Week 7: The Year the College Professor Returns to School... The Week After

Calls to Return & Literacy

On what was my final week of work, I received a call asking me to consider a position at a nearby high school.  I responded that I would reply by Friday.  Needless to say, I did not accept the offer. First, I thought it would send the wrong message to the wonderful group of eleven and twelve year olds I had the privilege to teach since August. I did not want them to believe that they did something wrong; that I was jumping ship for 'better' kids elsewhere. Second, this group of eleven and twelve-year-olds number 19. Even with a brief exchange of classes, I taught only 31 students. It would be difficult to exchange 31 for 100+.  Third, and most importantly, I was troubled by my teacher-senses.  I have been the new teacher in enough settings - middle school, high school, and college/university -  to know that if there is something worth having, it is quickly snatched.  The outgoing teacher's desk is bigger, newer and better? Then, it's mine. She had newer, cleaner versions of the class textbooks? Switched. Likewise, she had a better schedule, or a class someone desired, swapped.  So I had to wonder what was it about these set of classes that other teachers did not want.

Teachers learn early not to go jousting about asking questions. You trust your teacher-senses. Mine were banging, clanging, and ringing.  My senses were triggered yet again when someone suggested a position at another high school.  But an interesting thing happened since I have been home - I have not been home.  I have been busier now than when I worked for pay.  There seems too much to do.  As a board member of the area Literacy Volunteers of America, I have grown intrigued by current literacy rates and trends, and have begun working on various projects and grants.  This work takes me back to a graduate Problems & Trends course I taught at an area university. Our topic? Literacy. That was several years ago.

Literacy entails much more than simply knowing how to read and write.  Literacy invades all aspects of our lives.  It accompanies the various printed and written material that we interface daily.  There's computer literacy, visual literacy, functional literacy, media literacy, digital literacy, information literacy, and technology literacy.  There is cultural literacy, financial literacy, environmental literacy, historical literacy, geographic literacy, legal literacy, numeracy literacy, musical literacy, scientific literacy, global literacy, multicultural literacy, and it could be argued Facebook literacy, among several dozen more. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy measures functional English literacy using three types of literacy—prose, document, and quantitative—since it believes that "adults use different kinds of printed and written materials in their daily lives" (http://nces.ed.gov/naal/literacytypes.asp).  ETS (Educational Testing Service) utilizes the three types of literacies above with the addition of health literacy, which measures how well you can understand and use health-related information. ETS describes "literacy as a set of practical tools to facilitate work on the job, at home, and around the community and that use real-world literacy tasks" (http://www.ets.org/literacy/research/literacy_types/).

Each literacy council, adult learning center, English to speakers of other languages program, and community organization choose which literacies to focus.  The majority focus on the following big three:

• Prose literacy – the ability to understand and use information found in newspapers, magazines, novels, brochures, manuals or flyers.

• Document literacy - the ability to find and use information in forms, schedules, charts, graphs and other tables of information.

• Quantitative literacy - the ability to use numbers found in ads, forms, flyers, articles or other printed materials to get the information you need. 

They then select one or more that fit with their mission or purpose. Thus, for example, the organization I work with secured a grant to focus on health literacy and it has been an eye-opening experience.  There are so many things that people who are well versed in health literacy take for granted. For example, reading and understanding the labels on food.  You must know percentages and be able to interpret them appropriately and then use that information to make wise decisions about whether or not to eat the item.  If you suffer from hypertension (even using proper medical terms for ailments fall under this literacy - we all know people who use 'sugar' to refer to having diabetes. But do you have sugar 1 or sugar 2?) and the item you are considering eating indicates that its sodium intake is 75%, do you purchase it? Do you eat it? Since 75% means that this food item contains 75% of your daily recommended intake of sodium, you may want to steer clear of that item.  If you are on a 1500-calorie diet to maintain your hypertension, how do you determine what a 350-calorie candy bar will do your eating plan? Math.

Can you read the following and properly explain the implications of eating the following? This is one aspect of health literacy. Fun stuff!

Though a brief foray into literacy, I hope I have piqued your curiosity and invite you to explore others. The  problems we face as a nation within the educational arena are numerous and mounting, and literacy plays a major role.  According to the August 13, 2012, post on PBS.org's The Rundown: A Blog of News and Insight (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/08/education-olympics-how-does-the-us-rank-1.html) the United States ranks 7th in high school graduation (see The Education Olympics graphic to the right courtesy of Certification Map) even though we once ranked first.

Literacy rankings are harder to pinpoint. One report said the US ranked 7th when compared to world countries, others said 15th, 17th, 21st and 27th. However, there appears general consensus that the literacy rate within America is 99%, or not. "Rates of literacy in the United States depend on which of the various definitions of literacy is used. Governments may label individuals who can read a couple of thousand simple words they learned by sight in the first four grades in school as literate. Other sources may term such individuals functionally illiterate if they are unable to use basic sources of written information like warning labels and driving directions. The World Factbook prepared by the CIA defines literacy in the United States as "age 15 and over can read and write."(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_the_United_States)

According to a presentation given in DC on December 7, 2010, Secretary General Angel Gurria of OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)  stated that "[o]verall, the U.S. comes out as an average performer in reading (rank 14 in OECD) and science (rank 17) but the U.S. drops below the OECD average in mathematics (rank 25). Also, there is a very wide gap between the top 10% and the bottom 10% of 15-year olds in the U.S, similar to that observed between top and bottom performing PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) countries. Unlike most other federal nations, the U.S. does not yet (emphasis is mine) collect PISA data for individual States, but we understand that there are important regional differences in performance." (http://www.oecd.org/unitedstates/presentationofthepisa2010results.htm)

This brings us back to the Common Core and how its use will or may eventually lead to the US collecting PISA data for individual states but it is late and I have to go... 

TTYL (Yes, this is a type of literacy as well!) LOL!

The Year: The College Professor Returns to School, Week 6

It Feels Good to Be Wanted and What Irks Me

Calling all bets! Calling all bets to a close!

Those who say they know me best would have made a mint if betting on how long my most recent foray into the classroom would last.  I was certain I would be there through the academic year, then Christmas, then the end of the first nine weeks.  There were some things that I had forgotten, least of all being that I am not a morning person, and then there were other things that I had never experienced, remaining with the same set of students for the majority of the day.  The first time I taught middle school I was a recent graduate-school graduate and single.  I had the time, energy, and inclination to remain at school until after 6 PM even though the school day ended at 2:45. I had the gumption to plan the high school pageant and Student Government Association elections while continuing to tweak my year-long lesson plans.  I was heavily involved in some of my students' lives.  Even though I married the following year, things remained the same since my spouse was completing his college education.  Fast forward to teaching 10th grade in Miami-Dade and except for the drive to work from Pembroke Pines to Kendall (I know) and the newly earned PhD, I still could spend hours each day planning, grading, and becoming acquainted with students.  What was missing then that made my recent return to the classroom so brief? Kids. My own. 

We, my husband and I, soon realized that we had grown very accustomed to the professor way of life.  He taught on Mondays and Wednesdays, I on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We could still attend plays and meet with the teacher each day as we dropped our eldest off to school and picked him up. One of us could chauffeur him to acting, gymnastics, Spanish, and soccer. We saved a small fortune since we did not need daycare providers.  My mother could step-in in a pinch.  We had so much time because even after an exhausting day with our son, we could work while he slept.  It also helped that I planned and created each syllabus the semester before and unless something catastrophic occurs, the syllabus remains the same from August to December, from January to April. Assignments and assessments varied in length and purpose, and I had summers and national conferences to re-energize and update each syllabus with the latest assignments, technology, theories, etc.  I could sponsor clubs, but leave the day-to-day operations (posting minutes, calling meetings, scheduling events and fundraisers) to adult students.  Our family even benefited from conference presentations.  We could easily turn these business events into mini family vacations.  Our eldest was able to visit and tour New York City and Philadelphia for example while I presented and or kept my duties as an elected representative.  Some fellow colleagues and their families would remain in a conference city post-conference for several days to sight see and enjoy the holidays (the National Council of Teachers of English convention backs up to Thanksgiving) before returning to work often for finals week. But this was not my schedule as a classroom teacher; how could I have forgotten?

After only five weeks, our house looked a mess.  Being a neat freak - a place for everything and everything in its place - I found it difficult to straighten as desired before heading to bed.  Bedtime came later and later, but time to awake did not. The alarm was set at 6AM. I felt guilty the first time our son reported his spelling test grade and we had no clue one was scheduled.  We felt as if we were missing chunks of his day.  I am the homework supervisor, backpack organizer, and fact checker, and I love my role.  Until now, I was able to do that, organize the furniture, clutter, mail, calendar, etc. with ease.  Once I returned to the classroom, all that changed.  Our son earned a C on a reading assignment, not because he did not know the material but because I had not had time to review his homework close enough to see that he misread the instructions. I had become what I feared, a parent who spent more time working at home than working at work. There is a difference. Although I was teaching at the school where he attended, I was so consumed with planning (I did not begin the week of pre-planning) and getting to know students and new material that I was not going to bed until the wee hours of the morning.  I don't like loose ends. 

I also realized that I was not only neglecting my 6-year-old, but my 70-something mother, husband of 16 years, and five-month-old baby boy.  The later was the hardest to reconcile.  I had taken my breastfeeding role seriously.  I had frozen  many bottles, but they were soon depleted since I was not home to feed him. I could not pump at work because there was no time to do so. I had morning planning and since I would have just pumped before leaving home, I needed to have an opportunity to do so later.  I am sure had I asked, something could have been worked out, but I also hate to impose or appear as if I am receiving accommodations that others are not. My mother's medical complaints grew.  She kept the baby on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but remarked that she felt dizzy.  She had to have a cardiac catheterization performed.  As an only child, I must assist her in tending to her medical decisions and finances.  There was mild blockage and her doctors decided it best to treat with medicine.  More medicine.  Her dizziness, it is now believed, was due in part to the blockage.  Prayerfully, the medicine and a quick visit to an inner ear specialist will alleviate her immediate issues.  Hats off to those who can do all of this, tend to all these people and things, not because they are "on top of things" but because they can ill afford not to.  Thank Heavens that my life has been ordered so that I have the choice and chance.

Thus, my decision to leave was personal and selfish. I thought it interesting how quickly our lives flattened, straightened. For now, I am able to spend Wednesdays with my son at his school.  I am able to assist him with his homework. I am able to read with him and play games.  I still take him to his extracurricular activities which made Thursdays (acting) and Fridays (Spanish and soccer practice) and Saturdays (soccer games) so hectic. So much so that I was left with only Sunday afternoon to plan, review, assess, align, and prepare for the week. Once I tenured my resignation, my discoid lupus agitation and a persistent cough that developed began to subside. But then questions began, but not from the principal. She understood totally. Unfortunately or fortunately, those with questions have never had me as a college instructor.  I make it a habit to practice what I preach, or at least attempt to do so with all my might.  I have always told prospective teachers that if their heart is not in what they are doing, if their passion drops, if they would rather be elsewhere, fishing, diving, driving, writing, whatever, go to it. Do it. Teaching is too important a task for the halfhearted.  The educational attainment that students seek is too valuable to leave in the hands of someone who, for all intent and purpose, is mentally absent. For me, it was an easy decision....

Do you know what's wrong with education? 

No, but I bet you don't either.

I do not fault people for expressing their opinions about how best to "fix" education; it is a free country and the first amendment grants them the right. However, I do fault educators for listening.   I do not think that the American Dental Association would grant me membership or listen to me pontificate about my views on dentistry once they determined that I was not a dentist; whatever views I had would be discredited and disavowed.  I would be verbally assailed.  Why? I have been to a dentist twice a year for most of life.  I have been poked and prodded and hurt. I know what they do and how they do it. Still not enough? Then why, pray tell, for all that is righteous and holy, do we, teachers, practitioners, researchers, instructors, professors, administrators, etc., allow those who could not teach or chose not to do so dictate policy, laws, and procedures? Their only means of entrance is that they were once students. I know the argument could be made that going to the dentist is not compulsory; there is no law that says you must go and that you must go until you are 16 or 18. However, those with good oral hygiene and access to healthcare are more apt to receive early screening and preventative care, whether they are high school graduates or drop outs.  Longevity does not equate to educational attainment any more than home ownership and healthcare and prosperity, but once your health fades, it fades forever. So again, why do we listen to those who offer no facts, data, or proof? Would you allow me to perform your root canal because I had one several years ago?

I am not saying that stakeholders should have their voices heard or be invited to the table to discuss the state of education. Please, come, share. However, there must be a line drawn when it comes to instituting policies that address only teachers.  You have to tread carefully when you hear people spout of returning to the days of yesterday. As a person of color, any 'day' prior to the 1970s, and even then is suspect, and you can return alone. I have heard teachers say that education was better when they could beat, excuse me... spank; when students were segregated; when teachers were segregated; when prayer was in schools; when students did not have so much technology; when students had something to overcome (racial segregation, inequalities, housing discrimination, job discrimination, etc.); when students did not have it so easy; when teachers had all the rights... Clearly, I could continue to infinitude.  Perspective is powerful.  Again, I am not suggesting that parents and stakeholders should not be afforded a spot at the table, but they should not be the keynote speakers while teachers are not invited to the table and the meeting is held when they are teaching and no one thought it pertinent that they be in attendance. 

It maddens me that so much is done to teachers by those who purport to know best.  Add one more assessment, teachers can handle it.  Slowly increase class sizes, teachers can handle it.  Fail to provide a cost of living increase, teachers can handle it. Require more documentation and paperwork, teachers can handle.  Yes, they can, but the question is should they?  I am sure if you look across the various school districts around the state and country, you will find that there are still teaching positions to be filled.  I think this trend will increase and unfortunately hit troubled districts the hardest.  People fail to remember that in the end, when your child has a permanent substitute for the year, he or she is still required to complete and pass all benchmarks, objectives, and assessments to go to the next grade or graduate and be deemed college ready.  These same people fail to realize that teachers have at least one degree, many have multiple degrees, talents, and skills and can find employment elsewhere, if willing perhaps to relocate.  I do not think that it is any coincidence that English and English education majors heavily populate the business sector.  Their skills are honored, coveted, and respected.

So imagine my surprise when the business model that many states now propose are treating teachers like their previous counterparts.  The same people they coaxed to come over to their side, they now lump together and see nothing but bottom lines, numbers, and profits. What of paying those who increase student outcomes more? Did you ever establish an equitable and just formula? Did teachers who demonstrated consistent year-to-year success make a mad dash to those lower performing, troubled schools to increase their salaries? Of course not.  Chicago's public schools has a CEO, not a superintendent.  Was not the business model suppose to cure all ills within education? Remember, it was those educated, tree hugging, environmentally conscientious, multiculturalism supporting education majors who ran the previous system amuck, right?

Still to come, weeks 7 & 8... From school to life.