A Tree for the Teacher

I always thought of a shiny red apple as the quintessential gift of thanks to a teacher. It is a symbol; recognition of the immense effort required to impart understanding to a learner. Fruit, in itself, is a product. It is the outcome of a laborious and beautiful process that requires time, energy and optimal conditions. Time magazine’s depiction of the teachers themselves as apples; rotten or otherwise, suggests a fundamental flaw in their view of teachers and the process of educating children.

Just the image of a teacher as an apple is offensive. All apples eventually rot. They are at the end of the cycle. If anything, teachers are the tree. They are always growing and changing. Sometimes they need some pruning, but they always have the ability to grow again with the proper environment. No one would argue that some trees are better than others, but the actual designation of which are good and bad is completely subjective. Some trees are good because of the quantity of fruit they produce. Others are good for the quality of their fruit. Others produce very little fruit, but are great at providing shade and shelter from a harsh environment. Some trees provide a place for children to climb, explore and be inspired. Trees offer new perspectives; each limb giving a different view of the world below.

Unlike trees, apples can only be consumed or thrown away. Time magazine should be presenting teachers as the producers, not the produce that is destined for the compost bin.

Common Core Math Adds Up, But Doesn’t Subtract Down

A recent study (http://www.redding.com/lifestyle/peek-into-brain-shows-how-kids-learn-math-skills) put brain scanners on children and watched how their brains learned Math. While Bill Gates is probably drooling at the thought, the study did confirm what many have long assumed- drilling students on math facts will pay off. “If your brain doesn’t have to work as hard on simple math, it has more working memory free to process the teacher’s brand-new lesson on more complex math.”

Knowing this information, one would assume the 21^st century standards of college and career readiness would place a premium on memorizing math facts, but that is not the case. In fact, Common Core Math actually demands less fact memorization than the standards they replaced. Take Common Core Standards in NY, please just take them 🙂 (Be forewarned, fluency and memorization are two separate ideas. A child can fluently subtract 400-388, but can’t do it from memory). Look at the first grade Math standards that are related to facts:

• Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10. Use strategies such as counting on; making ten (e.g., 8 + 6 = 8 + 2 + 4 = 10 + 4 = 14); decomposing a number leading to a ten (e.g., 13 – 4 = 13 – 3 – 1 = 10 – 1 = 9); using the relationship between addition and subtraction (e.g., knowing that 8 + 4 = 12, one knows 12 – 8 = 4); and creating equivalent but easier or known sums (e.g., adding 6 + 7 by creating the known equivalent 6 + 6 + 1 = 12 + 1 = 13).

In second grade, students are finally asked to memorize, but only addition facts with no mention of subtraction:

• Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. (those listed in first grade) By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.

At least in the old standards, Math facts were introduced in grade 1 and were strengthened in grade two. The Common Core Math Standards never require a student to memorize subtraction facts and that simply doesn’t add up (or in this case- subtract down).

Stop Racing. Run.

Students run in my classroom, they do not race. Racing is dangerous with 34 teenagers in a classroom filled with desks and chairs.

Running can’t be measured with a multiple choice test, so I do not give multiple choice tests. When I did, I wrote them following the model that I experienced in some of my high school classes. Each question had one correct answer, one close answer, one bad answer, and one funny answer. I enjoyed writing multiple choice answers, but hated test days. Watching students struggle to recall the color of Holden’s hat from their reading was an effective measure of their memory and/or ability to cheat but little else. I learned that no bubble, no matter how completely filled in, can reveal students’ understanding.

So, I stopped giving on-demand assessments and used technology to create student “webfolios” that increased healthy communication among my students. The emphasis was switched to the students, their self-reflections, personal responsibility, and away from racing to finish a test.

My students learn that writing is a process, and their best writing will not happen in 40 minutes. They discover that sometimes the best way to learn something, is to try to teach it. They face their fear of public speaking. They experience the difference between argument and debate. They organize, plan, and execute. They embrace opportunities to lead their peers. They reflect frequently and share openly. By the end of the school year, they know the value of their school year is directly related to the effort they put in each day.

The finish line for my seniors is the end of their secondary run. I give out awards based on how they ran. When they leave my class it is usually for college, career, or the military. My hope is they will continue to run because they found something, not stop running because they lost a race.

The educational race error cannot continue. No Child Left Behind left millions of children behind. Race to the Top erased billions from the classroom, increased class sizes, and replaced teaching and learning with underfunding and over-testing.

Racing is dangerous in a classroom and devastating as the philosophy for an educational system. Children can grow strong by running for fun but too many will be crushed by racing for rigor. Teaching cannot be canned in a module. Childhood cannot be measured by a score. Our children are not common. Our students are not data points. Our schools are not for sale.

No more false accountability. No more punitive measures. No more racing. Go for a run in green laces and continue to effect change. Running brings people together. It raises awareness. If enough people run, we can effect change.

As one.