Trying to fix education

A friend of mine sent me an article today written by some reporter who believes he has the answer the "fix public education." His entire article was about how America should recruit high school and college students in the top of their class to be teachers the way Finland, Singapore, and South Korea do. He believes that we should stop trying to fix "mediocre teachers" that are in the classrooms now and actively recruit teachers that are academically smarter. (Sigh) It is always perplexing to me why people who are not in education feel the need to fix education. Teaching is the hardest job there is, and every year with every new law, every new initiative, every budget cut, every public criticism, every teacher who does something stupid, and every child that brings a weapon to school, the job only gets harder. I firmly believe that unless you walk in the shoes of a public school educator, then you do not have the right to voice an opinion on how to "fix public education." As a 17 year veteran educator I can offer numerous ideas on what needs to happen to fix public education, but to date, no one has asked me. I find it ironic that reporters, congressmen, business executives, and lawyers all feel that they know what is best when they have never been a teacher. I do not even begin to try to fix the American economy or find a solution to the growing health care problem, or even try to mandate how to stop frivolous lawsuits because I don't know the answer to any of these things. I leave these problems to the experts who spend their days eating, breathing, and living these issues. As far as filling the schools with "teachers that are academically smarter than the present mediocre ones," I find this entire premise to be inaccurate and unfair to the countless professionals that spend their life making a difference to a child and giving that child hope for the future.

Welcome to Shocktober!

I first heard the word "Shocktober" when I was a new teacher. I remember that in September, I loved teaching, my students, and my school. I couldn't believe that I got paid to come to school every day and have the most amazing experience working with high school freshmen. That was September, and then the calendar changed to October. It appeared to me that overnight, my students became apathetic and talkative. My paperwork demands quadrupled. Student learning declined, and I had more meetings to attend that I could have ever thought possible. It was October, and I thought to myself: What in the heck did I get myself into? I remember talking to my mentor at the time, and I told her that I was overwhelmed, and I just didn't understand how everything that was once perfect, all of the sudden turned so bad. She smiled and told me that I had the Shocktober blues! October is the month when the "honeymoon" phase of school is over. Usually, the first six weeks is over, and students and teachers begin the real work of learning. Concepts become more difficult, days become longer from extracurricular activities, and the excitement of starting a new year has waned. So, we are in Shocktober at DMS, and it is very typical of every October that I have experienced since the beginning of my career. Our days are very busy, and the curriculum is getting harder. Students are consumed with extra curricular activities and hanging out with friends. So, as I lead this school, it is important to me that my parents and teachers understand that although there may be many tears this month (and you may want to pull your hair out,) October doesn't last forever. It truly is only 31 days long! Once Shocktober is over, the best part of the school year happens--the holiday season with Thanksgiving and Christmas/Winter breaks, and I can assure you that the holidays bring joy, peace, and camaraderie once again.

Happy Friday

Please forgive me in my recent absence from "blogging"---it has been very hectic the past couple of weeks. Monday is a student holiday, and I hope all of our students enjoy their 3 day weekend. The staff will be learning about technology and how to incorporate two technology applications into their classroom. We will be learning PREZI and ANIMOTO, and I am excited to see how teachers will be using both applications with their students. Have a great weekend!

EGGI week

Next week we celebrate Education, Go Get It! week at Deerpark Middle School. It is the week that we "formally" promote high school and college. I will update you on all the activities next week and all the fun things happening concerning college awareness. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. RRHS plays McNeil tonight at Dragon Stadium. It should be a fabulous game, and it would be great if we could all go and support our feeder high school!

Schools to Watch

I received an application today from someone in the district to apply for the Schools to Watch program. It is a program sponsored by the Middle School Association that chooses outstanding middle schools to be model schools for others to emulate. Of course, this is the vision that I have for DMS---I want Deerpark to be the best model for middle school education in the nation. I want it to be so good that schools from all across the nation come to visit, so they can model their schools after us! As I reviewed the application, I realized that although we have many outstanding systems in place, there is still so much more we need to do to be a "School to Watch." So, I made the commitment to share the guidelines with my staff and a make a plan to start introducing some of the systems that I know will make our campus the best. I am excited to start this journey with my faculty and students. I feel they are ready---no, we are ready to make our mark on public education. We will do it not only because it is good for Deerpark, but we will do it because it is what is good for kids.

DMS Rocked the House

We had our first pep rally today, and the kids were fabulous! I loved seeing the varsity theater boys dressed as cheerleaders to teach the crowd "Clap Your Hands!" The entire school rocked to "We will Rock You," and the cheerleaders did a great job of teaching the students how to cheer to "Go Big Red," played by the band. Speaking of the band---wow--what an awesome performance of the Black-Eyed Peas' song "I've Got a Feeling."
We had the best class competition--I think the 8th graders could be heard at McNeil High School. It was a lot of fun, and I am so proud that our students have so much school spirit. Go Rangers!

The 21st century learner

I walked through a 7th grade science classroom yesterday, and the students were learning about plant cells and micro-organisms. I sat and spoke with a group of students and inquired about their learning. What are you learning? Why are you learning it? Why is that important? I was inspired by these students as they discussed micro-organisms and their impact on the world. They discussed with me what happens when small species are killed forever and how it effects the Eco-system. They discussed the "green movement" and why it is so important to bring awareness to all people the results that destroying plant life will have on our planet. As I sat there and listened to these 12 and 13 year olds, I thought to myself, "These kids are so so much smarter than I was when I was their age." I had the same sentiment when I observed an 8th grade math class. Students were discussing the relevance of Scientific Notation and how it applies to our world. Once again--so much smarter than I was when I was their age. As an educator, I hear concerns about public education, and I often hear that students aren't as smart as their parents. I always hear how we are worried about this generation of learners. I can tell you that my experience with my middle school students has shown me that our students are smart, thoughtful, and inquisitive. They possess a different intelligence than their parents--not worse, just different. I especially see this when students are working with technology. Our students can manipulate technology better than most adults. They often show me how to make presentations better, use WIKIS, and incorporate Photoshop! As educators, we need to tap into this resource and have students learn using technology. So, this year, our teachers are researching 21 things the 21st century teacher needs to know to teach today's learners. Our action research as a school is all about technology. I will keep you posted on all the incredible things that our students and teachers are learning.