At one school I know of, the principal announced to the parents on curriculum night something like the following," We will not be teaching math facts, algorithms, handwriting, spelling, decoding skills -- that's YOUR job. We will provide children with enriching cross-curricular projects, technology integration, field trips, opportunities for personal research... " (yadda yadda)
Why does he get away with this? Most of the parent community are sheep and go out and pay tutors or Kumon to do what the school should be doing, because they are afraid their kid will not make the grade if they don't. It's a well-to-do neighborhood. In a disadvantaged area, of course, schools don't teach the skills effectively either, but there they can blame the kids and parents -- using euphemisms, of course.
I've mentioned several times my suspicion that wealthy schools are different from middle class schools.
A couple of weeks ago, Ed talked to a woman who put two kids through Horace Mann. She told him that not only is there a lot of tutoring going on at Horace Mann, there are tutors who specialize in individual Horace Mann classes -- whole rosters of tutors-for-hire who tutor your child in one particular class.
I find that remarkable. These people are paying Horace Mann somewhere in the neighborhood of $30K to educate their kids, and they're still having to hire tutors, and they're having to hire different tutors for different classes.
How do they keep it all straight?
Do they post organizational charts on their kitchen walls?
This story caused me to come up with my new phrase: compliant rich people.
...........................
I think there may be something to this idea.
My own town is filled with the working rich. Ed is a member of the working rich, compared to other members of the professariat. (I'm not bad where writers are concerned.)
Well, how do the working rich become the working rich?
Not by "whining," that's for sure!
From time to time, in the past, I've had the vague thought that the reason I've been so uncooperative and noncompliant with the scene around here is that I grew up on a farm, G**damnit.
I look at the folderol that goes on around here and I think: this is not the way your basic middle class person whose nephew plans to enroll in SIU-Edwardsville functions. I mean, I can't spend 1 week every August at the Staybridge Suites in Springfield, IL and spend the other 51 weeks of the year in a Westchester County public school district and have it all make sense.
A person raised on a farm, generally speaking, has a core expectation that if one asks a simple question, one will receive a simple answer.
Back when C. was in K-5, that was the rule. Ask a simple question, get a simple answer. (Of course, with the advent of Trailblazers, that has changed to some degree.)
The middle school is a whole different culture, and it's not for me.
That principal should be tarred and feathered. That's professional malpractice in my opinion. Thankfully, in my personal experience such people aren't that common overall (but, depressingly, are more common in either administration or in education school). The bright side, too, is that probably (hopefully!)many of the teachers hear that drivel, nod their heads, and then go back and do the right thing when they aren't looking.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell to what degree teachers here just close the door and teach.
It definitely happens.
We had a funny moment last winter, at a Coffee with the Principal.
The subject of character education came up, and one of the principals mentioned, rather sternly, that it had come to their attention that the social studies teachers weren't teaching "Facing History and Ourselves," the Holocaust character ed program the school had bought a year or two before.
Ed and I jumped all over that: "GOOD!" we said.
We both distinctly recall a look of relief coming over the assistant principal's face.
One less problem to deal with!
Or....take our math teacher this year.
ReplyDeleteEvery teacher in the district is now under heavy pressure to teach writing, writing, writing.
Meanwhile this guy's got Ed and me amongst his parent population; he's got a bunch of other activist parents, too.
This teacher is a semi-veteran who does **not** get into battles with parents....partly because he knows what he's doing, but partly because he has good management skills (classroom management & parent management).
We've already sent emails all over creation saying that if science and math teachers are going to teach writing, then English and social studies teachers better start teaching math & science, too.
Don't know if the administration has seen these emails, but I wouldn't be surprised.
(I doubt they would have made their way to teachers.)
At the beginning of the school year the math teacher -- who, as I've mentioned, is respected, well-liked, etc. -- told the kids that he is a terrific ELA teacher, that he used to be an ELA teacher, that he knows how to teach writing and he'll have them writing great by the end of the year, etc.
So here it is October 8, and no writing-in-math assignments have come home. Unless someone really sits on this guy, I don't expect to see any.
My current theory is that parents can be a help to teachers in supporting them not to do things they don't want to do.
I'm guessing that a well-established teacher, contemplating a roomful of parents who don't want to see a stream of "when might you use a decimal" writing assignments coming home, is going to say to himself, "I don't want to teach writing; the parents don't want me to teaching writing; how about we don't and say we did."
Cranky Is that correct?
Or am I off?
I'm wondering how I can cash in on this.
ReplyDeleteI would happily tutor rich and compliant children for big bucks!
rudbeckia hirta
ReplyDeletemove to TUTORVILLE (er formerly Ridgewood) NJ
I would happily tutor rich and compliant children for big bucks!
ReplyDeleteIt's not as glamorous as it sounds; I know this from my mercifully brief career as an SAT tutor. Try to imagine sixteen year-old versions your old pre-service class, except they drive 3-series BMWs and think that there's a single magic formula into which they can plug random numbers to solve all the problems on the SAT.
I would happily tutor rich and compliant children for big bucks!
ReplyDeleteno kidding!
IG
ReplyDeleteyeah, that's doing hard time
this is completely different
tutors are working with demoralized 12 year olds & their equally demoralized (albeit ticked-off) parents
You are correct to an extent that well-established teachers can, if they carry community support/respect, buck trends and certain mandates. But in my state, WAC is law--by statute, all children must be given an opportunity to produce a piece for their writing portfolio, which is scored their senior year and plays a relatively significant part of overall academic accountability. So it's not a matter of pressure, but one of law for with regards to writing. Typically, the English teacher oversees the development of the portfolio and its final form during the senior year, but by law as well a certain number of pieces must come from non-English content classes. The attention given to these writing assignments, of course, varies from teacher to teacher, and the command of giving an opportunity to create a piece for later portfolio inclusion can be interpreted somewhat liberally (i.e. we do this to check off that we did it before going off to do our actual content), but you cannot avoid doing it. So I guess my measured answer to your question is: It depends.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct to an extent that well-established teachers can, if they carry community support/respect, buck trends and certain mandates.
ReplyDeleteInteresting.
I should add, in case Irvington folk are reading, that the math teacher is not remotely a "dissident."
This is a case of "good management skills" or just "good not creating more headaches than the district already has" skills.
Of course, now someone will bust him and I WILL CURSE MYSELF.
ReplyDeleteAND: I should add that I have no idea whether he intends to assign writing. He said he was going to, so he may not have gotten to it yet.
I may be getting my hopes up.
by law as well a certain number of pieces must come from non-English content classes
ReplyDeleteThat's fine, but those classes should not be science or math unless you're teaching h.s. students how to write-up experimental results or do technical writing (math, I guess...)
There is NO reason -- none -- to be writing a paper on "a situation in which you might use decimals."
ReplyDeleteI might add as well, that situations like the ones you described are where the much-derided concept of public school tenure works out well: myself and few colleagues would never have dreamed of speaking out against ideas we thought were bad or ill-advised before we had tenure. There are teachers who would gladly do their own thing that they felt was better than a bad, district-mandated policy, but the idea that you can be let go at the end of the year without a reason strikes fear into the heart of such teachers. Thus, a lot of risk aversion defines teacher behavior. Tenure, for me at least, is not at all like that of academics: it comes after 4 years continuous service in a district, and it basically means I can't be let go arbitrarily (they have to give a reason), and if I disagree I have legal recourse to fight the termination (i.e. the district must provide documentation).
ReplyDeleteThey can come from any subject area, and may very well come from science or math; indeed, many pieces do. To better address that kind of writing, technical writing (to better suit such subjects) was added as a category last year. In the whole, though, I am very skeptical of our writing portfolio system (to explain it all would require some time), which to the casual observer seems like a great and good idea for schools, but for someone like me, its various rules and made-up categories are maddening.
ReplyDeleteDear Boeing,
ReplyDeleteWe have been given the contract to design and build the engines for your new aircraft. I must tell you at the outset that we will require you to do all the design, testing, building and certification on your own. We are here to be the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage. We will allow your engineers to come to our facilities and see what an engine looks like but don't expect us to explain how it works, you must discover that for yourself. Imagine how much better your company will feel about itself if you discover how to build an engine instead of us building it for you. I can see that our partnership will greatly increase the self esteem of your company.
Thank you
General Electric
Dear General Electric,
ReplyDeleteSeveral of us here at Boeing were beginning to wonder just what value your multi-billion dollar contract would be adding to our project. Thank you for clearing that up for us. We look forward to a long and profitable relationship*.
Sincerely,
Boeing
* With Pratt & Whitney.
ones you described are where the much-derided concept of public school tenure works out well
ReplyDeleteWay ahead of you on that one!!!!!
oh, yeah
Ed and I have made this observation to one another on more than one occasion.
otoh, it's unbelievably hard to fire anyone anywhere these days
ReplyDeletetenure isn't as necessary as it once was (at least, I don't think it is...) and it may be reaching a tipping point, where it's more bad than good
I don't know.
Dear Boeing,
ReplyDeleteYou do realize that you will still have to pay for your contract with us and then pay more to have Pratt and Whitney do the work for you. Feel free to go to Pratt and Whitney if you wish we get paid either way.
Thank you,
General Electric
Tenure, for me at least, is not at all like that of academics: it comes after 4 years continuous service in a district, and it basically means I can't be let go arbitrarily
ReplyDeleteoh!
That's different.
Teachers here - who are now being hired straight out of ed school, with no track record elsewhere - are told at the end of 2 years' work that they can expect to be granted tenure.
The board approves all tenures cases so far as I know.
(We do hire some teachers who've worked elsewhere for as long as 5 years, which is MUCH better than hiring people straight out of school and then giving them a job and benefits for life 2 years later.)
yeah, well, stick around.
ReplyDeleteWe're a whole lot more than skeptical.
In fact, I'm contemplating launching a Writing War, to accompany the Reading War and the Math War, right here at ktm.
In the whole, though, I am very skeptical of our writing portfolio system (to explain it all would require some time), which to the casual observer seems like a great and good idea for schools, but for someone like me, its various rules and made-up categories are maddening.
Middle school culture is different to say the least. I came from a traditional Catholic school background when many nuns were still teaching. Believe me, you got simple responses on the right way to do things. For example, you would never see (and I'm quoting from a note re middle school parent-teacher conferences here): "Please understand we will not be utilizing this time to discuss curriculum concerns....In order for learners to play a more active role in their academic careers, we are encouraging each learner to present work gathered throughout the year. Such an experience as this can only enhance the communication between learners, parents, and teachers and help in establishing ownership for work, improving critical thinking skills, and can also serve as valuable preparation for the learners' future academic and professional success. Thus it is extremely important that your child be present at their conference (so we can discuss absolutely nothing of importance and don't have to deal directly with parents).
ReplyDeleteAs Catherine would say, speechless.
I came from a traditional Catholic school background when many nuns were still teaching. Believe me, you got simple responses on the right way to do things.
ReplyDeleteyup
I'm aghast at that blurb - that one's going up front, for sure.
Exactly when are concerns about the curriculum going to be addressed?
ReplyDeleteIn reality, the situation is identical here, but no one comes right out and says that they won't talk about the curriculum.
Kids are encouraged to attend conferences. We get to review the portfolio of work that we've already seen (because we slogged through most of it during homework). Our alloted time slot of 15 min is up before we get to any substance at all.
A big thank you for parent support and involvement and we are out the door. I've started interrupting the flow and ask curricular questions.
The math chair told us, directly and repeatedly, that she would not discuss curriculum or pedagogy with parents.
ReplyDeleteThe Earth Science teacher, this year, appears to hold the same policy.
So this is on the agenda.
Is it district policy or practice that teachers do not discuss curriculum or pedagogy with parents?
Is it district policy or practice that all issues must be framed as a problem in the child?
That is the question.
ReplyDeleteI contacted Galen Alessi, btw.
ReplyDeleteHe's sending me a copy of his article on school psychologists and SPED referrals.
A big thank you for parent support and involvement and we are out the door.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be composing my first Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation email of the year tomorrow!
Gotta keep the tone up.
ReplyDelete"Is it district policy or practice that teachers do not discuss curriculum or pedagogy with parents?"
ReplyDeleteThe feeling I have gotten at my attempts to discuss curriculum is that it is perceived as "prying". Seriously.
I had a teacher ask me if I was "prying" when I went to look at the science books up for review for the new school year a couple of weeks ago. You are asked for your input for selecting a science textbook and then when you go to actually look at them, someone thinks you are snooping around.
My reply was that my sons liked science so naturally I was interested in the text books/manipulatives.
"Oh", well, okay", the teacher replied.
The descriptions I see here are very different from what I experience in Kentucky. While the state of Kentucky makes some decisions that are, in my opinion, very ill-advised, I do give tremendous credit to the system of school governance that was devised for the state. Virtually every school in the state uses site based decision making councils, which usually have the head principal, three elected teachers (elected from the teachers), and elected two parents (elected by the parents)minimum. Depending on demographics, there may be an additional minority representative for both teachers and for parents, so a council can be up to eight people for a standard size. The primary focus of a council is supposed to be student achievement, although there are many other areas of purview. Councils review and revise school improvement plans, curricula, budgets, and a host of other school-specific policies such as attendance and discipline. They also have a unique power: they interview and hire principals, and advise the principal on teacher hires. Their meetings are governed by strict sunshine laws that allow them to be open and accessible to the public (except when discussing legally confidential material), which receives notice of a meeting through the local media. While they have no statutory basis (SBDM councils are created by the legislature and thus actually make school policy), many schools also use a committee system that issues advisory opinions back to the council based on the charges the Council gives to the committees. Committees usually assigned specifics such as Curriculum and Instruction, Budget, Attendance/Discipline, etc. These, too, are open for parents to join, and in my district at least, these meetings, too, are publicized in advance. Anyone can bring forward an idea to a committee or even straight to the Council itself.
ReplyDeleteOne avenue for many of you that might be fruitful in the very long run would be to lobby your legislatures for this method of school governance in your respective states, devolving power down from the superintendent and school boards to the actual school, its administration, faculty, and parents. It would take time to achieve, but it definitely makes the doors more open.
"Our alloted time slot of 15 min is up before we get to any substance at all."
ReplyDeleteOpen house and 15 minutes. That's it. However, most teachers are more than willing to meet with parents if they make a particular appointment. But can you even talk about curriculum?
I'll give you an example. Last year (fifth grade in private school), my son had a real science text book. He was learning a lot of content and was tested on that content. This year (in public school), there is no text, no workbook, no syllabus or handout. All they've done is to put definitions (like predicting and hypothesis) on 3 X 5 index cards and create a picture (using crayons) on the back. Ninety percent art, ten percent learning. They are given the definitions, so the grade is only for the artwork.
What do I do? Sit down with his teacher to tell her (diplomatically?) that what she is doing is all wrong? Do I go to the principal who will tell me that it meets the state's criteria for science in sixth grade?
How about history? My son is in sixth grade and has has been taught virtually no history. They focus on social studies and up to now, all he has had is thematic geography.
Most of our issues at KTM involve fundamental assumptions and expectations of education. Schools don't want to talk about those things. Private schools have their own issues, but they (at least) have to set higher expectations and they have to be responsive to parents talking about curriculum. Having just left a private school, they are very sensitive to making parents happy. Unfortunately, for many private schools, the only criteria of success is what prep schools their 8th graders go to, and that could be in-spite-of what they do in the classroom.
But can you even talk about curriculum?
ReplyDeleteLast time I tried scheduling a conference with the teacher to discuss curriculum, the principal had to be present. Apparently it was her job to make sure the teacher towed the party line. Lots of happy talk and edu babble that filled the time until it ended up being pretty much useless.
As a parent, I don't want to care about things like unions and tenure. I don't want to think about tenure as a means for allowing teachers to do what's right (or wrong). I don't think about those things when I purchase other products or services.
ReplyDeleteAbout two-thirds of my property tax (along with a portion of my state and federal income tax) goes to a product that I have little or no control over. I have to pay this amount year after year.
The problem is that I don't have a choice. I'm stuck with trying to fix or game the system. When the things I want changed have to do with fundamental assumptions or curricula, there is no process and little control.
Schools want a monopoly and they don't want any parental input on fundamental assumptions. They don't want to allow choice even though they know many parents disagree with their assumptions. They see parents send their kids off to private schools (20+ percent in our town) for higher expectations, but they WILL NOT offer choice even within their own control.
In our public school, this changes a little in 7th grade, where separate tracks and real content and skills are valued. Also, our principal bends over backwards to meet the needs of individual kids. You just have to get your kids to that point.
Parents have too few weapons in our arsenal to affect real change.
ReplyDeleteWe have two threats, and only two.
Each year we can reject the budget or whatever referendum might be up for a vote.
Or, we can try to get enough seats on the board of ed to oust the superintendent.
Both of these are extremely blunt tools.
I suppose there is a third option -- homeschool or private ed, but as Steve has pointed out (and I've noticed as well) private has many of the same educational philosophies as public. As a member of a community, I really want to make the public schools better, not just for my child, but for all those children.
Ending the public school's complete monopoly would go a long way to giving parents something a little more effective in pushing for change.
Cranky
ReplyDeleteDo you have a problem with these elections?
I'm not crazy about elections in small situations ----- for various reasons that are probably apparent.
I prefer some kind of waiting list.
We do have site based management, but the schools are wildly out of compliance.
I'm just now learning the law.
We'll be bringing it to the district's attention.
One avenue for many of you that might be fruitful in the very long run would be to lobby your legislatures for this method of school governance in your respective states, devolving power down from the superintendent and school boards to the actual school, its administration, faculty, and parents. It would take time to achieve, but it definitely makes the doors more open.
ReplyDeleteyes
I'm just starting to dip into all this --- though I can't quite imagine how I would do state-wide politics, given that NYC is in our state.
That's a pretty large 800-pound gorilla...
We have more tools than we know (talking to Lynn) --- we just don't know what they are.
ReplyDelete(CT could be different, of course.)
I'm now discovering that my own school is WAY out of compliance with most of our state open govt & FOIL law & school based management law.
"...devolving power down from the superintendent and school boards to the actual school, its administration, faculty, and parents."
ReplyDeleteNothing devolves to the parents. This assumes that the faculty and parents want the same thing. If I'm going to work that hard, I will work for choice. That way, the power (money) flows from the parent to the school.
That's the only "tool" we need.