Educated to Death

0206: To Hell with Curriculum, the Joy is in the Interaction

#education #revolution #occupyedu

I’ve devoted much of the past decade either preparing to teach or teaching. Never once have I been interested in being called a teacher. My sole interest, though often disrupted, has been to interact with other humans and share my love of learning—my love of becoming more and more human. I took my first job as an algebra teacher even though I was less than qualified with the subject matter in a relatively dangerous school just so I could share what had been shared with me through the years. I’ve taught different subjects, but have found the same joy of sharing with people. I teach what I know. They teach what they know. Each party grows a little. To Hell with the curriculum; education lies in the interaction.

Anything useful I have taught has been through honest interaction. In these moments I didn’t act as a pious sage. I was simply human. It never came from a book, although it often directed learners or myself to some source. Lessons aren’t prepared, they develop. My education on how to education was far different from what I am asked to enforce by administrators and evaluators. I’m asked to control kids and numb them with useless talk and practice that can be tested. The system of which I am a part is bunk and harmful to children and humanity. I am less convinced each day that there is any reform that can fix mess of a system—this beast of a machine. There are countless caring and well meaning educators whose efforts are thwarted by a brilliantly vile system. Cheers to you all. I need to make a step in a direction for the sake of myself and those around me. I want to share this life with thoughtful humans not mauled by a machine. What to do friends?

0205: #Teachers accountable to teachers: busting #bureaucracy organically

#education @coopcatalyst #occupyedu

Suppose we looked at teacher accountability in a new way? I propose we trust teachers—a little laissez-faire education if you will. This might require higher pay and a serious look at teacher education and quality, but it’ll balance itself out. With less money thrown at testing and corporate remediation materials plus the slew of highway robbers and scripted consultants there would be billions leftover for real improvement.

Let’s start by looking at real professional learning communities like tumblr education or Cooperative Catalyst (http://coopcatalyst.wordpress.com/). These are communities of educators who engage in constant self-assessment and community growth. They are teachers who challenge each other to be better teachers. There is constant debate and discourse. The collective knowledge and understanding of the teaching practice is ever growing and changing—it’s a lovely organism.

Teachers can be professionals. We are. Put it in our laps. We’ll make the changes. Hell, give us a politician to answer to, just see to it that we’re making the decisions. Many of us do anyway. The education revolution begins with us. It’s our ability to engage and organize—not politically, but intellectually, dialectically, and professionally?— that enables us to make tremendous changes with or without the support of our beloved bureaucrats.

Change occurs in our classrooms. It is spawned from our learning communities. Let’s keep pulling others in. You have made all the difference in my career.

0204: Yes Men say “No”. An accreditor tells the Truth

#education #ccss #occupyedu

I was asked to sit on a panel of teachers to represent my school district during the accreditation process. I assume I was chosen because I am eager to speak in meetings and apparently speak well. This makes me think my administration has only enjoyed the sound of my voice and not the content of my O so bold oration.

I noticed quickly that I was in a room full of yes men and women who teach in the more affluent schools in our district. They all smiled and sat nicely. They were there to be slaughtered like good little lambs. The team of teachers surrounding me, my co-teachers, were, not unlike me worse for wear and doubting. Lips pursed, eyebrows cocked, notepads out. We were prepared for whatever we were going to he expected to swallow without question. Of course, my group did not act in complete accord. One just parroted off whatever was expected. Another would nod in agreement with the rest of the flock.

This accreditation team is from Advanced Ed, a voluntary “quality assurance” company that comes in for a hefty price and helps ensure that schools are quantitatively meeting standards. They provide services ranging from professional development to teacher evaluations to curriculum development to brainwashing desperate administration. The people on the teams I have met are high paid zealots who offer instruction in best practices from corporate research done in schools far different from the ones they are currently serving. This is no shock. I’ve been impressed with their ability to stick to their script even when challenged. They utilize a method similar to Bill O’Reilly’s when challenged. They simply repeat their original point in a different tone and then say “well we don’t have time to continue this” or “for the sake of time we have to move on”. But they’re generally nice people.

Back to the meeting and the flock.

We were asked general questions regarding the state of our facilities, safety on campus, professional development related to Common Core, whether or not the professional development was useful, and many more. Most people nodded along in agreement with the flock.

And then we were asked if we thought our kids were prepared for college and/or the “real world” when they left or high school. The flocked bleated, “Yes”. They provided examples, “I am a product of this district and I was more than ready.” Several referenced themselves as examples.

I asked the “accreditors” who were superintendents from other states if they thought the students leaving their districts were prepared. They paused and looked at one another. I continued, “is it possible with the way things are segmented, and the focus on testing and extreme standardization for anyone to leave a school completely prepared?” The other teachers in the room began speaking. One shouted out, “I teach at the community college in the summers. Our students almost always have to enter remedial reading courses.” Another offered her child as an example stating how his first year of college was devoted to college prep courses.

The accreditors said we had to move on, but first he said: “off the record, we’re all in trouble.” And was back to the agenda. It was an interesting moment to see a stone face break for a moment. It was a nice moment of breaking from the flock for the teachers around me. It’s nice to see a Yes Man say no.

Are schools and our educational system intended to benefit children and communities? #edchat

0203: Is stealing bad if your family is starving? Cheating on tests.

#education #ATL #testing

The current testing cheating scandal in Atlanta makes a strong statement, not about the integrity of those involved in cheating, but about the system that puts such pressure on teachers and administrators to produce results that they are pushed to ethical limits.

Cheating is quite the temptation in schools and districts that serve low SES populations—not all. They’re often down or behind from the start. Resources aren’t always available or as available. Teaching staff often has troubles. Students don’t always have a consistent education as kids with other resources/different SES levels might. Of course, problems with cheating aren’t limited to the poorest schools. But, if anyone will be caught it will be among these.

This will certainly be used to further demonize educators and administrators. This is a scandal that is not isolated. It happens all over. The culture testing has created is terrible. I’ve heard people tattle on others and themselves. I’ve known people to lose their license for cheating. I’ve seen teachers go before tribunals because vomit was on a test booklet. The whole thing is a farce. Testing and accountability are one thing but this is a culture of madness. It’s some creepy fascist society.

Who benefits from putting these people in prison or prosecuting them? They were trying to survive. Desperate times often force bad ethical decisions. The tests certainly don’t benefit the kids. We neglect them educationally, socially, emotionally, etc. just to keep our own heads above water.

There are myriad things wrong with our system. It would be nice if this spectacle would do something besides sully the name of educators further. Unfortunately the money and power to defame is not in our favor.

0203: Is stealing bad if your family is starving? Cheating on tests.

#education #ATL #testing

The current testing cheating scandal in Atlanta makes a strong statement, not about the integrity of those involved in cheating, but about the system that puts such pressure on teachers and administrators to produce results that they are pushed to ethical limits.

Cheating is quite the temptation in schools and districts that serve low SES populations—not all. They’re often down or behind from the start. Resources aren’t always available or as available. Teaching staff often has troubles. Students don’t always have a consistent education as kids with other resources/different SES levels might. Of course, problems with cheating aren’t limited to the poorest schools. But, if anyone will be caught it will be among these.

This will certainly be used to further demonize educators and administrators. This is a scandal that is not isolated. It happens all over. The culture testing has created is terrible. I’ve heard people tattle on others and themselves. I’ve known people to lose their license for cheating. I’ve seen teachers go before tribunals because vomit was on a test booklet. The whole thing is a farce. Testing and accountability are one thing but this is a culture of madness. It’s some creepy fascist society.

Who benefits from putting these people in prison or prosecuting them? They were trying to survive. Desperate times often force bad ethical decisions. The tests certainly don’t benefit the kids. We neglect them educationally, socially, emotionally, etc. just to keep our own heads above water.

There are myriad things wrong with our system. It would be nice if this spectacle would do something besides sully the name of educators further. Unfortunately the money and power to defame is not in our favor.

We’re thrilled about a test for our own benefit. We pump up the kids to do well so we can keep our jobs. This is necessary. Harm their minds. Invite them into the cult of ignorance because my job—my well-being depends on it. Damn.

0202: Baa baa blind sheep. Common Core: The New Reich.

#CCSS #education

In a propaganda meeting for the upcoming roll out of Common Core

It’s odd. Feels dangerous. It’s tense in here. Zealots are on the stage spouting rhetoric from a computer screen.

I’ve had some conversations with these zealots. They manage to never allow a word against the CC, or even a doubt. This is the new way!

(I must note, the ideas behind this seem to have merit—it’s supposed to, of course. It’s the putting sheep, or pigs in front of our skeptical crowd, and repeating sloganized facts until we baa in unison).

0201: Coming Clean and Stirring the Pot

#education #learning #resistance #CCSS

I’ve not stopped teaching subversive things. I’ve not stopped teaching purposeful defiance—civil disobedience. Classes revolve around revolutionary actions of the past and how they’re relevant today. Through this we work to develop language and thinking skills to make action possible if the learner deems it necessary. We build foundations. Topics are selected, analyzed, possible action is discussed. I’m teaching my students. We’re also learning proper technique, comprehension skills, analysis of new media, and lots of other thing CCSS claims to have invented.

However, I’m failing by being silent in meetings—sometimes not even attending them. They’re funneling in more and more complicated ways to evaluate us. They’re demanding things be done that have no research base. They simply demand our conformity. I’ve made my class an island. I lie low and am making no waves. By the way, the “they” is the 3rd party reform company that is colonializing the school district. Our little piece of rttt.

Everything has become a crisis. They’re demanding constant group work, learning centers that be in constant use, even though most of these secondary teachers have no training in developing them. They want lecture to end entirely. Students should construct their own knowledge, but their has to be a foundation. Our students lack a lot of foundation. Years of testing has eliminated that foundation or never built it. Higher order thinking skills aren’t entirely observable on a four minute pass either. There are demands being made with no presented research, or corporate research with no correlation to our students. I’ve kept my mouth shut during meetings for the first time in my career. I’m tired of fighting a losing battle, but not speaking is doing harm. It’s allowing harm to be done with only a few being aware. Perhaps I’m silent because I’m changing locations next year. I have a senioritis of sorts. I’ve been copping out to avoid the headache.

I’ve not written out of shame. It’s time I open my mouth again. I have no purpose in this terrible business if I’m not going to challenge those who make it terrible.