them provided the workshop participants with a variety of strategies to promote effective, consistent writing experiences for our K-5 students using Writers’ Notebook. Teachers were taught how to personalize and launch their own notebooks and how to identify personal moments that they could choose to develop. They received instruction in using writing craft tools to enhance their writing, information on how to conference with their students in the writing process, how to purposefully collect student writing samples in portfolios, how to use rubrics in providing feedback, where to find personal narrative resources, and how to celebrate student writing.
etc.
I think I'm reaching the point of (possibly) actively not wanting the school to "teach" C. how to write.
Every other parent in the district is up in arms about the lack of writing instruction.
I'm sure they're right....(of course they're right; in fact the kids aren't being taught to write).
But I'm starting to think that I may not want them to.
I don't know.
At least the words "Lucy Calkins" appear nowhere in the document.
ReplyDeletewell...i don't know
ReplyDeletei just looked up the website of what I presume may be the program they're implementing....
at least they do teach expository and persuasive writing
oh!
ReplyDeleteI think this is the person!
She looks NOTHING LIKE Lucy Calkins.
http://www.sdworkshops.org/shelleyklein.htm
I have to assume that a person who has been a Teacher of the Year knows what she's doing.
ReplyDeleteThey do love their strategies. There's no straight line to anything.
ReplyDeleteDoug
ReplyDeleteWell, I think there is some tension between the state and the schools....
For instance, state standards aren't something schools want.
I'm assuming that the Teacher of the Year process is influenced by parents....
Obviously I don't know.
But I'm assuming.
If it were up to ed schools to pass out awards, then no.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't make that assumption.