This is long and on reflection, I feel good having written it as I am just so frustrated. It's a venting. I love to read everyone's posts, I don't always say much but I love to read what you all write. Coming from an Australian teaching background the general US teaching requirements was all so foreign to me until, until we were given an American principal at our elementary International school. We had already had American principals, don't get me wrong but principals who valued the expertise of the teachers and the incredible results that were always there in the must have 'tests'. Principals who were experienced educators from the States who valued the freedom of our unique school situation. We are so lucky, we have classes of twenty, full time teaching assistants, and we let parents know that we can't cater for some type of learning difficulties. That goes against the grain of most of us but you see, we now have to produce kids who are the 'best for the world'. And we can only do that by looking it seems at the test scores and keeping the parents who pay incredible fees happy. The very same parents who but for a few who were very happy with how it 'used to be'. The kids all come from highly motivated, highly professional parents. There is no such thing as discipline at our school unless you call, a kid not wearing his hat at break, s discipline problem. So, where is this all taking me, oh yes. We once upon a time didn't have 'blocked reading and language arts time'. Our curriculum was wonderful. We had developed a fantastic number of social studies and science units from prep to grade five, had been able to order whatever resources we wanted, (yes anything we wanted) and from there our kids explored the world. That world included authentic reading and writing, with literature circles, class read alouds and the most wonderful writing happening in every classroom. Classrooms buzzed. Kids in the centre module on the computers, finishing assignments, working collaboratively in groups, teachers working with small groups or one on one, parents in and out, sharing expertise, or just being in the room. And kids just loving and connecting with their learning. Now, we have lost our units because we have to teach 'reading workshop' and we will also have to teach 'writing workshop' and this is on top of the adoption of everyday math. We did have our own math curriculum based primarily on US standards but with the freedom to teach it in the way that best suited our kids. The results were in the pudding. The kids who stayed at the school all went on to finish year 12 math at incredibly high levels...but who wanted to talk about those kids? Who wanted to talk about the kids who had been so successful in the school? No, we have thrown out everything. Everything to teach to a 'rule'. For us all to be put in boxes and to be teaching the same thing the same way at the same time. Yes, we are stupid because we don't know how to really teach do we? People who have been in the classroom for ten, twenty, thirty years? so, what are we told? Well, firstly, 'based on current research' or 'research shows' or maybe now this is not really the school for you? Or, what about this 'Change is hard'...as if you are some stuck in the mud, difficult child who can't accept what is being forced down our throat which goes against everything that you know is good practice. So Bev tell me about it? Tell me about the disillusionment the loss, the terrible sadness that just pervades everything you now MUST do? I refuse to give in and still work with my kids the way I know is 'best for kids'. I know what works. I am a teacher. I know how to inspire, to connect, to dream with kids. I based my teaching on such sound and solid research which includes hours spent reading what is posted here, reading the book recommendations and reading about what makes for successful readers and writers. My research includes my own teaching experience, my results, by where those kids were and where they have gone to in learning and in their own passion for their learning. So, I am now working with an organization to develop my skills for adult learning and training programs in Australia. It's a fantastic course, learning about how adults learn best..and here is my final point. My tutor who I was on line with me last night said the biggest problem with the workplace is getting kids who have knowledge but not skills. Which takes me to the post about the electricians on the roof example given....when we stop paying attention to the world around us and how that impacts us and teach to the 'standard' before we teach to the world, we really are failing in what it is we need to give our kids. Mosaic has been the most wonderful refuge for me in finding like minded professionals, bent on continually working to find the best way for and with their kids, and I thank you all for listening if you got to the bottom of this rampage. Yes, last week at school was a tough one.
--- On Sun, 28/9/08, Beverlee Paul <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: Beverlee Paul <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Language arts block length and serendipity > To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" > <[email protected]> > Received: Sunday, 28 September, 2008, 1:59 AM > Our school is just starting 4-minute walkthroughs (amusingly > dubbed > drive-bys by many on this list) and here is one of the > things we heard > yesterday at our "debriefing." > > Yes, you must have your objective up on the board or > somewhere and your > children should know why they're learning > such-and-such. It will increase > their learning 29-44% if you do that. And you should be > teaching that > objective only!! Research tells us that children learn > only one thing at a > time. > > I'm not sure where she's reading that research > (which she liberally > sprinkles in comes from "Bob Marzano" (I > don't think so), but what the whole > meeting made me want to do was to research retirement. I > never, ever in my > wildest dreams imagined I would retire to get away from > education. I > thought there would come a time when I was ready to do > something else, but > that it would always be so hard to leave classrooms. Now I > just don't > know. > > On Sat, Sep 27, 2008 at 9:19 AM, Renee > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > In the good old days, long before NCLB and when > teachers were treated > > more like people who actually knew what they were > doing, we used to > > have what were called "teachable moments." > When my son, (now age 32) > > was in third grade, he had a fantastic teacher who > lived well outside > > the box. I was helping in class one day during reading > time when there > > was a big racket up on the roof. The teacher sent out > a child to find > > out what was going on. The student came back to say > that there were men > > working on the roof. Soon after that, the electricity > went off. The > > teacher asked the kids why they thought that happened. > Lots of > > responses, all over the board. So the teacher > suggested they call the > > electric company. He sent a child to the office to > make the call (in > > those days, we did not have phones in our classrooms). > Of course, the > > child came back with a note from the secretary wanting > clarification, > > yadda yadda, but in the end the child made the call. > What did kids > > learn here? Problem solving. Inferencing. Cause and > effect. etc etc > > etc. > > > > I shudder to think what happens these days when > teachers are mandated > > to get *this* much done in *this* amount of time, and > to teach *this* > > skill on *this* day. > > > > Frankly, I long for the days when we weren't so > nit-picky about > > discrete things and looked at education with a larger > view. In general. > > > > Just thinking on a Saturday morning.... > > Renee > > > > On Sep 27, 2008, at 8:11 AM, jan sanders wrote: > > > > > Hi Mary- > > > If the mini-lessons aren't mini, then perhaps > they have more than one > > > teaching point? Too much at once? Could the > lesson be broken down in > > > parts over two or three days? .... > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: Mary > Manges<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > Hi everyone, > > > I'm wondering how long most of you have > each day for teaching > > > language > > > arts? > > > > > > "The thing always happens that you really believe > in; and the belief in > > a thing makes it happen." > > ~ Frank Lloyd Wright > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Mosaic mailing list > > [email protected] > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > > > Search the MOSAIC archives at > http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at > http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. Make the switch to the world's best email. Get Yahoo!7 Mail! http://au.yahoo.com/y7mail _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
