365 Days as an Oklahoma Teacher

January 1, 2016

Day186 as an Oklahoma teacher

     I spent the day writing lesson plans and grading the rest of the semester tests. Yes, I know that I should have been finished with grading those tests, but I don't get time at school to grade the tests. I always have to take them home. Semester tests are supposed to show a teacher what students remember, to remind the students what they learned in class, and to show the students what a college final looks like. Since I am a person who follows the rules, I created a test that took my students the full 90 minutes to work on it. This year, my students annotated an article, created five questions with answers using the Answer, Cite, and Explain strategy, created a formal outline for a compare/contrast essay, and was supposed to conduct a 10 minute discussion about the article, but we ran out of time. Are semester tests becoming obsolete because of high stakes testing? Are teachers really taking these tests seriously? Do I require my students to complete too many tasks on the test? If we are going to push students down the college path, they need to know what it takes to pass a college final. EOI testing doesn't follow a college final format, but a semester test would allow students to experience that idea. EOI testing is too limited and is not even looked at by colleges. It's time to make the semester test the most important test in high school, other than the ACT, and relate it to a college final. For the second semester, we are doing projects in some classes.

Despair

     This week, a blogger challenge was issued to some Oklahoma bloggers. Even though I wasn't on that list, here are my thoughts about hope and despair in education. I'll start with despair. A tweet by Kent Bush caught my attention the other day. He said "You have to wonder how history will remember these states that cut education in the name of ALEC experiments." He was referencing what is going on in Kansas; a school district was going to a four day week while extending the school day. The problem has to do with budget cuts. Sound familiar? Until the teaching profession is respected by politicians, until authentic solutions are given to improve education, and until schools quit facing budget cuts, the problems caused by all this inaction will persist. All of what has happened has been a set up by other groups to destroy education, to manipulate the public, and to denigrate teachers. I didn't go to college and earn three degrees so that I could work for lower pay, but I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Toll roads, outside groups, and political mayhems are more important than the education of my children and my students. This problem is not caused by one political group, but by both Democrats and Republicans. They serve us; we don't serve them.

A New Hope

     I saw the Star Wars movie for a second time. In the movie, Poe asked Finn why he was helping him escape the First Order. Finn responded, "Because it's the right thing to do." It's the right thing to stand up for education. How can we stand up for education? Get the message out: share blogs, make videos, send emails to legislatures, visit the Capitol, and collaborate with Oklaed. I've seen the influence that we have; we just can't give up. The Oklaed bloggers and the #oklaed chat that has kept teachers informed have made the biggest impact. However, it's time for the rest of us to pick up the gauntlet and do our part in this situation. I feel that teachers in the rural areas are too silent and need to voice their ideas and opinions. The bridge has been built; we just need to cross it. It's time for teachers to go to the upcoming Edcamps in Tulsa, OKC, and Lawton so that we can collaborate, plan, and get ready for the next battle. The force has awakened. 

The Ambitious Procrastinators

 Here are some thoughts and reflections about the first semester.

 I previously taught these students in English I and English II. This experience is called looping,
 and I think that it is beneficial to follow a class for two years. Teaching the same class for three
 years creates more issues; I have found it challenging and exhausting. I have a high number of
 going through concurrent enrollment, more students who should have taken college classes, and
 the students with the same problems they had a few years ago. I have students who have a job, and
 students who are involved in many activities. They wanted me to describe their class using one
 word. One word cannot describe this class; I came up with an oxymoron, ambitious
 procrastinators. Some students are very ambitious and work hard to achieve their goals,
 some students are ambitious but procrastinate, and the rest of the students who just procrastinate.

 I love English literature, but I noticed that when the students were forced to read Beowulf or a
 Shakespearean play, they became apathetic. Of course, when they chose something to read based
 on their interests or career choices, then they read without whining about it. I tried to match up       students interested in the medical field with books about medicine or students who liked history
 read about people or events in history. Students had to complete the rough draft of their senior
 paper this semester, and they worked every Friday on it. Most of the students worked, but their
 were some who wanted to waste the time they were given. Even though I have to play the high
 school game, next semester I am going to set up my classes like a college class. Well, the best
 at I can do. I'll lecture one day; then the students will work in study groups the next day. On
 Wednesday, the students will be in discussion groups. On Thursday, I will again be the Sage on the
 Stage and get them ready for Monday. Friday will be our Genius Hour Day. They have to
 complete the final copy of their senior paper and give the senior project speech in May. The most
 difficult part of this year was creating new curriculum for this class.

Even though I have taught almost 25 years, I still make changes. I changed the curriculum to better fit the students, I did an extreme-makeover of the classroom this last summer so that it became my classroom, and I am always willing to try something new even though it may not work like I want
it to work. Being the a teacher doesn't mean that you have to play follow the leader. You have to
forge your own path to take just like your students have to find the one best for them.
     

It's Just a Bill!

     This weekend, I read about State Bill 911 which would give schools the opportunity to punish unruly students without suspending them. These students would appear before a volunteer judge who would decide to either require the student to do community service or pay a fine. The fines could pay for additional security at the school or help with to bring in character education. The one comment that really caught my eye was "This is the number one problem in education." This bill is just a bill because it doesn't address the real problems that we are facing in education.
     First, the number one problem for schools is the teacher shortage, and the only solution is to make education first in our state. Several years ago, someone told me that Oklahoma should be the education state, not the toll road state. It's time to quit insulting teachers, it's time to listen to teachers, and it's time to give teachers a pay raise. Solving the teacher shortage would help reduce class size which would lead to fewer discipline problems. Teachers could also focus on the needs of the students and not just trying to get through the curriculum to meet testing requirements.
     Next, show students different paths that they can take in school. School should not be just about passing a test. In my opinion, students should be on a plan of study that is followed and updated at they progress through school. This plan of study would focus on their interests and also help them overcome weaknesses in reading and writing across the curriculum. If students have a path to take, then school becomes more important to them. Then, discipline problems should be not be an issue. It's all about the curriculum and making it relevant to the students. Adapt the curriculum to fit the needs of the students instead of making it fit a test.
     Finally, I told my husband about this bill. His first response was that students could just pay their way out if their families have the money. We cannot ignore the lives of our students, the way they live, and where they live. Education is the only path out of any situation; we just have to guide them down the right direction.

Thanks, Mrs. Allen!

      When I started teaching at Cache 23 years ago, Yvonne Allen was the senior English teacher. She has been retired for several years, but I have mirrored some of my ideas I use in the classroom after her. Here are three ideas I learned from her.
       To begin with, students in her English IV read books and research about their interests or career choices. On reading days, they would discuss at the end of the hour what they learned from their reading. Sometimes, they would write weekly summaries and reflections about what they read. I believe that if students make connections, relate what they read to other books or current events, and share their ideas with a group, then they have achieved a higher level of reading. It's all about reading to connect, reading to learn, and reading for fun.
      Next, all the essays that the students wrote in class were about their career choices or interests. If a student's career choice was welding, then this student wrote compare/contrast, definition, a personal narrative, and a research paper about it. Some of the students even decided at the end of the school year not to pursue their paths. Just like with reading, if teachers give students the choice, then the student becomes an active participant in their educational experiences.
      Finally, her classes were student-centered and not teacher-centered. The students set goals, planned out what they would accomplish for the week, and completed independent work. She mixed sage on the stage with guide on the side. Students took responsibility for their learning. Recently, a student needed help with correcting run-on sentences. I told her that she has covered this idea for the past six years and asked her how she would learn this skill.  She decided to use compound sentences in her essays and make sure to use correct punctuation. If students learn how to apply the rules in their papers and repeat it over and over again, then they will form the habit needed to sustain it.
       In conclusion, it's about showing students how to become independent learners and thinkers and giving them choices. Thanks, Mrs. Allen, for showing that education is not about a test, but about the student.

That Little Thing Called Looping

      This year, I moved up to Senior English. During my teaching career, I spent most of my time with the freshmen and a couple of years with the sophomores. What made this decision so unusual was that I was going to teach the same group of students for the third time. Yes, you just read it! The third time! I taught them in English I and English II. My son is also in this class, and the thought of having his mom as teacher for the third time was very traumatic for him. He thinks that I will follow him to the college level next year. When a teacher follows a class for two years, this idea is called looping. I wonder what it should be called if a teacher loops for three years. How about "Once, Twice, Three Times a Looper?" Okay, back to my thoughts about an advantage and a disadvantage of looping.
      So what is an advantage? Well, I know the strengths and weaknesses of my students. When they were in 9th grade, my main focus was on reading comprehension skills. Then, at the 10th grade level, my focus changed to essay writing mixed in with reading comprehension.  Truthfully, it was all about the EOI test that year. Of course, reading, writing, speaking, listening, and vocabulary skills were involved. Without  the repetition of the skills and strategies, then students lose what they have learned. It's like playing a sport; if you don't play awhile, then you get out of shape. You may remember the concept or the terminology, but you have to use it to regain that skill. Therefore, the focus this year is on writing skills, not for a test, but for the college level. It was time to move away from EOI essay writing to academic writing. They are getting a reading and writing workout. Maybe, that's why I was voted as The Teacher Who Gives the Most Homework.
      And now, here is a disadvantage. My students are used to my teaching style and methods. I had this problem going from 9th to 10th grade. I didn't want them to think that they were still in a 9th grade class. I have had to change some of my methods and become more of a Guide on the Side than a Sage on the Stage. I already set the foundation; they just need more practice and repetition to improve their skills. I conduct more individual writing conferences and treat students more an individuals on different educational paths. All of this innovation and writing curriculum is mentally exhausting, but if I don't, the students and myself will become complacent.
      Finally, I would recommend that schools use looping at all grade levels. It does work, but as I have learned these last four years, it takes a lot of work, dedication, and innovation to make it work.

     
   
   

   

Student's Speech about EOI Testing

1. Introduction
1. “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.”
1. This is the problem with standardized testing in America, standard being the root word.
2. It expects me to have the same skill set as every other student, similar to the way this fish was expected to  be equally as adept at a monkey’s skill solely because they are both animals.
3. Standardized testing creates a one-size-fits-all complex that does not cater to individuals with unique strengths and weaknesses. Instead it demands a “manufactured student” because the most important information tends not to be what the test does measures, but rather what the test cannot.
2. In the early days of standardized testing, these assessments were a quick, quantifiable way to evaluate an insurgence of students that came about with the Industrial Revolution.
1. However, generations have changed, and likewise standardized testing has evolved to meet the modern curriculum and “demand” of advancing generations, yet these tests use the same, now antiquated platform for high stakes testing.
2. Using this outdated platform in major current-day decisions is unfair to students, teachers, and taxpayers
3. Therefore, I believe high stakes testing, specifically end of instruction tests, should be eliminated from all Oklahoma high schools.

1. Hurts Students
1. EOIs are supposed to have a positive outcome for students by verifying that they are receiving the quality education to which they are entitled, but is this the true effect that results from a high stakes test?
1. High stakes testing creates an undesirable and stressful environment, two conditions that can hinder the learning process.
2. Studies show that elementary students reported significantly higher levels of anxiety over No Child Left Behind (NCLB) assessments than  regular classroom tests incorporated into the curriculum (Segool et al).
2. After all, even a third grader can understand what unsatisfactory means about himself and other people’s perception toward him.
1. Society tells us these tests define who we are intellectually, and they become a sort of academic identity.
2. This leads students who score unsatisfactory into a cycle of academic mediocrity because they believe society when it says, “This number is the most to which you will ever equate. You are a failure,” and unfortunately this normally becomes a vast scene of wasted potential, yet one of the largest problems surrounding standardized testing is its inability to recognize a basic human trait called individuality because one size does not fit all in testing nor the classroom.

1. Degraded Education
1. The quality of education the youth is receiving has been degraded in response to standardized testing.
1. Educators get so wrapped up in the standards on the test that they forget to teach students the truly important skills like reasoning and innovation.
2. Furthermore, testing is not teaching, and completing test prep is not learning.
3. What happened to higher order thinking like analysis, synthesis, and true critical thinking.
4. Memorization and regurgitation is the lowest form of learning, yet it is what we use in preparation for the  EOI’s multiple choice format.
5. Moreover, real life is not as simple as selecting A, B, C, or D.
2. High stakes testing narrows the curriculum and attention of teachers.
1. They become so concerned with the outcome of these assessments that they tend to manufacture students rather than shape and cultivate their learning.
2. Additionally, students who are considered advanced or too behind to catch up receive less attention in the final stretch before testing, because teachers are too consumed trying to help students on the border of passing and failing.
3. EOIs are not benefiting the students; they are suffering from the repercussions.

1. Teacher Evaluations
1. However I am not here to place the blame on teachers the way EOIs do.
1. It is simply human nature to do everything possible to protect the security of one’s job, especially when the evaluation system is irrational.
2. The problem with using End of Instruction testing as a teacher assessment is they are based on students’ total learning experience and don’t take into account noncognitive factors that affect test performance.
3. Since we were in grade school, we have been told that education is like a pyramid.
4. All the skills that we learn build off of each other, so why does an algebra teacher take the fall for a student who never learned his time tables in third grade.
2. Noncognitive factors such as personal habits and values, dedication, perseverance, hunger and sleep also play a role in test results.
1. Teachers take the fall for a student who is constantly in ISD because he barely knows right from wrong.
2. Teachers take the fall for a student who could not concentrate during the test because he hasn’t eaten since yesterday’s lunch.
3. Teachers take the fall for a student who can’t stay awake because he couldn’t find anywhere to sleep last night.
4. This is the type of accountability that is placed on teachers as a result of our culture of standardized testing; EOI test results are not an accurate teacher evaluation system; they are unfair to teachers and taxpayers.

1. Taxpayer and Education Companies
1. Did you know that public education is a $750 billion market
1. However, this seems to be the only market where the customers are not surveyed about their satisfaction toward the product.
2. Instead, decisions regarding public education and testing are made for us, and this goes back to the 1960’s and earlier.
2. Around the same time  as the Johnson administration's “War on Poverty”  began, the National Assessment of Education Progress was created, and schools began administering this assessment in 1969.
1. Later in 1983 a publication called “A Nation at Risk” said that standardized tests like these proved schools were failing, teachers were failing, students were failing.
2. What is the solution to a failing education system: new textbooks, workbooks, teacher training, resources, and of course more standardized testing.
3. Millions of taxpayer dollars have gone toward this education bureaucracy, and the only party who benefits from these tests and related academic purchases are for profit private education companies like Pearson and CTB/Mcgraw-Hill.
1. These companies aren’t based on long-term student success; there simply isn’t any money in that.
2. Moreover these companies are known for making time consuming and costly mistakes such as the server crash of 2013.
3. These EOIs are unfair to taxpayers; therefore I believe they should be removed from all Oklahoma schools.

1. Alternative
1. However, regardless of the way I feel, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires that some form of a standardized test be administered to students of our age; therefore, I propose that we replace End of Instruction testing with the ACT.
1. Last year, the government spent nearly $7 million on the EOI.
2. If the EOI were replaced by the ACT, the state of Oklahoma would save $5,402,059 per year on testing, which means more money could go directly to the students instead of private education companies.
2. Furthermore, 73% of Oklahoma high school students took the ACT in 2013.
1. This makes using the ACT more efficient by eliminating the extraneous EOI test.
2. Also, the number of tests and amount of time spent testing would significantly decrease, therefore reducing student stress and creating a better learning environment.
3. Finally, student portfolios should be used for teacher assessments
1. because they will give a more accurate evaluation of an educator's teaching ability.
2. After all, test results cannot replace teacher expertise.

1. Counter Arguments
1. Despite the large number of benefits that would result from replacing EOIs with the ACT, some people still hold to this antiquated system of student examination,
1. one reason being the ACT measures college readiness, not high school-level proficiency.
2. However, how can a student pass a college entrance exam without adequate mastery of high school-level skills?
3. College readiness exams are made to measure high school skills.
2. Students also have reservations about the time constraints placed on the ACT.
1. I have personally taken the ACT, and I’m not going to say that it is easy.
2. Time management is one of the most important skills that we need to learn in high school to prepare us for college or our careers.

1. Conclusion
1. In conclusion, End of Instruction Tests provide inadequate information for student and teacher evaluation, and are unfair to taxpayers.
2. Ultimately, they are hurting the students and our education system.
3. EOIs should be eliminated in all Oklahoma schools.

Teacher Appreciation Week!

     This week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Each day, I will blog about a teacher who made a difference in my life. The first teacher is my dad who was my high school principal and driver's ed. teacher. He taught thirty years in Oklahoma and fifteen years in Texas. Even though my dad made me sit on two books while driving in driver's ed. and scared off any possible boyfriends, he showed me and the other students in school a respectful, caring attitude and expected us to have high standards for ourselves. He was always there to help anyone who needed assistance  like taking students home, picking them up if they needed a ride to school, paying for groceries, or just listening to them. He went above and beyond the typical definition of a teacher, and students and teachers respected him. When there is something going on in Oklahoma education, I always call him for advice. Even though he is retired, he has enough teaching wisdom to share with people in education. Thanks, dad, for making an impact on my life and the lives of the students at Big Pasture Public School.

    The next teacher who made an impact on my life was my science teacher, James Keeter. Science was my favorite class in high school. It was hands-on with little lecture. I remember one time when we had to have an insect collection. We met at the school around 6:00 in the morning, and Mr. Keeter drove us out to Cache Creek north of Randlett. We sat around a camp fire, and he made us breakfast. After we ate, it was time to collect some insects. We were only there a couple of hours, but I have never forgotten it. Mr. Keeter taught like there was no box, always pushed us to do our best, and made us laugh. Thank you, Mr. Keeter, for your dedication as a teacher. Even though I became an English teacher, I love science because of you.

    A couple of my former students have made an impact on my teaching. They chose the teaching profession and ended up teaching at their alma mater. Heather Murr teaches Spanish I and uses a lot of creative ideas to help her students not only learn Spanish but also have an appreciation for the culture. Some of her creative ideas include requiring students to explain in Spanish how to make a food dish, using game stations that help students learn the language, and using any form of technology to help with delivering the curriculum. Amber Dewinter teaches Oklahoma History and coaches soccer. She is not afraid to try something and if it does not work, try something else. She even required her students to write a research paper, which was a perfect example of writing across the curriculum. Thanks to both of them for inspiring me to try new ideas and helping me get through another year of teaching.