Wendy Says

If you’re like most teachers, you’ve been spending countless hours prepping your students for this year’s round of state testing. Whether you agree with it or not, state testing has become the primary method for ranking schools in our nation. And in this time of funding cuts and lay-offs, if your students don’t perform well, you may be out of a job. I know I feel the pressure with my group of talkative, active kiddos.

Lucky for me, I work with a  group of teachers that share and pool resources so all our student can succeed. But what if you’re not so lucky? Here are some resources that might help:

• Buckle Down – While not free, these grade-specific books are a great resource of student and teacher workbooks that correlate directly with your own state’s standards and tests.
• Your state department Web site – Most states offer practice and sample tests that you can print for your students as you prepare for the yearly tests.
• EDinformatics – This site offers a listing of many states’ former tests that can be printed for sample and practice test questions.

Now, when it comes down to time to take the test, it’s up to your students to take their time and do their best. But if you’ve done your part in preparing them, you should have no fear. But be sure to pump up your class, offer them reasonable rewards for meeting their goals, and don’t put too much pressure on them. And good luck!

If you have strategies that have worked in the past, be sure to share!

In Arizona, as well as throughout the country, schools are facing cutbacks like we’ve never seen before. As teachers and other school employees wait to find out if their own jobs have been cut, those that are left behind face their own challenges. So how do you keep your sanity while waiting to find out what next year has in store?

Probably the most effective strategy is to simply focus on the here and now. As budgets continue to be cut, there’s no telling when final decisions will be made. But you do have a classroom full of kids this year that need you right now. Focus on them and the rest will work itself out—hopefully sooner rather than later.

Look for ways to make a positive impact in your school or district. Maybe that means volunteering to help your principal with a project or assisting a fellow teacher with a lesson. The more you show your value and potential, the better off you will be in the long run.

As you enter your school’s break room, you’ve no doubt heard the bickering and felt the stress that we’re all facing. Do your best to stay out of these negative, unproductive conversations. They won’t solve any problems and they do little to keep your spirits up.

Overall, stay positive. Worrying about what the future holds is a natural reaction to change. Unfortunately, as teachers, we have little control over state and district budget cuts—even with union support. If you have any effective tips or strategies that are working for you, please share!

For many of us, school is back in session. Let the madness begin! Due to budget cuts in all corners of the country, educators face changes and challenges like never before. How do you stay sane this year, in the midst of salary cuts, large class sizes, and increased responsibilities? Great question! I wish I had all the answers, but I can only relay some of what works for me.

Over the years I’ve learned that, while it sure would be nice, I can’t control everything. I had an unexpected professional change this year. I could have gotten upset and let it ruin my year but instead I decided to roll with it. What better way to challenge myself and grow as a teacher? I will make the best of things with the help of my colleagues, friends, and teammates—luckily most fit into multiple categories.

Budget cuts usually mean fewer teaching resources. Our district is asking teachers to be creative as we teach with fewer worksheets, copies, and workbooks to go around. Frustrating? You bet! Impossible? Difficult, but not impossible. Kids need paper-pencil practice while they’re learning, but this is a great opportunity to give them some hands-on practice as well. I plan to use lots of discussion, journaling, interactive games, and individual whiteboards in my classroom. All of these work with all grade levels! And the fact that document cameras have made their way into classrooms everywhere is a huge help.

With fewer staff members to take on the workload, many teachers may feel burned out earlier than usual this year. My school has a close staff with teachers pitching in to help out others regularly. I’m lucky. For those that aren’t so lucky, look to a trusted colleague or grade level teammate for some help. Share lesson plans and teaching strategies and don’t forget to ask for help when it’s needed. And pitch in to offer a fellow teacher some help if you see someone struggling.

We may not always agree with decisions our lawmakers or administrators make—I certainly don’t. But the key here is your students. They shouldn’t suffer because of poor decision-making. Find a way to make the best of this school year and let’s all cross our fingers that things look brighter next year. Maybe you have some tips to keeping sane this year. Please share!

The headline reads, “700 NYC Teachers are Paid to do Nothing.” Intriguing. Some days I’m so overwhelmed at school, I’d love to be paid to just sit and do nothing for a day or two. It seems these teachers, however, are being paid to sit out of the classroom while waiting for hearings. All of them have been accused of wrongdoing of some sort and, because of the strong union in New York, they cannot be fired without a disciplinary hearing.

I live and work in a right-to-work state. Being a part of the local or state-level union is optional, which means that membership is typically low. Consequently, unions don’t have a lot of clout. I’ve heard of non-tenured teachers being fired on the spot, given less-than-desirable assignments to flush out what the administration deems a “bad seed,” assigned extra duties and responsibilities as punishment, and moved to another school mid-year because of an infraction. There’s not a lot teachers can do about this. Quit? Sure.

But to put 700 teachers (making salaries of $70,000+) in a room for months, and sometimes years, on end just seems ridiculous. The arbitrators that hear the teachers’ cases work only five days a month, causing a huge back-up.

Administration officials complain that the union makes it too difficult to fire teachers. But if a teacher is in the so-called “rubber room” for sexual misconduct, why should taxpayers have to pay for the teacher to sit and write a book or teach fellow “detainees” yoga? That’s what they’re doing, and not just in New York. Similar rooms exist in unionized states all over the country!

Some of the teachers are being disciplined for what I see as minor infractions, such as using foul language after being abused by a student. (I’d probably have a few involuntary words myself if a student physically abused me!) Another teacher is accused of pushing a student while attempting to stop a fight. (In the heat of the moment, someone likely did get pushed. But the teacher was protecting both students from each other. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?)

Teachers waiting for their disciplinary hearings are not permitted to do school work, and they must stay in the room during the school day. Though they do still enjoy weekends, holidays, and summers off while waiting. All while earning their regular salary.

I’m sure all teachers yearn for that paid day off now and again. But to hold disciplinary hearings only five times a month while paying teachers their regular salaries to sit and wait is just a waste. Get the teachers with the major infractions out of the way quickly, and deal with the minor infractions at the school or district level. Don't misuse taxpayer dollars.

I think I’m typically in the minority when I say that, looking at the big picture, teachers are not, as a whole, underpaid. The national average salary for a teacher hovers around $42,000 which is hardly a fortune. In fact, one would be hard-pressed to support a family on that income alone. But adding in all the extra stipends for extra work that many teachers are known for, most teachers are hardly living in poverty conditions. Though who couldn’t use a raise, right?

A recent New York Times article spotlighted a new charter school that is developing a “dream team” of teachers. The school, set to open this fall in New York City’s Washington Heights, plans to pay its teachers $125,000 per year. My interest was piqued immediately. But as I read on, I decided that these teachers don’t stand a chance.

The teachers that are signed on for this revolutionary school experiment include a former NBA personal trainer, two Ivy League graduates, an accomplished violist, and a teacher whose supervisor actually cried when offering a recommendation, among other very qualified individuals. The eight teachers hired for this new school will teach 120 fifth graders, chosen in a lottery with preference given to low income students that don’t perform well academically. Eventually the school’s founder, expects to grow the school to 480 students.

Sounds like a great concept—give these disadvantaged kids the best teachers and they will do well, right? Wrong, I’m afraid. What the article only mentions briefly is that these teachers are “it.” With the high salary the teachers will receive, also comes a lot of extra responsibility. The school will not have an assistant principal, teacher coaches, or substitute teachers. And teachers at this school will work longer hours and more days than the typical teacher.

What is not stated is the other “extras” we are all used to that these teachers may not see. Cafeteria services, crosswalk guards, maintenance staff, a library, supplies, readily-available technology, continuing education opportunities, support staff… The list can go on forever. I wonder how this new school can be successful with great teachers but limited resources.

Sure, hiring the best and paying them what they are worth is a great, new concept. But I don’t know any teacher that can get through the day without some of these basic necessities at their disposal. It will be very interesting to see how this experimental school does.

Me? I’ll take the lower salary and enjoy some of the great benefits of teaching. Great hours, summers off, and resources available when needed.

Education cuts are happening everywhere and it’s getting scary for teachers and parents alike. In early March, hundreds of school employees marched at the Arizona Capitol to protest further cuts to education and similar protests have happened across the country.

As an employee in the same school district for nearly 10 years, I don’t fear for my job. Whether I will have the same position next year is another question. But more important to me is the impact all these cuts will have on our children.

It would be a challenge to name a school district that isn’t struggling to make ends meet next year, or this year for that matter. And with our state budget not finalized, many districts are playing a guessing game with their own budget and teacher contracts. Some are proposing cuts to classroom teachers, maintenance staff, and classified staff, if not all three. Add to that the cuts to supplies, transportation, textbooks, library books, etc.

I understand the need to cut, and there probably isn’t a perfect solution. But when I hear that classroom teachers will be cut, I get worried. Worried that my own child will suffer because, as a second grader, she will have 30 other children in her class. And worried that our classes that already have 30 students may end up with more.

It also scares me that classified staff members may be cut—both positions and, for those that get to keep their jobs, hours. Teachers depend on office staff, cafeteria help, instructional aides, and library clerks. Without them, teachers cannot be effective in the classroom. Classified staff members are the backbone of our schools and they impact our students just as much as the classroom teacher.

School districts are responsible for making their budget work and the Legislature is responsible for distributing the funding districts need to help our schools be successful. With our Legislature continuing to cut funding to education in Arizona, how can our school districts hold up their end of the deal?

I don’t know what the magic solution is, but surely continuing to cut funding is not it. What is happening in your state or school district? Is there anything we, as educators, can do to help?

As a teacher in a Career Ladder district (a merit-pay program), I am no stranger to merit pay. In fact, as a second-career teacher, I have experience being rewarded for my performance, not simply the number of years I’ve been on the job.

In the midst of an economic crisis, President Obama recently called for teacher pay for performance—student performance, that is. I am all for improving student performance. And while I can see how a teacher’s instructional ability is directly tied to student performance, there are so many other factors that are part of the puzzle. How will it all be measured?

Is it really fair to weigh a teacher’s salary—or salary increase—on student performance? Take the 10^th grader who is absent 30 days during the school year because she has to babysit her baby brother. Or the kindergartener who has never been read to, simply because his parents didn’t know the importance of reading and language.

To base a teacher’s salary on the performance of these students is doing a disservice to everyone involved. It is telling the teacher she didn’t impact students because a few students didn’t meet the formulaic goal set by someone who has never set foot in her, or quite possibly, any classroom. And it is sending a message to students that are at an educational disadvantage that their progress doesn’t count, simply because they don’t meet a standard set, again, by someone that doesn’t know their circumstances.

Don’t get me wrong. I am all for rewarding teachers for a job well done. But that job must be measured by more than just whether or not students meet the standards. Professional development, school and district leadership, community involvement, and much more should be part of the equation. And when measuring student performance, measure overall growth. Not every student is capable of meeting predetermined standards for their grade level. But, with highly trained, motivated teachers, every student is capable of growth!

This is often a frustrating time of year for teachers. Not only do we have the stress of state testing to think about, there seems to be a constant worry about what’s going to happen next year.

With the federal stimulus money somehow filtering its way into our school districts, uncertainty still exists. Several years ago a friend of mine moved from Ohio to Arizona because she simply couldn’t get a job in Ohio. There were too many veteran teachers holding onto their jobs that competition was fierce among new teachers.

Arizona may now face the same challenges. With first- and second-year teachers being denied contracts in some districts simply because the money isn’t available, I fear we may see an abundance of teachers without full time jobs in the fall. And for us veterans out there? While we’re sure to have jobs next year (we hope!), many of us are uncertain about what that job will look like.

Will I have 40 students in my classroom? Will I be forced to move to a different school? Will special area classes become a thing of the past for my students? Who knows what will happen?

In the end, until the “powers that be” tell us what will happen, all we can do is just go with the flow. I can still approach my job with the same enthusiasm as I do every day. Ultimately, my goal is to impact students in a positive way. I’m there to teach and ensure the success of every child that crosses my threshold. Sure, I can’t plan for next year yet because I don’t know what next year will bring. But it’s sure to bring a classroom full of children waiting to be filled with knowledge!

How are things going in your state or district? I wonder how others are faring.

I heard through the grapevine that a school district near mine has opted to solely hire new teachers. In an effort to reduce salary costs, the district will be searching for teachers new to the profession that hold only a bachelor’s degree. Why the search for the green teachers? Experienced, educated teachers cost too much.

Are we sending the wrong message to our students and communities? Don’t we want our students to pursue higher education?

I earned my master’s degree several years ago for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to be more marketable. While I love what I do, I think I can impact more children’s educations and lives outside the classroom doing curriculum development or serving as a voice for educators like you. I also wanted an increase in salary. The way the pay scale works in my district, I was quickly approaching the ceiling where I wouldn’t see another increase without that advanced degree. My district was also limiting pay increases so a master’s was the only way to get a cost of living increase. And I am a career student, forever wanting to learn something new. Life would be dull if I didn’t learn something new every single day!

Most importantly, though, I wanted to make sure that I had the best practices and research under my belt so I could teach to the best of my ability. After all, that’s why we are all in education, right? Apparently not so.

How can we expect our students to try their best when the best we give them doesn’t include veteran teachers? Sure, districts will always have to hire new teachers. Believe me, I was happy to get my first teaching job. But without plenty of veteran teachers around to guide me I would have been lost. They helped me more than my first principal ever could have. Don’t get me wrong—she was a great principal. But my colleagues were able to help me as peers; something that’s difficult for a principal to do.

Our current budget crisis is the driving force behind this and many other cost-cutting measures. I’m not sure what the answer is to our financial dilemma, but I’m pretty sure this shouldn’t be part of it. Surely there are other options!