G-Town Talks

This past Friday, our Thoughtful Classroom group at GCS met with teachers from three other school districts in our HS Library. They came to our district to carry on with our learning about Thoughtful Classroom strategies. I’ve written previously about Thoughtful Classroom, Harvey Silver and Susan Morris.

I join three high school teachers, a middle school teacher, and our middle school principal on this team. We started learning together last summer and the training, centered primarily on learning styles pedagogy, has been worthwhile and sustained.

Unlike some staff development, this is an ongoing, three year commitment to learning. It means we continue to be accountable for the content and for our own learning. We’re in year one and I’m really looking forward to year two, when we expand our current learning club of six by doubling our number.

Already you can imagine that this is a bit different than the one shot staff development so often offered. The amazing difference continues when you realize that two of our teachers, Ms. Geist and Mr. Ruzycki, put themselves out there in a way seldom of us ever do. They team taught a lesson to an English 9 class in front of about 18 educators and Dan Moirao, the expert who joined us from Thoughtful Classroom.

Andrea and Kris taught using a strategy from our training, a carousel. Afterwards, they sat quietly and listened as we offered our thoughts on the lesson. They then had the opportunity to reflect and a wonderful discussion about learning strategies ensued.

My hat is off to both teachers for having the courage to try the lesson and then listen intently for feedback. They model good teaching through their openness to learn and to improve.

It was a terrific lesson, granted, so 99% of what they heard from us was positive. But we could also reflect on how we’ve used the strategy and then ask questions and share with one another.

I wish I could go back and teach the students I had for ten years at Pine Valley all over again. I’ve learned so much by observing wonderful teachers that I know I would do a much better job now. Had I been a member of a learning club, I could have learned from my colleagues and applied the knowledge then, when my students would have directly benefited.

Administrators get to see the best of the best through evaluative visits and casual observations. We need to do more to encourage teachers to learn from one another. I’m excited about our learning club and how this change to our culture of learning as educators will improve GCS for our students.

In a comment to my last blog post Nancy writes,

Nancy Says:
February 6th, 2008 at 7:38 pm

So let me get this straight. You will finally have a comprehensive reading program in grades K-6 AND this week a decision was made to discontinue the mandatory summer reading program - making it optional for students. They won’t be assessed or held accountable. I was told the decision was made because students were failing the first quarter, they refused to do the assignment attached to the reading. You might be helping the smallest of our community but you’re giving up on the older students. Maybe your pose of administrators should ensure that EVERYONE is cared about, in the correct way.

This is an interesting comment. I was part of a brief conversation just this morning (maybe five minutes, if that) in which our ELA department chairperson was looking for a decision on summer reading. I specifically heard our building principal state that there wasn’t a need to make a decision now, but that he did believe the summer reading assignment should have a “neutral or positive effect” on student grades. I would hope that our encouragement of summer reading could have a positive effect on our students. The last thing I would want is for our students to associate reading with something negative or punitive.

The New York Statewide Summer Reading Program  is a wonderful program that supports the importance and academic gains for students who read over the summer. This is an incredible partnership with local libraries to encourage all children to read. Recently, I met with representatives of both of our local libraries as we are very interested in working together to benefit all children. This is a terrific start.

In addition, NYSED posted guidance on locally required summer reading assignments in April, 2006. Some of their suggestions include,

The State Education Department also suggests that:

• Any locally required summer reading assignments should be integral to the school district’s existing curriculum.
• Parents(s)/guardians should be encouraged to review the reading list to be aware of the titles and authors and to encourage and help guide their children’s reading.
• Students should have a choice among one or more required readings.
• Options should be provided to students for demonstrating completion of the assignment (e.g., a book report, an oral presentation, or a media or electronic presentation).
• For students who will be away on vacation, all the necessary materials for their summer reading assignment should be provided to them before school ends in June.
• If assignments are given to determine placement in Advanced Placement (AP) courses or as part of the body of work required for the AP course, the district/school should have appropriately trained teachers available to the students for guidance and assistance over the summer, in addition to making all necessary materials available.

Any efforts made by our administrative team, in conjunction with our teachers and teacher leaders, will be with the above guidelines in mind. There certainly was no district decision to discontinue the summer reading program.   If at any time Nancy, or any other member of our school community for that matter, would like to meet in person to more fully discuss the summer reading program or my involvement with our older students, I would be most happy to do so.

I don’t know how anyone reads the fine print on a pill bottle or a CD insert or our budget sheets. I know how I read them a year ago, but they are suddenly making the print much smaller. I finally broke down and purchased a $17.99 pair of reading glasses at Rite Aid. Actually, they were 50% off and I bought +1.25 because the +1.00 glasses that I probably should have started with were ugly. So now I feel like I have vertigo whenever I’m reading something at my desk and I look up to see someone who walks into the office. Is this just the beginning? Honestly.

I mention all this because I find myself in a curious position. As an administrator, I was often one of the youngest people in the room (other than our middle school principal, but he started at a freakishly young age). Now I’m older than the middle school and high school principals and a large portion of our staff. And I like it. There’s a certain amount of credibility that comes with being older.

An article in the February, 2008 issue of District Administration, State of the Superintendency, “examines the stress and satisfaction in a changing profession”. The author, Angela Pascopella, states:

A big surprise for some district leaders is that today’s superintendents are older. The mean age is the highest in history, at nearly 55 years. In years past, superintendents started their positions at around age 40, after about five years as a classroom teacher, another five to seven years as a building-level administrator, and another five years in district administration.

Pascopella goes on to reason that,

One reason for the increase in age among superintendents might be the reluctance of central office administrators to move from a “safe” position to one that may require a move to another district or state. . . . Some good news is that nearly 22 percent of superintendents are female, a better representation considering the majority of females in teaching and other positions.

What does this mean for me, a female central office administrator?  I’m not sure this position feels any “safer” than a superintendency would feel. The position of school administrator requires a variety of skills and abilities AND there is also an enormous amount of content to the job. Every administrator with whom I’ve ever worked is expert on part of that content and strong on other parts, but none has ever been expert in every area. The longer I stay in this position, the more opportunity I have to learn the content of the superintendency, a very complicated role. That doesn’t sound like playing it safe, it sounds like playing it smart.

And as far as being female goes, I’m pleased to see that 22% of superintendents are female, but I’ve always believed that I would be hired on the merit of my work and ideas, gender being irrelevant. That’s been my belief since entering the work force at 15 and it’s proven true throughout my career path. My female colleagues, who are well qualified for the administrative track but unwilling, often choose to remain in the classroom due to a lack of time and energy because of conflicting family demands, not due to a lack of confidence or ambition for the position.