Adventures in Summer School

As most of my friends and family know, I’ve spent the last three weeks teaching high school summer school, which will serve as my final teaching experience before I leave the profession to pursue my PhD in Education Policy. Most of them know of this decision, because I’ve done nothing but complain about it since the first god-awful day. The experience has turned out to be nothing short of an adventure, and as a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and “as it should”, it turns out I can’t imagine my teaching career without it.

Three weeks of waking up early and working for four hours seemed like a small sacrifice for the much-needed money that would help Evan and I’s move across country. But from the second I walked into the school on the first day, I wondered if this was going to be one of the worst decisions of my life.

I walked into complete chaos. My roster indicated that I would have 12 students in class (15 is the maximum for summer school classes.) Feeling as though I should be prepared for anything, I had gathered supplies and copies of work for 15-16 students. 30 minutes into class, I had 24 students (5 more would trickle in over the next two days.) Not only did I not have enough computers for each student to begin their work, those students who DID have a computer could not log on to the network, which poses a major problem for a curriculum that is completely online.

For the first hour, I attempted to distract the students from the amount of time that was being wasted by explaining the online curriculum, the amount of time they had to complete it (it’s 100% self-paced) and the rules and regulations of summer school. I met a boy named *Paco who I’m pretty sure secured a drug deal the first five minutes of class with the boy in the trench coat next to him. I realized the girl who had chosen the computer closest to mine had some sort of severe social disorder (later confirmed), when she kept screaming “STOP BOUNCING THAT BALL” repeatedly at the top of her lungs.

The kids yelled at each other, and I yelled at them. The four hour class was beyond chaotic- it was pure hell. As the kids left the room at the end of the class, I felt like I had just been run over by an 18-wheeler.

Attempting to gather myself and clean up the aftermath, I began to question my six years of teaching experience. Had I been so spoiled by motivated students and a well-supplied school system that I really had no idea what the real world of public education is like? Does this mean that I really am a naïve optimist, and all of my dreams and visions of “saving the school” deserve the skepticism they often receive by educators who have long lost hope in the system? Am I bound to be just another one of those skeptics?

Deciding I didn’t have the time or the energy to consider these questions, I armed myself for a new day with extra supplies and a positive attitude. I walked into the classroom the second day to find that one of the students had left me a smiley face made out of grape jelly in the seat of my chair. Ten minutes into class I realized that my folder containing all of the answer keys and previous students’ work had been stolen and passed out to several different students in class. My typically calm, “you respect me, I’ll respect you” teacher attitude turned into attack mode. I was angry, hurt, and determined not to let these brats get the best of me.

The rest of that first week of summer school consisted of hours upon hours of grading papers after school to keep up with the pace of the students. I would look across the hallway at the teacher who had four students in her class and wonder who I had pissed off in order to be put in this situation. Every day was a game of trying to keep my head above water, meanwhile preventing a fist fight or mental breakdown among the students. Looking back, I’m not sure how I kept it together.

Around the beginning of the second week, a strange thing happened. Several of the students began completing their work, and as I would send them home with their final progress report, I found myself incredibly proud of these students I knew nothing about. I wanted to know their story- why were they in summer school, what grade should they be in, how can I help them achieve the goals they have for themselves? As 29 students became 20, and 20 became 15, I latched on to these students and finally had the time to pay attention to their struggles and their needs.

*Jose works the night shift, which he would never admit to me because he’s 14 with illegal parents. Working 11 PM to 7 AM makes staying awake in a four-hour, self-paced classroom rather difficult. We worked out a deal. I promised him he could sleep 20 minutes for every two assignments he completed. After 20 minutes, I would wake him up, and he would complete two more. Jose finished the course three days early.

*Amanda has major self-esteem and self-concept issues. She has given up on her self, physically and intellectually. It’s obvious she has no one at home telling her how beautiful she is and how neglecting her school work means wasting an obvious intelligence that she has been given. How easy it was just to check in with her every day and tell her what a great job she was doing, and see her effort completely turn around.

*Paco, the drug-dealer, not only finished his coursework early, he received an A. A well-earned A. It took a few days and several questions he asked on his assignments to realize that Paco is a perfectionist. He moves at an incredibly slow pace, because if he isn’t 100% sure an answer is correct, he will research and ask questions until he knows the correct answer. What a valuable asset his attention to detail will be for a future employer.

These are only three of the examples of the memories I will take with me from these past three weeks. What began as such a nightmare has turned into such an inspiration as I begin this new chapter of my career. It’s students like these that remind me why I so strongly believe that there is no place for skepticism when it comes to public education. They remind me why visions and plans for greater success in our public schools are not only dreams, but necessities. And why giving up is simply NOT an option.

Because when it comes down to it, we’re not just trying to “Save the School.” We’re trying to save the students.

*Names have been changed to protect identity of students.

Make 'em Earn It, Darn It: a new perspective

In Max Roosevelt's "Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes" (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/education/18college.html), he addresses an interesting grading issue disputed not only on college campuses across the country, but also increasingly often in the secondary classroom. Personally, I've seen first hand the "sense of entitlement" he mentions in the article, not only in reference to grades, but also in situations such as extra-curricular activities. Example: the cheerleader that "deserves" to make the team because she's a good kid, translated to mean "no one has ever told me 'no' before, and I've done nothing wrong so I deserve it."

Knowing how beneficial involvement in extracurriculars can be for a student, I can see both sides of this issue. Get more students involved to create more opportunities to reach students outside the classroom. The question then becomes, however, what lesson is taught to the student who gets everything that he or she wants? Doesn't the old saying go, "We often learn more from our failure than we ever could through our success"? And now, as discussed in Roosevelt's article, we in the education field are now seeing this same mentality in regard to classroom grades. A student who puts forth his best effort, shows up for class and does his homework, feels like he should receive an "A", regardless of the quality of work that results from his efforts. Educators and parents are asking, "How did we get here? What's the right answer? Effort? Or Performance?"

As far as the question "How did we get here?", Marlys Harris, Senior Editor for Money Magazine, addresses this issue in her article for CNN.com "What you owe your kids." She discusses the babyboomer generation as parents and a common trend that they are providing for their children well beyond their needs, wanting to give their children what they never had, and spend on their children what their parents never could. Most babyboomer parents live off of a higher income than that of their parents and feel a responsibility to then spend more on their children, often well beyond the college years. Could this, then, attribute to the "spoiling" of their children's generation? Has this generation always been told "yes" and, as a result, has now formed this sense of entitlement? Possibly.

Another theory could be the increasing trend in education to accomodate the student. Teachers are expected to deliver differentiated or individualized instruction. Students who do not qualify for special education but have proven to face some other sort of educational dificiency are granted individualized modifications to their curriculum and expectations. Teachers are taught they must deliver curriculum via a variety of instructional methods to insure they have covered each of their students' learning styles. Are we, as teachers, making appropriate adjustments to allow each student an equal opportunity at education, or are we simply puting the burden of over coming obstacles on the teacher, rather than on the student? Are we teaching our students that the world must accomodate them, and if they do not succeed, someone or something else is always to blame?

Whatever the case may be, the situation the professors describe in Roosevelts article is not the exception. When I explain to my students, whether they be advanced placement, on-level, or below-level students, that average performance earns the grade of a "C", above average earns a "B", and exceptional performance earns an "A", they have a very difficult time understanding. Most student believe that if they come to class and complete the work, and nothing more, they deserve an "A." The real-world analogy here, is the businessman who shows up to work everyday and completes each task put before him, he deserves a raise, whether that work has any added vaulue to his company or not. He does not have to be a self-motivator, using innovative thinking to generate more revenue or increased efficiency for his company. If he clocks in and clocks out every day, he has earned his pay.

But then again, it's understandable that most teachers would reward their students an "A" simply for showing up everyday. Afterall, that's how teachers are paid. Show up everyday, go through the motions and don't commit a felony, and we'll pay you more the longer you stay.

That being said, regardless of how we got here, the problem is more reality than question. And as far as how we fix it, where we go from here, I definitely agree with what Professor Brower from Wisconsin Univeristy explains about the learning enviroment they have created. Freshmen attend seminars that help them to connect what they are learning to real-life scenerios. He belives that "if students developed a genuine interest in their field, grades would take a back seat, and holistic and intrinsically motivated learning could take place." As a result, the mentality of "give me an 'A' because I deserve it" is replaced with "help me learn more about this field so I can use that knowledge to be more successful."

Implementing that approach in the secondary, public school classroom poses a whole new set of questions. However, if we as educators and administrators are truly motivated by what is best for our students and truly want to provide the best educational opportunities for them, we must change our prospective from removing all of their educational obstacles, and focus more on how we can create "genuine interest" so that students are instrinsically motivated to take responsibility for takling their individual educational obstacles on their own in order to succeed.

Pay for Performance: Make 'em Earn It, Darn It

Ask any aspiring politician how he feels about teacher salaries, and he'll give you the right answer. It was Evan Esar who once said, "America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week." You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes teacher salaries are sufficient, not to mention the virtual non-existence of those believing teachers are paid too much. I believed it can be argued, however, that some teachers are, in fact, over-paid.

The new trend in the teacher salary debate is not simply a need to increase compensation in general, but rather to increase compensation for those teachers who are deserving. Brooke Dollens Terry, a policy analyst for the Center of Educational Policy, addresses this issue in a recent publication entitled, "Applying Free Market Principles and Common Sense to Teacher Compensation." The idea is simple: rather than paying teachers based on a standard salary schedule that increases compensation based on years of experience and advanced degrees alone, apply the performance-based principles that have worked for Fortune 500 companies for decades. Reward employees monetarily based on the results of their labor, rather then their labor alone.

Through my six years of teaching experience, I've known both exceptional teachers and below average teachers. Both types of teachers have one thing in common: they are evaluated based on a limited observation by an administrator, and while this observation may result in a non-renewal of contract (only in extremely rare and drastic situations) it does not have any affect on the teacher's salary. Salary is simply determined, as noted in Ms. Terry's article, by the amount of years a teacher has been in the classroom.

Ms. Terry does successfully identify the reasons performance pay is needed in public schools. She fails to address, however, as most policy analysts do, substantial suggestions for criteria upon which to base this said performance. She quotes studies that reveal not only that "teachers reach full effectiveness after four years... (and that) a teacher with 25 years of experience is no more effective than a teacher with 15 years of experience," but also "that possession of a master’s or doctorate degree has no impact on teacher effectiveness and does not translate into increased learning in the classroom." Should this be true, then on what criteria, exactly, should we be basing performance pay?

Observation alone, especially limited observation, should never be the sole determinate of a teacher's salary, though it most definitely could play a part. Classroom observations and along with other ideas for performance pay criteria are outlined below:

• Combine administrator observation with department chair observations. Department chairs are more closely involved with individual teachers, especially in large schools, working on curriculum development and alignment, assessment evaluation, utilization of departmental resources, etc. My first department chair new my weaknesses as a first year teacher better than anyone. However, my current department chair has bared witnesses to some of my greatest successes in recent years. If teacher salaries are to be based in part by administrator evaluations, they must be done by those administrators or campus leaders that are most directly supervise those teachers.
• Student Performance. I must say, for the better part of my school policy study, I have been adamantly against basing teacher pay on student performance. I like the dentist metaphor, which states that a dentist cannot be judged based on the health of his patient's teeth because he has no bearing on how the patient cares for his teeth outside of his office. So many outside variables affect a student's performance that are out of a teacher's scope of influence. However, I do believe a school or administrator can identify trends in student performance. Was a teacher able to raise the average scores of her students on standardized scores in a low performing school? Was she able to help her students maintain high scores at a traditionally high performing school? I, in no way, believe student performance should be the only factor, but do believe it should be taken into consideration.
• Peer/Student evaluation. For fear of personal interests or opinions, evaluations of teachers by their students and peers have been generally avoided. College campuses often ask students to evaluate their professors, yet we feel that secondary and elementary students are unable to evaluate the quality of instruction they receive from their teachers. I believe that with the right medium of evaluation and in the appropriate setting, these evaluations could prove to be incredibly valuable. I know that if I thought my students were writing evaluations of my performance that would be submitted to my administrator, I might think twice the next time I assign busy work because I don't have the energy to attempt to authentically engage my students that day.
  
• Advance degrees and professional development. While Ms. Terry discusses findings that discount a relationship between student performance and teacher education, as a teacher with a graduate degree, I would have to disagree. I personally experienced the improvement of my teaching ability over the three years I was in graduate school and after. I strongly believe the training I received during that degree program helped me to better understand the operations on my campus and how I could better utilize the resources available to help my students. I also believe professional development is essential for any teacher that wishes to continue to grow and change with the continually growing and changing needs of her students. Rewarding a teacher based on her efforts to expand her own education only seems to make sense.

I'm interested to hear what other suggestions those inside and outside the education industry have for performance pay criteria. If school districts are going to take this idea seriously, they must be presented with concrete plan of action, firm directions for which to implement this idea. An obvious step in successful implementation would have to be fostering a more performance-based culture among public schools, but before we can even go that direction, we have to sell the idea to those who have the power to enforce it. While the ideas and the sentiments expressed by policy analysts such as Ms. Terry make us want to say "Yes! Make a change!", they neglect to show us exactly how.