Common Core isn't the devil

I am so sick of people bashing Common Core. Most of the time, people don't even know what they are talking about. They just "heard" that Common Core is "bad", so they jump on that bandwagon. It's reminds me of how people thought the New Orleans Saints were a horrible team, then they won the Super Bowl and everyone became a Saints fan.  Well, I was a Saints fan since birth, and through good times and bad, I'll always e a Saints fan! (Thanks Dad!)

Here are some common misconceptions about Common Core:

1. "These new standards are ridiculous." : Well, I hate to tell you think but these are not "new" standards. Every state has had standards for years.  They just called them something different in each state. In Louisiana, they were called GLEs ( Grade Level Expectations) The new part is when governors got together and assembled a group of people to say what students should know at the different grade levels to be successful in the next.  This group started with the end in mind. They said for a graduating high school senior to be prepared for college they have to know this....  Then said, for that senior to be prepared, during his junior year he needs to know this..... And on and on, they did this all the way to kindergarteners. Each year, preparing them for that next step.

2. "The Common Core dumbs down education" : Quite the contrary. The CC MAKES students think deeper into problems.  Instead of saying, this is how you multiply, 5 x 5 = 25, it shows when you add 5 groups 5 times you can get 25, show me. The student would then make 5 group with 5 dots in each group and the student would count all the dots. The student will discover for himself that this will work ALL THE TIME. But instead of just telling them, we have students discover the result themselves. Hence, making their learning a discovery, rather than a procedure. This will enable students to have students take part in their learning and allows them a deeper sense of WHAT they are learning. 

3. "Common Core makes students jump through hoops to find a simple answer." This is probably the biggest misconception.  NO WHERE in the CCSS does it say, HOW students are to learn these standards.

 Here is proof of that statement: http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Practice/
 

You can then go to each grade level and see what students should learn for a particular grade level. 

Here is proof of that statement: http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/4/NBT/ 

I just chose one element of a fourth grade standard. You can pick and choose what standard & grade level you would like to explore.

Now, that you have had an exploration, (hopefully) did you find ONE PLACE where it told you HOW to work a problem..... NO, YOU DIDN'T!!! And there lies the problem.  So what is all the fuss about? What happened was that from this blue print, of WHAT we need to teach, those writing CURRICULUM made "the plans" for HOW the standards are taught. When writing the plans, curriculum writers made choices on how to teach this curriculum.  THIS IS WHERE PARENTS ARE FINDING MATERIAL FOR THEIR ARGUMENTS!!!!!! It is not the standards that they have concerns with, it is the IMPLEMENTATION of the standards. But parents don't realize that this is NOT a state mandate, curriculum is chosen by individual school districts and in some cases, individual schools choose what curriculum they will teach, what textbooks they will use and what program they will follow. But again, this is not the blue print! 

Look at it this way: If you and I were given the task of building a house, we would need a "blue print" to determine what the house will look like. But how you build the house, and how I build the house will be different based on how we PLAN to build.  You may use straw. I may use bricks. But the outcome (hopefully) will be the same. We will ultimately build the same house. Now, think about this in the terms of curriculum. We both delivered the same result (preparation for college), but whose house will resist the blow of the BIG BAD WOLF? My bricks will give you a firmer foundation (how students are taught) that won't falter, when I get into college. 

Things Overheard in the Classroom

Here are a few memories of past classrooms that still keep me and my colleagues laughing to this day. Some, I guess you just had to be there. Some, you won't believe. Some, may have you laughing so hard you pee in your pants. In any case, I hope you will enjoy ALL!

• Student walking down the hallway first thing in the mornng, nibbling on something that I can't quite make out:

Me: "Princess, what are you eating?"

Student: "Ribs!"

Me: pointing behind her "Go to the bathroom and throw that away! That is inappropriate to bring into my classroom!"

Student: "Aw, man Ms. Guidry, dis my breakfast! I didn't have time to eat it in the car!"

Me: "That is an inappropriate breakfast for school. You want breakfast? Go down to the cafeteria and each a nutrious breakfast! You are not going to sit at your desk and eat RIBS IN MY CLASSROOM!! Now, go to the bathroom and wash your hands."

Student: reluctantly "Yes ma'am."

A little later in the day, a fellow colleague (after I relayed the story) asked the student what she had for breakfast this morning.

The student nonchalantly replied, "Ribs! You want some? I still have some in my jacket pocket?"

• When learning new spelling words for the week, I always make students either write a sentence to show they understand the meaning of the word. One student, who was older than his classmates due to failing twice, thought he was the bees knees. You know, the kind of "bad boy" that all the girls like. Anyway, as we were going around the room reading our spelling sentences, this students' hand flies in the air to share his sentence.

Me: "Ok, next word. Optical, who can give me a sentence with the word, optical?"

Student: "Ooo, ooo Ms. Guidry, I got this! I got this!"

Surprised, but happy that the sometime troublemaker was on task, had completed his homework and wanted to participate (small victories, people. Small victories) I called on him for the answer.

Me: "Ok, The Man, give me what you got?"

Smiling from ear to ear, as proud as he could be, he replied: "My optical nerve looks good."

• As I am walking around the class checking homework assignments, I come upon one student who is "looking" for his homework. I can tell (teachers just know this stuff) that he had not done the assignment.

Me: "T, do you have your homework?"

Student, looking up from his bookbag: "I can't find it."

Me, knowing a good lie when I hear one: "T, don't lie to me? Do you have your homework?"

Student: shaking his head.

Me: "Why don't you have your homework?"

Student: "I didn't have time to do it."

Me, giving enough rope for him to hang: "T, what time did you get home yesterday?"

Student: "Like 4:00."

Me: "Uh huh, and what time did you go to bed?"

Student: "Like 9:00."

Me: "So 9 - 4 is 5. Are you telling me that in 5 hours, you couldn't do your homework?"

Student: "No, because we had tacos."

Ok, so now I am not sure where this is going, so I HAVE to ask:

"What does having tacos for dinner have to do with you not having your homework?"

Student: "Cause the tomatos were behind the meat and it took a long time to fix my plate."

At this point, I didn't see any need to continue the conversation.

• At recess, a student comes up to me:

Student: "Ms. Guidry, do you like dogs or kittens?"

Me: "I don't have a dog or a cat, babe. Ms. Guidry can't even take care of herself."

Student: "No, you have to choose one. Dogs or Kittens?"

Me: "Ok, If I HAVE to choose, I guess I'll say dogs."

Student: "No, you have to choose kittens because you are a girl and girls go with kittens, and boys go with dogs. So you have to choose kittens."

Me: "Ok, kittens."

Student: "Good choice." as he runs away to go play with the others. Leaving me thinking, was there really a need for me to BE in that conversation?

• A student comes to my classroom sent by another teacher:

Student: "Ms. Guidry, do you have some ex-lax for my back?"

Me: "Some what for your back?"

Student: "Ex-Lax."

Me: "Baby, you don't take ex-lax for your back. You take ex-lax when you have too much gas in your stomach."

Student: "I know, but mine is in my back."

Ok, then.

• I have been teaching at a low-socioeconomic school going on 5 years now. All of my students have been african-american, with the exception of maybe 2 in 5 years. We often get into discussions about race relations and how we are sterotyped based on the color of our skin. During my first year, we were having a discussion about how people in the neighborhood view "outsiders":

Student: "Ms. Guidry, I'll be straight up. People in my neighborhood don't like white people."

Me: "Really? Why's that?"

Student: "I don't know. That's just how they be."

Me: "So you're telling me that if I came into your neighborhood, people wouldn't like me."

Student: "Nah, Ms. Guidry, they'll like you."

Me: "Well, I'm white and you just said that people in your neighborhood don't like white people. So...."

Student: "Yeah, but you just white on the outside. You really black on the inside."

Me: (thinking) "Ok, so I won't have any problems coming to your house. Even though I'm white and people will SEE me as white."

Student: "But if you come down my sckreet, you'd be scraight, 'cause you really black and you wit me. I'll tell'em."

Ah, if only race relations and equality would be as simple as a fourth grader, that we all could just "tell'em the color on the inside".

• Many students have learned that SOME teachers are afraid when parents get involved. Students often take advantage of the teacher, especially first year teachers, with a simple saying of : "I'm gonna tell my momma!"

But that DOESN'T work for me, Ms. Guidry. As many of my students say, "Ms. Guidry don't play like dat!"

However, students don't get to me till the fourth grade, and often times I find myself "meeting" with younger children in the hall, or common areas and they have not learned about Ms. Guidry yet!

This happened once with a second grader, who was having an argument in the hallway with another student. I came between the arugment to help solve the "beef" that the children were in the middle of. At this time, one of the second graders began shouting obcenitites at me. So, in true teacher fashion, I gave approproate grade level consequences and separated him from the group in a "time out" fashion, if you will.

Immediately, the mean-spirited second grader yelled out, "I'ma tell my momma you punished me. That ain't fair, cause you ain't my teacher!" This was definitely a challenge to me, to which other teachers have often folded. Except this challenge was going to be different.

As a smrik came over my face, I squatted down looking the student eye to eye, and replied in a very soft gentle voice, "Good! Tell yo mamma to call me. Would like like my number? Or she could call school and ask for Ms. Guidry. Would you like me to write that down for you? Because I WANT to talk to your mother and tell her about your nasty attitude and how disrespectful you are to your classmates and to other adults."

The student became really quiet. And I stood up and walked away.

I don't know if it was my demeanor or the voice I spoke in, or the challenge that I put to this student. But I never heard from the student's mother, and for the rest of the year, everytime I saw this student again he would wave and say, "Hey Ms. Guidry!" This was usually concluded with a hug.

Teachable moment? Done and Done!

What kids are really learning in school?

What kids are really learning in schools? 

#1) When you have a job, but don't feel like doing work, have your mom write a note. Then, you will be excused. 

#2) Thinking and researching is optional, if you don't know something, it's ok. Google it.

#3) If you don't want to do work, just say you have to go to the bathroom. If the teacher won't let you out of class, see rule #1. (Do this for every class, in every subject & you want have to do any work.)

#4) If you are stopped for speeding, just tell the officer, you are dyslexic and can't read so you were not sure what the speed limit was.

#5) If you are ever arrested, just say it's because you are ADD or ADHD and cannot control your behavior or your actions. 

#6) When you are arrested for yelling at, cussing at or walking away from an the police, just tell them you have ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder) and do not respond well to authority. 

#7) When you are in front of the judge for your sentencing, bring a copy of your IEP or 504 plan to show the judge all the things that you can't do because of your "disability". (This should also be given to your boss, that way he can't make you do work, or anything else that you don't want to do. If this doesn't work, see #1.)

#8) Make sure that your job gives you all of your modifications / accommodations on your IEP or 504 plan to ensure that you are working "at your level". This should include, but is not limited to, a "safe" "cool down" place for when you get angry at your colleagues, someone to read everything that you might be asked to do, a calculator for all math, extended time for tasks, multiple choice answers with 3 of the 4 answers eliminated etc)

9) Anytime you feel "threatened" by your superior because they are asking you to do your job & complete a task, get your parents to attack the person in charge by insulting their character, professionalism & job performance. After all, they are paid with your tax money, they work for you! 

#10) Because of your "disability" or the "hard life" that you have endured, you really shouldn't be working at all. So just stay home and allow the government to pick up the check. It is after all your right! You've "worked" very hard to get through grades K-12.....well, close enough.

I FINALLY PASSED!

So, I know that it's been a long time since I have written an entry. But as most of you know, the life of a teacher is constantly busy, and unfortunately, life got in the way of me being able to share my words.  I am trying to fix that now and hopefully, will be blogging more frequently.

So here is what's going on with me.  I am no longer a 4th grade teacher.  After 6 years, I have finally passed and been promoted to the FIFTH GRADE!!! YES! LOL. 

I was asked by my principal to improve our scores and move to a grade with high stakes testing.  Though I was frightened, at first, I am actually coming around to LOVE the 5th grade! The best part of this move is that I got to loop with my class from last year. I got my babies back and it has been wonderful! Not just for me, but for them as well.  We began the year without missing a beat.  They know me, and I know them (and all their tricks & excuses). So we got through all the bumps quickly and have hit the ground running this year with learning.  I am taking them to that next level and continue the job that I didn't quite get to complete last year. 

We've been having so much fun and have started many projects, getting them ready for middle school.  Stay tuned for all the high jinxs that I'm sure to follow in the upcoming year.

Before I leave for now, I must share with you an answer I received on our first Social Studies test.  The first chapter was on Geography.  In fifth grade, we focus on American History.  One of the questions that I asked was :
           Explain the difference in the land form of the state of Florida and the state of Hawaii.

Here's one student's answer:
          The difference is Hawaii has beaches and Florida has Disney World. 

I think I may have to do some reteach.

Another 180 days have come and gone so quickly...

Well, I made it! Another year down, that's 5 years already, with only 20 more to go!

I can't believe that I've been teaching for 5 years! It seems like just yesterday, I began my student teaching. With this completion, I am also out of the "new teacher danger zone". This is the statistic, according to the National Education Association, that half of all new U.S. teachers are likely to quit within the first five years of their career due to poor working conditions and low salaries.

Having taught in one of the worst schools in my area and then at one of the best, the differences within each school are night and day. Unfortunately, usually the only openings for new teachers are in the schools that no one else wants to teach in. So being faced with this poor working conditions is very likely and I understand how new teachers coming into the field can be discouraged.

When teachers are in their education classes, they are encouraged to hit the ground running and change the lives of their students. In theory, it's a beautiful "yellow-brick road" scenario, filled with rainbows, sunshine and lollipops. In reality, future teachers are not prepared for the amount of paperwork needed to be completed on a daily basis; many students, who may be bigger than the teachers themselves and who are constantly disruptive in class; as well as teachers unable to relate to lives and home environment of their students. These are several issues that are NOT taught in college education classes. Inevitably, new teachers come upon these problems within the first few weeks of schools, and many who hit the ground running, end up hitting a huge brick wall. Multiply this with what seems like insurmountable odds year after year, and it is quite obvious why we lose so many good, young teachers.

The deck is already stacked against new teachers. Add to this the little salary that a first year teacher makes, and anyone with common sense would get out of the business. It's a sad, but honest fact, there's no incentive to stay in education anymore.

So why and how do I manage to do it? Why do I keep coming back? It's very simple - the kids! My students are the reason I continue coming back for more, year after year. Let's face it, no one gets into education for the money. There are not huge bonuses for meeting billable hours. There is not a huge salary to be paid if we go above and beyond. There is practically no way to ensure that you are even going to get a pay raise every year. But what we do have is HOPE.

Hope, that maybe a student we teach and inspire, will one day find a cure for cancer, save the lives of many, or become President of the United States. Hope, that in the great universe of karmic connections, the good that we do everyday will come back to us ten-fold. Hope, that we will make a difference in the lives of those we teach, and show each and every student their true potential of what they can accomplish in their future.

If you do this within one year, you have 180 tries to accomplish these tasks. Over your career, this number increases to 4500; more if you can hang in longer.

Make no mistake, teaching is HARD! You have to have a thick skin and a soft heart. But the rewards of your job are worth every challenge you overcome. When a child finally "gets" the lesson you are a teaching, and a light bulb goes off in their head and a huge smile comes across their face, that small fraction of a second, is MY yearly bonus. No, it may not be monetary in value, but it IS money to my soul!

This Pri$e of Teaching

I know why more teachers drop out of the profession within 5 years. Teaching is hard. REALLY hard!!! I am in my fifth year now and I am ready to implode. This time of the year is the most difficult. With spring break 10 days away, (yes, I'm counting) my students are getting on my last nerves and I know that I am getting on theirs.

Today I implemented a new "pencil policy". Basically it says that no one can use a pencil for the rest of the year unless 1) they have a signed permission slip from their parents, 2) parents buy pencils and sharpeners for their students and 3) students agree to be responsible for their own pencils and cleaning up the pencil sharpener shavings after use. This comes after the 4th, (yes, 4th!) pencil sharpener that I have bought this year, was broken when a student decided to sharpen the eraser part of a pencil. At first, I thought it was a crayon, which sent me into a magenta rage! (Evidently, it is now cool to have a pencil with both sides sharpened. However, then I get to hear, "Ms. G, can I have an eraser?" or "I can't do my test, I don't have a pencil.")My response? "That's fine, use a crayon." If you want to act like a kindergarter, I will treat you like a kindergarten and we will all use crayons to complete our work. "But how will students complete state tests with crayons?" you ask. I am not sure, but if they can't be responsible enough to keep a pencil from one day to another, how will they survive in middle school, when they have several teachers and lockers with two minutes to change classes.

As a caution, I sent parents a letter today to explain the new policy and my reason for such a drastic measure. I gave out my cell number with a note saying to please call me with any questions or concerns. I thought for sure my phone would be bombarded with calls and messages before I left school for the day. But after 3 hours of being home, no calls. Not one. This either means that parents understand my point, or students haven't given parents the letter yet.

Everyone always agrees that teachers have the hardest job, and don't get paid enough for the job they do. But sometimes, this is just lip service. If people really felt this way, send me supplies! Most people do not grasp the concept that EVERYTHING in my classroom comes out of my own pocket, and I do mean everything!!! The tests that students take every week, a box of paper $35.00. Loose leaf paper or notebooks use to write notes and learn information and concepts, $1.99 during the school year, cheaper if you take advantage of school sales in August. Think about how much a parent might spend on supplies at the beginning of a school year. Not counting clothes, $200 at the most. Now take that and multiply it by an average class size (20 kids). That's $2000 at the beginning of the year. By January, these supplies are done-zo! So another batch of supplies is needed at mid year! If I buy this out of pocket, (which I usually do)that's 10% of my salary! (Again, I need to put a disclaimer that these are estimates, but they are not really far fetched. Beginning teachers have it a lot worse because they have more expenses since they are buying everything from scratch. This means posters, bulletin board paper, pencils, papers etc. Plus, their salaries average about $25,000 a year)

Now that I broke down the money situation, is it any wonder why teachers leave the profession? Or why I work a "part time" job, but really average 40 hours a week? Do you know any other profession where you must buy your basic necessities needed to complete your daily job? Have you ever bought pens, copy paper or post it notes out of your own pocket? Do you do this twice a year? And don't even get me started on the hours that I log in over time, at night or on weekends. Would you leave your current job for half the pay but twice the work?

But whenever this argument comes up, the naysayers always have the same response: "Teachers get summers off, two weeks at Christmas and a week off for Spring Break!" Ok, let's do that math. Summer starts mid June and begins mid August. This is around eight weeks. Count in holidays and that make around 10 weeks. Businesses usually allows two weeks vacation time. So we are really looking at 8 weeks vacation that I am "allowed" more than you, which comes to 320 hours. Between lesson plans and grading papers, I usually work 4 hours a night during the week (not counting weekends). That comes to 20 hours a week. School lasts for 180 days, so that's 3600 extra hours that I accumulate. That's a mark up of 9% more hours than you work in a fiscal year. Again, my I remind you that you probably also make twice than me. So, in conclusion you pay me half of your salary, I will work my 8 weeks of "vacation" time during the school year.

How you like them apples?

"The Man" surpises me and "Wood" is gone!

It's been a week since the last day of school. Surprisingly, there were no big surprises during those last few days of school. We received our scores on our End of Grade tests. "The Man" received a 4 (!!!) on his Reading tests. (The highest score a student can accomplish) and a 3 on his Math test, one of the highest scores in the class!!! What does one say to that??!?!!?



WE DID IT!!! He made it through fourth grade. Struggles? Yes! Suspensions? Of course! Being cussed out almost everyday? Absolutely!!! But we made it. HE made it.

And finally "Wood" is OUT OF MY CLASS!!!! She is now someone else's problem (God, help them!) This was a really hard year and I am so glad that I made it through, even though I "resigned" in the middle of the year. Overall, I realized that this is the school that I want to be at and it is not because of the fabulousness of the institution, but just the FABULOUS staff and friends that I have.

I think the best part of being a teacher at a school like this is that I get to know families and I love when the brother or sisters of previous students say, "Ms. G, I want to be in YOUR class!!!" That makes me SO happy! Until of course the really get into my class.... then inevitably hate me!

But alas, I digress, I SURVIVED MY FOURTH YEAR of teaching!!!! Bring on the SUMMER!