Fascinating Research Articles

OK, I never thought I would use the words "fascinating", "research" and "articles" together in the same sentence, let alone as the title for a blog post... but it's happening today!  

I'll admit it, I think reading research based journal articles and textbooks is the most boring, mind numbing way to spend my time.  Some nights, I would rather stab blunt pencils in to my eyes than read another word of another article that's devoted to some form of educational research.  Some nights, I have even needed to use blunt pencils in order to keep my eyes open just so I can get through one.  

Reading journals consists of putting myself through reading pages and pages of data, charts, fancy long words and confusing jargon.  If I manage to stumble through the cited sources, statistics, and data and come out with a slightest sense of what the article is about, I feel like I accomplished a big feat.  Cause, let's face it, journal articles aren't exactly written for reading pleasure.  

But, being an educator, a student, and a life-long learner requires doing my share of research.  It's inevitable.  My professional development requires reading and researching a topic, my college classes require reading and researching topics, and if I want to find the best ways to reach my students I have to read and research.  

As much as I am not a fan of doing those things, I did stumble across a research project that actually had me enthusiastically reading, and dare I say enjoying, what I actually found out.

As a part of my current issues in education class, I have to do a few research projects.  Two are with a partner, and one is by myself.  The first partnered project I participated in covered religion in schools.  We researched, we put together a paper and a PowerPoint, and we shared what we found out with the class.  I won't say it was exciting or all that mind-blowing.  This time around, however, we picked a subject I had no idea would lead me to be so interested and surprised by what I found.

This time around, my partner and I chose the topic of Closing the Achievement Gap.  It's a very common issue for educators and administrators.  I'd say it's probably one of the most prevalent parts of education today.  Achievement gaps are strongly associated with kids from non-English speaking and low-income households.  Study after study has shown that kids from minority groups and low-income backgrounds are far more likely to have academic difficulties than kids from English speaking and middle to high income households.  That is something I didn't have to research to know.  In fact, it's something that's taught to teachers while they're learning how to become teachers.  

The reasons for lower achieving students from minority and income challenged households has always been explained to me as being a direct cause of the obstacles these students have to overcome.  Learning a new language, struggling to meet basic needs before meeting academic needs, and limited support at home are all factors in to why students are thought to be lower achieving compared to the students who have solid financial and parental support at home.  

But, looking in to this issue further for my research project gave me information I did not know about, and left me completely stunned and shocked.  

Vast studies and research has shown that students who struggle academically, for whatever reason, has been strongly linked to the way teachers teach those students.  Not the limited English skills, not the poverty scale, and not the lack of parental support.

The research I performed for this project has shown me that many teachers and administrators opt for remedial level studies and direct instruction when teaching students who are considered "at risk".  They take away higher order thinking skills, and "dumb down" the content in order to fill academic gaps and raise achievement and confidence.  While many teachers and administrators believe it's best to lower curriculum standards and expectations in order to best suit the needs of at-risk students, vast research shows that the complete opposite has been proven to be true.  What do I mean by the complete opposite?

One study that I read followed under performing schools for a period of eight years.  The schools were made up of high minority and high poverty students.  The years prior to the study had shown that the schools were graduating students with a middle-school education at best, and many of the elementary students were 2-3 grade levels behind.  The school's approach to help raise academics was to implement tutoring services, interventions, and remedial level courses in order to "bridge the gaps" and supposedly help students feel more confident about their abilities.  

When the study came along, it was funded and overseen by a team of educators that were experienced in writing curriculum for gifted and talented students.  It required teachers and administrators to completely change their approach to how they taught, the curriculum model they used, and drastically increase the expectations they had for the students.

The approach was simply put:  Replace the remedial studies and direct instruction for inquiry-based, challenging, higher leveled curriculum.  The schools had to adopt project based studies, open-ended discovery questioning, and high order thinking skills.  A challenge many educators in the schools thought to be impossible with the "level" of students they were teaching.

But, do you know what happened?  I bet you can guess, huh?  The schools that participated in the study not only raised their academic levels, but started seeing a higher number of students going off to and completing college, staying in school, and performing at levels comparable to schools from a higher income/lower minority bracket.  The achievement gap became almost non-existent in those schools.  

In terms of standardized testing skills, the students from the schools went from a majority of below basic to basic scores to a majority of proficient scores, with a much higher percentage of advanced level students.  

Reading all the information and data was absolutely fascinating.  And, after I read one study, I started looking for more.  And, what I quickly discovered is that there is a solid trend in schools that have a lower achievement gap.  Schools that adopt a higher level of expectations and a more challenging curriculum for ALL students were far more successful than the schools that opted for remedial "gap filling" instruction.

After all that research, I have to say it makes a lot of sense.  I am a firm believer in the fact that students will perform to the expectations set before them.  Give students low expectations, they will meet them.  Give students high expectations, and they will meet them.  Assuming that certain students are only capable of performing at a certain level cuts off their ability to grow, and also cuts off their motivation.  They often become bored and less motivated to try.  Make them reach for the stars, and they may struggle but they will find success in their abilities to overcome the "impossible" and will be better prepared for the world that awaits them outside of school.  

In order for at-risk students to perform at the same levels of non-risk students, there has to be consistency and equality in curriculum delivery.  I'm not saying completely doing away with remediation, direct instruction, and interventions... but the at-risk students need to at least be put on the same playing field.  All the studies I read showed that at-risk students were more than capable of performing critical thinking skills, flourished by being challenged with project-based inquiry, and excelled at applying their learning to real-world situations.

One study I read covered a school that took part in a school wide research project.  Each grade level was given a country of the world to study.  The students learned about the country's culture, geography, and educational views and practices.  The students were then challenged to compare and contrast the country's way of life to their own.  The project involved reading, science, math, and social studies.  Students from that country were able to take a lead role in the project, providing their own input to their way of life before coming to America.  It was absolutely fascinating to read about the projects, level of inquiry involved, and the success and enjoyment the students had with the project.

The whole research project has given me a lot to think about, and a lot to share in tonight's class.  I'm curious to hear the thoughts of the other teachers in my class.  It's also given me a lot to think about in terms of my own teaching style and how I want to move forward.

But, right now, I have to think about getting my kids up and ready for school.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!!

A Great Wednesday and a Very Busy Thursday

I'm dragging this morning.  I just didn't want to get out of bed, and I'm lucky I woke up only twenty minutes after my alarm went off to find that I'd turned the alarm off and went back to sleep.  Had my internal clock not been working, that could have turned out very bad for me.  And, I was having such a nice dream, too.

I'm so tired because I didn't get home until 10PM last night, due to being in class.  It was a great class, though.  I found out that I'd worried WAY too much about my homework assignments that were due, and that I'll never have to stress that much again about the homework.  I also realized that if I don't want to be in class until 9:30, I'm going to have to not talk so much.  But, dang I enjoy the conversations that we have.

Discussing school issues is fun.  I mean, really fun.  I've already learned so much about some of the issues revolving around the public school system, and it's extremely interesting to learn so much about them. I know that some of my classmates are probably thinking, "Dang, will she stop talking so we can get out of here", but I just can't help myself.  It's something about myself that just happens.  I'm a talker.  A discusser.  I like to share my ideas, my thoughts, and my vents.

Last night, we discussed some of the article reviews we'd written, we shared our first group presentations, and we learned about some of the legislation and controversy that's currently out there about school choice, religion in schools, standards based grading, teacher unions, and equality rules.  

I had a lot of fun, and I feel so relieved to know that I only have to write an article review by next class.  That's the only homework I have, and I know that's totally doable because I managed to finish up all the homework I was worrying so much about and got it all turned in last night.  

Being that I got home so late last night, it would be nice to come home this evening and have an early night.  But, no such luck.  Instead I'll be going to a meeting after school and then getting in the car to drive to Butter's first football game...which happens to be an away game.  That means there's a good chance we won't get home until about 11PM.  His game probably won't even start until after 7PM, they'll play for a little over an hour, and we might be lucky if we're heading home by 9:30PM.  The town where he's playing is about an hour and a half from my house.  

Thankfully, I'll just have to get through tomorrow with being so exhausted and then I can catch up on some of my sleep.

Today is also September 11th, so I have to try and fit in some time to discuss this very important day.  It gets tougher and tougher each year, because the kids I teach weren't alive in 2001.  Heck, Peanut was only a little over a year old, and Butter was only 5 months old back when it actually happened.  But, it is very important for the kids to know the significance of Sept. 11th...even if we don't discuss it in great detail.  I don't like to discuss it in great detail because even though it's been 13 years since it happened, it makes me a little teary eyed thinking about that day.  I remember and will always remember what I was doing on September 11th, 2001 and will forever remember the images that scrolled across the news screens for weeks after.  

I choose not to show the video from that day in my classroom, and instead I show the BrainPop video about this day.  I know some people don't agree with my way of doing it, but I really don't think I need to show the graphic images from that day to a group of nine and ten year olds.  I do think it's important to teach about the events of that day, what terrorism is, and how a country came together after a massive tragedy.  

OK, time for another great day in the classroom, and for an evening of watching some football.  The high for today is only 75 degrees, so it should be a BEAUTIFUL day.

Have a great Thursday, everyone... and if you can, take the time to reflect on the events from 13 years ago and how far our country has come since that tragic day.

The Field Experience Project

Last night, I attended my first meeting for my field experience class.  It's not so much a class as it is an ongoing project that will require occasional progress checks.  It lasts between now and December 2015, so basically a little over year long project.

The purpose of the field experience is to obtain 300 hours of experience, while documenting exposure and training to the Missouri Leader Standards.  Yep, even administrators have standards they have to follow.  

I have to admit, I was a little shocked when I saw the 31 page syllabus that was handed out.  I mean, it's basically a small book.  I've had syllabi that were 5 and even 10 pages long, but 31?  If that's not intimidating, I don't know what is.  Thankfully, the intimidation wore off pretty quick once the instructor (who happens to be a current elementary principal) started to explain what our project will entail.

We have 14 months to complete 300 hours of field experience.  During that time, we'll collect "artifacts" demonstrating our understanding of the Missouri Leader Standards and store them in to a portfolio.  We will also have a few assignments here and there.  We will then write a 12 page paper (2 per standard) as a reflection for each standard.  Now that I can handle.  I've done almost that much writing (or will have) during the first three weeks of the Critical Issues class that I'm currently taking. 

Our principal will serve as our "instructor" for the project, and he will oversee our training.  We will have to observe and perform certain tasks that are required of administrators, and really get a feel of what it's like to be a principal.  I think that's kind of exciting.  I mean, what better way is there to learn how to be a principal than actually doing it?  

Our first assignment, which is due by our next meeting in January, consists of recording an 8-10 minute video showing us in a mock administrative duty.  There's a plethora of situations we can use, and the only rule is that we can't use students in our videos.  I'm not a fan of being recorded, and that part is a little intimidating, but I think it will be fun to act out a situation I may find myself in one day.

One of the choices that jumped out at me was putting myself in to the position of a principal hiring a new teacher.  The video would have to consist of me making a phone call to the applicant I chose to hire, and then the phone calls to the applicants that weren't selected.  I tell ya, I have been at the other end of plenty of those "sorry you didn't get the job" phone calls, so that's something I could pull off quite easily.  

The other thought I had is going through the Intruder on Campus Active Shooter training.  Our school will actually be taking part in active shooter training with local law enforcement personnel.  It's scary and downright awful that we have to do something like that, but also necessary with the level of danger there has been towards schools in the past few years.  After the training, I could sit down with the law enforcement officials and discuss the school's response, areas of concern, areas of improvement, and areas of success.  I think that would be a great mock admin situation to play out, being that its' so relevant to today's admin duties.  

This whole project is very similar to the field experience I had to do my last year of college for my teaching portfolio.  We had six tenants that we had to collect artifacts for, collect a certain amount of on-the-job training hours, and then write up reflections for the tenants.  So, being that I've done this before, I should do pretty well.  There will be about 50 weeks of time to collect the hours, so I'll have to get in about 6 hours a week of experience.  I'll have even more time if I'm able to collect some hours during the summer.  So, even though six hours a week will be tough, it won't really be that much.  Plus, a lot of the projects and assignments I'll do for other classes will be able to be used for the time.  So, I'm thinking if I can get in 3-4 hours a week of experience with my principal, the rest will come from assignments, research, and other activities.  

I'm still not even close to being done with my homework that's due TOMORROW.  I managed to finish up the presentation I'll use for the group project I'm doing with my partner.  We'll present that tomorrow, no problems.  I have, still yet, to do the two article reviews and answer the chapter questions.  I have the articles, I've read them, but I just haven't typed up the 1-2 page reflections.  Those I could knock out in no time, it's the chapter questions that I'm concerned about.  They require a lot of research, so I'm thinking that it'll be a late night for me tonight getting it all finished.  

But, like I said yesterday, I work best under pressure.  This takes me back to my previous college days, when I'd sit in front of the computer the night before an assignment was due, typing on the keyboard while listening to my "study music".  I graduated with a 3.9 GPA by doing that.  The only B I made during my entire college career was in College Algebra, and that didn't require any late night paper writing.  So, the rest of the time that I crammed and wrote at the last minute earned me all A's.  Although, this time, I want to really try hard to NOT spend so much time procrastinating.  Starting this week, I plan on working about an hour a night on homework so that I'm not spending an entire weekend or staying up all night before class getting my work done.  I have 16 kiddos counting on me to be alert and focused for them all day, and I can't perform my teacher job very well if I'm sleep deprived and stressed out.

I figure if I spend an hour after school getting my teacher work done, I can come home and spend an hour on school homework.  Then maybe, just maybe, I'll actually be able to have some time to spend on weekends doing fun stuff or just relaxing.  Of course, this week I'm bogged down with meetings.  Today I have a PTP meeting after work, tomorrow I have class, and Thursday I have a NEA meeting followed by Butter's first football game.  Not really conducive to my plans of spending a couple of hours each evening getting my work done.  Thankfully, I have nothing going on this weekend.  No football games, no debate stuff, no plans whatsoever.  That's great news for me, because I can knock out my homework for next week, and still have a day to relax or go and see P-Momma (being that I haven't seen her in a while).  

I have to admit, I feel a lot better today than I did this weekend.  Sure, I'm a little stressed that I still have so much to do by tomorrow.  But, I'll get it all done, probably lose some sleep, and then learn a valuable lesson about time management and that I'm not a girl in college that doesn't have a job waiting for me the next day anymore.  It's time to put my big girl pants on and lead by example.  If I preach to my own students and children about the down falls to procrastination, I better start realizing that same message myself.  

OK, it's that time again where I need to get ready for work.  I was a little cranky, yesterday, because we were without AC for a while and I don't like being hot.  Hopefully today, that will all be working again and I can go back to being my chipper, happy self.

Have an awesome Tuesday, everyone!!

Must. Do. Homework!

I've decided that if one of my students complains about their spelling contract homework this week, I'm going to hand them the homework I have to do for my class and tell them to do that instead....and then see if they still want to complain next week.

Everyone has heard my thoughts on homework.  I'm not a fan.  Mostly because I know what it's like to have a life outside of school, and after working all day the last thing I want to do is spend all evening working on homework.  But despite everyone's opinions on homework, the truth is if a kid is going to college, they better get used to homework... but it's a big part of college life.

I have one class a week.  Just one.  But, I'm already overwhelmed by the amount of homework that I have this week.  And all I have to do is write up an article review, answer some chapter questions, and do a group project about a critical issue in education.  No biggie, right?  I mean, I have a whole week to do that.

What I thought was that I'd get it done on a weekend day.  And, if I had actually spent ALL day on my homework yesterday (the time between getting up and going to bed), I probably would have finished it all.  But I didn't, so I didn't.

My brain and my body just aren't equipped with the necessary patience to spend an ENTIRE day in front of the computer researching, reading, and typing answers.  I just can't do it.  Not only are my brain and my body not able to do it, but I also have other responsibilities that have to be taken care of, which interfere with that time.  I had laundry and grocery shopping to do, as well.

Being that I spent ALL day Saturday working in a concession stand, I didn't really want to spend my ENTIRE day yesterday doing homework... but the sad thing is, the several hours I did spend doing homework barely cracked a dent in to how much I had to do.

The absolute worst part was the fact that I spent two hours answering questions I didn't even have to answer.  We were given three pages of information and questions to read, and it wasn't until I was about two hours in (and only on the first page of questions) that I realized there was only one question on the page that I had to answer, and the rest were just to think about for the next class.  Not cool.  It wasn't my professor's fault.  He told us in the directions that we just had to answer the questions that were at the end of the chapter.  The problem came when I thought all the questions he had given us WERE the questions from the end of the chapter.  It wasn't until I got to the end of the chapter in the text book that I realized only one of the questions on the handout were actually from the chapter questions.  The rest of the questions had gone with the reading in order to drive our thinking process and prepare us for the discussions we'd have in our next class.  I didn't have to type up three pages of answers.  UGH!!

That was a big deflate to my ability to sit and focus.  To realize that I'd spent two hours working on something I didn't have to work on.  Had I spent those two hours only answering the questions I needed to, I would have been done with that assignment.  But, I didn't even get to the first question I had to answer before I gave up and moved to a different assignment.

I will say that I finished my portion of the group project.  I got my research and my opinion written out.  Now all I have to do is mesh it with my partner's piece and we can put together a full document and presentation.  But the two pages I did type up took me a couple of hours.  By the time I'd done the research, laid out the information I wanted to use, and written up the information so that I wasn't plagiarizing my sources I had spent almost two hours working on it.  The opinion piece didn't take near as long, because I could just type that.  There's so much more work and time needed when there's research involved.

It wouldn't be so bad if I had tonight to work on homework, but I have another class to attend for four hours.  Starting today, I'll be enrolled in two classes, but only going to one class a week.  The other class is a field experience class that I'll do on my own.  Tonight's meeting is to just explain what the expectations and requirements are for the field experience project that I'll turn in either in October or December (can't remember when).

What makes matters worse is the fact that I'm such a bad procrastinator.  I am also a huge hypocrite.  I preach to my own students about procrastination, and how bad it is to wait until the last minute because you never know what might happen, and then I turn around and do the same thing.  I never wanted to be one of those "do as I say, not as I do" teachers.  But, in my defense, I work much better under pressure.  I have had plenty of practice with that, yet it's something I regret getting in to the habit of doing.  It's why I'm so adamant with my own students about NOT being a procrastinator.  I've had plenty of years of experience, and I can handle staying up until 4AM to finish homework if I need to.  Those little kiddos don't need to be trying to do stuff like that at their age.  Besides, they have a spelling contract each week that should take no more than 30 minutes an evening to finish.  If they did that each night, it would be easy sailing.  However, some of them don't and then complain that they had to spend over 2 hours on homework on Thursday night because it's all due on Friday and they never touched it all week.

I know that problem all too well.  I'm still working on the article review that was supposed to be turned in last Wednesday.  Being that I was in Tennessee the weekend before, I didn't work on it.  Then class was cancelled on Wednesday, so I took that as having a whole extra week to get it done.  What ended up happening was me piling even more work on to the over flowing plate I had to take care of.  My bad, and something I won't do again.  Next time I get an assignment, I'm going to do it before the next class...regardless of whether or not the class gets cancelled or rescheduled.

I understand that my homework is an important part of my learning process, and vital for me to complete the required objectives for the class.  Meeting once a week for four hours over the course of eight weeks just isn't enough time for me to learn everything I need to learn from this class.  The homework portion gives me even more knowledge and experience with what this class is all about, and it's vital for earning the degree I'm pursuing.  Getting a Master's isn't easy, I never expected it to be.  It's just going to require some firm restrictions on my part to buckle down and do what I have to do.

These first two weeks have given me some insight on how the rest of the class is going to go, and now I understand that it can take up and over of two hours to do a single article review.  I understand that chapter questions aren't simply answering a question from the reading, but an entire research project.  I understand that a group project isn't as simple as creating a cute PowerPoint, but spending several hours researching and documenting sources, information, and opinions.  I have realized that in order for me to be successful in this class, I'm going to have to kiss ANY free time goodbye and really buckle down on prioritizing and time management.  There's no reason to give up what I already have on my busy calendar, I just have to realize that there may not be much time for me to relax and "chill" for the next 18 months.  If I spend an entire Saturday working for a fundraiser, I must know that I'm going to spend an entire Sunday working on homework.  I also need to move away from coming home from work each night and putting my feet up.  If I'm a little more organized, I could spend an hour an evening working on homework and then I wouldn't be too overwhelmed come the weekend...and I may even get a couple of hours on the weekend to relax, or at least take better care of my "mom duties".

One valuable lesson I have most definitely learned is the fact that school teachers just can't all jump on the "no homework" bandwagon.  I know that there are several teachers that don't like to give homework, and refuse to do so.  I'm one of those teachers that really don't like giving homework.  I give some spelling homework each week, but other than that I get to feeling all guilty if I ask students to take something home to finish.  I feel like they've spent enough time in class and shouldn't have to extend their school day in to their evening hours at home.  But, the harsh reality is, we're also a society that's moving towards more college preparation.  With Common Core and new state standards that are focusing on college readiness, we really need to think about the other ways we can prepare kids for college demands.  If a student spends the majority of their school life not receiving any homework, what's going to happen when they get in to college and realize that they have to spend 3-8 hours a week doing homework?  Sometimes even more.

And I'm all on the train that says that 3rd, 4th, and even 5th graders are too young to have too much homework.  That they are too young to have to worry about college readiness... but what about junior high and high school readiness?  I know that my Peanut is already feeling the weight of high school homework demands, because she wasn't prepared for the amount of homework a high school student receives.  In Junior High, her teachers were great about not giving homework.. or she was able to spend a small amount of time finishing up the tiny amounts of homework she did receive.  Now that she's in high school, she receives nightly homework assignments, often from more than one class, that could take her 1-3 hours and it's hard on her.  She just wasn't prepared for it.

So, even though I'm not a fan of homework, I really think that I need to rethink my own opinion.  I want my students to go to college when they graduate high school.  Will they all go?  Probably not.  But, I shouldn't be teaching to those that don't go, I should be encouraging them all to at least want to and seriously think about it.  Even in 4th grade.  Especially in 4th grade.  But, if I want to do that, I have to also face that fact that these kids need to be prepared for the volume of work they are going to receive.  Even if I'm just preparing them for what's awaiting in high school.  All I know is that having a no homework or minimal homework policy could be more detrimental to my students than having them take something home each night or a couple nights a week to work on.  If they don't get any homework now, or next year, or even the year after, they will eventually.  And then they'll be overwhelmed and will most likely struggle.

That doesn't mean that I'm going to start assigning an hour or two of homework each night.  It just means that I'm not going to feel so guilty anymore if I have to send a math assignment home to finish, or a science paper, or a grammar practice page.  If they have to take something home to work on, so be it.  I'm going to stop worrying about it, stop trying to fit enough time in to the day to give them time to finish any homework, and just remember that I'm helping prepare them for the future.  I know that there will be kids that don't do the homework, and the kids that will struggle with having homework.  But, being that I grade for effort, I need to further instill the importance in at least trying.  They just have to know, as do I, that it'll all be worth it in the end.

OK, I think I've said enough for today.

Have a great Monday, everyone!

One Planner Just Isn't Enough

                            

Well, Fall is definitely almost here.  It's not because the weather is getting cooler, or because leaves are starting to change, or even due to the fact that football season has started.  No.  I know Fall is almost here just by looking at the pages in my calendar.  Because when it's Fall, my planner is FULL.  

In fact, it's so crazy full over the next few months, that I had to buy ANOTHER planner because one just wasn't enough.  Usually, I put all of my stuff in one planner, the same planner I use at school.  I usually color code it, one color for work stuff, another color for Peanut's stuff, and another color for Butter's stuff.  But, throw in college and the fact that Peanut is involved in show choir, debate, and a gazillion fundraisers, and my work and school stuff just doesn't have any room to go.  So, I bought a new planner that's JUST for the kids stuff.  And, I can't believe how full that already is.  I also use my phone calendar, but with all the technology problems we've been having at school this week, I've realized how important it is to have a hard copy of everything... just in case. 

Last night, I went to a show choir booster meeting.  I don't have the dates for Peanut's competitions and performances, yet, but I do have five Razorback games that I have to work over the course of the next two months. (It would be six, but one of the games happens to fall on the weekend we'll be in Tennessee, so I won't be working that one.)  She also has about twenty debate competitions between this Saturday through March.  There will be several dates for show choir competitions to add, more show choir meetings, and other fundraisers that we'll be doing.  Butter has six football games, then both Peanut and Butter will have track competitions to throw in to the mix.  Almost every Saturday between now and Christmas has something on it, let's not forget that for the next seven weeks I have class once a week and plenty of homework to do, and the seven weeks after that I'll have an online class to keep up with.

I'm getting tired just writing about all of it.  

Usually, this type of crazy busy lifestyle doesn't really bother me... but I have to admit, with so much going on, I'm a little nervous about when I'm going to have the time to work on my school stuff.  Between now and next Wednesday I have to finish writing two article synopses, answer questions about three chapters in our text book, and have a group project finished.  It's Friday, and I won't have tomorrow to work on any of it.  Instead, I'll be getting up at 4AM, taking Peanut and her friend to school for their debate competition, coming home and then heading to the football stadium around 9AM.  I originally thought that I didn't have to be there until 3PM, but come to find out that's when the game starts and we have to be there FIVE HOURS before the game starts.  So, I'll be there from about 10AM to around 8PM.  A nice ten hour work day.  

So, Sunday, I'll have to spend pretty much all day in front of my computer finishing up all my homework, finding time to do laundry, go grocery shopping, and finish up my lesson plans and entering grades.  

As Peanut would say, though, "YOLO".  Which means "You Only Live Once". 

That's true.  

I can sit here and complain how busy I'll be and how much I've got on my plate, but the truth is it's all worth it.  Years from now, when my life has calmed down somewhat, I'll be able to look back and remember how much I was able to handle, how I was the queen of multi-tasking, and how I was always involved with something or going somewhere for the kids.  It's worth it.  I don't ever want to be a parent that's not a part of my kids' lives, no matter how busy it makes me.

I don't mind admitting that I'm feeling a tad overwhelmed, though.  I mean, school activities are no biggie... except that I went from volleyball and football in the fall to football, show choir, fundraisers, and debate.  I don't mind being so involved with the booster club and helping with fundraisers.  Not only does my helping out earn money for the show choir, but it saves me money.  By working the football games, I'm saving the money I'd have to spend on costumes and trip money.  I realized last night that I give a nice portion of my paycheck each month right back to the school district, so it'd be nice to give more of my time and less of my hard earned money.  Even though that might sound bad.  Just yesterday I had to write a check for $44 for shirts.  Football t-shirts for me and the kids to wear at Butter's football games.  Pretty soon, I'm going to need a new closet to store all of my Mustang (the high school mascot) apparel.. just like I need a new planner to keep up with all the Mustang events. 

I have volleyball shirts, I have football shirts, I have Mustang pride shirts and Tiger Pride (our school mascot) shirts, and I now have a show choir shirt.  I'll never run out of shirts to wear that show my school spirit, that's for sure.

Going back to the overwhelmed thing...I do feel a tad overwhelmed.  Only because I have so much going on with the kids and now have my schooling to think about.  I promised myself and the kids that my going back to school would noway interfere with their activities, or my participation with those activities.  But, I already feel behind because there's so much to do and so little time.  Having a week to work on an assignment should be more than enough time, but throw in after school meetings, practices, weekend activities, and still having to do my regular work, and that time quickly dwindles away.  By the time I get home, I'm so exhausted and the last thing I want to do is homework.  

But, I also know how strong I am.  I know how much I can take on.  I am the woman that went through a teen pregnancy, an abusive relationship, being homeless, a single mother, worked her way through school beating all the odds, found the job of her dreams, and somehow ended up with three AMAZING children, a supportive man to go through the crazy with me, a beautiful home, stability, and comfort.  

If I can go through all that, I think I can handle tons of school activities, college classes, and a very demanding job.  

I'm a freakin' superhero!  There's nothing I can't do, really.

I know it's OK to feel overwhelmed, I work best under pressure.  I know I'll jump over every hurdle, figure out how to juggle everything life throws at me, and still make it out of my classes with all A's and my Master's degree.

It's just what I do....and I'm freakin' awesome at it.

But, right now, I need to handle getting the kids up and ready for school. 

Have a great Friday, everyone!!

A Class Where I Get to Vent? Yes Please!!

Last night, I attended my first ever class at Graduate School.  I'm a big girl, now.  All grown up and embarking on a very grown up journey to receiving my Master's Degree.  And, I'll admit it... I was nervous.  Even though I'd told myself I'd be OK, and that I'd get through it no matter what, I still kinda sorta thought I was going to be diving in a little over my head.

Well, after last night I realized that I'm going to at least make it through the first class.  And, not just make it through, but actually REALLY enjoy taking the class, too.

My first class is Current Issues in Education.  

It's an 8 week class, but honestly it's a class that could last 20 years.  Simply because there has always been and always will be "issues" with our education system.  It will never be perfect.  There will always be problems, struggles to overcome, and government officials trying to figure out the best approach to education even though they've never spent a day in their life teaching children in a classroom.

Issues with education is a hot topic with me.  Hello, I'm a teacher.  Of course I have issues.  There's always someone from outside of the education world trying to change things, even though they have no idea what they're talking about.  There's never enough money.  There's always test scores that have to be focused on, and data that needs to be collected.  There's always changes being made to curriculum and standards.  There's never enough money...oh wait, yeah well that deserves being said twice.  There's always people that don't like what we do, or parents that have issues with education or teachers.  There will always be a few teachers that don't like to change or won't change or refuse to listen to anyone else's ideas.  There will always be government mandates looming over our heads that could drastically affect our future as teachers.

I could go on and on and on with this.

And, if I ever want to become an administrator, I have to not just complain about these things... but actually think about how I'm going to deal with these issues.  That's tough.  And, after my first class I can tell you that if I was a principal tomorrow, I'd fail.

But, I also LOVED having the opportunity to vent and let out my frustrations about these issues last night.  I also look forward to learning more about these issues, and continuing to vent my frustrations.. but also thinking about possible solutions to the problems.  Right up my alley!!

The first hour of our class was spent getting to know each other.  Well, let me rephrase that.  We already know each other, it was mainly spent introducing ourselves and learning a little more about our teacher and what the class will entail.  There are 8 students in our cohort, and seven of them are teachers from my school.  Our teacher is the current superintendent from a nearby school district.  That, in itself is very exciting to me.  It's great to have an actual administrator standing in front of us, listening to our vents and sharing with us some of the issues he has to face and how he has to deal with them.  

I digress.

The next two hours, we discussed the hot topics:  Money, testing, government mandates, and curriculum and standards.  We discussed how teachers are dealing with higher expectations but less resources in order to reach them.  We discussed the ever shrinking budgets.  We discussed the argument over Common Core and new standards that Missouri is adopting.  And we discussed how teacher tenure is currently under attack in Missouri, and how unfair the "teacher report card" is that could be used to determine if we're doing our jobs or not.  

For example...In the town I teach we have an extremely high diverse population.  Not just diverse, but an extremely high amount of non-English speaking kids, or kids that have limited English.  We also have a high poverty rate, and on a "national scale" our kids are very low in terms of their grade level counterparts across the country.

Right now, the majority (81%) of my kids in my class are reading on a 2nd grade level.  That doesn't have anything to do with the teachers in previous grades not doing their jobs, it has everything to do with the fact that we have such a high turnover and population of limited English speakers.  In fact, in our eyes, the fact that we have students that didn't speak a word of English a year ago that are now reading on a 2nd grade level is a HUGE accomplishment.  And, if we are able to get these kids up a grade level or two each year, we are most definitely doing our jobs and are very proud of the gains our kiddos make.  

BUT... if current legislation gets passed that "grades" teachers on test scores and student achievement, our students will be compared to students in other schools that don't have the same diversity and limited English issues, and we'll look like our kids are way behind where they should be, and that we aren't doing our jobs of making sure that our students are "on grade level" before they are promoted to the next grade.  Thus, possibly getting us fired because we don't "perform" to the standards that other teachers in different districts are achieving.  Like I said last night, that's like comparing apples to car engines.  It's absolutely impossible to grade us in such a way.  

If the government wants to see if we're doing our jobs, they should look at the progress OUR students make from when they step in to our classroom and compare it to when they leave.  If the kids have made gains, know more than when we started, and are proficient in the skills we have been able to teach them.. then we're doing our jobs.  There's no way I'm going to get a kid that reads on a 1st grade level when he enters my classroom reading at a 5th grade level when he leaves.  But, if that same kid is reading at a 3rd grade level when he leaves?  I think I've done an extraordinary job of improving his reading ability, and closing the gap just a little more.  

THAT'S how we should be measured.  

And, if that's how we were measured, people would truly get to see what an amazing job we do each and every year.  

This is the type of stuff we get to discuss in this class.  Each week, for 3-4 hours we'll be tackling these and other issues head on and looking at them from an administrators point of view.  As teachers, it's tough because we are thinking about ourselves and our students, but as administrators we would have to think about ALL of the students and ALL of the teachers.  And, I already have even more respect for our current administrators that are dealing with these issues right now.  They are hard to think about, hard to discuss, and hard to solve...and that's just from a teacher's point of view.  I couldn't imagine having 25+ teachers under my supervision and dealing with all of their concerns about these issues.  

But, if I ever, for a second think that I want to be a principal, I need to start thinking that way.  Even if I don't plan on being a principal for 15 years.  Those same issues will be there, and probably even more so.

So, as you can see, I'm fired up and ready for this class.  I am excited about it, I know I'm going to enjoy it, and I am ready to learn everything I can.  

Sure, it's going to be challenging.  It's going to be tough to keep up with the workload that the class requires.  But, it's about stuff I enjoy learning more about and talking about and venting over.  It's personal to me.  And THAT'S what's going to make me give my all in to doing the best I can.  

Bring on Graduate School.  I am now OFFICIALLY ready and willing to learn as much as I can and get through these next 18 months.

Have an AWESOME Thursday, everyone!!

Getting Mentally Prepared for MY First Day of School

Even though I've been back at work, teaching, for almost two weeks, tomorrow is a very important day for me.  Tomorrow, is MY first day back to school.  And it's been three years since I last went to school.

By school, I mean college.  

Tomorrow is the first day for me to embark on my journey of getting my Master's Degree in Elementary Administration from William Woods University.  Sounds fancy, huh?  In eighteen short months, I'll be graduating from college for the third time.  This time, with a license to become a principal... if I ever choose to go that route.

I'm not going back to school to get my Master's because I want to be a principal.  Not right now.  It's more about having the opportunity, and just wanting to get it done and out of the way.  It goes along with never really being able to say that I'm done with school, and always wanting to learn more and achieve more.  Plus, it will be really great to be able to have the extra money that comes with having a Master's Degree.  

When I graduated with my Bachelor's degree in May 2011, I had no real intent to get my Master's.  I mean, it was something I figured I'd do one day, but not for several years.  It was tough just getting through those four years, and I just wanted to get out there and teach without ever having to worry about being in another college class for a VERY LONG TIME.  Especially after I got my teaching position.  I felt content.  Like I didn't need to worry any more about classes, books, homework, studying, or tests.  Unless I was giving or grading them.  

Yet here I am, just starting my third year of teaching, and I'm already back at it.  Thankfully, though, this time around should be a lot less stressful and demanding.  There will be no traveling, no having to quit my job because I'm going to school too many days to work, and no heavy class load.  This time around, it should be a walk in the park compared to what I went through while getting my Bachelor's.  Back then, I took a full time load each semester, taking four or five classes at a time.  

It won't be like that, thank goodness.

This time, I'll be taking one class at a time.  I'll be spending four hours a week in class, and it'll be after work right where I teach.  The college professor will be coming to the elementary school to give the classes.  How awesome is that?  We are going to have our very own cohort campus right where I spend all day working.  The people in my class won't be complete strangers, they will be the people I work with each and every day.  We'll be learning together, studying together, and helping each other get through it.  

I think I can handle that.

Of course, I'm not naive enough to think that I'll only be spending four hours a week on school.  I'm not stupid. I know that I'll sit in class for four hours each week, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of homework to keep me busy during each class.  

I was and still am the only person in my family to graduate college with a Bachelor's Degree.  That was a big deal..is a big deal.  The oldest of six kids, and the only one to go off to college and graduate.  My brother did go to college and did some kind of graphic design course, but I hold the highest degree in terms of college success.  

I know that sound like I'm bragging, but.. well.. I am.  It was and is a big deal to me.  Especially with how many setbacks I had when I first got out of high school.  Two kids by the time I was nineteen, living in poverty for several years, working long hours just to make ends meet, and moving from here and there and everywhere because my bills would always catch up to me and become a little too much for a single mom with two kids to handle.  Especially one that didn't have anything more than a high school diploma.  

So, when I made the decision to go to college, it wasn't for the prestige of being the first and only one in my family to do so... it was about getting the job I'd always wanted, so that I could give my kids the best life possible.  And I did that.  I can check all those boxes.  Went to college, graduated from college, became a teacher, and am now living without any form of assistance in my OWN house that I bought, spending my days doing the job I absolutely love, and the evenings running my kids around to their various sports and activities.

That was what I always wanted, and I did it.  No matter what struggles were thrown my way.  I overcame them and pushed forward.

Which is why, I think, getting my Master's is such an awesome opportunity.  Because, for the first time ever, this is all about me.  It has nothing to do with supporting my family, or needing to be better or do better.  It's just something I want to do.  

Getting my Bachelor's meant I could be a teacher, which was/is MY dream job... but it was also about having a career that was parent-friendly.  I work the hours my kids are in school, I'm off work when they are off school, I get to be at their games, parent meetings, and performances.  It also pays well enough for me to support them, give them a great home, food in their bellies, and all the supplies they need.  

This time around, though, it has absolutely nothing to do with any of those things.  I get to go back to school because I want to.  I get to earn a higher degree because I want to.  And, at the same time, I get to show my kids that there's always higher to go, and be someone that they can be even more proud of.  That I never stopped fighting, never stopped climbing, and was able to do this without it interfering with them (this time around).  Lord knows they hardly saw me during my first four years of college.  But, it won't be that way this time.  I won't falter on my parental duties, and I'll gladly sacrifice sleep and weekends to make sure that nothing really changes.  Besides, it's just 18 months.  I think we can all handle it.  

The only sacrifice they are going to have to make is having me home all summer, next year.  I'll still have to attend classes one night a week during the summer.  Which is no big deal.  We don't have any major vacations planned, or any intent on planning one.  I'll still take them to Silver Dollar City, Water Parks, and all the other stuff we usually do.  

All in all, I'm super excited.  I know I can do this.  I'm ready for the challenges that await, and hopefully I'll still be singing this tune a year from now.  Fingers Crossed.

OK, it's that time again to get ready for another WONDERFUL day in my classroom.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!!