When will science matter?

With the recent conclusion of the MSAs, and the fact that I, a 6th grade science teacher, was “asked” to teach math in the weeks preceding the MSAs, the importance of science in our schools has really been on my mind lately. Does anyone other than me and my fellow secondary science teachers see the importance of implementing a rigorous science curriculum in which students are assessed and evaluated based on this knowledge??

In the beginning of my first year teaching (August – December 2005) I taught science to all of my students each and every day. Granted, the schedule was completely incoherent, and I’d teach two classes for 60 minutes and two classes for 90 minutes, with the amount of time each group of students spent in my class changing from day to day. However, at least I saw my students every day! During December of 2005, Baltimore City “mandated” that all middle schools teach math and language arts for 90 minutes each day. The result?? Time spent in science and social studies classes was cut by half. So now, instead of seeing my students on a consistent basis every day, I only see them every other day for 90 minutes. The problems created by this A-Day/B-Day schedule are numerous, the most obvious effect being that my students will only learn half of the science curriculum. Furthermore, it creates problems with homework completion because my sixth graders, who are still very much in the elementary mindset, lose their homework some time between Monday morning and Wednesday morning when I see them again. But I suppose Baltimore City doesn’t see the need for middle school science instruction to take place daily since it is not a tested subject. And that’s a huge problem in and of itself. Why isn’t it a tested subject? When will someone realize that the critical thinking skills gained through inquiry-based learning are necessary for anyone planning to survive in this world?

A new science curriculum was implemented this year in a pilot program to eighth grade students and supposedly the students were going to be assessed on this information in a pilot MSA test. However, our students were never tested. So am I supposed to believe it when I am told that next year both 7th and 6th grade science will follow this scripted science curriculum and that all middle school students will be tested in science? People have been saying this for years and it has yet to happen. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

-Kendra

Is this Right?

Teaching in Baltimore City for me has been more rewarding then not, however the issues I hear about in the news and in my classes concerns me. In recent weeks, there has been a lot of talk about a Baltimore City teacher who quit because she had been assaulted by students more then once. Now that she has quit, her certification is in jeopardy.

http://www.examiner.com/a-604122~Twice_assaulted_teacher_calls_it_quits.html
http://www.examiner.com/a-601970~City_students_assaulting_teachers.html
http://www.examiner.com/a-608819~More_assaulted_teachers_come_forward.html

What I don’t understand is why her certification is in jeopardy because she quit due to extreme situations. At the school I work, teachers have walked out and never come back, been in and out of the system for 10 years, each time doing a poor job and many of the teachers I work with aren’t even fully certified and the threat of getting their certification or lack there of taken has never come up. So, now a teacher who is considered highly qualified in Maryland terms will never be able to teach again because her school was unable to help her from getting assaulted by her students. Perhaps the city is not the place for her to teach, but I don’t think she shouldn’t be allowed to teach somewhere else.

Aside form this teacher’s certification issues, many people are just realizing that there is an issue of teachers being assaulted in city schools because this teacher has come forward is also an unbelievable fact. I hear about a teacher being assaulted in schools all the time and I have only been in the system 2 years. Unfortunately, the majority of the students we teach do not respect adults or authority and violence is their way of life. As teachers, we try to teach them that violence doesn’t solve their problems, but when they are angry, many times they revert back to what they know and use violence to get their point across even if it is at a teacher. My optimistic outlook is that if we keep trying to teach them these values, some of them will stick, but that still leaves a big question of teacher safety in the schools for those students who don’t listen.

Annual Survey Data

Have you seen this?

http://www.bcpss.org/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp

The other day I came across the results of the annual Baltimore City School surveys. These surveys include all of the information from staff, parent and student surveys that were given earlier in the year.

I was disappointed, but at the same time not surprised to find that my school did not receive rave review in all categories (student-to-student bullying for example). But I was completely surprised at other data (at least half of teachers say they feel supported by the administration).

Especially for the categories that involved administrator support, I expected the data to be worse than it was, although it wasn't great. Did they put my data on here? It doesn't seem that they have all of my information, so does that mean that someone at my school or in BCPSS is purposefully changing the data? How does the data for your school match up with the opinions you gave on your survey and how you perceive your school?

Looking at this information was very interesting and informative. I (obviously) think about my school in terms of the issues that I face, so to see how my students and parents view was eye-opening. I was happy to see that most of my students feel safe at school and that they believe their teachers are effective. It was also encouraging to see that most of my students felt their teachers cared about them on a personal level. Unfortunately some of the data suggests that parents and students are not satisfied with how the school is run.

I hope that our administration is using this data purposefully to direct the programs they use and begin at our school. It seems like such a waste if they don't!

Check out the data for your school.

Incentives in one Baltimore City School

A few weeks ago at our monthly staff meeting, we had an outside presenter who was discussing our school's Positive Behavior Interventions Systems (PBIS). He discussed the incentives that students receive that help motivate them to be successful in classroom and other school settings. Off-handedly the presenter asked our principal what types of incentives she has in place for her staff. Her reply was a very cold "It comes once every two weeks, that's what they get."

I think was one of the few staff members who heard the comment. I was APPALLED. This woman touts a system that promotes positive behaviors and culture for her students but then basically says that the only thing her teachers need to worry about is their paycheck. I found this very unsettling. My principal feels that we don't want, need or maybe deserve positive support, something I feel any good administration gives. As a staff we have, countless times, discussed the implications and benefits of multi-layered reward systems for our students. Why can't we do something so simple as using the "Teacher of the Month" parking space as a way to recognize hard work? Could there not be notes given to teachers who are working hard and succeeding?

But, really, why should I be so concerned with a little praise or thank you when there's a paycheck coming in a few days? I know that any type of motivation system for teachers would be a challenge though. My principal has been in my classroom three times, for a total of about 10 minutes, over the course of two years and as I speak with co-workers it seems that this is the rule rather than the exception.

Our administrators continue to complain about teachers taking sick days but then refuse to tell the teachers when none of the three administrators will be in the building. I've even been told that "it's none of [my] business when the administrators are here." Are you serious? It greatly affects my day and certain consequence systems I have in place.

I know that this phenomenon is certainly not unique to my school or my job, but that doesn't make it any less personal for me. All people need more to motivate them to than just a paycheck, at least in the long-term. I think that Baltimore City and my principal in particular could benefit from keeping this in mind. Teachers will never stay in a system that doesn't appreciate their hard work in many ways.

Where is the MOST Need?

Walking my class downstairs to lunch the other day, we passed a MICA student hanging beautiful student art projects in our hallway. At that time, I overheard one of my students complain that they never got to do art projects, and that only the ‘little kids’ got to do the fun stuff. This comment reminded me of something I heard during the School Board Meeting I attended back in early March. During the public comment section, the Parent-Community Advisory Board made a general comment about middle school reform that stuck with me. A representative for this committee argued before the board that Baltimore City is still waiting for true reform at the middle school level, beyond the transition to the K-8 model. He said that we are still ignoring the traditional middle schools within the city that clearly are in need of the most help. He backed his logic with the statistic that about 72 percent of African American males are dropping out starting in the 9^th grade. He attributed this enormous failure to the existing failure in the middle schools.

While he admitted that partnerships have been somewhat successful (specifically pointing to the University alliances with some of Baltimore City schools), he argued that this ‘good work’ was only happening at the elementary and high school level. Therefore, he argued that these partnerships are not adopting the city’s true problems. He suggested that we are only scraping the surface and avoiding the larger issue. For while he mentioned that we are aware of these enormous problems, and that we all can name the middle schools in the most need, still the help/alliances are not going where they are needed.

This got me thinking about the opportunities that exist within my own school, an arguably successful K-8 model. Yet looking deeper into my school, a drastic difference exists between the elementary and middle school level results and statistics. The top floors, which house the middle school children, is considerably different than the lower floor where the elementary children are taught. When visitors enter the building, they are usually taken on a tour of the bottom floor, and rarely shown upstairs. Also, although many opportunities exist in the school, the vast majority of them are aimed at the elementary students, along with an occasional few standout middle school students. Hence, these younger children are the ones working with MICA students, which leads back to the comment from my student that they ‘never got to do art projects.’

Overall, I recognize that my middle school students benefit from being part of a K-8 school with successful partnerships. However, people seem to enjoy working with the smaller, typically calmer children whereas they have a fear of the wilder or simply ‘uncontrollable,’ middle school students. Yet by withholding opportunity from middle school students anywhere throughout the city, we are only closing doors for these students who perhaps need this extra attention and opportunity more than anyone else.