Teaching

For Every Parent Who has a Child

Posted on April 18, 2014November 20, 2015 by ojlowe

Bullying is no longer in the mass media and has taken a back seat to other issues plaguing the United States, like Teacher Evaluations and Standardized Testing. Kids of all ages are now left to fend for themselves. As America changes its focus to what ever the mass media chooses, more young kids will have to wake up to a another day of being a victim. Sadly, it is our American Society that continues to fail our children. The opportunity was there to help. The push from celebrities and politicians, the coverage from mass media, and even an emotional movie to show the damage that is being done. So what happened?

America happened. After hearing about bullying for over a year, America’s lack of focus to support its children, its future, kicked in. We became immune to the stories, and emotionless to the suffering these kids go through. We are a society that talks big about helping, volunteering, and sacrificing for those who need help, but behind closed doors we truly are a society that refuses to help those in need! We are the greatest country at immediately stepping up to the plate and contributing to a recognized need with help, but it only takes time for us Americans to simply lose focus, and simply forget those in need.

Here in NJ, Superstorm Sandy caused devastation throughout the state, and there was a great outpouring of support. By the one year anniversary, funds had dried up, and people here have been begging for support and help to get back on their feet. Today, just a year and a half later, the victims of Superstorm Sandy are nothing but a memory to most unless you live in an area still under the effects of the damage, or know someone affected. What about the folks and areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina? If you tour the areas, you will find the same devastation. Sadly, it is the American way. As devastating events happen around the world, America is a leader in providing help, however, we are also the leader in leaving places to fend for themselves soon there after.

Even worse, as the same type of disasters repeatedly happen, we become immune to the devastation. Remember Columbine back in 1999? How many school shootings have there been in the US since then? According to Wikipedia, since 2010, there have been over 80 shootings. How many did you hear about? Still think we are not immune? In 2014 alone, US school shootings are over 30 so far! These are our children who are being killed and who are even doing the killing.

Bullying is an issue that touches everyone. Please talk to your kids every chance you get about the issue and how to solve it. I am not talking about your kid being the bully, nor am I talking about your kid being the victim. I am talking to everyone who has kids! The best way to defeat Bullying is to inspire the BYSTANDERS to speak up! EVERY kid has witnessed Bullying, however, very few have spoken up to help end it. One of the greatest attributes about growing up in America is our immediate leadership in helping those in need. All it takes is ONE PERSON to speak up and the rest will follow. Recently a boy near Pittsburgh has been brought up on criminal charges because he recorded his bullies planning their next attack?! Unfortunately we, as adults, continue to fail our kids, so it will be up to the children themselves to be the ones who change society. They have the will and the power, we just need to empower them to take the leadership role!

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5 Wrong Statements Teachers Make

Posted on March 27, 2014 by ojlowe

For the purposes of this Blog: Johnny is the “A” student who doesn’t need to study, Sally is your average to below average student who struggles.

1. The highest score on the test belongs to Johnny!

So what? The highest score does not relate to the best performance. As a matter of fact, the highest test score usually belongs to Johnny, who just happens to find the Elementary Curriculum easy, and puts forth little to no effort to prepare for the test. So you reinforce that Johnny needs to not worry about his study skills, and also disregard the efforts put in by Sally who only wishes one day to get the highest score and be recognized. Recognition and celebration of an individual performance in front of the class needs to be centered on the effort given. Struggling Sally who earns a B, promotes a better message than Johnny’s mediocre A. Simply, you have celebrated and reinforced that Johnny and his lack of effort is great!

2. It’s your own fault, you obviously didn’t work hard enough at home!

The same can be said for you as a teacher. How exactly is Sally supposed to “work harder”? A low-grade does not always correlate with a lack of effort. What if Sally has been putting in hours of studying by flashcards as you told her? Could it be that using flashcards hinders Sally? Maybe Sally never removes cards she understands, thus studying all 50 cards over and over? Did you inform her on how to properly use flash cards? There are many options to studying and learning, but very few teachers will offer them to their students because they themselves are limited to what worked for them. The focus needs to be on what Sally is currently doing, and what options or changes are needed to help. Students don’t wake up every day and hope they struggle again. There is no fault to struggling, so why plant a message in their heads that they themselves are not good enough?

3. If you had listened to me, and did things my way, you wouldn’t be struggling!

When all else fails, the teacher knows best, Right? It is so easy to tell Sally that the only way to succeed is to do it your way, but do you give the same message to Johnny when he obviously has no study skills? By telling Sally this, you are confirming that her thoughts, ideas, and work ethic are failures. Sadly, when you stop and think about it, all students look up to their teachers and hold them on a pedestal, yet you are telling Sally she will never be good enough using their own thoughts and ideas. In the right atmosphere, Sally will always try impress her teacher for inspiring and supporting her through her struggles. Inspire them to be a great individual, not a copy of you.

4. You need to study more! You didn’t study enough!

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” -Albert Einstein. Studying more is simply not the answer for most, like Sally. Along with #2, 3, and 4, the biggest issue is that we pass the blame by using the word “YOU”. Yes, we all understand that it is up to the individual child, however, these are not adults. They are children in the process of learning. We talk about being a supporting partner throughout their education, but are quick to shovel all of the blame onto their shoulders with statements like these. Make sure your message to Sally starts with “YOU” in times of success, but make sure to start with “WE” can do better in times of failure.

5. It’s ok, you tried your best!

If you consistently set high standards for you students, it’s NEVER “ok” when a student does not do well. You are contradicting yourself to Sally who believes in your message of setting the bar high! Sally has been told every year that “It’s ok”, and “Things will get better” to no avail. Sally has invested herself in your message, and now you tell her what every other teacher and adult has said. She has raised her levels of expectations, and needs someone who will reinforce that a below average grade is “NOT OK”! She needs someone to invest in her, and help her become the best she can be. What can she do differently, what habits are not helping, or what improvements can be seen?- Are some of the questions Sally wants answers to, so save the meaningless pat on the back. ALWAYS praise the effort when it’s there, and let her know that “WE” will not give up!

Kids today are being raised into a society stressing that everyone is a winner, irrelevant of effort and ability. While I believe there is an age appropriate relation (5-6 years old), we are setting up our children for failure when we continually hold their hands. Every individual has a desire to succeed and out perform others. As we grow up, we look for individuals who can be our inspiration, our role models. People who stand out of the crowd that continually tells us how great we are. Those individuals who hold us to higher standards and make us believe we can reach the unreachable stars. We need teachers to be those individuals……Tell Sally that she CAN, show her different ways to improve, celebrate every victory, and be truthful but support her in every step backwards….Tell Johnny that his 95 should NOT be acceptable, talk with him about his lack of study habits, challenge him to see the future, and be truthful but support him with his weaknesses. It is never about what you as a teacher say, but rather what exactly the student hears! It is human nature to invest in someone who is invested in you. Make sure your message consistently rings true that effort and improvement, not grades, will earn your respect!

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Who Suffers Most in Education Today

Posted on March 19, 2014March 21, 2014 by ojlowe

Education in America is in a fight for survival. Whether its Common Core, Technology, or Bullying, Education is at the forefront of many discussions. Visit your nearest water cooler, or turn on the 24 hour News channels, sit back and enjoy the experts discuss what is wrong, and what would be their solution. You just might hear, “Bill Gates built an enterprise like no other, we should listen to the group he has formed to help education.” “Common Core is a mess and asks students to show abilities that are above their developmental level.” “Digital technology is the best avenue for our student success”, and yet “it is also the worst.” “Our attack on Bullying is weakening this country by raising sissies.” Heard any of this?

One of the hottest topics is how American students have “fallen” behind our international competitors. You will hear some say they believe we led the world in education when they were growing up in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Really? You will hear how our students are ranking in the range of 20-30 and how China now ranks #1 in the world! Sadly, the facts are all being taken out of context. Do you know that International Testing (PISA) was initiated in 1997 with the first test being given in 2000 and every 3 years after? Would it change your view to know that we have ranked around 20-30 every year? Even as more countries join the testing? Would it help to know that China only lets certain kids in Shanghai who prep for the test to take it, and first joined testing in 2009? Does it really matter?

Ladies and gentlemen, let’s make one thing perfectly clear, Education around the world is changing. Our mentality of being scared of change has opened a huge door for critics to attack our educational system. Unfortunately, it may lead to the false claims becoming true. The ones who have been able to keep our Educational System afloat are being attacked from the flanks and it is quickly weakening their positions. As a teacher of 15+ years experience, I have seen, first hand, the damage that these attacks are having on the profession. The negativity has relations from teachers to parents, students, and community strained and continues to force the very best of educators to leave the profession they truly love. More importantly, it is tearing down the structural integrity of the classroom and the control a teacher can have. History has shown that the most damaging of attacks take place silently without detection. We must be very conscious of the damage that the wave of adult negativity can cause in the structure of the educational system, especially in the classroom, as it eventually filters into the eyes of the students.

We are undermining every teacher’s effort in the classroom and thus weakening the educational system. The true power of our Educational system lies in the influence our teachers can have on our students. The so-called experts don’t understand this. Bill Gates and any other “non-experienced” expert can talk about studies and research, but there are instincts and factors to teaching that just can’t be measured. Yet, we listen to these experts tell us that our teachers are failing? In reality, it is THEY who are failing our teachers! Mr. Gates and his committee have produced the Common Core State Standards (they may be a great step forward), but did they train and equip the classrooms and teachers to perform to these new standards and way of learning? NO. Did he follow the same “business plan” with Microsoft by setting new standards of work for his employees, but never equipping them with proper training and material to do so? Did he tell his Secretary to produce documents in Microsoft Word by giving her a user’s guide, however keeping her on a typewriter? Of course not.

Education is changing around the world. The difference is that the rest of the world continues to show respect for their teachers. The best of the best are known to openly respect all teachers on the same level we respect doctors and lawyers. So while they also go through the shift with technology, their framework around the classroom is solid and supported by the surrounding community, parents, and students. We, the American community, must not continue to damage the structural integrity of our classroom, for a collapse will be on our teachers, leaving our students alone to fend for themselves. Be careful America, when we begin to listen to experts in the field of business on Education,you must ask, What is more important: My child’s education, or the Bottom Line?

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13 New Educational Terms Defined in Pictures (New? Teachers Don’t Think So!)

Posted on February 14, 2014 by ojlowe

1. Blended Learning- Whether defined as a mix of Technology and Paper/Pencil or a mix of Learning In and Out of School (watch a TV Special at home/ write a summary), students have been a part of Blended Learning for years…..

2. Flipped Classroom– Students learn subject matter at home to provide more discussion for understanding time in the classroom………hmmmmm

3. BYOD- Bring Your Own Device……parents have been providing devices for years….

4. Reform- Term to define when politicians and their cronies discuss their ideas to improve education and provide a revolutionary plan.

5. Charter School- (See #4 Reform)…..when you mix business and politics with education…..the question is what is more important- the bottom line, or your child’s education?

6. CMS- Course Management System……says it all…….

7. Inclusion- to include all students in activities? Now there’s an original idea to education……

8. Interactive Whiteboard- a giant board where a student can work out or demonstrate a solution? Who would have thought……

9. Open Educational Resource- a place where students and colleagues can share teaching/ learning materials…….

10. Small Learning Community- Revolutionary idea of working in small groups…….

11. Tier 1-2-3 Intervention- The idea that students may need little, some, or lots of extra help…….

12. Learning Environment- Whether it’s the school or the classroom, the Learning Environment lives on……

13. Performance Pay- As if the expression of “I got it” wasn’t enough, simply put a letter of thanks confirms a teacher’s performance is above and beyond……

Obviously, this was written with a bit of sarcasm. Contrary to what mass media is promoting, there are many dedicated teachers who have been doing an OUTSTANDING job of educating our children. Using new terms to describe ideas already in place can only fool so many. I am not against technology. On the contrary, I wish to promote it in education. However, it must be understood that technology is another tool that can make the teacher-student relationship more effective when used properly. Simply replacing a hammer with a nail gun does not make a better carpenter, and in the same mold, better technology tools do not guarantee a better education. Don’t believe the hype– Education in America is strong, and will continue with our move to Technology!