This past Saturday I attended the NJEA 2009 Thinking and Learning Symposium. The brochure was filled with promising phrases such as “global classroom” and “information literacy”. When I signed up, I had no way of knowing it would be the most deliciously warm spring day the area has seen in a long time.
Dr. Shari Albright from the Asia Society gave a thought-provoking key-note which clearly explained our changing world. My favorite part was the audience’s reaction to the latest version of “Did You Know”.
One of main reasons I signed up for the workshop was to hear Will Richardson speak. I was NOT disappointed. He blatantly demonstrated that many of our schools are falling further behind because our teachers and students aren’t using powerful tools now available to enhance learning. About halfway through his rapid-fire presentation of all things wonderful (Google Reader, Twitter, Diigo, blogs), the shock and awe began to wear off, and the “Yeah, buts…” (Will’s term) started. Teachers voiced concerns that presenters like Will must hear all the time: my district blocks this, I can’t get permission to use this with my students, I don’t know how to use these tools, I don’t have time to use these tools. Honestly, I’ve usually felt a little slighted when presenters dismiss these types of teacher concerns because we don’t have answers to them. We sometimes feel stuck in a system that encourages professional development, but rarely supports implementation of “new and exciting” practices.
I shared a bit of my PLN journey with the group, hopefully to help them see that you’ve got to start somewhere. I knew what it was like to be trapped by “Yeah, but…”s. It took (and still takes) effort to look at this process from a proactive position. But suddenly it hit me…I finally understood why dwelling on the “Yeah, but…”s was a waste of time. 1) We’d never have time to solve all of the individual issues in the room 2) the issues don’t matter.
I started my PLN about a year ago because the idea that all information and the learning of that information is available at any time blows my mind. All I have to do is participate. Although my district is hestitant about trying these learning methods with our students, I keep…well, bugging the administration about it. It’s been a slow uphill process. During Will’s workshop, I realized that if even 10 teachers in my district had been at the conference and conquered their “Yeah, but…”s, there would be nine more teachers like me trying to make change for our students.
My best advice for someone struggling with an issue that prevents them from taking charge of their learning is to ignore it. Think of what would happen if we ALL started rocking the boat…
PS: a bit of irony… In the morning workshop, Will introduced us to Diigo. We were all impressed by the annotation tool and drooled over the possibilities of using it with staff and students. In the afternoon session, the presenter asked us to ”jigsaw” a photo-copied article and then write notes about the section we read on chart paper hanging around the room.
“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.”
-quote by Thomas Jefferson
Buckle your seat belt, Mr. Jefferson. Maybe it’s because I watched every episode of the HBO miniseries John Adams that I want to believe that our government exists to help our children, not bury our educators and administrators in mounds of paperwork and time-wasting mandates. I realize my last post was a rally cry for change. I still believe in the cause and the “Make Noise, Make Change” motto. However, I’ve had so many “Are you kidding me?” moments this week after hearing about various state and federal laws and requirements concerning education, that I had to share a few:
Forget “Girls chase the Boys”
The State of New Jersey mandates that each student shall receive 2.5 hours of supervised Physical/Health education per week. Our students receive 1 hour of Physical Education and have 2 hours of scheduled recess time. Our principal has been told that recess does not count if the children are able to play freely. The minutes only count if it is a structured (by a certified teacher) play time. He also mentioned something about a 50 page Physical/Health Education survey that needed to be completed by EVERY school and turned into the state electronically….about gym class. I’m all for kids keeping physically fit and learning about healthy living habits. But… Are you kidding me?
Are your keyboards QWERTY?
As the technology teacher in my school, I am required each year to answer a technology survey for the state of New Jersey. It has improved over time, but basically asks the same questions each year. I just don’t believe they’re asking the right questions. My district really does put effort into improving technology, we’re just not there yet…but if you go by this survey, we look GREAT! The survey is mostly yes/no questions: “Do you need to use a bridging service or portal to connect outside of your district to do a video conference?” Our answer: No. (They’ll never know we don’t conduct video conferences because they never asked.) The majority of the survey wants information on where the computers are located in the building and who is using them…very few questions about how the computers are being used. Really, are you kidding me?
NCLB Reading First, or Second, or Third…
Thanks for Chris Lehmann’s post on Practial Theory, which covers the broken literacy program Reading First. Praised by Secretary Spellings herself, “If ever a program was rooted in research and science and fact, this is it.” Turns out, it was determined by the Department of Education that reading test scores of students using the program did not improve. Six billion dollars have been spent on Reading First. Are you kidding me?
Undercover School Voucher: S-1607
The email came this morning from my district’s NJEA representative concerning bill S-1607: “Basically, it provides corporations the right to contribute money that would create a “scholarship” fund for students in Camden, Elizabeth, Lakewood, Orange, Paterson, Trenton, and Newark. These contributions (about $360 million) would be drained from the State Treasury because the corporations would receive a dollar for dollar tax credit on their state taxes.” This is from the same state government that wants to end teacher pensions because they’re out of money. Are you kidding me?
Lastly, a new blogger complaining rather than posting her journey towards educational networking and expansion? Are you kidding me?
