Truth for Education Blog

Posted By Donna on November 8, 2010

One of the most frustrating experiences, for me as an educator, has been when I witness the struggles of a bright kid who, for whatever reason, just can’t seem to make school a “fit”.  These kids often achieve at levels far below their apparent intellectual potential. They are the kids who frustrate us to no end because we often regard their lack of interest, as well as lack of effort, as downright disregard for their potential futures.

I recall one such student who just didn’t seem to be able to do the school thing, for him it just never fit.  He complained that he struggled with reading although his mother and teachers knew he was bright.  They unanimously agreed it was all due to a “lack of effort” and “a lack of interest”.  He was a good looking tall kid with a quick wit.  By the time he reached junior high he knew how to keep everyone around him laughing including his teachers, who eventually grew weary from his constant disruptions.  Then came high school, and what should have been high school proms and letter jackets for this good looking kid was anything but!  For him, high school became a downward spiral gravitating on toward the things that all parents fear, and further away from any hopes of academic success.  Somehow school just never became a “fit” for this kid.  He did manage, however, to pull it together enough to graduate, literally by the skin of his teeth waiting to rent a graduation gown until he learned of the decision, and the mercy, of the last teacher holding out on that final grade of D or F.

Well who would have ever thought that this same young man, a decade and a half later, would become the proprietor of a very successful business, earning an income which enables his wife to stay home with their two young children, indeed a rarity in our economy today.  What is more, as an educator, he is what I consider to be the goal of any young person’s academic pursuits and achievements, which is to become a life-long learner.  As it turned out, his success in life is not merely his place in the 21^st century workplace as so seems is the goal of education today.  His success is that of a hard working individual, with unshakable integrity, who contributes and gives back to his community.  His success is one uniquely his own as an independent thinker, an entrepreneur, and best of all a loving husband and father.

Well it sure makes this educator stand up and take notice that every child is a unique bundle of potential and when the school thing just isn’t a “fit” it could just be that kid has a bigger dream than what I am offering.  Oh, by the way, that kid’s name was Michael and today is his birthday.  Happy birthday, son, I could not be prouder of you!

I love you, Mom

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Category: One Teachers Opinion | 13 Comments »
Tags: academic, bright kid, business, educator, integrity, school, successful

Posted By Donna on November 1, 2010

Having arrived at the close of the first quarter of the new school year and having completed fall conferences, I find there is not even the briefest pause in the frenzied push to bring all students to my state’s specified level of reading achievement as evidenced by a specified range of scores on my district’s specified assessment.  This frenzy continues on as though all children develop neurologically at a specified rate, as though all children mature physically and emotionally at a specified rate, as though their homes, environments, diets, bedtimes, exercise, and life stressors all align with a specified uniformity.  It would appear as though a specified time is spent, each evening, reading or being read to by all children in all homes, regardless of all the diversity of cultural and family norms today.  Even more ludicrous, it would appear that all time spent by all children in front of all forms of electronic toys and devices, including television and play-stations, is specified including content and duration of time.

The momentum of this frenzy is being maintained and fueled, at least in my world, under the umbrella of the RTI process (Response to Intervention) a procedure of progress monitoring come of age with the passage of IDEA 2004. The constant assessment and data analysis that accompanies this progress monitoring under this RTI paradigm shift is wearing me out, and my peers as well.  I find myself caught in a quandary of when and how to carry out formal and informal assessment of benchmarks and progress monitoring during the instructional day.  This data, once collected, must be analyzed aside from the demands and rigors of delivering good instruction and mandated curriculum which extend long beyond a reasonable workday.  In addition, the reporting and regurgitating of this data takes place before or after the workday with the preparation thereof taking place outside of the workday as well.  Those of us who are caught up in this new paradigm know that all these intrusive added variables come at a sacrifice of our energies, time, and our abilities to deliver good instruction and to give the best of ourselves as educators to our students.  It has not been specified to us as yet, however, just how to achieve these impossible demands and be good at what we are suppose to be doing, which is to teach to the ends that children learn!

I am discovering, however, that there are some very talented individuals who are very aware of the struggles of educators, like me, desperately trying to make sense of all of this frenzied madness.  One such individual is Diane Ravitch, former Assistant Secretary of Education under the first president Bush and a nationally recognized scholar and historian of education.  Ms. Ravitch has reversed her stance on issues such as standardized testing, school choice and the No Child Left Behind Act as noted in an article posted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on March 5, 2010, authored by Maureen Downey a longtime reporter for the AJC, http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/03/05/diane-ravitch-education-has-become-search-and-destroy-mission-and-teachers-are-the-targets/.  These individuals are also intensely dedicated to the education and the well being of our nation’s youth as well.

So, as I take this moment to pause at the close of this first quarter of the new school year, this article and the voices it represents, gives me hope in knowing that there are others out there working to make sense of this madness and moving forward toward rational resolutions as well.

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Category: One Teachers Opinion | 32 Comments »
Tags: assessment, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Diane Ravitch, education, frenzy, Maureen Downey, monitoring, reading achievement, Response to Intervention, RTI

Posted By Donna on August 25, 2009

I am excited about a new teaching aid I have discovered and I am getting ready to use in my own classroom.  The hottest item for kids these days seems to be Thumb Balls.  Thumb Balls are 4 and 6 inch balls with subject matter focused panels.  The object of their play is to throw and catch one in your hands, and the panel that your thumb lands on is the focus of your next reaction to the play at hand.  These Thumb Balls are wonderful teaching aids for young children as they learn everything from their alphabet, numbers, and shapes, to how to write short stories.  For older children they are a fun and interactive tool to build important social and emotional skills.  Colorful and interactive, they can be used in the classroom or at home to focus both students and teachers/parents on the skill being targeted.  Thumb Balls are a new twist on an old concept but these colorful little balls contain text and concepts relevant to age appropriate learning and the standards your child is expected to meet at their specific grade level.  More than just a simple four or six inch ball! Throw it!  Catch it!  The child responds to the panel under their thumbs, stimulating the skill while having fun!  Go take a look; you will be amazed that learning can be so much fun!

Category: The Teachers Tool Box | 1 Comment »
Tags: age appropriate learning, balls, learn everything, new teaching aid, thumb balls, thumballs, wonderful teaching aids, young children

Posted By Donna on August 13, 2009

Parents and teachers alike are busy preparing for the new school year.  While teachers are preparing their rooms and curriculum, parents are completing the exhausting task of fulfilling the requirements of student supply lists along with purchases of new backpacks and shoes outgrown over the summer.  It seems like the preparation is endless.  Now what about the preparation of the students themselves?  After all, they are what this is all about!

As a classroom teacher, I find that too often children are simply not prepared for that transition back to the rigors of an academic environment and the loss of those carefree summer freedoms.   This is particularly true for children in the primary grades (grades K-3) and for students with disabilities or learning challenges.   This is never more evident than first thing in the morning as they begin their day.  It is not hard to spot those kids that have had a difficult time completing morning tasks including eating breakfast and gathering supplies, clothing, lunch money, etc. to finally arrive at the bus stop or in the family vehicle to make it to school on time!  This mad morning frenzy takes place across America every school day, but for some it is a real power struggle that leaves the child frustrated and unprepared for the rigors of  the learning day.

There is a very effective strategy you can implement into your morning that will transform morning chaos into a peaceful seamless routine that relieves you of the nagging and power struggle while building independence in your child.  The strategy is a “Morning Task List”, to be placed in a strategic place for your child like the refrigerator or child’s bedroom.  More than a list, it is an interactive check list that your child is in control of, and includes a system of rewards or positive reinforcement as good habits are formed.  It takes a little preparation but you will find the pay backs are well worth it for the success of your child’s day.  You will need a few materials, some poster board, a grease pencil or dry erase pen or magnets, some visuals or personal photos (or someone artsy to draw some pictures), and some laminating to be done at your local copy store or school. Here is how you construct this incredibly successful strategy:

1. Mentally walk through and list each task that must be completed each morning, from the time your child arises to the time they actually depart for school.
2. Order those tasks sequentially, from the first to very last walking out the door.  Write a short sentence for each task as a first person “I” statement, e.g. I brushed my teeth.
3. Measure your poster board for cutting.  Decide where is the best place for your child to interact with the list and cut your poster board to accommodate the particular space you have chosen.
4. List each task and place a visual next to it.  This might be a snapshot that represents the task like a toothbrush or backpack. You might choose to use clipart or a simple drawing.  Draw a small box or line to the far right of each “task” sentence and visual so that the child can check off each task as completed.
5. Tailor the tasks and the visuals to your child’s needs, when you are satisfied that you have a complete list of necessary tasks and it looks colorful and appealing, have your list laminated to accommodate the daily use of a grease pencil or dry erase.  If you place your Morning Task List on the refrigerator, your child can also use small magnets as a means of checking off each task.

Now to implement this strategy in a successful way, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, and most importantly there must be a system of reward or “positive reinforcement” included or it will have little effect on your child’s behavior.  Each morning upon completion of the list, your child should proudly let you know that he/she has checked off each task on the list and is ready for school.  You may find it necessary to redirect your child to complete and move on to the next task, to completion, by shadowing them for a few days as they move through the process.  If your child becomes off task and moves through the process too slowly, rather than nag, set a timer for completion and a reward for reasonable completion time.  After a brief inspection when you are satisfied that your child is indeed ready with backpack and coat (if needed) placed by the door, reward your child with verbal praise and a token (or tokens as desired).

My recommendation for a reward varies depending on the age of the child and their ability to wait for delayed gratification, or on their need for more immediate reinforcement.  The reinforcement or reward, in any case, should include an interactive “hands-on” process for your child.   Upon successful completion of the Morning Task List, give your child a token (a penny or a small item like a marble or a poker chip) to place in a container to be “cashed in” at a latter time for a reward or treat.  The reward should be something that your child enjoys but does not have free access to like perhaps an additional 10 minutes of T.V./Video time, game boy, computer time, etc.  The reward might even be a special activity with you on the weekend when the child has earned a specified number of tokens at the end of the week.  If your child needs more immediate reinforcement, they might redeem their tokens after school or even upon completion in the morning.  If your child has a disability that involves cognitive or emotional challenges, they may require a schedule of more frequent reinforcement.  In the beginning that might include a token or even a reward after each item completed which can be faded back as they master the routine and perform it more automatically.

Above all, keep in mind as you implement this very effective strategy that your goal is to foster independence in your child and “ownership” of their preparation as a learner each day.  Their Morning Task List and the process itself should be tailored to your child’s needs and personality.

Finally, and most importantly, this process should be fun and should result in a happier more confident child ready to meet the challenges of their day.

If you would like a copy of a sample Morning Task List I have created, click on the link below.  You may access the PDF format document and you have my permission to duplicate and use it just as it is.       CLICK HERE  http://www.agame2teach.com/morningtasklist.pdf
Copyright 2009 Donna Goodman all rights reserved.

Category: Back to School, One Teachers Opinion | 82 Comments »
Tags: back to school

Posted By Donna on July 20, 2009

This is my first attempt at blogging, and this blog is brand new and under construction at the moment.  Stay tuned for some very interesting and provocative threads.

My goal, is to raise the level of awareness on a myriad of issues which impact the quality of our children’s lives and futures.  To that end, I need your dialog and participation as we reach toward that goal together.  From the vantage point of an educator, I am witnessing a rapidly changing culture in our schools.   The demands of an increasingly politicized environment staggering under the reality of budget deficits and expectations of raised national test scores, are taking a toll on the energies and resources of all concerned.  We are not alone in this dilemma, sadly, our children are there also.  As a parent and a grandparent, I am witnessing the community schools that I grew up in morphing into government institutions driven by data collection mandated by federal legislation and special political/corporate interests.  Perhaps it is time to start asking some questions for the sake of our children and demand some TRUTH FOR EDUCATION.  That is the challenge God has set before me, would you care to join me?

Donna Goodman, M.A.

Category: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Tags: education, learn, new blog, provocative, school