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March 07, 2008
King for a day
I don't talk much any more about my work. Some of my reticence stems from knowing that other teachers know about the blog, some comes from the lack of interaction with kids, as I now work primarily with teachers. My time= 50% office work, 30% teacher work, and 20% classroom work.
Today was classroom work at one of my favorite schools. It would be one of my top choices of schools to step back into the classroom. It has pretty serious gang problems, attendance problems, and the majority of the kids are from very low income families. They also have a dedicated, positive staff and a supportive administration.
By the way, this is where I love to be. There is no fun being in a school where all the kids are all working perfectly. There is no hope in a school where the administration is negative.
Today I got to work with a series of teachers with whom I have built a good relationship. They're willing to take chances, which is crucial. If a teacher is willing to take chances, they can usually get students to take a chance too. Today we turned the tables on a group of low-level students who were struggling through circle geometry, letting them be the teachers. They were in groups of four, and each student was given a geometric construction of circles, quadrilaterals, and triangles, somewhat like this:
They had to describe using only words their shape as the other three students had to draw it. They could measure it, use any examples or vocabulary they wanted, then the next student had to describe theirs, and so on. For a teacher accustomed to working only at the board, this is a powerful moment. When you have a rich task, kids cease to really have behavior issues, and your job as a teacher changes. Yes, the kids were talking, but they were talking about the math- laughing, comparing, clarifying, questioning. By the end, most of the kids were using correct vocabulary, as they realized that the more precise the language, the easier it was to do their work. The other great thing is that the teacher was really free to listen to the conversations, guide their questions, and really assess the students' knowledge more effectively than an exam.
This is how math should be learned. I'll be in the same school for a few days next week, again modeling lessons with other teachers, other classes. I am so excited to be doing this. I miss being a teacher. I miss working with the kids.
Every time I am back in the classroom, it is so tough to go back to the office. I'm good at the office stuff, and a lot of our good ideas are ones I think of, and I know that I'm helping other teachers. I have so many pushes from all directions to keep heading upwards, but the only way I could see that would be in an English model, where I still teach at least one class, or maybe a lab/fishbowl setting.
This is one of those weird education dilemmas.
Stay in a classroom, keep working on being the best teacher possible. Rewards: The situation that occurred last week, when one of my students from a few years ago spotted me on subway, came up, and thanked me for math, telling me that what I taught him he still used all the time. I get to personally involve myself in the lives of about 100-120 kids every year. Summers filled with sun and fun. Costs: Crappy income. Frustration about inability to change system. Grading homework. Stinky kids.
Move up. Train other teachers. Take my good ideas, spread them out. Become a policy maker. Rewards: Watch my ideas affect a small group of teachers, but thousands of students, but only in a diffuse manner. More money. Costs: Getting bogged down in management. No more class time. No connection to actual students. Wearing a suit. No summers.
In Education 1.0, this would have been different. I wouldn't have started teaching in my mid-30s. I would have entered teaching WAY back when I still had hair on the top of my head, and by 40-45, gone into an administrative position. In Education 2.0, a huge swath of experienced educators and administrators are retiring, and education recruits people like me in the middle of their lives. Of my 2001 Teaching Fellows Cohort of about 30 teachers, I know about half are already in some form of administration, not necessarily from desire, but because of need. We entered the world of education because we saw a dire need, and now that we are becoming decent teachers, we also see a dire need for more effective administrators.
Posted by G at March 7, 2008 04:18 PM
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Comments
Rock on!
Posted by: Kenny at March 8, 2008 07:37 PM
If only I had you as my calculus professor...
Posted by: Stash at March 10, 2008 01:06 PM
Wow, for a minute there? You made math class sound... fun! ;-)
Posted by: goblinbox at March 11, 2008 09:57 PM
I stared at your geometry picture for several minutes before I could remember the word "trapezoid" finally.
Posted by: Mike at March 12, 2008 12:16 AM
I have to say, it is a pity that we don't recognize the value of teachers. I understand a lot of talented young teachers wind up leaving the profession altogether because of the the bad pay and the lack of support from administrators.
If you are able to influence policy and help keep teachers in the system, then you are doing a really important job.
Also this job sounds a lot like being a grandparent. You get to have fun, get the kids worked up and then hand them back.
Posted by: Tony at March 13, 2008 02:23 PM