TLN Teacher Voices

We've Moved – Please Join Us!

Dear Visitor,

If you're looking for TLN Teacher Voices, the blog recently named by the Washington Post as one of the 16 "must see" education blogs in the USA, we've moved to our new home at the website of the Teacher Leaders Network. You'll find all our new posts and our complete archives there. TLN Teacher Voices will continue to feature excerpts from the daily online conversations of a cross-section of America's most accomplished teachers.

And while you're visiting, be sure to check out three new blogs written by individual TLN members:

The Tempered Radical (Bill Ferriter)
Teacher in a Strange Land (Nancy Flanagan)
TeachMoore (Renee Moore)

Bill, Nancy and Renee will be commenting regularly on education policy and practice from the unique perspective of the classroom teacher.

See you there!

Insights into Student Motivation

During a recent interview with TLN member Susan Graham, the New York-based "TeachersCount" organization asked: What are the specific techniques that can increase student motivation?

Susan replied:
   

"Wouldn’t it be great if there was a right answer to this question? The reality is that there are as many techniques to motivate as there are students to be motivated.

"Maslow, the great theorist about human personality, had it right—every human response is tied to addressing some need. Motivation is directly connected to meeting needs and we all have different needs, so motivation is really a pretty individual matter. Sometimes teachers struggle because they get so caught up in asking themselves, “How can I get these kids to do what I need or want them to do?” The more effective question might be 'How can I present these concepts, skills and understandings as a solution to the needs of these kids?'

"Knowing what individual students need requires knowing students as individuals, and I think this might lay at the root of small class size discussions. With homogeneous groups, the needs may be somewhat similar, but with diverse groups of children, differentiation is not just about ability level or learning styles, it must also address diversity in the value systems and goals of those students."

Read the entire interview with Susan, a middle grades FACS teacher and former Virginia regional teacher of the year. You'll also find other interviews with TLN members at the TeachersCount website, on these topics: pay for performance and arts education (Nancy Flanagan); culturally engaged instruction (Renee Moore); and teacher leadership (Betsy Rogers).

The Gift That Freedom Gave

Georgia, a member of the Teacher Leaders Network, writes:

You may think the word "Freedom" in the headline refers to the opportunity and right to make our own choices, but this true story is about a child named Freedom whose right to make her own choices about her life is limited.

Today was our last day before the holidays. I guess I hugged nearly all of our 480 students and wished them a fun and enjoyable vacation. I know for some that this break will be emotionally devastating because their home or neighborhood environments are not physically or emotionally nourishing for them. I pray that they will find something in the support they get at our school that will sustain them until they can be sheltered within the sanctuary of our classrooms again.

I hugged and said "Happy Holidays" to some who will not return to our happy learning environment. One student whose name is Freedom told me today that she would not be returning because the area where the family parks their trailer is noisy, crowded and costly—the lot rent is higher than they can afford. My heart became sad as I listened to her tell about her family's challenges.

She was even more verbal than usual as she talked about how our school was the best school she'd ever been in. For a fifth grader she waxed eloquent about the joys of working in the computer lab and learning how to use all sorts of multimedia tools. She bubbled as she talked about the projects she had done that made learning so much fun. She then gave me a hug that brought tears to my eyes. She didn't want to go and we certainly want her to stay. In just a few months she has moved from a very shy, reluctant participant to a classroom leader, inspired learner, and tech savvy student.

Our influence reaches far. For Freedom I hope it has reached far enough to sustain her in her new school and in her journeys in the coming years.

During my ride home today she and students like her were nearly all I could think about. I recalled the moments, the lessons, the activities, and some of the students whose presence in my life provided me with the most memorable/inspiration-filled moments as a teacher. We never fully know how we have influenced our students. It's a time thing, but I do know these students have shaped my life as an educator and a human being in such meaningful and amazing ways. I am the professional I am because of them.

When we think about our successes with our students and about the things we would do differently, we mold and reshape our professional selves. This is their gift to us. During the hustle and bustle of this holiday season please allow yourself a few moments to think about the connections you make with your students every day—even the ones you think are not connecting with you at all. Please allow me a moment to wish for each of you a joyous, peaceful and memorable holiday break.

I wish for every teacher the gift of "Freedom" and a 2007 filled with opportunities to share that gift with every student in your charge and every colleague in your professional family!

Teacher Leaders as "Tempered Radicals"

In the TLN discussion group, Melissa wrote:

Debra Meyerson coined the term "tempered radicals," which she defined as "people who want to succeed in their organizations yet want to live by their values or identities, even if they are somehow at odds with the dominant culture of their organizations. Tempered radicals want to fit in and they want to retain what makes them different."

Meyerson continued: "These men and women of all races, religions, ethnic origins, ages, and sexual orientations from every corner of the globe describe how they must walk a fine line in their efforts to fit in without selling their souls. [Tempered radicals] are quiet catalysts who push back against prevailing norms, create learning, and lay the groundwork for slow but ongoing organizational and social change."

Melissa then asked the teacher leaders involved in our discussions: "Are you a tempered radical? Do you believe that tempered radicals have a better chance at bringing about educational change than overt challengers or squeaky wheels?"

Sheryl replied:

I was on a plane recently and sat next to a wise African American gentleman who was the president of a large electric company. In addition to being successful professionally, he had a passion for helping needy kids by serving on committees aimed at improving education.

He said something to me I'll never forget, that really addresses this question. He said that the secret to really making a difference in the lives of children is knowing the timing of when to be a radical and visionary on behalf of kids. If you step out with ideas that are too wild or too loud too soon, you will be brushed aside and not seen as credible. If you do it too late, you will be seen as a "come lately" trying to get attention.

The secret is waiting for the right moment, that sixth sense of timing, of knowing when to be the overt challenger. If it is done at the right place in your career, it will not only propel you to success, it will make you a powerful force on behalf of those kids who need it most. I was blown away by his insights.

Tempered radicals need to watch for just the right moment to kick it up a notch. If you sense your audience is receptive (whether it's small or large), then go into overt challenger/teacher leader mode and help others understand why the "outside the box" change initiative you are advocating will not only work but needs to be done for the sake of our students.

Why Do Teachers Feel Responsible?

"A young adult was arrested for murder in my community recently," Jon wrote to the TLN discussion group. "My immediate reaction was to wonder if it was 'one of mine.'

"Why do we as teachers often feel some sort of responsiblity for the actions of our former students? Or are we simply regretful that we weren't able to make the difference in a particular child's life?"

Kitty replied:

We go into teaching for the most part because we want to make a difference. When we find out that a former student has gotten into trouble, even if we don't feel directly responsible, we feel bad for the student and his/her family because we are, for the most part, caring, empathetic people by nature. If we weren't, we wouldn't be doing what we are doing every day.

One of my first students wound up in prison after robbing a gas station. I could have predicted this outcome for him, I am sad to say. He came to me in the sixth grade unable to read. He had literally been allowed to fall through the cracks. As a rookie teacher (this was 30 years ago) I did what I could. I assigned an aide to him full time and bought alphabet flash cards for him out of my own measly beginner teacher pay because he didn't know the alphabet consistently past the letter "g." Please, tell me how he got to the sixth grade not knowing his alphabet!

I made referrals on the child, but he was absent more than he was present, and I still, to this day, believe that he literally fell through the cracks of a system that does not work the way it should. For all intents and purposes, I think he dropped out that year—a sixth grader.

He could have been the poster child for the ideal behind the concept of "No Child Left Behind." He WAS left behind, and nobody really seemed to be bothered by it. As far as I know, there was never any meaningful follow up by the guidance department or the administration on any of my referrals. Certainly I never got the impression that anyone but me cared that he was absent more than he was present, and when he just stopped coming to school, nothing was done as far as I know.

Six years later, I was terribly sad but not surprised to hear his name in the news related to an armed robbery.

I didn't feel personally responsible for him and the choices he wound up making. I did everything I knew how to do as a rookie teacher to try to help. I didn't know enough about the system to put any real pressure on anyone to follow up on him, and I don't know that anyone would have listened to me if I had. I was just some idealistic beginner who hadn't learned the ropes--and hadn't yet hardened myself to the "reality" that we can't save them all.

So, I don't feel personally responsible, but I do feel responsible as part of a community that couldn't do more for that needy child or for so many others who have followed similar paths.

We as teachers of these students are not directly responsible for their adult actions, but I believe we ARE responsible for not doing more to address the social problems that are currently wreaking such havoc on many of our communities' children.

Margaret Spellings at Jeopardy

TLN member Susan Graham dashed off this blog entry after a surprise development on her favorite quiz show last week.

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but after a particularly trying day of school, I sometimes just need the comfort of a round of Jeopardy. It’s classier than Wheel of Fortune. The contestants don’t jump up and down and scream, and I don’t have to watch Vanna try to grow old gracefully in four inch heels. I pop a cold Diet Coke, put my feet up, and yell out the answers without having to work the buzzer. I’m good at trivia, I win a lot, and when I’m wrong, Alex and the studio audience don’t know I messed up. It’s a great stress reliever!

On Tuesday, November 21, I left school late, but with everything graded and recorded. Thanksgiving shopping was done, I’d hauled out the dining table leaf and dusted off the big platters. From the kitchen, I heard Alex Trebec announce a "celebrity contestant" night. I am fond of these special editions because the questions are often easier. I can be right even more than usual and feel superior to people who are famous just because they are skinnier and prettier than me.

Alex was introducing the guests as I finished up the grilled cheese sandwiches and washed the pan. I didn’t know the handsome black man from the CSI-NY television series (Hill Harper, I later discovered). There was an older guy, Michael-something, who looked vaguely familiar. But who was that pleasant, rather plain woman with the glasses? Margaret? She didn’t have the polished look of an aging actress making a game show guest celebrity appearance. Then Alex said, “And a special welcome to Margaret Spellings, United States Secretary of Education.”

That got my attention. The No Child Left Behind Lady! Was she willing to put her money where her mouth was on accountability? Or had she lost her mind completely? During introductions she was smiling and relaxed. But when the game got underway, Margaret missed her first question and she was in the red $400. Her neck muscles tightened and her smile became rather grim. She answered an $800 clue correctly and managed to get out of the hole, although she struggled to remember to “answer in the form of a question.”

A moment later, she confidently answered “Who is Humphrey Bogart?” But wait, she had been distracted by Alex’s Bogie impersonation and jumped to a wrong conclusion; the correct  answer was “What is Casablanca?”  Margaret looked pretty annoyed with Alex. You could almost hear her thinking, “It’s not fair!” She was also struggling with her buzzer, doing that thing newbie Jeopardy contestants do, when they smash the button repeatedly as if to say, “This stupid thing isn’t working. I know the answer! Call on me!”   

In the end, it wasn’t too bad. Margaret finished a distance second to Michael McKean, whom I now recognized as "Lenny," the not too bright neighbor in the Laverne and Shirley sitcom. Michael earned more than $30,000. Margaret managed to break $11,000. But hey, it was “Celebrity Jeopardy” so there were no losers! Michael’s charity got $50,000 and Hill and Margaret’s charities got $25,000.

When interviewed by the Associated Press, Secretary Spellings said that in preparation for her appearance, “she had read books and sought advice from a former show contender and her daughters,” but  “she didn't realize how much skill went into hitting the buzzer at just the right moment." She also pointed out that “McKean had an edge, having been on the show before.”

Sorry, Margaret. When it's Accountability Showtime, we can accept no excuses.

Yes, it was hard for you, an adult who had taken time out from the most powerful education post in the world’s most powerful nation to prepare for a half hour of high stakes accountability under public scrutiny. Can you imagine what it might be like for a 10-year old who has no supportive family and who doesn’t have access to veteran test takers? 

Alex went out of his way to offer you encouragement and consideration when you were obviously uptight about your performance. Yet the teacher of a 12-year old who is struggling with her state’s standardized language arts test could risk prosecution if she stepped over the line and offered similar aid and comfort.

On Jeopardy, everyone was a winner and went home with a minimum of  $25,000 for a charity. But 18-year olds who don’t do well on one section of the high school graduation exam are bona fide losers who go home without a diploma. We call that Final Jeopardy on the frontlines of school reform.

Setting high standards is critical, and accountability is necessary. But somewhere along the way, the purpose got lost in the process. “No Child Left Behind” is good theory, but just like Jeopardy, it’s not as easy as it looks and judging people on a single performance is probably not a fair measure of what they are capable of doing. Personally,  I don’t think the Secretary’s effectiveness should be based on her weak second place finish to a sit-com character. Unlike NCLB test results, these things have to be considered in context. (Insert ironic smile here.)

Secretary Spellings is a good sport. She even said she would “like to return for another try.” Of course, in our world of School, where NCLB is the top-rated show, the standard of performance is always moving upward.  Under NCLB standards, she will need to reach new and higher AYP goals next time.

Share YOUR Professional Development Horror Story

You won't be surprised to hear that during a TLN online discussion about how teachers can gain more control over their own professional development, we heard some horror stories about administrator-driven PD. Here are two examples offered by Renee. We invite you to share one of your own PD nightmares by clicking on "Comments" at the end of this blog entry!

Renee wrote:

For what it's worth, many teachers are in situations where they have been denied any real control over their own PD for so long, they have nothing but low expectations for it.

Case in point: The first school district in which I worked had it as a matter of policy that PD was to be handled at the central office level. Period. Our opening PD session one year consisted of an entire afternoon listening to a non-educator ("motivational speaker") tell us stories about his childhood and ended with having us all stand and sing all the verses to "You Picked A Fine Time to Leave Me Lucille" (the old Kenny Rogers song). For this, he got paid over $5,000.

My second school district attempted to put teachers more in control of our PD, but backed off when teachers wanted to do what district leaders considered unproductive and wasteful. Things such as: team meetings, get peer help in learning better ways to use new software programs with students, examining student work across subject areas, or [worst of all!] developing lesson materials.

To be sure there are also teachers who have the opportunity to obtain meaningful PD and choose not to do so. One teacher complained to me, "Why should I try to learn anything new to do in my classroom? They won't let me do it!" She was in one of our post NCLB test-prep obsessed (or possessed) schools. Cynicism and frustration have driven many teachers to either throw up their hands and retreat, or seek their own personal PD and leave their school/district offerings in the hands of others.

Do Administrators "Get" the PLC Concept?

Bill, a teacher leader in a school with a high-functioning professional learning community, posted this query in the TLN daily discussion group:

Recently I was asked to speak to a school about the implementation of professional learning communities. During the course of my day, I learned that the principal of the school had very little understanding of learning communities, had done very little reading on how PLCs develop or the core elements of successful schoolwide teacher collaboration. In fact, he had worked tirelessly to micromanage the process for his teams and teachers.

Each time I tried to open conversation with him about the weaknesses that I saw in this approach to team development, he gave excuses or changed the conversation. I got the very real feeling that he believed PLCs required change on the part of teachers but didn't recognize or accept responsibility for change in other parts of the organization of his school.

I've picked up on this same attitude time and again in conversations with administrators. Rather than working to restructure the entire school to function differently, principals ask teachers to work in new ways but make little change in "the way things are done around here" beyond the level of the classroom.

Does anyone else have similar experiences? Has anyone else seen PLC implementation go badly because administration had little understanding of the process of organizational change?

Do you think PLCs can be successfully implemented in the majority of schools without significant training and investment in the knowledge and skills that building level leaders bring to the school change process?

Marsha, a teacher in the Midwest who returned to classroom teaching after several years as a school-based and district-based staff developer, wrote in reply:

As teachers we are stretched for many reasons. We may not be philosophically ready to accept the challenges that come with new ideas and the behavioral changes that must accompany new ways of doing things. We may also be stretched because we are not equipped with enough tools and know-how to be effective members of school improvement teams.

Building administrators face these challenges along with us, and also suffer from the pressures from their bosses. I'd imagine that the building administrators feel like they're getting squeezed by unrelenting demands from both ends. District administrators (and this is a huge generality to which I am sure there are many exceptions) are most insulated from the realities of implementing a reform movement like PLCs. They don't suffer alongside the folks who are trying to make the changes, and they cannot have the most accurate picture of what it takes to change. The school board probably doesn't understand why the district level administrators can't make change happen faster. I'd imagine they cannot understand why it isn't a "done deal" so we can move onto the next thing. Isn't that the history of educational reform?

Oh, if I could just be the queen for one day a month. What would happen if the people who are so very removed from the situation actually had to slow down enough, make time in their busy, busy schedules and step away from the insanity of their jobs and come and be with us. Not some fancy training in a posh conference setting or with donuts and coffee. But right down here, with 31 kids every hour rolling in and rolling out!

What if the district level administrators had to come and sit with teachers as we tried to learn how to analyze data while we juggle the working lunch with playground and lunchroom supervision? What would happen if they were here with us once a month (without fail or excused absences for some "crisis" elsewhere). What would happen to the support we need and the changes that must accompany this revolution of philosophy? I think we'd see a lot more support.

Do administrators need more training? In most cases, I really don't think they do. I think they need a huge dose of reality. They need to be out here getting our ideas (and they are often great ideas) about the best ways to meet student needs, faculty needs and building needs. When they sit side-by-side with us, then they will come to understand what needs to happen to make high-performing schools a reality.

Until then, I think we have to be patient with them. Smile and re-explain. Advocate without being grinchy. They don't get it. They can't. They don't live it. I wish the research literature would publish more "messy" stories about when PLCs didn't work, so that the folks who get most of their information from reading will understand the consequences of decreeing change. System change isn't easy. It's messy, nonlinear and chaotic.

Do We Value the Teacher's Role in Social Education?

Standardized tests give us a limited amount of information about students' academic development but tell us little or nothing about their social development. As these high-stakes tests continue to reshape school curriculum, teachers often wonder whether the social education they impart to students is valued or important.

In our TLN daily discussion, one teacher asked: "If the kids remember me and something I did that helped them become 'socialized,' but don't remember all the content they're required to learn, have I come up short? Is society satisfied if all we do is move students forward academically?"

Another teacher responded:

"Well, keep in mind that one can move significantly forward in a life of crime, mental illness, abuse, etc. Is it 'significant learning' without worthwhile application? Is it progress if they can name the state capitals, but fail to grasp just how diverse the lifestyle is in those different states? No, it's not enough to just be memorable. But neither is it enough to simply transfer information without helping children develop the ability to apply what they learn and to consider the ethics of how they make those applications.

"For me, the real measure of student learning is not what can be recalled at the end of an academic year, but the mastery of knowledge, skills, and mindsets that serve a person for a lifetime. I can measure my success on transfer of information with formative and summative assessments during the year, and that will help me adjust instruction and address gaps in student knowledge and understanding. But meaningful learning may very well be more accurately measurable in ten or twenty years."

Teaching: Art or Science?

Teachers love to debate this one! During a lively conversation in the TLN daily discussion group, Mary T. offered her take:

When I did my practicum, I was a recent English major graduate with only one education class under my belt. Thinking about getting my license, I returned to undergraduate school and took Early Childhood Development (a textbook I found exceedingly useful as I raised my own children but in the classroom the usefulness of that course escaped me), a student-teaching practicum, another American History course and — ta da! — I was a teacher.

Though my adviser told me I was a "born teacher," I shudder to think what kind of teacher I was in 1979. But now, after having read endless professional development books and absorbing best practices from my colleagues, I think the artistry that comes from any "born teacher" genes I may have is able to show itself because I have stuffed hundreds of methods in my brain to apply at a moment's notice.

The art, I think, comes in knowing what's missing in a child's understanding and reaching into a mental bag of tricks to help them out. Took years to gain all of that. That's what worries me about high turnover in teaching. Even our born teachers need years of experience to be confident practitioners — and the desire to continue to learn themselves.