MzTeachuh: Principal's Suggestion Box Letter #8

MzTeachuh: Principal's Suggestion Box Letter #8: These letters are absolutely fictional (to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent.) But, with the hint of tru...

Principal's Suggestion Box Letter #8

These letters are absolutely fictional (to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent.) But, with the hint of truth, maybe we can make some adjustments. Principals have the best chance to do that.

Dear Principal,

When success becomes an 'anamoly' it is time to reassess what we are doing as a school. The district benchmark for my ELA classes were valid-as the second test deliberately given to 'show we cheated'- demonstrated. The kids did great again. We didn't cheat, we worked incredibly hard and no one should be shocked our 'demographic' can do well. This is like a scene from "Stand and Deliver."' It frustrates and frightens me that a District person would actually show up at your office to complain about good testing. Exactly what do the district people want? Stating that my benchmark test scores were an anamoly and annual testing results like this would bring the inspectors suspiciously down on us is a sorry attitude that squelches excellence. Our ELA 7th Grade team here at -----Middle School had the best ELA team leader ever, and I believe when we all do test at the end of the year, our ELA grade level will show great improvement, even with the other teachers administering the tests.

Signed, Hurt and Frustrated Teacher
PS The kids were hurt the District thought they cheated.
Update: All the Grade Level ELA teams did do that year well, setting a high standard that hasn't been matched (or even close) for 6 years.
5 Ways To Build a Culture of Collaboration with Staff, Teachers and Parents

http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=12512 

The School Principal as Leader: Guiding Schools to Better Teaching and Learning 

http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/effective-principal-leadership/Pages/The-School-Principal-as-Leader-Guiding-Schools-to-Better-Teaching-and-Learning.aspx 

Quick Guide to Teacher Team Building 

http://www.teachhub.com/quick-guide-teacher-team-building 

My suggestion: When one teacher stands out (in a positive way) the principal is like a parent that needs to keep the family from jealousy and sniping. Principals have great influence and can build teams of professionals that embrace other's success (or lack thereof) with support and grace. The question of a district that is suspicious of success reveals a greater, endemic problem, a culture of failure that may minimize the students and restrict achievement. Again, principals have opportunities to lead their districts from a position of teacher support, innovation, and even friendly competition between schools in the district. Success and improvement should never be an anamoly but a goal.

Teachers punished for success, whether it is in testing, parental relationships, or other arenas of education, frequently just quit and start their own schools. But that is an unusual option. Creating a success-friendly school culture is the best choice, obviously.

MzTeachuh: Teaching Is Teachers Talking To Each Other

MzTeachuh: Teaching Is Teachers Talking To Each Other: 1. How to make friends and influence people - a teacher's guide http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/2012/sep/04...

Teaching Is Teachers Talking To Each Other

1. How to make friends and influence people - a teacher's guide

http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/2012/sep/04/teachers-guide-making-friends-influencing-people 

2. 5 Tips for Bonding with New Teaching Colleagues

http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/8975-5-tips-for-bonding-with-new-teaching-colleagues 

3. 25 Ways Teachers Can Connect More With Their Colleagues

http://edudemic.com/2012/06/25-ways-teachers-can-connect-more-with-their-colleagues/ 

4. Good teachers make colleagues better

http://www.joannejacobs.com/2009/09/good-teachers-make-colleagues-better/ 

5. Check out the comments

How much do your colleagues influence your teaching?

http://www.edutopia.org/poll-teacher-influence-school-performance 

6. 101 Ways to Cope with Teaching Stress

 Getting the Support You Need

Numbers 51 through 60.

http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/101-ways-to-cope-with-teaching-stress/ 

7. How Can Teachers Be Stressed?

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/julian-stanley/teachers-how-can-they-be-stressed_b_1864160.html?just_reloaded=1 

It's a little stressful to take this test.

8.  Teacher Stress Test

http://www.pedagonet.com/brain/teacherstresstest.html 

 

MzTeachuh: Cabin Fever In The Classroom? Try These Couple of ...

MzTeachuh: Cabin Fever In The Classroom? Try These Couple of ...: http://hydrogeneportfolio.tumblr.com/post/32224401551/minimal-posters-six-women-who-changed-science #1. Have a poster contest in your...

Cabin Fever In The Classroom? Try These Couple of Ideas

http://hydrogeneportfolio.tumblr.com/post/32224401551/minimal-posters-six-women-who-changed-science

#1. Have a poster contest in your classroom.

1. Have the class choose a topic, and create a schedule for completion.
2. Divide the class into teams. Each student will create a poster and the team will collaborate on literary quality and artistic merits.
3. Give step-by-step instructions on the planning, artistic process and finishing the product during specified periods in class with the resources and materials provided.
4. Have the class decide how the posters will be judged and by whom. (Teachers? Peers from another class? Someone in the community?)
5. Have the class design the display for all the posters.

Of course, teacher is the guiding force behind the process.

#2. Play 'Name That Tune' with Classical Music.

Beethoven

Mozart

1. Let the class know the name of the composer of the day, and play that music low in the background during classtime, taking turns with the 'Big Three' Composers during the course of the week. That would be Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. In the last five minutes of the class (or of the day) highlight ten seconds of the three most famous pieces of the composer listened to that day. For example, Bach: Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Brandenburg Concerto #2, and Toccata and Fugue in D minor; Mozart: Alla Turca, Symphony No. 40, 1st Movement Allegro, Eine Kleine Nochtmusik; Beethoven: Ninth Symphony Ode To Joy, Fur Elise, Moonlight Sonata. Post a play list where the students can see it all week
2. At the end of the week of the inital listening (maybe a Fun Friday or somesuch), have a 15 minute exercise when the class is divided into teams; each team hears an initial ten seconds of one of the composer's pieces of music that has been in the background all week and occasionally the teacher may chose one of the other selections, and the selected spokesperson of the team calls out the name of the piece. If right, a point. If wrong, the next team can steal the point and have a new selection. The musical selections may or may not always be the preeminent ones, but don't make it too hard. If another team interrupts or yells out the answer, the point is given to the designated team. The teams should go through two or three cycles before the Lightning Round. This is when the team has only 5 seconds to listen to one of the top three selections and 5 seconds to answer and if they cannot, immediately the next team has a chance, and the next team, etc., until the correct answer. Every team should have a chance to compete in the Lightning Round.

After three weeks of playing Name That Tune: Classical Music, the class can have a Grand Championship, combining all three composers in the pattern leading up to the Lightning Round, computing points. 

J. S. Bach

 

MzTeachuh: Education In Today's News

MzTeachuh: Education In Today's News:           Education gets spotlight in SOTU Education gets spotlight in SOTU...