Remembering the MANDATED in "mandated reporting": if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

Not sure if you've been reading American news lately.  Within the last six weeks, and even more recently within the last two weeks, two American University athletic coaches are facing allegations of sexual misconduct with young boys. As the mother of boys, I find it deeply disturbing and am very concerned that the system in which these men or MOLESTERS functioned never questioned their actions. 

I'll be honest with you, it scares the hell out of me. As a parent, what am I supposed to do...keep my kids in the house and live in recluse for fear of the evil adults? I don't think so.  

But the thing that is MOST disturbing is that perverts like these have colleagues. Collegues, who, more than likely, suspected something inappropriate or strange was happening BUT SAID NOTHING.

FIrst let me say that I recognize how hard it is to confront a coworker. I've done it before and TRUST me, its very awkward. The important thing to remember is how that child may feel. You have to speak up and say something. If your principal or other administrators don't do anything about it (which you may or may not know because leaders can't advertise the discipline they provide to someone else) then you should take it higher.

We are mandated reporters as educators. More than anything else, we have a moral imperative to protect students.

Here are some tips to help you identify or address potentially harmful behavior to a child:


1. If you see a colleague constantly alone with children, gently remind them that someone else should be in the room or they should leave their office/classroom door open.

2. If a child tells you anything suspicious about a colleague, it is your duty to investigate. By investigate, I mean asking your coworker about it. If it still feels funny, tell admin. If what the child tells you is enough to be very suspicious but not blatantly a violation, go straight to admin.

3. Ask other students what its like to be in Mr. or Mrs. "X"'s class.

I, for a lack of better words, interrogate students daily. I have a way of approaching the subject in a way that doesn't make it seem like I'm getting too personal too soon.

My conversations usually go like this:

Me: So I see you live on "X" street, is that a house, apartment, what?

Kid: Apartment

Me: Oh okay, do you have brothers and sisters?

Kid: Yeah, two brothers, three sisters.

Me: Wow, who's the oldest.

Kid: Me

Me: Wow, sounds like a lot of responsibility, who else lives with you and your brothers and sisters?

Kid: Stepdad

Me: Do you get along?

Kid: Sometimes

Me: Why does he tell you what chores to do and all of that kind of stuff?

Kid: Yeah, he's just weird.

Me: By weird you mean what?

Kid: Well, sometimes he says things that make me feel weird.

Me: Like what?

Kid: Nevermind

Me: You can tell me anything, anything at all.  Just know if you tell me someone is hurting you, I have to tell someone else.  I have a legal and moral responsibility to protect you.  Knowing that, feel free to tell me anything else.



And the child either chooses to tell me, or tell another adult. If they are uncomfortable speaking with me, I always refer them to someone else. ALWAYS.


Does that seem so hard?  Have you ever witnessed a coworker doing anything that made you feel uncomfortable at work with children?  If so, how did you respond?

School Shopping: Researching a district before you say YES!

Let's be honest here.  In today's economy, being offered a job usually is the deciding factor as to what district you'll end up serving. Teachers are being laid off, docked in pay and being asked to give up their prep periods to teach another period, so job security is important these days.  But does job security trump your ethics?



Researching a district prior to applying is highly suggested to avoid being in a system where you'll be miserable.  I know what you're going to ask?  HOW?

Let me give you a few quick suggestions so you can get an insider's perspective of what its like to teach there.

1.  Attend board meetings

If you attend a school board meeting you can get an overall feel of the priorities of a district.  Attending the open session board meetings will also let you know what issues community stakeholders, teachers, and parents have to say or critically suggest to the board.  If you attend these meetings and you get a negative feeling or hear concerns that have you shaking your head... clearly, this isn't the district for you. Don't accept employment offers after you get this feeling or you'll be one of those people in the open forum section of the agenda.


2. Volunteer at the school.

What an inside look at the school you're thinking of applying to?  Go volunteer.  You are particularly good to go if you're already a substitute with the district.  You're approved to be around children.  Trust me when I say that is one of the biggest hurdles and if you've already cleared it, schools will be SUPER DUPER HAPPY to have ANYONE who will want to spend time doing some of the many tasks teachers, support staff and admin can't do.  While you're there, get a feel for the culture of the school to determine if you'd be a good fit or not.  What's the accountability like for the teachers?  If its high, that may mean more work for you but it will also mean that your teaching practice will be refined and give you an edge over other candidates if you ever have to move on.  

3.  Talk to people who work there. 

Want to know how people feel about the school?  Ask the people who work there.  Yes, you may receive some politically correct answers but if you keep asking, eventually you will get someone's take on a clearer picture of the truth.  Be careful with this though, negative employees are always quick to paint of picture of a toxic workplace.  If you run into a lot of these negative employees... they could be your coworkers, steer clear.




4.  Attend school functions that are open to the community.

The best way to see a school, other than volunteering, is to see teachers, administrators and children in their natural environment.  Every school usually has some type of community event: back to school night, townhall, etc... Is the culture one of celebration and high expectations or one of just tolerating the students and do things because it looks good for a WASC report? (Western Association of Schools and Colleges... they provide accreditation for schools.) 

5. Talk to the students.

Students will provide you with an unfiltered look at what it feels like to be a student in the potential district you're applying with.  They will tell you if its a culture of open arms or one where the students feel like the adults can't wait to get rid of them. 

Have you tried any of these methods?  Have they worked?  What was your experience like?  Feel free to comment on the ideas above. 

To Germany and Russia, with love!

Very short post.  

Its to say thank you. 

Whenever I post, I have readers in Germany and Russia who are, at times, logging in to read my random thoughts on Education faster than my American friends. 

Did I mention I've never been to either one of these fine countries(hint, hint)

Thank you to my EurAsian TWB readers. I love you, I love keilbasa and pierogi too. 

Spasiba and 

Dankeschön

Lies from A to G, how the UC system is holding back poor and minority kids

Does your High School perpetuate the A-G myth?

Today I took some of my students to a college outreach fair. The fair featured Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) AND Hispanic Serving Institues (HSI). I took 50 students. When I tried to recruit many students to go (mainly 9th and 10th graders), many of them told me they weren't interested in college because they knew they weren't on the right track with the A-G requirements and wouldn't be able to get into COLLEGE.

Hmmm...

I wondered why they'd think this. Well it is a common misconception among teenage Californians that if you do not take classes in accordance with the UC A-G requirement for consideration of entry, you can't go anywhere.

LIE, bold faced LIE.

Let's break down what this "lie" is all about.l

Here's a chart to explain

I obtained this chart at this website: GREAT ARTICLE ON A TO G BY BOB NICHOLS

Required “A-G” Courses
a l History/Social Science – 2 years required Two years of history/social science, including one year of world history, cultures and geography; and one year of U.S. history or one-half year of U.S. history and one-half year of civics or American government.
b l English – 4 years required Four years of college-preparatory English that include frequent and regular writing, and reading of classic and modern literature. No more than one year of ESL-type courses can be used to meet this requirement.
c l Mathematics – 3 years required, 4 years recommended Three years of college-preparatory mathematics that include the topics covered in elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry. Approved integrated math courses may be used to fulfill part or all of this requirement, as may math courses taken in the seventh and eighth grades that your high school accepts as equivalent to its own math courses.
d l Laboratory Science – 2 years required, 3 years recommended Two years of laboratory science providing fundamental knowledge in at least two of these three foundational subjects: biology, chemistry and physics. Advanced laboratory science classes that have biology, chemistry or physics as prerequisites and offer substantial additional material may be used to fulfill this requirement, as may the final two years of an approved three-year integrated science program that provides rigorous coverage of at least two of the three foundational subjects.
e l Language Other than English – 2 years required, 3 years recommended Two years of the same language other than English. Courses should emphasize speaking and understanding, and include instruction in grammar, vocabulary, reading, composition and culture. Courses in languages other than English taken in the seventh and eighth grades may be used to fulfill part of this requirement if your high school accepts them as equivalent to its own courses.
f l Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) – 1 year required A single yearlong approved arts course from a single VPA discipline: dance, drama/theater, music or visual art.
g l College-Preparatory Electives – 1 year required One year (two semesters), in addition to those required in “a-f” above, chosen from the following areas: visual and performing arts (non-introductory level courses), history, social science, English, advanced mathematics, laboratory science and language other than English (a third year in the language used for the “e” requirement or two years of another language).

In recent years California public high schools have been pushing the "A-G" requirement as the gold standard for high school students.  Some districts inform parents that the raised expectations will make their student more competitive and college ready.  Say it ain't so...

I think pushing the UC and Cal-State requirements for college entry is good business.  You get all these kids ready and brainwashed to believe that if they fall short of these requirements, they won't graduate and they will never have access to the American dream via college. If they buy into the lie, then they will attend a California university keeping money in California.  Great... except your public high schools have not adequately prepared students in the first place.

This is why I took my students to the college fair today.  In a world where poor and minority students are encouraged to go to community college instead of pursuing four year, out of state college entrance, it makes one wonder if this is indicative of the same institutional racism that has these students in sub par public school settings in the first place.

Remember my post about BIGOTRY OF LOWERED EXPECTATIONS, (CLICK HERE) ?



I get so sick and tired of my students thinking that their high school lives are OVER by 11th grade.

I'm glad I took them to the outreach fair today, exposure is everything. My students spoke to representatives from Moorehouse, Spelman, Howard, etc... and found that there is a path to college for them.

Besides, for as much "diversity" as California claims to have, it is very classist.  Maybe seeing other areas is good for them.

What is your take on A to G?

Quality Time: our students spend more time with us!

Do your students feel welcomed in your classroom?

Have you ever worked a job where you were just miserable?  I have, I didn't like my supervisor, she was not fond of me either.  I was isolated, didn't communicate with my peers, and as a result, I had little to no motivation to do my very best at work.  

If you've ever experienced this and you know how it feels, why would you make your students feel the same?  

Some teachers put so much energy into being negative with children that they do not realize the lasting affect this has on a child's psyche.  Remember, they are children.  Some may be bigger than you, taller than you, weigh more than you, but they are still a child... even at 17. Most of all, they are someone's baby.

All children want to be heard and acknowledged.  If they aren't getting this while at school, all you are doing is encouraging children to go to a place where they do feel validated.  If you teach in a high needs area where many of your students have free and reduced lunch, a place where students will feel validated is the streets. 

Think about the way you address children.  Do you encourage and appreciate their presence or do you make them feel like they are a burden?  

Let me put it to you this way, the child you discourage from succeeding academically today could be the adult climbing through your window tomorrow. 

The bigotry of low expectations

I'm going to get straight to the point. If you've ever said "these kids CAN'T" or "these kids aren't capable of...", you're a teaching bigot. Let me unpack that.

If you are ill prepared to actually teach, if you don't really have a clear set of classroom procedures to lower the ambiguity and anxiety of how you're grading students, then yes, you're a teaching bigot.

I have to be honest, this week was a VERY tough one for me.  During the rare moments when I've had free time, I find myself thinking about the lack of learning that's occurring in classrooms today.  I think about teachers who don't even bother to clean their classrooms, to check and return papers, or to even post the date and the standard on the board. I know teachers get burned out, I know teachers get frustrated, but if your classroom is filfthy, you have stacks of student work from the beginning of the school year, and you don't have some sort of direct instruction going on, than you aren't expecting much from your students.

I get so burned up that people like this are even allowed to continue to be teachers.


If you've read my previous postings, you know I love to ask questions in an attempt to get your wheels turning so you can process the actual message I'm trying to deliver.
So let's get started:

1. Are you using formal academic language with your students in the classroom?

Other than vocabulary words, do students hear you using academic discourse? One of the WORST mistakes teachers who teach in high minority or low income areas make is to use slang in the classroom to create a connection with the students. You do realize that students spend more time in school than they do at home? That being said, students rarely get a chance to utilize formal language at home. Because of this, you are the teacher AND the role model when it comes to the utilization of language that students will need in order to be successful outside of their environments of origin. When a teacher (professional) uses informal language in the classroom with his or her students, you are inadvertently teaching your students that it is okay and acceptable for professionals to speak this way. You and I both have enough life experience to know this is VERY untrue. I've heard the counter argument before: you need to speak in a way that your students will understand: NO YOU DON'T. What you need to do is show students that formal language is something that people of all backgrounds can use effectively. Let me be more blunt. I've heard Black and Brown students say "Black people don't do that!" or "Mexican people don't do that!" SO very untrue. We need to teach students that you can be deeply rooted in your ethnicity and not be limited by it. Students need to know that intellect comes in Black and Brown. If you're not a Black or Brown teacher, your students need to know that non Black or Brown teachers have high expectations of their students and will not tolerate nor compromise those high expectations of formal discourse because of a student's background. Ever!


2. Are your expectations clearly stated?

Is your classroom the well oiled machine it should be?  Do your students know the set of procedures that occur when your class begins?  Students should ALWAYS be greeted at the door by their teacher (there are exceptions to this, believe me, when I was pregnant while teaching, there were times I just couldn't stand there.) After being greeted at the door, students should walk into the classroom and have a routine.  By routine I mean they should know that they will ALWAYS have some type of warm up activity (this helps you with classroom management).  After the warm up activity, you can keep accountability of learning up by making sure you review the warm up activity.  There are several ways to engage students in this.  I once had a teacher, who after a not so good evaluation, say to me "so you want me to do 'more' work by grading all the warmups?"  Wow, no wonder his class was in the shape its in when I saw it.  After the warm up activity, students should know that the objective and agenda will be explained to them and the day's activity will be connected to a standard and relevance to their lives.

3.  Do you use phrases that encourage mediocrity in your students?

I 100% cannot stand when teachers encourage students to take the easy way out.  By saying things like "it would be too difficult" or "just do this" you are encouraging the average laziness of teenagers. As adults, we all know that you truly have to work hard to reap the benefits some kind of career.  Why would not encourage your students to do their very best.  You are stifling their intellect.  That is counter to what our profession is all about.  If you do this, maybe you're taking the easy way out.

The wheels on the bus go round and round... over your teammates?

Ever been thrown under the bus?  I have and, OUCH, it hurts. Many teachers and all administrators work in some form of a School Learning Community (SLC), Professional Learning Community (PLC) or interdisciplinary team.  Ask yourself one question: have I ever done anything to undermine the professional reputation of ANY of my colleagues?

First let me define what I think qualifies as "throwing someone under the bus."

You are a thrower if you have ever done any of the following:

1.  Purposely reveal the flaws of another when your boss or higher up is discussing a concern they have about your performance. Example: "John, I want to discuss your lack of punctuality." John says "Oh, I didn't think it was an issue because my supervisor said it was okay to come in late... Rick and I come in about 15 minutes late each day."

2.  If you've ever taken sides on an issue based on GOSSIP.  By giving the sheer appearance of approval (not saying anything, head nodding, or eyebrow raising with bewilderment).  If you do this to a teammate while listening to gossip without aligning your loyalties with the person  you work most directly with... you're a thrower.  I'm not saying agree with anything unethical but don't say "you'll look into it."  That implies that you have some sort of supervisory power over your equal.  You don't, back off.  Let the people vent and try to say something like "I'm sure there is more to this than we know."  There usually is... 

                            Look of bewilderment=agreeing with you

3.  If you fingerpoint.  When you cast blame so easily on others and let it be known publicly, especially to subordinates if you are in management, you are a thrower.  Revealing that there is division in the management undermines your authority.  Believe me, it does.  How can you ever speak of teamwork as a manager when you openly criticize or highlight the mistakes of another?  Saying things like "I'm sure Kyla will do it...when she gets around to it." WOW! You're a jerk. 

Sometimes we do this without knowing we do this. This week was a tough week in administration for me folks.  A colleague and several instructors left tread marks on my chest.  I am earning my stripes as an admin.  I'm learning that folks are either REALLY nice to you or REALLy mean to you.

I'm processing what it means to be known by all and hated by most.  Not because you've done something to offend someone, but because of your role.  * sigh *  I asked for this. I love my work.  The kids are the easy part.  But there are a couple of principles I will NEVER, EVER compromise, no matter how much heat I'm feeling from others.

I practice loyalty, deference, and the art of being humble.  I've learned these lessons the hard way.  I believe I learned these principles the hard way because it was time for a major paradigm shift in my life.

Loyalty:  In my last position, I freely shared my opinion with others.  That was a bad idea.  I learned the hard way. Now, as long as there are no ethical conflicts, I back my teammates up.  If I saw ANYONE on my campus do something I deemed questionable, I'd ask them to explain.  When people create stories around what the THINK is the truth... you risk loyalty.  How do you expect a person to go to bat for you when you've said some not so nice things about them?

Deference:  Everyone, no matter what their role is on my campus, no matter how long they've been there, has something to teach me.  The personal philosophies I hold dear in life are a result of the interactions I've had with people over time who have left me with something profound.  I'm a new administrator, everyone who's been there has something to teach me. The custodians, the clerks, the teachers, anyone.  Deference, showing respect to those who are wiser, older, more experienced.  The MINUTE you think you know more because you are of a certain title, you've lost the connection with others before you've even started.

Being Humble:

I try very hard to not take the fact that someone has entrusted me, my professional discretion and my judgement for granted.  I am very fortunate to have landed my position.  Because of that, things that once bothered me no longer bother me.  People can gossip, lie, throw me under the bus... it doesn't matter.  You know why?  Because last year I was without a job.  My family was undergoing a MAJOR life change.  My husband's career was in transition and I was a student in graduate school, for the second time, PRAYING I landed a job by the time my husband's medical retirement came through from the Marine Corps.  Every held on firmly to every dollar.  For the first time in my life, I thought I would have to seek government assistance just to be able to afford food for our two kids.  I'm revealing a lot.  I say that to say, I'm grateful for my position.  In the past 18 months I've matured A LOT.  I needed that struggle to make me realize that I am not entitled to ANYTHING.  You don't warrant respect, you earn it.  I practice the golden rule.

I wish everyone did.

"Butt" what? Is there an answer to the sagging dilemma?

Is the attire of a student an effective indicator of their academic strength?

The sagging pants dilemma is plaguing my campus. I have to be honest, its exhausting trying to monitor the pants of young people on our campus. I can't walk from my office to the bathroom without stopping at least five to six people who act as if the "no sagging" rule is new to them. It takes a lot of man hours and power enforcing this rule too. I could be spending more time refining teacher practice by conducting walk through observations. Instead, I'm in my office, not being visible, inputting discipline for things like "sagging."   As much as I find it tiring to enforce, when I see the young men and women on my campus wearing their pants this way, I feel the disapproval of wearing one's pants so low rise in my blood pressure. I get this visceral, negative reaction and it goes to my brain and then to my mouth.

At the end of every day, I add up the number of dress code violations sitting on my desk, I
can't help but wonder... is this doing any good?


So now you may be wondering if I'm one of those hippie teachers who promotes existentialism and free expression. No, I'm not... not exactly.

I can't help but wonder, however, why is there such disdain of sagging in Western culture?  We all know we judge people based on looks.  We all know, and let's be honest here, that there is a perceived fear of Black men.  Especially Black men in groups, sagging.


Okay, I'll admit, I don't want to see any young person's underwear.  But while we are being honest, we all have made fashion choices in our young lives that we WOULD not revisit now, correct.  I can think of one: Cross colors!

I used to wear these loud clothing articles with pride.  Do clothing choices warrant disciplinary actions that could result in discouraging students from being successful in school.  I'm thinking so.  I think it is wrong to judge a student's ability based on their lack of conforming to the very Eurocentric mindset of American culture.  Let's face it, many Americans would feel a lot safer if all their Black men looked like this:

Instead of this:

Or Especially This:

So, back to the original question.  If dress code violations make administrative staff spend time on discipline, is implementing a dress code violation about sagging pants worth it?  Also, is it really fair to discipline a kid for how they dress?  Now when I ask the last question, I mean something that's not too offensive like short shorts, bra tops, etc... 

This blog entry was more of a discussion starter.  Should students be punished for a fashion statement that is a teenage thing now?  I'm not so sure.  I think everyone should just wear uniforms. 

Spoiled, bratty teachers are not good for kids.

Are you a big teacher baby?

For most of my teaching and facilitator/training career, I was an at will employee. At will meaning, I could be let go tomorrow, without notice.  Out of my 9 years of experience, and in my current position, my livelihood was and is  dependent SOLELY on my ability to secure acceptable evaluations and to be good at the art of delivering information. When I did have the "benefit" of being in a union, I was upset that I was voluntold to pay dues because I didn't even know what unions were good for anyway.  Now as an administrator, I'm, sadly, starting to wonder the same thing. 

Let me make this point: I'm not ANTI-UNION, I'm anti-spoiled teachers who aren't good for kids.  I think some adults waste so much time complaining about the changing parameters of Education that they are missing the point of why they got into teaching in the first place: to educate children.  Yes, children, remember them?

In my earlier teaching days, I heard stories of older teachers who were using antiquated methods to reach children.  I heard these elderly dinosaurs EXPECTED children to be well-behaved instead of establishing a clear set of expectations. I heard they did nothing more than direct instruction through lectures.  I heard they gave pop quizzes just because and believed if they taught it, and a child didn't like it, oh well.  I used to think surely age doesn't make you a teacher who defaults to counter-intuitive methods of maximizing success in the classroom, does it?  Uhhhhh, yes, it does.  I've seen it.  

While I can't disclose the direct inspiration over my frustration, I can say this.  I do, to some extent, understand the fear of change in teachers over new methods that they are told to implement.  What I DON'T and CAN'T understand is why teachers would want their practice to grow stagnant. The old adage of "if you don't use it, you lose it" is so very true when it comes to refining your craft. 

You know how top athletes get to the Olympics?  How the Lakers seem to ALWAYS get to the finals... or here's my favorite "HOW DO YOU GET TO CARNEGIE HALL"... PRACTICE!

See, I don't believe in the term "master teacher."  In fact, I hate it.  It implies that there is a destination in the field of Education.  There isn't.  There is only practice and refinement. You learn something new to keep up with modern times, you implement it, you practice it and you refine it.  Why do teachers say "the kids aren't like they used to be."  WOW...really?  What exactly do you mean by that?  I mean, our economy, our technology, architecture and yes, children are different.  You have to adapt.  If not, you can join the other loser, whiner teachers who aren't good for kids.  And you wonder why the kids don't like you. 

Have you seen adults protected by unions that stunt growth in practice?  If so, leave a comment to share your perspective below. 

Teaching until they get it: learning for mastery is good teaching!

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT THIS MODEL OF TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT!

The Education system in America is arguably the worst its ever been.  In a constant race for economic, military, and global super power, America, once on top, is losing its spot. Actually, its lost.  People constantly compare us to China.

China this, China that...super rail, better education, more disciplined children... well, maybe.


It has been in my first month as an administrator that I've began to question if the system, as it stands now, is working.  Remember my posting on foster children (CLICK HERE TO READ)?
Well this week, I've met several.  Horrible, horrible stories of abuse, both verbal and physical, neglect, and kids constantly feeling like they will be nothing more than garbage for the rest of their lives because they are reminded daily that they are foster children.

Then I meet teachers, who I'm not demonizing, who state that they don't care about what the background is of kids.  I hear like a broken record teachers say "if I teach it and they don't get it, that's their fault."  Wow... what jerks.

First, how effective are your teaching strategies oh great, wise teacher?  Do you diversify your teaching strategies at all or are you so stuck on teaching lower level information that students need to remember instead of analyze?

Look teachers, isn't the point of teaching to ensure mastery of the strand in of the content that you're teaching?  If you don't think so, change your paradigm about what teaching is all about. You are there to promote knowledge, love of learning.  What you shouldn't do is enforce the notion that once you're left behind, all you are is a failure.

How do you accomplish this you may ask?  Well, for one, if you're using assessments to drive your instruction (you know teach something, evaluate student's knowledge of it, and use the assessment to determine where you go next), then you don't have to worry.

Also, please note that in addition to diversifying how you teach, you should diversify how you assess student's learning.  I pray to God that every Friday is not test/pop quiz day.  What does that do?  Especially if students don't know how they scored or what they will be tested on for the test.

Think back to the classes you did the best in.  Was that transparency piece present?  By that I mean, did the teacher explicitly tell you what you were to learn, create understanding around why you were to learn that and tell you how you will be assessed?  I used to think those classes were the easiest.  I used to think, "wow, Mr. Smith TOLD us what's going to be on the test... what an idiot."  NO, what a genius.  There shouldn't be any surprises in Education.  If you're into that sort of thing, I'm sure you will continue to find your students doing quite poorly as a whole in your class.  But hey, its not your fault, is it?  Its theirs... hmmm!

Are you afraid of the children? If so, leave teaching now.

One of the most perplexing things that has and continues to plague me in the field of Education are teachers who do not hold students accountable for their actions.  I've seen some very smart people, masters of their content, literally teach an entire period with their backs to the students. The behavior of the students ranged from openly talking, texting, drawing, rapping, or throwing objects.  What's even more striking is that when the students noticed I was there, they immediately stopped.  I'm not tooting my own horn or anything, but classroom management has always been a skill set of which I am quite proud.

So if your classroom management is shaky, you may be wondering what I did to invoke this kind of reaction from children? Its simple... I don't play that.  I'll translate my Ebonic colloquialism into one word: accountability.

I have standards, expectations, rules, guidelines.  My students knew what my expectations were from day 1.  I explicitly told them what they were and asked them to state their understanding to ensure we were on the same page with our thinking.  I consistently and fairly enforced my classroom expectations for everyone... no exceptions.  Because of this, I had a reputation as the "mean" teacher until my students got to know me.  Yes, I was the teacher in the hallway eagerly, and loudly, encouraging students to "keep it moving" and "put pep in your step" to get to class.  In class, my students were actively engaged in work so they rarely had the opportunity to act out.  On the rare occasion I had the brave soul who dare test what I established, I would calmly and quietly pull them to the side and let them know they weren't hurting anyone but themselves. Another way I maintained a structured classroom environment was by configuring my classroom in a way that allowed me to have visual and physical access to every student.  It helped, tremendously.

But what I did is nothing new.  In fact, its quite simple and common sense.  So there must be another reason some teachers have horrible classroom management... they are afraid of the kids.

Is your head in the sand when it comes to student accountability?

See here's what you need to know.  Students like structure.  They thrive in it.  In fact, they like to brag about how tough a teacher's class was and how they tenaciously pushed through.  So you can't be afraid to step up and say something to a student who is bigger, louder, taller than you  But it doesn't stop there.  You have got to be visible.  Students who see you know you.  I find it amazing when teachers don't stand outside of their classes during passing time.  You expect your kids to get to your class on time, correct?  Well... why not strongly encourage them to do so?  Accountability, it works.  Also, if students are doing something that is counter to the mission of the school, correct them.  What are they going to do, spank you?  I don't think so.

SAY SOMETHING.  As a teacher, and now as an administrator, nothing gets to me more than having a student do something that is obviously wrong and an adult walks by them and says nothing.  Really? Wow.  During my administrative program, I had an internship requirement that I loved. One of the things my program was big on was observing teachers so I could recognize and analyze effective states.  When I came into a teacher's classroom that had little to no classroom management, it was SO DIFFICULT for me not to say something.  I couldn't believe that the teacher could survive in a classroom where two to three students are paying attention and the rest are doing whatever they want to do. 

If this is how your classroom is, you are one of three people:  

1.  You don't care about the kids.

2.  You are burned out.

3.  You are afraid of holding kids accountable because of the initial backlash they may throw your way in reaction to you enforcing the rules. 

Kids will be kids.  You're the adult, remember that.  You can't be afraid of what students will do or say.  Being a teacher means having thick skin.  I've been called any profane name you can possibly think of, had students tell me they were going to beat me up, oh, and my favorite one was hoping I died in a fire.  With all of those evil things being said...guess what, I'm still here. 

If you are that concerned about your safety, tell your school's security, starting documenting and do what you can do to get that student into a place that is more suited for their unique learning and behavioral style. No one deserved to come to work and feel unsafe.  There are laws to protect you and if your principal doesn't support you with this, go higher. 

BUT, before you do that, ask yourself where this fear is coming from.  If you are a person that avoids confrontation, teaching may not be the profession for you.  You'll have to have some difficult conversations as an educator and you have to be prepared to have them. 

Read this, it helped me:

To help you, here are some tips to help you keep students accountable.  If these techniques don't work for you, I strongly suggest you hire a therapist to help you discover what emerges for you when it comes to confronting students about inappropriate behavior. 

1. Lay down the law from day one.  If you don't clearly, explicitly tell the students what is expected of them, they will test your limits.  In all fairness, you can't discipline a student for a rule that they weren't aware was a rule.  If you don't want students to chew gum, put that policy on the wall somewhere.  During the first week of school, have demonstrate entering the classroom, exiting the classroom, cleaning up the floor before they go, how you dismiss, etc... The less they have to guess, the lower your number of referrals. 

2. Be visible.  If you have a policy about being on time to your class, why not be present in the hallway to greet students as they come through your door?  Also, confront students who are not technically "your" students about any behavior they demonstrate that is counter to a positive culture.  Call them on it.  Your fellow teachers will thank you and you will have a reputation that proceeds you as a teacher who "doesn't play that." 

3.  Don't lower your expectations.  The second kids sniff inconsistency on your behalf with the rules, that is the second you've lost control of your classroom.  No matter how tired, how stressed, your students DESERVE the right to meet your standards.  When you start to lower your expectations, you are lowering your view about the capabilities of your students. Don't do that.  If you've already done that, please view the want ads. 

Anyone have any tips on management or overcoming student confrontation fear?  Please leave your tips below. 

Squashing the Scuttlebutt, your mouth can land you in hot water.

At some point, we've all been guilty of disseminating information to others out of the sheer pleasure of revealing dirty little secrets and seeing the reactions from the other party. But if this is your usual method of communication, you need to know that gossiping about your fellow Educators in and out of school can land you in hot water... or it will come back to haunt you later.

This week I started my first official week as a school administrator.  I'm new to the district. No one has ever seen or heard from me before.  So you can imagine my being shocked when people would "tell" or give me a "heads up" about some people in the school and district office.  While I didn't stop them, I didn't ask questions to further the gossip spreading either. I have been thinking about that this weekend and not stopping gossip is just as bad as spreading it. So come Monday morning, if anyone has anything not so nice to say, I will stop them or simply tell them that I'll have to see for myself.  I can't believe the things that people have told me.  I mean, if you have no sense of where people's loyalty lies, why say something that could potentially get back to your employer?  I have learned in a very difficult way that gossip, or "scuttlebutt" as the Marine Corps calls it, will ALWAYS get to someone unintended if you share your thoughts, unfiltered, with another.  I wish I had something more profound to say than "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all", but I don't.

I know you may already know this.  I didn't, at least not in the beginning of my career.  I did not know as a teacher that any and everything you share with your colleagues will get back to someone... it always does.  You don't want to be seen as a teacher with great potential and no loyalty, do you?

Here's what you need to know.  Everyone who's employed is not sane. Of course we all know that everyone who teaches isn't sane either.  If you don't believe me, read my posting on choosing your references carefully, CLICK HERE!  I mean it takes a little bit of crazy to spend your day with children repeating the same information over and over again.

Because we of HIPPA laws, we don't know the health, integrity, and mental capacity of everyone we work with.  You don't know another person's motivations, goals, etc... Since there is so MUCH you DON'T KNOW... let me tell you what you should know.  Here are some tips on how to keep your mouth shut and stay employed:

1.  NEVER, EVER, EVER share how you feel about another colleague with ANYONE remotely affiliated with your school, district, or heck, even county.  Teaching is a small network  You don't want anything you say out of anger, hurt feelings, or criticism to come back and haunt you later.  The person who you talk about today could be the person that could potentially hire you or help you to get hired.  If you feel so strongly that you want to say something about a colleague, tell your grandma. Call her up... only if grams isn't is a teacher, grandmas talk too.


2. NEVER, EVER, EVER share ANYTHING PERSONAL.  Yeah, do I really have to tell you this?  People keep a mental rolodex or others.  Please know the MINUTE you get picked for lead teacher, department head or vice principal, people will flip to your section in their brain and the secrets you held so dear and shared that night at happy hour after three martinis will suddenly be revealed.  Everyone has a past, but you need to not share that in your place of work.  People rarely reveal what they really think of your past or present indiscretions.  What they WILL do is tell someone else who will tell someone else about them. Just keep it to yourself.  If you need to vent, hire a therapist or get a journal. 


3.  DON'T associate with the gossip circle.  Ever heard of the expression "birds of a feather flock together?"  There is merit to that phrase.  Critics hang with other critics so they can talk about others and then one another when the other isn't around.  These people are known as gossipers. Here's how to identify one:  if within the first few days of interacting with this person they start to sneak in little digs about other people whom you don't know personally but work with too, avoid this person.  If you tell them anything they will talk about you.  If you don't say anything and allow the information to continue, they may assume your belief system is aligned with theirs. I pray its not and you don't want the reputation of hanging around the mean girls... or guys, do you?




4.  NEVER, EVER throw someone under the bus.  Think very carefully about how you answer questions or reveal information.  Criticizing an idea or plan without knowing the constructor of the plan can be very dangerous.  I once criticized the food of someone at a dinner party because I assumed the food was catered.  Nope, the person who invited me and prepared the food was the person I told how much I hated the bean salad.  Needless to say, I wasn't invited to the next dinner party and missed out on some great networking opportunities. 




5.  DON'T EVERY, EVER say "I would have done it like this..." Okay, almost everything looks easier than it is.  BY openly discussing your ideas on how something could be improved, you're really telling others that the current idea sucks. You never know who's connected to who, just stay quiet and enjoy the event or idea someone else has worked hard over creating. Remember, you will be in that chair one day and you don't want all that negative energy hurled toward you. 




6. NEVER, EVER criticize a colleague in the presence of students.  Doing this is about as secretive has having a small engine plane carry a banner over your school.  Students can't hold their bladder, let alone information about two teachers not getting along. 


7. NEVER, EVER vent about work on a Social Network. Out of the 398 friends you have, someone is bound to be connected and bound to hate you.  That's a dangerous recipe for someone who enjoys being employed.  Hate your boss, you better write it down and burn it because now of days, everything is traceable on the web...EVERYTHING!




Have more tips?  Leave a comment or share your experience with gossip in the workplace below. 

Great News Everyone...

For those of you that are faithful readers to TWB, I apologize I haven't posted a new entry in a while. I have a good reason, GUESS WHAT? I'm a Vice Principal now.

I've been tons busy because of it. School starts soon. More thoughts coming soon... I promise. I'm glad you all are on this journey with me. Thank you for evertything for supporting me.

Teachers: dress for the job you want AND HAVE.

Teachers, can we talk for a bit?  Its just you and I here. What does your wardrobe look like these days?  I know, I know, another blog post about being dressed professionally in the workplace. I know all the teacher gripes concerning work clothing.  I know you're on your feet all day (hopefully), I know you run around with kids all day (elementary), I know your students are active and are engaged in a lot of project based learning that involves glue, markers, paint, etc...

All of that is great, but how are you presenting yourself while on campus?

Okay, lets get to the nitty gritty.  I know we don't make a lot of money.  But you need to take a hard and honest look at how you spend money and ask if there are any corners that you can cut.  To do this, track your spending for one month. Get some folders and mark one living needs (gas, clothing, food from a grocery store, and health and grooming products).  Mark another folder "wants."  Keep your receipts so you can track trends with your spending. I've done this before and realized I was spending nearly $30+ per week on iced lattes.  $30 bucks per week is $120 per month. That's nearly $1,500 per year. I kicked my habit, lost weight and gained extra dough. If your budget is super tight, try thrift stores.  I know it may not be your FIRST choice, but, believe it or not, some people actually have thrift store find clubs.  Here's another tip, if you go thrift shopping in trendier neighborhoods, you can find some great pieces.

I encourage you to go to google, enter "thrift store clubs in (input city").  If you don't find an actual club, then it will at least provide you with some locations where you can find cheap and easy separates to enhance your wardrobe.

Now that we've got that out of the way, let me ask you something else.  What do you consider "professional" clothing?

You'd be surprised at what I've seen teachers, shapers of our nation's future, wear to work.

I've seen everything from Birkenstocks with socks, sweatpants and sweatshirt (everyday) to mini-skirts with ultra high heels.  Wow, I know right... what's worse is no one ever told these teachers how unprofessional they looked.

Shame on the principal that allows his or her teachers to walk around school looking like they work at a telemarketing firm (those people wear anything). Look at  your wardrobe and ask yourself if you have a distinct set of professional clothing.  Do you have clothing that you can wear to an interview? If not, go out and get these items as soon as possible.  Why you ask? Well one word: perception.

Have you ever worn a really great outfit and walked a little taller, smiled a little wider, and received compliments multiple times while wearing that outfit?  If so, why not command that attention daily?  Remember you are a role model to  your students. Do you think so little of your school and  your students that you will just roll out of bed and wear anything?  I know that's the easy thing to do, but ask yourself, is it the right thing to do?  You are a professional, the first key to being a professional is for people to perceive you as one.  I can assure you that if people see you in khakis and a  polo style shirt they will either ask you where the appliances are located or ask you to point them in the direction of the the sale rack.  You don't want this. You want to command attention.

I'll give you an example, ever heard of the term "little black dress?"

 I have my own version called the "little interview dress."(LID)  It is a dress I can dress up for a professional dinner, or dress professionally for an interview.  Once while wearing my LID because I had just concluded an interview, I decided to stop by another school district to say hello to the district's superintendent (yeah, that's how I roll... did you read my post about NETWORKING (click here to read)?  :-)  Anywho, I felt confident.  I looked good and knew I looked good. Because I looked good, I felt good... and confident.  Typically you need an appointment to see the superintendent.  I walked right up to the receptionist looked her right in the eye and said "I'm here to see Dr. X"(not including the real name)."  See said "right this way."  While this story may be a little frightening to some, it was in that moment I realized something: PERCEPTION.  I'm sure the receptionist, who I just saw ask a parent to sign in, thought this lady is wearing professional clothing, she is carrying a portfolio, she obviously is here for the right reasons. She walked me right in and I met with the superintendent (not sure how good that meeting went since I still am not employed as an administrator with that district.)  But the point is... I got in.

Why not make your students that receptionist?  Have your students look up to you not ask you wear you shop.

Another reason why you should want to look your best:
Your principal is watching.  See, people in the front office observe, they observe carefully. You can't just walk into your place of work and look unprofessional and expect to get promoted.  If you plan on becoming an administrator, lead teacher, department head, district office personnel, you have to look the part.  If you apply for the position and then start dressing more professionally, well, it comes off as... insincere. You don't want that.
I'm not asking you to erase your unique personality from your wardrobe in hopes of one day becoming a district pundit, I'm asking you to refine it.  You can still keep your sense of style and dress professionally.  Look through magazines, look at Michelle Obama (I love her style), ask another teacher whose style you admire where they shop or what pieces are essential. Heck, you can google "essential wardrobe pieces" and you will find a variety of websites that can offer you suggestions.

Go out and shop... the school year has almost started.  I'm sure stores will have some swinging Labor Day sales.  Take advantage and amp up how you're perceived, remember, your principal and your students are watching.