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.