I am seriously worried about our public education system in Illinois.
Here's the situation: The state of Illinois is behind in its payments to elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools to the tune of MILLIONS of dollars. In our city, school officials are coming to realize that they may never see that money.
So, there is a giant hole -- not of our making -- in our public school budget, and now officials have to scramble to 'adjust' the costs of education. That means, educators will be losing their jobs. Class sizes will increase. And, even as No Child Left Behind ramps up expectations for results in student testing [next year, 85% percent of students must meet or exceed standards in reading and math], we will be pulling the proverbial rug out from under the teachers we expect to deliver those results.
At this point, it doesn't really matter whose fault it is -- although most fingers point to politicians in Springfield. The sad reality is that small towns like ours are in serious trouble. Republicans and Democrats in our state government have failed our children.
They continue to fail them.
And teachers, students, parents, and school administrators are bearing the brunt of the consequences.
The lack of serious solutions makes me sick.
- Midwest Mom
Showing posts with label teachers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teachers. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
'Tis the Season
Today is the last day of school for my children. As of 3 p.m. we will be together for 2 1/2 weeks with no bedtimes or wake-up times (except for Sunday.)
I'm so excited.
But more exciting than the prospect of vacation is the wonderful celebration day the kids' teachers have planned for today. My boys got to wear their pajamas to school for a special storytelling day. They will have cocoa and a snack in their classrooms, too. My daughter will have a visit from the Big Man Himself, who will preside over a preschool gift exchange. The atmosphere among the 4-year-old set this morning was electric.
Personally, I am looking forward to today with a huge sense of gratitude. My children have teachers who give it their all every single day. They are talented and enthusiastic women, and I feel blessed that they are the ones guiding and teaching my crew.
So, while it's the season for celebration and fun, it's also the season for saying 'Thank You'. To Rosi and Pat and Kim and Patti, THANKS. You are wonderful beyond words. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.
- Midwest Mom
I'm so excited.
But more exciting than the prospect of vacation is the wonderful celebration day the kids' teachers have planned for today. My boys got to wear their pajamas to school for a special storytelling day. They will have cocoa and a snack in their classrooms, too. My daughter will have a visit from the Big Man Himself, who will preside over a preschool gift exchange. The atmosphere among the 4-year-old set this morning was electric.
Personally, I am looking forward to today with a huge sense of gratitude. My children have teachers who give it their all every single day. They are talented and enthusiastic women, and I feel blessed that they are the ones guiding and teaching my crew.
So, while it's the season for celebration and fun, it's also the season for saying 'Thank You'. To Rosi and Pat and Kim and Patti, THANKS. You are wonderful beyond words. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.
- Midwest Mom
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Our Family's Back to School
Midwest Moms and family have gone back to school!
For the boys, that means new teachers, old friends, library books, uniforms, and homework.
For my daughter, it means a giant leap into a world she's only ever seen from the outside.
Diving into preschool has been a great adventure for her, and she's enjoying it so much that she complains on non-school mornings that she wants to go. Her favorite things about preschool? Friends, of course. And singing. I have heard her version of "Going on a Bear Hunt" about 734 times now. She also loves learning numbers, colors, letters and shapes. I love watching her grow in this amazing new way.
There is some breaking news, though. Now Mom may be going back to school, too.
Last year, my family had a huge decision to make about whether to keep our oldest son at his current school or to send him to a special program for children identified as 'gifted.'
We investigated the new program and asked a lot of questions. We talked to our son's teacher and the principal of his school. In the end, we made the decision that best suited the needs of our family, and my son's needs as a whole person.
We kept him in his same school, but expressed an interest in providing some supplemental programs to keep the 'gifted' part of his brain engaged and challenged. As his mother and an active volunteer at school, I offered to shoulder as much of that responsibility as I could.
So, I started investigating Odyssey of the Mind. It's a creative problem solving club for students in grades 3 through college. In it, members work on long-term challenges in which they have to create a performance, build a structure, or design a vehicle. In the spring, they bring their projects to a State competition, where they can meet students from other schools and test their creations before a panel of judges. The students also work on spontaneous problem solving, in which they are given extra points for cleverness or good humor.
It's a great program. I thought, "I'd love to have this at our school."
So, guess what? Yesterday, I presented a proposal to our elementary school staff to make it happen.
I was surprised at how nervous I was to be talking to a group of teachers like that. It was like I was automatically transported back in time to 7 years old, getting up in front of the class for my first book report ever -- nerve-wracking! That is, until my son's first grade teacher gave me an almost imperceptible nod and wink... For some reason, that shot me back into reality and I was fine. -- Thanks, Mrs. H!
At the end of my presentation, I gave the teachers a chance to play one of the spontaneous problem solving games the kids use in the program. It was good to see them having fun with the problem and each other. Maybe it made my idea seem more real. All I know was that I left the room to smiles and chatter, and it felt good.
This morning, when I dropped off my boys at school, teachers talked to me who haven't said a word to me before. That felt good, too... like making new friends. It made me feel hopeful.
So, I guess Back to School has been fun for more than just the children in our family. So far, it's been a growing experience for all of us -- even Mom.
- Midwest Mom
For the boys, that means new teachers, old friends, library books, uniforms, and homework.
For my daughter, it means a giant leap into a world she's only ever seen from the outside.
Diving into preschool has been a great adventure for her, and she's enjoying it so much that she complains on non-school mornings that she wants to go. Her favorite things about preschool? Friends, of course. And singing. I have heard her version of "Going on a Bear Hunt" about 734 times now. She also loves learning numbers, colors, letters and shapes. I love watching her grow in this amazing new way.
There is some breaking news, though. Now Mom may be going back to school, too.
Last year, my family had a huge decision to make about whether to keep our oldest son at his current school or to send him to a special program for children identified as 'gifted.'
We investigated the new program and asked a lot of questions. We talked to our son's teacher and the principal of his school. In the end, we made the decision that best suited the needs of our family, and my son's needs as a whole person.
We kept him in his same school, but expressed an interest in providing some supplemental programs to keep the 'gifted' part of his brain engaged and challenged. As his mother and an active volunteer at school, I offered to shoulder as much of that responsibility as I could.
So, I started investigating Odyssey of the Mind. It's a creative problem solving club for students in grades 3 through college. In it, members work on long-term challenges in which they have to create a performance, build a structure, or design a vehicle. In the spring, they bring their projects to a State competition, where they can meet students from other schools and test their creations before a panel of judges. The students also work on spontaneous problem solving, in which they are given extra points for cleverness or good humor.
It's a great program. I thought, "I'd love to have this at our school."
So, guess what? Yesterday, I presented a proposal to our elementary school staff to make it happen.
I was surprised at how nervous I was to be talking to a group of teachers like that. It was like I was automatically transported back in time to 7 years old, getting up in front of the class for my first book report ever -- nerve-wracking! That is, until my son's first grade teacher gave me an almost imperceptible nod and wink... For some reason, that shot me back into reality and I was fine. -- Thanks, Mrs. H!
At the end of my presentation, I gave the teachers a chance to play one of the spontaneous problem solving games the kids use in the program. It was good to see them having fun with the problem and each other. Maybe it made my idea seem more real. All I know was that I left the room to smiles and chatter, and it felt good.
This morning, when I dropped off my boys at school, teachers talked to me who haven't said a word to me before. That felt good, too... like making new friends. It made me feel hopeful.
So, I guess Back to School has been fun for more than just the children in our family. So far, it's been a growing experience for all of us -- even Mom.
- Midwest Mom
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Cooking with Kids: Applesauce
I recently had the pleasure (challenge) of helping my oldest son's second-grade class make applesauce for Johnny Appleseed week. It was a fun project, made easier by lots of parent helpers and a fantastic, creative teacher. The kids were patient and attentive and great at reading and following the recipe.
Applesauce is an easy recipe to make with children. I've posted the recipe we used on You Found the Secret Recipe! with instructions on how to complete the project without allowing your child to wield a knife (all fingers intact at the end of the project, please!)
Have a look and try it with your own crew. There is nothing as satisfying for children as making something with their own hands. Cooking teaches children teamwork, how to follow directions and plan their work, and the end result is really delicious!
Give it a try!
Applesauce is an easy recipe to make with children. I've posted the recipe we used on You Found the Secret Recipe! with instructions on how to complete the project without allowing your child to wield a knife (all fingers intact at the end of the project, please!)
Have a look and try it with your own crew. There is nothing as satisfying for children as making something with their own hands. Cooking teaches children teamwork, how to follow directions and plan their work, and the end result is really delicious!
Give it a try!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Test Anxiety
My son's second grade class started standardized testing today. They are taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills [ITBS] and a test called the CogAT.
I first found out about the testing because a note was sent home on Friday. "Please do not schedule your child for any doctors appointments next week," I was told. "We will be testing." The note went on to say which tests and when. I read it twice.
Quite frankly, I was shocked and a little bit worried. Would my son even know how to do a test like that? What if he reads the question wrong or doesn't understand the instructions? And isn't this a bit young for us to be measuring students this way??
I called the school. The line was busy. Maybe I wasn't the only one who had concerns.
Testing only two weeks into school is a change for our school system. Usually, standardized tests are given in the Spring. The results are used to re-tool the curriculum for the new school year and to place children in gifted programs.
A quick search of the internet -- I wanted to find out what, exactly, these tests were all about -- plunged me into a quagmire of message boards where frantic parents were asking the same questions. Some were convinced that "a bad day" would doom their child. Others wanted to know how to "beat the system." It didn't take long for me to realize this was not the way to find answers.
On Monday, I spoke to my child's teacher. She let me know that the decision to test and when came from our school district, not the school itself. I spoke with the principal, who informed me that the scoring of the tests takes into account the year and month in which they were taken. That was a relief to me -- it means that our just-out-of-first-grade bunch won't be compared to their ready-for-third-grade counterparts.
My next job was to prepare my child. We talked about taking "fill in the dot" tests. I told my son to relax and just do his best. I make sure he got an extra half-hour of sleep last night and gave him a breakfast with extra protein so he wouldn't get tired. I explained that it was okay to leave a problem he had trouble with and come back to it later in the test and that it was okay if he looked at a problem and was stumped.
"You know, Mom. I've never had a problem with that before," he said in a tone of voice that made him sound twenty years older than he is. "I'm pretty smart, you know."
Yeah, I know.
What was it I was worried about, again?
Midwest Mom
I first found out about the testing because a note was sent home on Friday. "Please do not schedule your child for any doctors appointments next week," I was told. "We will be testing." The note went on to say which tests and when. I read it twice.
Quite frankly, I was shocked and a little bit worried. Would my son even know how to do a test like that? What if he reads the question wrong or doesn't understand the instructions? And isn't this a bit young for us to be measuring students this way??
I called the school. The line was busy. Maybe I wasn't the only one who had concerns.
Testing only two weeks into school is a change for our school system. Usually, standardized tests are given in the Spring. The results are used to re-tool the curriculum for the new school year and to place children in gifted programs.
A quick search of the internet -- I wanted to find out what, exactly, these tests were all about -- plunged me into a quagmire of message boards where frantic parents were asking the same questions. Some were convinced that "a bad day" would doom their child. Others wanted to know how to "beat the system." It didn't take long for me to realize this was not the way to find answers.
On Monday, I spoke to my child's teacher. She let me know that the decision to test and when came from our school district, not the school itself. I spoke with the principal, who informed me that the scoring of the tests takes into account the year and month in which they were taken. That was a relief to me -- it means that our just-out-of-first-grade bunch won't be compared to their ready-for-third-grade counterparts.
My next job was to prepare my child. We talked about taking "fill in the dot" tests. I told my son to relax and just do his best. I make sure he got an extra half-hour of sleep last night and gave him a breakfast with extra protein so he wouldn't get tired. I explained that it was okay to leave a problem he had trouble with and come back to it later in the test and that it was okay if he looked at a problem and was stumped.
"You know, Mom. I've never had a problem with that before," he said in a tone of voice that made him sound twenty years older than he is. "I'm pretty smart, you know."
Yeah, I know.
What was it I was worried about, again?
Midwest Mom
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Kindergarten Chaos Theory
During the first week of school, there is no crazier place than the lunchroom. And once the novelty and strangeness of school wears off, there is no wilder group than kindergartners.
Today was the third full day of school for my son and his kindergarten classmates. The group is getting to know one another -- I've already been showered with stories about new friends or students who 'push the envelope', so to speak. On the first day, our teacher mentioned that parents should plan on helping out in the lunchroom. Yesterday, I was one of four or five parents who showed up. Today, it was just me.
Wrangling my son's lively class into an unfamiliar cafeteria 'assembly line' was like putting chickens into a pen. As soon as I would get a few doing what they needed to do, others would get distracted or stray. Getting them to sit down and start eating was equally challenging.
A few of them tasted the food and held me responsible. "I don't like this," I was told with a look that meant an alternative should be produced at once. I apologized and told the students that they should just try to eat enough to get them through the afternoon without being hungry. As a result, several children ate lime jello and chocolate milk and called it a day.
One child who brought a meal from home ate fruit snacks and juice for lunch. I suggested that his parents had sent him with a sandwich and that he should consider eating it instead of candy. I was told, "This isn't candy; they're fruit snacks." Yeah. Right. That's a clever bit of marketing if I ever heard it.
But, dietary choices aside, lunchroom behavior was moderately suppressed chaos. It was loud and crazy, with kids constantly moving to and from tables.
At one point, I praised a kindergartner who was doing a great job eating and behaving. He proceeded to cover his eyes and start yelling gibberish at the top of his lungs. "What are you doing?" I demanded. He responded that he was done with his lunch, so he was having some fun. "You should see my brother. He's four. He yells and runs around naked sometimes," he continued. "That's not appropriate behavior for school," I told him in measured tones. "Okay," he shrugged and turned to talk to the boy next to him as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
I joked with a teacher-friend as I finished my volunteer time that I could never do this for a living. "You guys don't get paid enough!" I said. She responded by saying I should run for a seat on the school board. We both laughed.
But, now that I think about it, that's not a bad idea. Maybe we should require that the people who will make decisions about teacher pay spend a few hours volunteering in the lunchroom during the first week of school. I can think of no better place to gain an appreciation for the people who make our schools really work. The teachers I saw today were patient and kind and professional in spite of the chaos.
After one hour, I felt like I needed a nap.
Midwest Mom
Today was the third full day of school for my son and his kindergarten classmates. The group is getting to know one another -- I've already been showered with stories about new friends or students who 'push the envelope', so to speak. On the first day, our teacher mentioned that parents should plan on helping out in the lunchroom. Yesterday, I was one of four or five parents who showed up. Today, it was just me.
Wrangling my son's lively class into an unfamiliar cafeteria 'assembly line' was like putting chickens into a pen. As soon as I would get a few doing what they needed to do, others would get distracted or stray. Getting them to sit down and start eating was equally challenging.
A few of them tasted the food and held me responsible. "I don't like this," I was told with a look that meant an alternative should be produced at once. I apologized and told the students that they should just try to eat enough to get them through the afternoon without being hungry. As a result, several children ate lime jello and chocolate milk and called it a day.
One child who brought a meal from home ate fruit snacks and juice for lunch. I suggested that his parents had sent him with a sandwich and that he should consider eating it instead of candy. I was told, "This isn't candy; they're fruit snacks." Yeah. Right. That's a clever bit of marketing if I ever heard it.
But, dietary choices aside, lunchroom behavior was moderately suppressed chaos. It was loud and crazy, with kids constantly moving to and from tables.
At one point, I praised a kindergartner who was doing a great job eating and behaving. He proceeded to cover his eyes and start yelling gibberish at the top of his lungs. "What are you doing?" I demanded. He responded that he was done with his lunch, so he was having some fun. "You should see my brother. He's four. He yells and runs around naked sometimes," he continued. "That's not appropriate behavior for school," I told him in measured tones. "Okay," he shrugged and turned to talk to the boy next to him as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
I joked with a teacher-friend as I finished my volunteer time that I could never do this for a living. "You guys don't get paid enough!" I said. She responded by saying I should run for a seat on the school board. We both laughed.
But, now that I think about it, that's not a bad idea. Maybe we should require that the people who will make decisions about teacher pay spend a few hours volunteering in the lunchroom during the first week of school. I can think of no better place to gain an appreciation for the people who make our schools really work. The teachers I saw today were patient and kind and professional in spite of the chaos.
After one hour, I felt like I needed a nap.
Midwest Mom
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