What If We Also Set Up Teachers for Success?

In addition to the previous blog, here is an article that is rather thought provoking. Here is a piece of it:
The foundation of what we do as educators is a belief in the human potential to learn, to get better, to grow. How can we embrace that belief when it comes to our children, yet reject it as unrealistic when it comes to our colleagues?

I understand the dilemma. There is a sense of urgency. Students are failing at alarming rates. Do we really have time to give a poorly performing teacher the space and support to get better?

But what if we treated teachers the way we wanted them to treat students? What if our improvement plans, rather than being the last stop on the way to unemployment, set up teachers to be successful in the classroom? What if we held teachers responsible for raising student achievement but gave them the tools and the support to do so? What if we really did believe that all children--and all adults--could learn?


Hmmmmmm, makes you think huh? Click here to read the rest of this article.

Professional Development

This upcoming week provides for us, some professional development. Hopefully, those in charge have been planning this out, and have some thought out plans of action for their staff so that we can improve our craft, as it is of the utmost of importance. Many though, despite tha fact that our young schlars need the finest of instruction, will only have considered what they will present their staff on last week, and then scramble to get others involved. It is no surpirise, that many teachers have a negative approach to professional development here in Bermuda. When those putting it on take it seriously, it will trickle down and we as teachers will step up to the challenge. However, and hopefullly this is not the case, some may have found out on Friday that they have to present or be a facilitator for Monday. Are we takinhg this seriously? Do we realize that it is our job to improve our craft?

A recent U.S. study found that:
The time U.S. teachers actually spend in professional training largely continues to take place in isolation, rather than in school-based settings that draw on teachers’ collective knowledge and skills, the report says.
Despite some recent improvements in professional-training opportunities, “we’re way behind other countries that are high-achieving in terms of the time and intensive opportunity for deep learning they provide,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, a Stanford University professor who co-wrote the report with four colleagues at that university’s School Redesign Network. “We still see teachers engage in really short one- and two-day workshops rather than ongoing, sustained support that we now have evidence changes practices and increases student achievement.

It found that there needs to be ongoing development. First of all, we need to take it seriously, not approach it like, "oh yeah, I have to throw something together for next week." Then we need to consider what we need to work on, and then come up with a systematic approach to helping our staff members improve their craft. Click here to read the rest of the article.

In this day of reform and change, there is , and always seems to be a nagging problem of parental involvment. Even in this "new" day of reconstruction, many have said that this is the hundred dollar question. One that people have pondered and debated about for years.

Texas has found something that they are trying to use to involve parents a bit more:

Dallas parents with truant kids taught a lesson

Debbie Ballard left a Dallas County truancy courtroom a bit peeved. Her daughter had just pleaded guilty to being truant and been handed a $500 fine, suspension of her driving privileges for one year and 24 hours of community service.



"I'm not going to be able to pay it," said Ballard, standing outside the courtroom with her 16-year-old daughter, Brittany King. "My daughter does go to school. What they do inside the school, I don't know."

The number of Dallas parents being hauled into court because of their truant children has skyrocketed. click here to read the rest.

Interesting concept, something we should consider?

Dogs Help Children to Read

It was a busy weekend, and we'll get to the events of the weekend in a bit, but in the meantime, here is an interesting article on using dogs to help children to build their reading confidence. Interesting concept.