Why Teachers can't Teach and Why You are Killing the Wrong Messenger

Teachers don't teach anymore. Well, they don't decide what your child needs to learn and how they will best learn it.
It is what teachers attended universities and paid thousands of dollars to learn to do, it is their field of expertise.
But School district administrators, researchers, curriculum developers and text book companies decided they know better.
What you need to know is all schools are "data driven" and your child's needs are based on that data. It doesn't matter if your child isn't ready to learn a certain developmental task. Your child fails if they aren't ready to learn it. Oh, teachers are to provide "remedial" training to your child, based on the curriculum calendar -for example, if your child doesn't understand the concept of groupings by September of this year in first grade, but gets it in March, your child's report card will reflect the fact they are failing that concept based on the timeline expected for them to learn it.
You see, teachers don't call the shots anymore. District curriculum administrators do that.
Teachers are told what to teach, when to teach it and how to teach it.
Your child's personal needs are not considered.
Teachers are evaluated by the ability of a class to achieve milestones directed by the school district deadlines.

While parents and the public are bashing public teachers as poorly motivated, lazy, even slothful, protected by unions who appear out to protect an archaic system, the public is attacking the messenger.
We would love to teach to each child's needs. We would love to spend a little extra time developing a learning environment  which prepares your child for learning new concepts when ready.

We would love to use those tested , tried and true methods to instill a love of learning, an excitement and wonder for learning. It is what we all remember -the teacher who instilled the love of reading, made history and social studies come alive, knew how we learned and placed a full plate of educational wonders at our desk so we felt rich and full.
Last week my group of first grade boys were completing the district mandated calendar activities-
date, month, year, shapes, weather, counting by twos, fives and tens, and seasons when one of them asked me about the seasons. Why was their summer? Winter? How did the weather get cold or hot?
While not in the curriculum calendar for first grade 5 and 6 year olds it was a teachable moment and we used the globe to discuss the rotation and revolutions of the earth.
The astonishment on their faces, the rapt attention, the fast flying questions and the pondering looks on their faces reminded me of why I became a teacher.
It is the love of learning, the amazing connections we make when we learn and the wondrous looks on the 20 faces of the little boys I so love to teach -that is why I teach.
Mostly your children are cheated of these experiences and while it is happening the public is killing the wrong messengers.
The very ones who want , more than anything in this world, to make learning alive, rich in content, applicable and understandable to your children.
The teachers.

The New Poor In America

Last night as I was leaving Wal-Mart a man with two children came up to me and ask if we had any money to spare.
Said he was laid off last year and couldn't find work. Food stamps didn't cover enough for food and he couldn't find a job. He asked me if I knew of anywhere he could find work, he was desperate.
I had 50 dollars to spend on groceries for five people in my family that had to last until Friday and we were hitting the dollar store,
I couldn't help him and I work.
These are kids that go to my schools.
They are kids who wear raggedy clothing and have nowhere to sleep at night.
What is happening to our country?
I got home and found out they had recalled the formula my grandson drinks because the Similac had bug parts in them.
Formula is 24.00 a can!
So 13.00 of my fifty went to buy a can of formula until we get paid on Friday.
Oh, sure, they will give you a voucher for their products without bugs but who wants to buy formula from a company that cares so little about infants they allow bugs to get in their formula?

Eggs? Formula? Lettuce?
These are things which happen in third world countries, not the United States.
Used to.

GOP Contract With America

GOP Contract With America:

Fellow Americans
You loved the  Flush of the Bush years.

New Contract:
 Dear Middle Americans:
How would you like to lose it??
With cyanide or Drano??
The poor of this country are already on their way out.
Middle Americans, Stupid, Ignorant Middle Americans,
Vote us in so we can finish you off.

Let's Raise Social Security Until Their Dead

Raising the age for Social Security is a cheap shot.
When massive unemployment plagues the United States
who do you think is the first to be laid off?
Look around
Those age 50 to 65 are in no man's land.
No Social Security to protect them,
so le';s raise the age for benefits.
The government saves money because it forces many elderly to draw it early
or people die before they can collect it.

Freedom of Speech

I struggle with wanting to shut the pundits of sensationalism and lies up and respecting their right to open their mouths and pour out the inaccuracies, distortions and lies.

The American Psyche-Grandiosity Turned Paranoid

As a nation we have always been full of ourselves.
We  wouldn't have stood up to the most powerful British nation in the 1700's had we not had an insufferable amount of self importance.
Those moments are about the best of us.
Over time we have taken our sense of self importance beyond the  healthy -
twisting our rationale to create Japanese internment camps during World War II and  imprisoning our own American citizens, going to war with one another, a fight to own other humans, how much more grandiose can one get? To believe we  the have the right to own another human?
We have taken it upon ourselves to "root out communism" destroying thousands of American citizens careers, livelihoods , families and lives  in the process,
We have invaded smaller countries deciding our form of government is "free" so we should impose it on other countries. We claim to abhor the violation of others civil rights, considering many third world countries barbaric yet we are one of the few "civilized countries in the world to continue using the death penalty.

9/11 is a watershed in America. The lives lost at the Pentagon, the World Trade Centers, and on Flight 93 did not result in a shining America, ready to show the world how we unite and the wonders of our democratic principals.
Instead it curtailed the rights of citizens, created a witch hunt mentality for those few left in the country who believe they are not of immigrant heritage, laws allowing our phones to be tapped, out internet use to be monitored, and yes, even our most fundamental rights, the right to know our accusers, obtain legal council and the right to a fair trial have been thrown out the window-without one peep.
Oh the occasional blogger might have written something-without much notice.

The National Enquirer, once the gold standard for the outrageous? A small burp behind the hand of a child compared to absolute sensationalized, vacuous, self absorbed, shallow "news" meted out by airheaded, mean spirited, intellectually vacuumed mainstream media caricatures who call themselves "reporters"

9/11 shit happens. We are not so unique.

We have invaded countries on baseless lies-do you not think those citizens and families, the many deaths, is not suffering?
Do you not consider the deaths of thousands of blacks at the hands of America  a a huge catastrophe?
Do you not consider the meddling in other countries-overthrowing governments, because "we" deem it right, removing whatever will the people own, an insufferable method of patronization?

Had we used these moments in history to declare change which actually did improve the lives of those who suffer, we could rationalize our insufferably grand delusional nature.

We didn't. use this tragedy to shine a light on our justice system, the belief in religious freedoms, or the rights of our citizens, did we?
In our bizarro twist of perspective, we have turned our nations' goodness into hatred- no paranoia , allowing our own freedoms to be sacrificed, taken our Statue of Liberty's welcoming beacon and turned it into a torch of persecution towards our own immigrant history, and emerged an angry nation, irrational, sensationalized, refusing to see truth, grasping at media bloviation as if it were truth, and headed for third world country status.

Our beloved country, the United States, once held out to the world as a nation of hope for others, has become a nightmare, to be feared, globally,
not because of our power or our our strength-
because  of our dangerous paranoia and irrational grandiosity.

A knife or a gun? Voting

Voting for most of the candidates this year is like asking do I want to kill myself with a knife or a gun?
Not doing anything allows someone else to make that decision for you.
Is this called a "conundrum?"
I think so, Helen...

Simple Rules of Communication

I work at an elementary school. I love my work. I can't think of another job I would want to do.
The kids are amazing.
The greatest challenge is getting 70 women in one building to communicate in an honest and straightforward manner.
A lot of backdoor, backbiting, insinuations seem to occur and usually I just stay under the radar and teach.
For some reason, this year, there appears to be more vindictiveness than usual.
Ironic, when we are teachers of healthy social behaviors and communication skills.

So I wrote a few simple rules that might reduce the number of incidents in which conflict is created by poor communication behaviors.

1. If you have an issue with someone go to them first to resolve it-avoid discussing it with others you work with -what does that accomplish?
2. If you aren't sure or don't know-ask and clarify.
3. Think positive! It may very well be a misunderstanding-never assume.
4. Always ask yourself, "How would I like to be treated in this situation?"- before you act on your feelings. We are supposed to be role models for young children. Are we behaving in the manner we expect them to behave, in resolving differences?
5. Accept responsibility for making our work environment joyful! Isn't that what we all want for our students and ourselves?