This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Good Intentions
I must say if I hear "standards based classroom" one more time I'm going to scream!!!! I know our school system is considered to be behind the eight ball when it comes to keeping accreditation and our school specifically is desperately trying to make AYP this year...but come on people...can we still focus on teaching our kids the curriculum instead of spending 30 minutes of our 55 minute class period on whatever the latest and greatest idea in education is!!! I feel that we are loosing sight of what the true goal should be for our students. Ok, I'm fine with having to write out the entire standard and element and essential question on my board, though I may grumble a little when all of this takes up 90% of my board space. I haven't complained too much when I visited other schools in the county and found that they have been able to type their standards and elements out and just change them periodically..thus saving board space (when our principal told us specifically that we could not do this per the superintendent). However, now you are going to tell me that I have to write the standard, the task assigned, and teacher commentary for every piece of student work I want to display on my bulletin board!!! This is ridiculous...I think that if you have a question about whether or not the work is considered to be standard-related just ask me. This kids don't really care and it looks awful to have all this junk up there. I now have no room to display the things that the kids worked so hard on. I feel like I have to tell my kids...sorry I only have room for one student's work to be displayed because I have to place all this other crapola on there which I feel is just for show. I know that our administration has good intentions, but enough is enough. I'm too busy trying to make the "frosting on my cake" look right and not worrying about the cake itself. The staff is getting worn out, the kids are loosing focus because they are drowning in the "language of the standard", and frankly I'm just getting sick of the whole thing!
Poor Amy! I know how you feel but it sounds so much worse on your end. I can't imagine if I had to do all of that (and maybe I am supposed to but I don't). I write my standards that we are covering on the board and go over them and the kids just look at me. I feel like I put the standards on my lesson plans so if anyone has any quesetions on what I am covering, they can look at those.
ReplyDeleteI feel like we are trying to focus on the adults being happy rather than the kids being happy.
I loved and I do mean loved high school. I was one of those odd kids that took a Calculus class an hour before school even started and then stayed late to take a computer class even though I could leave early. The reason I loved school so much is because I learned so much. I felt like I was becoming a better person and that the sky was going to be the limit with all that I was learning. Well the funny thing is, I have no idea what standards I covered but I do know that I can type faster than most chefs, have more math knowledge than most chefs, and feel like a more rounded person because of it.
I went back recently to see my English teacher (my favorite teacher of all time even though I hated English) and I was talking about my fondest memories in her class. The final senior speech, the long discussions of literature, etc. and she informed me that she no longer has time to do those things because she is so consumed with end of the course testing. I could not believe they had taken the best memories that have stuck with me for 10+ years away from the classroom. Something is wrong in how the classrooms are run these days.
Preach Preacher..You are singing to the choir, it's snowing in Alaska, freaks come out at night and all of the other ironic truths. Amy I feel you lady and I wish I had three wishes, I'd give you one. Girl, keep your head up. Prayerfully, a great change will come after a while.
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