I know exactly how you feel. We were in the same position three years ago. We were reading Reading with Meaning as a faculty and introducing the strategies school wide. We had grade level planning to talk about activities/ books that we could use with the kids. Workbooks were collecting dust on the shelves---the ones that had not been tossed!! We used the kids to guide our instruction. What topics did they want to learn about? What data did our running records give us about each child? SCHOOL WAS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO WORK AND LEARN!! Then came a new administration--then came DIBELS and READING MASTERY!! Retirement is looking better and better!! The excitement about learning is gone. In a message dated 2/14/2009 12:29:09 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
Dear Friends, I guess this is a Dear John kind of post, in a way. Ironically, this list is the only place I can actually "talk" about what just happened in our school district. You probably understand at least as much about the depth of despair our staff feels. The backstory: We are 2 and 1/2 years into a strong, district-supported, balanced literacy movement, which follows on the heels of years of workshop, etcetera teaching, always reaching toward best practice. We have what I consider an extraordinary staff. We won the 2008 International Reading Association Exemplary Program Award for our state. I can't imagine why any of us would reach deep down to understand effective comprehension, or any other kind of effectiving instruction, given the latest events in my district. Why would we want to know more and more about what is out there to make a better way? Our superintendent just announced yesterday that, in addition to the layoff of 20% of our staff which was announced in December, we're about to commit to an enormous outlay of funds -- to purchase Reading Mastery. Our school has a 64% poverty rate (free and/or reduced lunches), a 25% mobility rate, a 35% minority rate, 2400 square miles in our district (think something larger than two of our states--Rhode Island and somewhere else), an extraordinary staff, and wonderful families. But RM has guaranteed that all our children will TEST at least in the upper half of the nation (probably higher) by the end of third grade. Anybody have any openings for 25 amazing teachers? _______________________________________________ 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. **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. AOL Music takes you there. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?ncid=emlcntusmusi00000004) _______________________________________________ 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.
