Things A Teacher Should Never Ask A Student To Do

     We are taught to ask students to do some things and leave other things alone. In an article from Teachthought magazine, a list of 23 items (with short answer explanations) give you insight to leave certain things alone and this will help you to improve your teaching and connect with your students. Here are a couple of examples.

2. Read out loud if they don’t want to
You’ll have a pretty good instinct here who is fluent orally and who isn’t. While reading aloud with fluency is indeed an important literacy standard, little good comes of forcing students to read out loud when they really, really, really don’t want to.
The key may be, then, making them want to.

Also,  

6. Look down on their family and friends
Their friends may be shaky, and their family might at times be worse, but they’re friends and family nonetheless, and in all but the most exceptional circumstances, that will be always bigger than your content area or your classroom.

Things A Teacher Should Never Ask A Student To Do by Terry Heick
 To read more, please click below.
http://www.teachthought.com/teaching/23-things-teacher-never-ask-student/

25 Signs You Might Be A 21st Century Teacher

This comes from Teachthought- See how many are true for you!
 
25 Signs You’re  Teaching In 2015
1. You think of clouds as good things.
2. You believe tagging is the new email.
3. The blogosphere is more relevant a term than the stratosphere.
4. You spent more this year on iPad peripherals than you have pencils and pens.
5. You giggle when you recall how you used to simply give tests at the end of a unit.
6. You google before you even try to remember.
7. You begged your school accountant for an iTunes card instead of your annual classroom fund.
8. Have actually used the phrase “digital citizenship” in a sentence with a straight face.
9. You’re in bad shape if the internet goes down during a lesson.
10. YouTube makes more sense than television.
11. You forgot what chalk does to your skin.
12. Flipping the classroom is an instructional strategy rather than a response to misbehavior.
13. You’re sure Vine is rotting your middle schooler’s brain.
14. Your district has a more transparent facebook policy than they do on assessment or curriculum mapping.
15. You’re scared to explain your blended, student-centered, mobile-centric classroom to parents, so you don’t mention any of it on the syllabus.
16. You’ve “crowdsourced” something–school supplies, for example.
17. You trade rooms with another teacher for a better Wi-Fi signal—and don’t tell them why.
18. You’ve texted during class, but have taken a student’s phone for doing the same.
19. You plan lessons assuming that every student has Wi-Fi broadband access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
20. Students blame passwords and log-in issues rather than the dog for eating their homework.
21. Your students have to explain certain technologies to you, but you pretend you already knew.
22. You seriously consider that if it’s not being talked about on twitter, it may not have happened.
23. You’ve spoken more recently with the tech leader in Mumbai than the new 10th grade Math teacher down the hall.
24. You’d never admit it, but you judge other people by the tech they carry.
25. You’re energized–and absolutely fatigued–by the rate of change in your craft as an educator early in the 21st century.
Image attribution flickr user intellfreepress; 25 Signs You Might Be A 21st Century Teacher

FEWER GEORGIANS CHOOSE TEACHING AND JUST WHEN GEORGIA IS RAISING THE STANDARDS TO TEACH

     Supply and Demand is a principal known not only to economists but to people about issues that need to be dealt solved with common sense. When the state of Georgia is looking to raise the standards for those looking to become teachers, it can be seen as a great thing. The flip side to the equation is how do you raise standards when people are running away from becoming members of the teaching profession? In an editorial written by Maureen Downey of the AJC, she compares the criticism of teachers being worse than what what wall street bankers received during the height of the mortgage meltdown mess. Teachers are accountable for much more than politicians and professionals in many fields and are expected to have the answers for problems they have no control over from politicians to moral compass issues students who attend school bring to the table when attending school, "The laundry list of goals we now have imposed on teachers and schools has expanded well beyond teaching math and reading. Beyond creating engaging lessons, their to-do list now includes curing poverty, leveling the playing field and providing a moral compass. And we also would like schools to persuade students to eat more broccoli, watch less TV and floss regularly,"said Downey. Throw in dozens of educational initiatives from Washington, Atlanta and district initiatives and prospective teachers are choosing any profession where going home means enjoying your family and leaving the work for the next work day instead of sitting at home with your laptop doing school business because your district does not give you professional time to get your work done during the day. Downey said the future of prospective teachers will leave many districts short. To find out more, read below.

FEWER GEORGIANS CHOOSE TEACHING

Teaching is tough

By Maureen Downey mdowney@ajc.com  

   As an editorial writer, I spent years writing about predatory lending and the resulting subprime mortgage crisis. Those editorials sometimes prompted rebukes from readers, who argued the blame for rampant mortgage fraud fell on uninformed borrowers rather than unscrupulous lenders.    Readers expressed a surprising tolerance toward bankers who earned millions on easy credit policies and tempting teaser rates that targeted riskier borrowers.    When I began writing about education policy, I saw a far different level of accountability demanded of teachers, who earn average starting salaries of $30,000 a year.    The teachers of Elm Street incurred more blame for struggling schools than the wolves of Wall Street for a collapsed economy. The animosity toward teachers is striking, especially given that they work in a low-paid profession that’s now being asked to perform the educational near-equivalent of turning water into wine.    The laundry list of goals we now have imposed on teachers and schools has expanded well beyond teaching math and reading. Beyond creating engaging lessons, their to-do list now includes curing poverty, leveling the playing field and providing a moral compass. And we also would like schools to persuade students to eat more broccoli, watch less TV and floss regularly.    At the same time, we’re rolling out unproven value-added evaluations that measure the effectiveness of teachers on the performance of their students on standardized tests. For those teachers working in disciplines where there are no tests, such as foreign languages or the arts, we are rushing to design alternative yardsticks. Band students, for example, may be judged on how well they know scales. No one has explained how we can distinguish whether a failing grade means the teacher didn’t teach scales, or the student never bothered to practice.    So, it shouldn’t surprise us fewer Georgians are choosing to go into the classroom.    According to a recent AJC story, 12,436 students received teaching certificates for the first time in 2007-08. Two years later, only 8,520 college students earned teaching certificates, and the number hasn’t risen since, says the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.    Some striking facts from the story by AJC reporter Eric Stirgus: State data shows there were 9,259 fewer teachers in Georgia at the end of the 2012-13 school year than four years ago. The number of Georgians working in local government educational services declined 9 percent over the past five years, greater than in any major Georgia industry.    The decrease in people seeking teaching certificates is making it hard for districts to find candidates for the already hard-to-fill slots such as foreign language, special education, math and science. Some South Georgia school administrators told the AJC the decline has led to more substitute teachers and larger class sizes.    The state is now raising the bar to become a teacher. But without raising the respect afforded the profession, we may find fewer people willing to attempt that higher bar.

 
     What do you think? Should Georgia be raising standards for prospective teachers when they cannot fill the available jobs posted each year? Supply and demand suggests that raising standards might not be a great solution right now.

Top 10 Things Middle-School Students Wish You Knew

 Top 10 Things Middle-School Students Wish You Knew

It is true that all adults have been in the shoes of a middle school student age wise but teachers and administrators look at kids through the eyes of an adult with a lot more maturity and wisdom than the students they teach. The problem we have is that we have that maturity and wisdom and they hopefully will acquire enough of it while we are teaching them so we can show them a full measure of their potential.  In an article written by Rachel Vail who has written over 30 books, she conversationally takes you to the mind of a middle school student from www.weareteachers.com

Here is a snippett from an article that you can check out below.


"What you tell me about myself matters way more than I hope you know. When you tell me I am something—smart, brave, kind, stupid, a trouble-maker, creative, a writer, a mathematician, funny, hard-working—I believe you."


http://bit.ly/1vLQYYa

11 Habits of an Effective teacher- How many do you practice?

     That headline is a whopper. Most educators do some of the 11 described below superbly and your evaluations reflect it. Most teachers need some improvement in some areas. In an article from Edutopia written by Carrie Lam, she points out 11 ways educators could do self reflection on their teaching practices. While embracing change (below) is not number one, I think Carrie does a great job of outlining what every educator should think about. 

. EMBRACES CHANGE.
In life, things don't always go according to plan. This is particularly true when it comes to teaching. Be flexible and go with the flow when change occurs. An effective teacher does not complain about changes when a new principal arrives. They do not feel the need to mention how good they had it at their last school or with their last group of students compared to their current circumstances. Instead of stressing about change, embrace it with both hands and show that you are capable of hitting every curve ball that comes your way!
 To see the complete list, use the link below.
http://bit.ly/1xAhlA5 

Is this you? My students do not respect me and I do not know what to do!

      Most districts go back next week and there are some teachers that can hardly wait and there are some that are waking up in a cold sweat dreading going back for the second half of the year. I have been watching classroom management videos from Rick Smith from Effective Classroom Management. In a post written by a terrified teacher who does not feel respected the night sweats have most likely already begun. As we know, if you do not have respect, you have little learning going on and a lot of chaos. Still, she is doing the right thing getting help.

From the WeAreTeachers Staff   Teacher Janelle writes:

“We’re almost halfway through the school year, and my classroom management is out of control. My students do not respect me at all, and it’s not just one or two of them--it’s become the culture of our classroom. The students just do not listen to me. I want to turn things around, but I’m worried it’s too late in the year. What can I do?” (My words are in red).

     From the We are Teachers Staff From Janelle, we totally get it, and we’re here to say that it’s NEVER too late to get back the respect of your students. Here is some advice from our helpliners on how to start fresh.

Make achievement a group effort! Give "points" to each class for certain things that everyone does well (like following directions or everyone turning in the assignment), and then when the class accumulates a certain number of points, everyone gets a reward, like a homework pass. - Brenda M. I like Brenda's idea. I have been using Class Dojo and have customized behaviors for both the positive and negative behaviors. Kids really pay attention when you add or subtract points. I do have a token economy and students can buy snacks and driinks and homework passes. This has worked and the principal has bought snacks twice.  Read on. 
     I teach fifth grade and use Class Dojo. I keep a total of their points for the month. Then they get a copy of the "menu" to fill out, choosing how they will spend their points for the month. Only 14 points can be carried over for the next month. The choices range from 15 points to 80. It works well with little effort on my part! - Kate F.

     Talking to peers is something that is encouraged. While you can always go to one teachers class and the kids are eating out of the teachers hand, trying the same in your class may find students still walking over you. According to Rick Smith, it is all about being consistent and having consequences that you follow through with.

     This is from another teacher. Talk to other teachers about the classroom management strategies they use that work. A lot of it is setting an expectation and following it, and you can do that at any point during the year. It’s just a matter of sticking to it and being consistent. I use a point system and give bonus points for on-task students. - Heather S.  
This is a very prudent strategy. Do not embarrass students in front of peers. Having a system where they can speak to you in private while you keep teaching keeps your class focused on content rather than the battle happening where they are rivoted to it instead of learning. 

       Don't be afraid of calling parents; they can be your biggest advocate. If you do call a parent for negative behavior, also make sure you call that parent when the child has a good day as well. That will also help get the parents on your side. - Jodi W.  Jodi is right. Many people will say that giving students discipline choices gives them options instead of backs them into the corner. Once a student knows you are following through, you have credibility. If they cannot or will not serve the consequence such as a lunch detention, let the student know they will get a phone call home or a referral to the administrator. Also, call home and ask for the student when they deserve praise. Let it be a short and to the point conversation. According to Smith, the parents will naturally want to know and may call you back. Invite the parents to come in or let them know you have an open door policy.  We document our classroom issues on a computer program where we file both referrals and classroom issues. Let the student know you are trying to do the kindest thing to get their attention and ask them if they want to change. Their answers tell you what you need to know.

If students are being loud, my instinct used to be to raise my voice to try to be louder than them. Now, I’ve started doing the opposite--I’ll speak more quietly. This tends to intrigue them, and they’ll start hushing each other so they can hear what I have to say. Try it!-Erin F. Rick Smith mentioned above mentions that against all impulses to soften your voice, face the student, mention the behavior and tilt your posture slightly toward the student. The student will know you will use the consequences.

“Fake it ‘til you make it.” Even if you don’t feel like you are in control, act as though you are--cool, calm, collected. The next time you walk into the classroom, convey through your directions, expectations, and the way you carry yourself that anything less than respectful behavior will not be tolerated. Then have a plan for how to enforce those expectations. Avoid getting emotional or angry. - Greg T.

Teachers, what other advice do you have for those struggling with classroom management?

One resource is Rick Smith who wrote Effective Classroom Management. He gives plenty of tips and is a teacher trainer in this area. You can find his books on Amazon. 

West Oakland Railroad Museum is a great place for the family (W/. photo album)

 With scores of families and model trains to look at, there is no amount of hot chocolate that can offset the family having fun winter fun. The West Oakland Museum is a popular option for families that want to have an hour or two of family fun. For Seth Lampe and Paul Gribbell, it is a way to give back to a hobby they truly enjoy. "We have plenty of families that come and enjoy our trains."
You really need more than one visit to truly appreciate what is going on at the museum. There are so many exhibits at the museum that you will easily overlook the  recreated towns and even skinny dippers and hobo shacks.

   You truly have to come in and see the several dozen train tracks and the looks of multi-generation families that watch part of the past come alive. Seth Lampe, a volunteer at The West Oakland Museum said many of the cars were hand crafted and some of the trains cost money that can only be recouped in wonder, not in cost.

     Lampe also said The Railroad Museum is the home of the World's Longest Model Train and it was running over the span of a fourty-foot bridge. Thousands of train cars on dozen of tracks. It is a fun and inexpensive place to take your family. The train museum is open 11am-5pm through the holidays and Friday, Saturday and Sunday through March.
Here is a link to the photo story in the Oakland Press
http://www.smugmug.com/photos/guest/8h8VGv/RailroadMuseum

248-613-9471

8275 Cooley lake Road

Commerce Twp. 48382

 

I remember Cunninghams but not the shack next to it.