Why Teachers Love Testing Days

For years American schools have bombarded students with unending multiple choice tests. With Common Core coming into play, standardized tests are fewer and far between. 

Though students may appreciate the lack of tests, teachers do not. Why? Because testing days are basically teacher classroom work days. 

While my students test I have the opportunity to work on various things on my to do list. I grade, update the student work wall, fill out IEP forms, respond to emails, lesson plan, .... The list goes on. 

Testing days are priceless for teachers.

By the end of the day teachers are as exhausted as students, having worked tirelessly, after many cups of coffee, to check off as many tasks as possible. 

Finals are even better. Several days of testing in a row means unending productivity. Before my students know it the grades are updated and the classroom is unnervingly organized - a teacher's paradise (minus all the late work that is turned in in droves). 

Once finals are over, teachers and students get a much-needed break, a reward for the completed work, organized room, and a semester full of blood, sweat, and tears. A break is not just needed, it is earned. 

Holidays - A Time to Recharge Our Batteries

I can finally breathe. Yes, teachers may get more vacation than other professions, but it is during vacation time that we can actually see friends and spend time with family. It is also often to used to grade papers, read up on current pedagogy, and clean out our emails (mine keeps claiming it is "full"; a teacher's email size should be unlimited!!).

Part of the need for downtime is because it seems that everything happens before a holiday. Last week I was scheduled to be out of the classroom three of the five days... Before a holiday! Two of the days were for necessary trainings, the third was a pathway planning day. I opted out of the third, feeling the need to be in my classroom and rescheduling the meeting for a day after school the week we come back for break. These meetings/trainings are important, but my students are more important. 

My students also need a break - tensions are high and sleep is needed by all. I know this is the case when I have to intervene in two near physical fights amongst students that would never do that in my class, purely out of respect for me.

I always have high hopes for breaks. Books to read, people to see, exercise to be done. I usually disappoint myself somehow, but in the end what matters is the time I get to recharge my batteries with loved ones. I will read that book someday, and I will, no doubt, exercise plenty when I get back in town. 

The Sad Reality of Alternative Assignments

Assigning large projects (culminating tasks) can often lead to disappointed teachers and poor student grades. My district wants to see the rigor of classroom curriculum increased, but the number of Ds and Fs reduced. Knowing that many of my students have hard home lives, jobs, or see no point in education, I have gotten accustomed to having an alternative assignment ready for the students that come to presentation day unprepared. 

My college teacher friends may disagree with this idea, but I feel that I have no choice. These projects can cause a student's grade to drop to irretrievable depths, and then what happens? They give up for the remainder of the semester knowing that they will not pass and might as well wait for summer school or credit recovery. 

The alternative assignment gives them hope and keeps them working. I could be a stickler for deadlines OR I could be that teacher that chose not to give up on the students that often give up on themselves. 

I must note that the alternate assignment is not equivalent to the original. Students can achieve no higher than a "C" on the alternate assignment, which, many of them, are perfectly happy with. Those who are not happy with the alternative are often inspired to do the original assignment for late points. 

Either way the students are still working and learning. And that's the goal. Right?

To Grade or Not To Grade

Grading is a pedagogical issue that some teachers make light of while others make grading a war in which no one can survive. 

At a recent professional development meeting teachers at my site discussed what we are trying to accomplish when we assign grades. My group of 11th grade teachers came to the conclusion that we are attempting to make students accountable for their education and mold them into model students and scholars. 

I agreed with the sentiment; grades tell you a person's work ethic and their ability to overcome obstacles/challenges. 

As a student I had classes/teachers that completely baffled me, but I knew that I had to overcome the obstacles, even if it meant talking to an unapproachable professor or studying late into the night. 

A good student does what they have to do to get the grade/knowledge needed to move on. But many of my students are not as tenacious or ambitious as I. My students aren't even interested in cheating to get the grade. 

Our teacher debate then turned to the importance and weight of homework. How much should homework count?

I posed the same question to my AP students - why homework? Their answers were shallow and self-serving. But I was ready to respond. 

Why homework?? Because in college all classwork is the result/reaction to the homework; Because most careers (not jobs, CAREERS) involve homework; Because you have to learn to do the research on your own and not rely on your peers; Because life is a pile of never-ending homework. 

They got the picture. 

I understand. I have a love-hate relationship with homework, but, in the end, I know it matters... For my grade... For my life. 

When it Rain, it Pours

This week I have attended PTCs, Union Rep Council, and AVID professional development, whilst my students finished rhetorical analysis essays, journalism articles, and AP Book Report Presentations. 

When it rains, it pours.

The students and the teachers are taxed and in need of down time, but there is no break in sight for another month. 

I know what you are thinking - "what about the weekends?" Well, if you know anything about #teacherlife or if you have read my previous posts, you will understand that the weekends are a chaotic blur of friend/family time, grading, and prepping for the next week's work. Not an actual break, more of a deep breath before diving back in to the tumultuous and never-ending storm of paperwork, planning, and general productivity.

Tonight I am attending and presenting  at AP/Honors night. I am ready. But I am also ready and waiting to celebrate my birthday at Glen Ivy Day Spa on Saturday. 

#cannotwait

Always Remember Why You First Began To Teach #TeacherLife

Why The Union Matters

When I first started teaching I thought the union was a group that protected bad teachers. From the stories I had heard and the experiences I had had, the teachers that "utilized" the union were looking for shelter when they really just needed to do their jobs. 

But I was wrong. 

The union is the reason that teachers receive health care, get teacher work days, and extra duty pay. I always thought that such rights were innate, when, really, the union fought for them.

After attending my first union retreat I have learned so much about our district contract, about the role of the union, and the role of the union rep. My new role should not be taken lightly - with great power comes great responsibility. 

I believe in the teaching profession, more so than any other. Call me biased, but education is the foundation of society. Those that are entrusted to teach our future voters, parents, consumers, etc., should feel supported, but should also be accountable. 

Today I attended my first union meeting with our principal. Our principal is more than supportive, a strong and transparent leader that our teachers truly appreciate. This makes my job easier, but I welcome feedback from my staff. I want my teachers to be happy and productive/effective, and I honestly feel that, as a union rep, I can help to make this happen.