The Rain
Conferences are long over and went quite well. Everything seems pretty positive from my standpoint and I tried to really focus on the plusses of all of the kids. One negative came in the form of a girl not turning in her homework very often but really things look great.
Currently our grade levels are working on putting together the writing Grade Level Expectations in a way that makes some kind of sense. Supposedly. We had to put them in order of when they should be done. Who really cares when they should be done? But I guess it make sense in the process if only because each teacher actually knows when they will be taught so each teacher at grade level will be on the same page at the same point in time. Then we were to assign names to the three levels at which we see the kids will be during the progression of the GLE. We chose "Beginning," "Developing," and "Secure" just as the Everday Math Curriculum puts a label on where kids are in the scheme of things. I do not fully recall what each of these stands for but I will say that I participated in the definition process. I am not trying to brag. Only to note that I did participate which is fairly new for me as I am typically very quiet in meetings of any sort. After I had given ideas for Beginning and Developing, one teacher actually said, quite loudly, "Let's hear what Davicker has to say." I felt sort of proud about that simply because somebody noticed that I had something to say and that my idea might actually mean something. Not only that but I felt as though my other ideas meant somethign as well. At any rate, the important thing is that I am speaking more but I think that my ideas are actually improving student learning through helping other teachers and the school get ideas.
Some of the grade level meetings have been hell. We have a teacher who hates being in our school, another who thinks she is a teaching god because she has been teaching for a long time and two other teachers who sort of pull the rest of us through. So really just the two teachers annoy me, truly just the squeeky one who thinks she is a teaching god. The problem is partially that she has probably not done any real professional development outside of art for 15 years. That is her cup of tea. She is also good at going off the topic to discuss how great she is and the past ideas she has used. That last sentence was horrible but I think you get the point.
Another downer. I was sort of chosen/volunteered to be on the district science curriculum adoption committee. So I went to the first meeting and the head of the committee asked us to go to our schools and find out what teachers need and how what they are doing coincides with the GLEs for our state. As it turns out, I had written a paper on this topic for a Masters course of mine in which I interviewed each teacher and we also discussed confidence levels, material needs and scientific history in regards to each teacher. I reminded our principal of this (he is also on the committee) and told him it would be perfect. He replied, "Yeah, we could. But I want to sit down and have some deep conversations with teachers regarding this subject and see what they are doing and not doing." 1) How is this different than what I did a year ago? 2) Three days before the next meeting he sees me and says, "Regarding that meeting on Tuesday, I think I am just going to send an email to all of the teachers and have them answer a couple of questions" which he said in the meeting later that day "should only take a minute or two." This is a far cry from the average of 30 minutes I spent with each teacher. I did talk to a staff member who said that she and her three teammates in teaching will ask him to refer to my paper and my teammate says the same thing. It was then that I decided to send the paper to the chair of the committee. The meeting was supposed to be last Tuesday but was postponed due to weather and school cancelations. It was not until the Thursday after the meeting was supposed to be held that the email was sent to all of the teachers. Had the meeting been when it was scheduled, he would have been completely illprepared.
Do I feel an injustice? No, but I do not see why he would refuse the use of my paper when it would have only saved time. I also do not understand why he would be so late in sending an email or why he would do this via email at all when he stressed wanting to have a personal meeting with each teacher.
Now I am celebrating Veteran's Day. Please remember those you know who have served in the military. And show respect for all who have done so.
Currently our grade levels are working on putting together the writing Grade Level Expectations in a way that makes some kind of sense. Supposedly. We had to put them in order of when they should be done. Who really cares when they should be done? But I guess it make sense in the process if only because each teacher actually knows when they will be taught so each teacher at grade level will be on the same page at the same point in time. Then we were to assign names to the three levels at which we see the kids will be during the progression of the GLE. We chose "Beginning," "Developing," and "Secure" just as the Everday Math Curriculum puts a label on where kids are in the scheme of things. I do not fully recall what each of these stands for but I will say that I participated in the definition process. I am not trying to brag. Only to note that I did participate which is fairly new for me as I am typically very quiet in meetings of any sort. After I had given ideas for Beginning and Developing, one teacher actually said, quite loudly, "Let's hear what Davicker has to say." I felt sort of proud about that simply because somebody noticed that I had something to say and that my idea might actually mean something. Not only that but I felt as though my other ideas meant somethign as well. At any rate, the important thing is that I am speaking more but I think that my ideas are actually improving student learning through helping other teachers and the school get ideas.
Some of the grade level meetings have been hell. We have a teacher who hates being in our school, another who thinks she is a teaching god because she has been teaching for a long time and two other teachers who sort of pull the rest of us through. So really just the two teachers annoy me, truly just the squeeky one who thinks she is a teaching god. The problem is partially that she has probably not done any real professional development outside of art for 15 years. That is her cup of tea. She is also good at going off the topic to discuss how great she is and the past ideas she has used. That last sentence was horrible but I think you get the point.
Another downer. I was sort of chosen/volunteered to be on the district science curriculum adoption committee. So I went to the first meeting and the head of the committee asked us to go to our schools and find out what teachers need and how what they are doing coincides with the GLEs for our state. As it turns out, I had written a paper on this topic for a Masters course of mine in which I interviewed each teacher and we also discussed confidence levels, material needs and scientific history in regards to each teacher. I reminded our principal of this (he is also on the committee) and told him it would be perfect. He replied, "Yeah, we could. But I want to sit down and have some deep conversations with teachers regarding this subject and see what they are doing and not doing." 1) How is this different than what I did a year ago? 2) Three days before the next meeting he sees me and says, "Regarding that meeting on Tuesday, I think I am just going to send an email to all of the teachers and have them answer a couple of questions" which he said in the meeting later that day "should only take a minute or two." This is a far cry from the average of 30 minutes I spent with each teacher. I did talk to a staff member who said that she and her three teammates in teaching will ask him to refer to my paper and my teammate says the same thing. It was then that I decided to send the paper to the chair of the committee. The meeting was supposed to be last Tuesday but was postponed due to weather and school cancelations. It was not until the Thursday after the meeting was supposed to be held that the email was sent to all of the teachers. Had the meeting been when it was scheduled, he would have been completely illprepared.
Do I feel an injustice? No, but I do not see why he would refuse the use of my paper when it would have only saved time. I also do not understand why he would be so late in sending an email or why he would do this via email at all when he stressed wanting to have a personal meeting with each teacher.
Now I am celebrating Veteran's Day. Please remember those you know who have served in the military. And show respect for all who have done so.
posted by ateacheratlarge | 10:39 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home