The Sure Fire Way to Improve Education

Oh how I love my little teacher calendar that Misty gave me as a graduation gift. This was todays news update...This is beyond ridiculous. There are no words just read....

WASHINGTON, DC—Vowing to give the nation's public schools "a much-needed boost," President Bush announced Monday that his 2003 budget proposal would allocate 1.5 billion gold-star stickers for education.

Bush holds up a Dayton, OH, fourth-grader's gold-star-adorned book report on Ferdinand Magellan... -->[image:28595]-->
"As class sizes continue to grow and test scores continue to decline, our public schools are in a state of crisis," Bush said at a White House press conference. "There is no more time for deliberation. It is time to act. Our children need these adhesive gold stars."
Bush went on to describe the "alarming state" of many of the nation's public schools, citing underpaid teachers, buildings badly in need of repair, and woefully outdated textbooks.
"If a child is going to learn under these conditions, he or she is going to need lots of encouragement," Bush said. "These gold stars will serve as reinforcement for our best students while motivating underachievers to do better. You have no idea what a difference it makes to a young child's self-esteem to see a big, shiny star at the top of his or her spelling test. I know it made a big difference to me as a child."
Bush said the stars, which are expected to cost the government an estimated $2.3 thousand, are well worth the expense.
"Can we really put a price tag on the future of our nation?" Bush asked. "Can we ever put a dollar amount on success?"
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Prototypes of Department of Education stickers are tested on a third-grader's report on seals... -->[image:28596]-->
Should the Bush proposal pass, teachers in any school across the country will be eligible for up to 200 gold stars, depending upon the population of the school. The stars will then be distributed to students according to academic performance and need for encouragement.
"I am so thrilled to hear this," said Linda Egan, a sixth-grade teacher at Chicago's Eisenhower Elementary School, one of Bush's "Gold Star Schools." "For so long, we've been just barely scraping by with no federal support whatsoever. Now I feel like we've got a friend in Washington."
Bush is not without opposition. Shortly after the press conference, U.S. Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-SC) called the president's plan "preposterous."
"What kind of president would think that distributing gold stars would improve the country's education system?" Hollings said. "Kids don't even care about gold stars anymore. At the very least, we're going to need Pokémon stickers and lick-'n'-stick Hello Kitty stamps. And what about candy? The president is talking about rewarding good behavior, and he doesn't even mention candy?"
Bush said that if the gold stars are successful, he intends to expand the program to include other achievement-fostering adhesives. Among them are sheets of stickers featuring ducks, turtles, and other cartoon animals offering students such exhortations as "Awesome!," "Super Job!," and "You Deserve A High Five!"
Despite his confidence in his gold-star plan, Bush stressed that the government cannot be expected to fix America's schools by itself.
"I ask that each and every American do their part," Bush said. "If you can spare any gold stars, stickers, or even a sparkly pencil or multi-colored pen, please donate it to your local school district. We've all got to come together to make this work.".
Source: theonion.com

I've bolded the parts I find most amusing myself. This passion could be much better spent :)


Can I please make ONE tiny suggestion. Read Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn. It will make all the difference. I should sent a copy to George...

Research-Based Programs

I happen to currently hold a Bachelor's degree. My degree reads: Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. It is the "arts" portion of this degree that I would like to discuss. I spent five years in school reading and researching teaching theories, ideas, and approaches to a variety of subject matters. I was assessed on my abilities to create lessons that would lead to a high level of student engagement, require my students to question at a higher level, help students retain information and skills, etc. If that does not constitute as art then I do not know what does! I did not spend four years of college plugging in formulas to teach students how to read and how to think mathematically. We do not work that way. I do not have a Bachelor's of Science degree. I want to know why I'm being penalized for doing my job. I am attempting to create. My strengths are creativity and intuition. I can assess a student's area of strength and build on that to overcome a weakness.

In our schools today districts take pride in using "Researched-Based" materials. If you ask me it's rather humiliating to have a group of educators buying in to the idea that there's a "one-size fits all" method to teaching children. Don't we all know by now that anyone can make research say what we want it to. We could just as easily prove that our students aren't learning by these programs. I can give you evidence to refute this supposed research right now!

The solution is not buying (yes purchasing with money)programs that "prove" student learning. The solution is making sure that our colleges are sending out creative and intuitive teachers--teachers who are willing to work hard to reach each student in a variety of ways. Teachers who create integrated lessons and use student interests to teach new concepts. Teachers who ask the right questions and give students the tools they need to ask their own questions. That is the solution!

Todays educators need to take caution in their steps toward student achievement. These programs are bound to fail...it's scientific fact that we don't all think alike. Who is prepared to take the blame?

Overview

This blog is not meant to be a self-indulgent look at my life...although it may occasionally take that route:) (I have two other pages online that accomplish that for me and then some.) This blog is an outlet for me. I would like to bring some concerns that I have regarding public education to light--this is a small start but it's a start. Please comment if you have ideas, concerns,disagreements, etc...

I want to start by introducing myself. I am a recent graduate of Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. I am a proud Bronco! I loved my experiences inside and outside of the classroom at BSU. I feel strongly about the teacher education program there--as there was not a single education class that did not inspire me to make a difference. I feel that my passion that will be displayed in this blog started in college but I don't feel like I was given the resources to really make the impact that I would like. My degree is in Elementary Education and I have a pre-endorsement (just a few credits shy of a full endorsement in reading).

I now teach third grade in Caldwell, Idaho. I have grown to truly love my students but I've never met a class like this. Incredibly bright, but lacking in problem-solving skills (one of my biggest concerns). They were incredibly slow to warm up to me but that can be expected when you get a new teacher for the third time in one school year! I feel that I've accomplished much inside my classroom when it comes to self-confidence and feeling safe within my classroom. This is something that I do take pride in!

I am having a difficult time with the factory-like setting in my school/district. Everything is "strategic" and we strategically plan to "move" kids. By "moving" kids--we are never discussing their personal growth or academic growth but rather their abilities to move on the scale from basic to proficient on the ISAT test. You'll hear much about this later on. One of the teachers on my "team" (I don't feel like it's a team because the ball is never passed to me...sometimes I just steal it from my own players and then they get irritated...not mad as much as annoyed) refers to the way we teach as "clone-teaching"--I don't know about the rest of you but I can say with absolute certainty that such a phrase is dirty to me! It's like a bad word--it goes right in the book of words/phrases I never use along with: conform, research-based, etc...

Throughout college I was beyond blessed to work with children in a day camp during the summer and a "daycare" during the school year. This is where I developed my true love and appreciation for children. Never in my life has my heart been on fire like it was during that time period in my life! There is no way to describe it. I grew to respect children almost as I do my elders...there's something so significant about them. I grew passionate in my philosophies and there's nothing that could change my mind after that. I still keep in touch with several kids from "my group"--I had the same group of kids for three summers:) Someday I may post some pictures of them from the old days!

A great deal of my educational philosophies are derived from the work of Alfie Kohn.

My educational inspirations come from: Mr. Fout, Brother Empey, Mrs. Hogan (Kinney), Roberto Bahruth, Norm (cannot remember his last name as he never made us use it...he taught American Literature at Boise State), Mrs. Knight (Marshall), and my Grandma--who read me dozens of books...EVERY day of my childhood! I have my Grandma to thank for my strength in reading and language:)