School Nurse: Safety At Risk

Here’s what the SB 5 proponents want the people to ignore. Public workers make a fair wages and have decent benefits because we bargain for them. Too many private workers don’t have the opportunity to bargain. Collective bargaining in the private sector is at historic lows, far lower than other developed countries. As these rights have slipped away, American workers’ wages have stagnated. When they talk about the economy, they don’t want people to understand that without rising purchasing power for American workers, our economy stagnates and that’s why we are where we are. But no, they’d rather blame the middle class for the mess caused by Wall Street and their big corporate donors.

Make politicians start serving We the People and stop blaming them.

One of the things I will miss most about the summer is the time I have to simply sit and read a good book. When I have to prioritize how to spend my free time, (or what little I have during the school year) reading will likely take a back burner.

Sadly, reading for pleasure is just not what it used to be. In today’s faced-paced world of continual social interaction, reading can’t compete. Reading is a quiet hobby one must do alone. It is probably safe to say that the majority of students would rather be using technology or hanging out with friends than sitting down with a good book.

Last year, as part of our professional development, the Language Arts Department at my middle school decided to explore new ways to promote and encourage reading for fun. We began this project in September and spent seven months trying to make reading “cool” in our school. We conducted a 30 question anonymous survey (which students took using a Senteo Response System) about reading. We asked questions about different types of genres, attitudes towards reading, and the amount of time students spent reading. After analyzing the results and researching some ideas, we chose and implemented our strategies. Here is what we found:

Sometimes it is all about finding the right book.

Many students struggle with reading and are, therefore, hesitant to pick up a book. For some students, it can be intimidating and sometimes embarrassing to pick a book that is easy enough to read, but cool enough for others to see them reading. Many times I have heard a student standing in the middle of a sea of books in the library and say, “But I can’t find a book!” For some students, they have not spent enough time looking at books and exploring books to know what they enjoy.

• “Browse and Pass” – The teacher checks out enough books for the entire class. This should be a variety of books of all genres and levels. Explain what it means to browse through a book: reading the front and back cover and inside flaps, looking at pictures, and skimming a few paragraphs. At this point, the books will be rotated around the room every two minutes. Before students pass their books, they should write the title on an index card if it is a book they are interested in. By the end of the session, students should have 2-3 books (or more) that they can check out at the library. This activity exposes students to new books and teaches skimming and scanning skills, as well as how to evaluate and choose a book.
• Provide suggestions! Public libraries and bookstore websites have countless lists of the top books. Print these lists, create a bulletin board, or better yet, highlight books on the morning announcements, or provide a link on the school website so students (and parents) can browse. Isn’t it our job to point students in the right direction?

Sometimes it is more about finding the time.

After homework, sports, band, church, Facebook, and sleeping, who has time to read? Not too many teenagers! As teachers, we feel the same way. Sometimes we even feel guilty for sitting down with a book when so many other things need to be done.

• D.E.A.R. Day – Once a month we decided to “Drop Everything and Read” for one 50-minute class period. We rotated the schedule so as not to interrupt the same academic class and the entire school simply read for pleasure. Some months the PTG provided small snacks and we also held a Pajama Day during one of the winter months, just to make it more fun. In our end of the year survey, we had the typical complaints about “being forced to read” but most students appreciated, enjoyed, and looked forward to reading without any further assignment or requirements. It goes without saying, that most teachers enjoyed the uninterrupted reading time too!

Sometimes it is important to make reading a group activity.

Students thrive on interaction, so find ways to encourage lively discussions about the books they are reading.

• Opposing teams competed and completed reading calendars to log their time reading each month. Much like the reading programs used in the elementary schools, students were rewarded with pizza coupons, snacks, or homework passes. Sometime friendly competition is actually all you need to get students to do what you want! In this case, READ!

• As I already mentioned, reading is a solo task. But sharing a good book with friends is part of the fun! As teachers, we pass books around and we talk about the latest best sellers. To promote sharing among students, we created a discussion board and “Middle School Book Chat” on our district website. Students could share what they were reading, answer survey questions posted by the teachers who moderated the site, and were asked to respond to discussion questions about novels we were reading in class. By connecting a favorite pastime (social networking) to reading, students and teachers started having engaging conversations about books!

In the coming school year, we hope to continue many of these strategies and add new ideas, as well. More video announcements and book commercials, more dress-up days, more activity on the discussion board, and of course . . . more reading!!

By Melanie Krause, Dover Education Association

Like it or not, school starts in just a few weeks. Turning the calendar over to August sends a mixed wave of emotions through most teachers.

Disbelief: How can summer be over already?!

Relief: I can’t wait to get back to a normal routine!

Guilt: I wish I had worked on my curriculum like I said I would last May.

Excitement: I can’t wait to meet my new students!

Apprehension: I hope this class isn’t as bad as I heard from last year’s teachers.

Motivation: What can I do differently so this is my best year ever?

Prepare Yourself

Don’t beat yourself up for not opening that book bag all summer. If you are like me, you need the first two months of summer to relax and you deserve it! Besides, teachers work best under pressure!

If you got in the habit of sleeping in, set your alarm one hour earlier each week until the big day.  Use that time to go through your book bag and tweak that curriculum.  You actually won’t lose any of your precious time since you are waking earlier.

I attended a New Teacher Academy as a mentor teacher this week and was inspired by some of the ideas I had forgotten over the past 16 years. Sometimes as veteran teachers, we get stuck in a rut, sticking with the things we have always done.   If you are in need of new ideas, helpful resources, fresh perspective, or just want a little motivation, check out Back to School Resources for Teachers. In addition to templates, forms, and articles, there are many tutorials for Windows, Mac, SMARTBoards, and Web 2.0.  The list of FREE educational apps for the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad is definitely worth checking out.

Prepare Your Students

Introduce yourself to students before school even starts. Consider sending a customized postcard with a picture of your classroom and a “See You Soon!” or  “Wish You Were Here” message. Depending on your district’s policy and school website, provide a link to a class webpage so they can get a sneak peek before the first day.

Prepare the Parents

Remember that postcard I mentioned? You could include a few appropriate links from Back to School Resources for Parents, which provides links to articles for each milestone (entering kindergarten, elementary, middle school, high school, and even dealing with a being a new student in a new district).

Prepare for the First Day

Keep in mind that your students have spent the entire summer staying up late, sleeping in, moving at their own pace, and probably spending a good deal of time with technology. For many, coming back to school means “listening up” and “powering down.” Sometimes the first day of school is nothing more than checking names, assigning lockers, passing out books, and spouting off rules and expectations.  If you ask your students, I bet many will say the first day of school is boring!

Instead of the traditional standing-at-the-front-of-the-room first day speech, use your SMARTBoard to create an interactive seating chart or a game to reveal information about yourself and your classroom. Try to integrate a current pop song from your iPod or include a YouTube video as part of your welcome back activities. Make it your goal to catch your students’ attention and establish a connection that will carry you through the rest of the year. Be the one class day that sticks in their mind when they get home that night. Be the one class they can’t wait to come back to tomorrow.

By Melanie Krause, Dover Education Association

I have been a teacher long enough to remember the start of the current education reform movement. When Reagan’s National Commission on Excellence in Education issued 1983’s “A Nation at Risk” report, teachers were informed they were failing their students and our schools were failing their country, perpetuating a “tide of mediocrity” that could threaten America’s very existence. The bullseye was placed squarely on the back of the country’s education system, and over subsequent decades a steady barrage of slings and arrows in the guise of “accountability measures” came from politicians and policy makers. PPO’s, standards and testing became the norm. We prepped and proctored, and when we eventually had test results, we found out what we already knew. Our test scores were closely correlated with income levels, and reflected not the failure of our schools, but the status of our society.

When No Child Left Behind imposed even more accountability measures and sanctions for not meeting adequate yearly progress, we all knew that the 2014 deadline for 100% proficiency would never be a reality. It’s pretty tough to meet adequate yearly progress when there are more pressing concerns such as adequate weekly attendance and adequate daily nutrition standing in the way. Yet, for the better part of thirty years, teachers have been prevailed upon to work harder, to get better test results from their students and to restore our country’s health and status by producing shiny widget-like Lake Wobegon students, all college- and career-ready, regardless of the influence of anything outside of our classrooms.

Fast-forward to January 2011 when the most vicious attacks on teachers began in earnest in Ohio and in many other states throughout the country. The Norman Rockwell schoolmarm, high-collared and prim, was re-captioned as a union thug. Political rhetoric about minimal workdays, summers and holidays off and extravagant benefits and retirement plans flooded the media and cyberspace. The new policy battle cry became, “Fire the bad teachers and bring in the new, energetic corps in their white hats on their white horses to save our students.” And to that end, we are going to evaluate teachers more, pay them based on “merit” and silence their voices in determining teaching and learning conditions, all while cutting state education funding — forcing massive layoffs and the elimination of many important educational options. So, why teach?

I have the privilege in my current position to work with amazing teachers from across the state of Ohio, and I have spent the past several months standing shoulder to shoulder with them at the Statehouse regional rallies and in delivering 1,298,301 signatures to the Secretary of State. I am proud of my profession, proud of my fellow educators, and I believe I speak for them when I answer the question this way:

We teach because we make a difference. As the nation’s space shuttle program winds down, first teacher in space Christa McAuliffe’s words still live on…”I touch the future. I teach.” We know that our students are more than test scores and so are teachers. We know that teachers are not motivated by “performance pay” or bonuses, but by seeing the wave of understanding wash over a student’s face or by doling out a much-needed hug. Daily, teachers see progress that will never register on a standardized test — the student who finally comes to school more than once a week, the freshman who moves from a fourth grade to a fifth grade reading level, the special needs student who stops crying out of frustration and develops a sense of self-confidence. And as teachers, we know that these things are just as important, and maybe more so, than academic achievement measured by standardized tests. But we also know that these events are difficult to quantify, measure and evaluate.

We teach because we have a passion for what we do and the students we serve. Many of us choose the most difficult schools, the most challenging student populations because our passion is closely linked to social justice. We are compelled to use our knowledge and skills where they are most needed, even if our “results” may never really count to policy makers.

But mostly, we teach because we care. We didn’t enter this profession to become rich. And our rewards are largely intrinsic and oftentimes don’t come until long after the fact when we run into a former student who thanks us for something we never even knew we did — because what we did was care. Many of us became teachers because we once had a teacher who cared. Mrs. Glikes taught me to love grammar and took me in as a runaway, and Mr. Krulcik taught me about the legislative process and how to drive a stick shift. Both of them cared about me in a way that went above and beyond my homework and test scores, and that’s what I remember long after I diagrammed my last sentence and moved on from student government. Both of them showed me that I was important as a person, and both of them inspired me to pay it forward and become a teacher.

Now more than ever, we teachers need to acknowledge our importance in the lives of the young people we teach. We need to be sure that everyone around us — family, friends, community members —recognizes and appreciates the contributions we make to our society and to their future. We need to keep our voices strong above our critics and not allow ourselves to be silenced by politics and policy because we are the experts who know what’s best for our students and our schools. There is no doubt we are in the most challenging time of our profession, and many of us feel beaten down and demoralized by attacks and propaganda. But we are the only ones who can stand tall for our profession and carry the message to the public and all future teachers: we teach because we care, and we DO make a difference.

By Dr. Michele Winship, Education Reform Consultant, Ohio Education Association

August 8^th was my first day back to work. The night before, unable to sleep, I started thinking about all of the things I want to accomplish this year at Wooster City Schools. I have eight libraries that need attention and updating. I have books to read, book talks to prepare, supplies and new books to order, pathfinders to write, processing and cataloging to complete, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. I also have staff to train, and conferences to attend. In addition, I will be serving on boards in professional organizations and hope to serve my first year as a union representative. Not many people know all that I contribute or how much I am responsible for, but obviously it is far more than just checking books in or out.

Just like so many other support staff in the field of teaching, librarians are seen as the fringe elements of the profession, not as important as core instructors, and, in most districts, the first to go when funds get tight.  Unless we toot our own horns, we go unnoticed, and many in the community forget that a well-rounded education needs support staff with a variety of teaching skills to enhance students’ school experience.

Although I earned a specialization in ESL during my training as a student teacher at the University of California at Irvine and I was given a variety of  students who spoke other languages during my California career, no one knew how many small groups I had to work with in my class or how many lesson plans I had to prepare in a week to address everyone’s needs. I was a teacher, but not a “normal” classroom teacher by any means.

In 2000, when I moved back to Ohio, I was employed three years as a special education resource teacher. I also completed my MLIS from Kent State during that time. Both professions support core teachers and in both jobs I have felt isolated at times and missed the collegiality of belonging to a “team.” The support staff doesn’t have much time to socialize or collaborate.

But I always love it when another colleague or an administrator reaches out to ask for an idea. At Wooster my superintendent, principals and other staff members often stop by to see what’s new. They often show me new technologies when they find them or ask me to create lesson plans just so their students can see something different from an information specialist. No two days are ever alike and I guess that’s why I love my job.  I’m not invited to department meetings, but whenever someone stops by the library workroom to chat, I feel like I am needed and appreciated for what I do.

Each day as I prepare for my forty-five minute drive to Wooster, I am eager to get started in the library. This fall I know many of my colleagues have been laid off or moved back into a classroom, so I feel fortunate that my position has not been eliminated. When the new school year starts, please take a moment to talk to a support staff member and make them feel like they are a part of the team. Invite them a to a department meeting, collaborate with them in an activity, or just ask them about their job and what they do. Small gestures can mean so much, especially at a time when all public school employees seem so unappreciated.

By Susan Ridgeway, Wooster Education Association

Educators Voice Concern for Their Students

In September of 2010, Ohio’s GOP gubernatorial candidate said that if he was elected, the evidence-based model of school funding would be “gone.” Consequently, in June the state legislature passed a two-year budget that dismantled former Governor Strickland’s evidence-based school funding model.

In furtherance of that agenda, Barbara Mattei-Smith, Assistant Policy Director for Education, announced that a series of meetings would be held in July to discuss a new school funding formula for Ohio.

I was able to attend the final meeting (rescheduled after a prior “scheduling snafu”), held in the large room at the State Library of Ohio. The meeting was standing room only as education professionals from rural, urban and suburban Ohio school districts packed the room. Those who didn’t get there early enough to get a chair stood or sat on the floor for the entirety of the 90 minute discussion, which began promptly at 9:30 a.m.

Mattei-Smith began by explaining the new funding formula’s four principles. After finishing her explanation of the new funding model’s principles, she asked participants to voice their concerns.

The gathered education professionals spoke on behalf of their students.

“The problem with the funding system that we need to tackle,” said a rural teacher in reference to the current school levy system, “is ‘will I be able to take care of kids’ needs based on the outcome of a vote?’”

Mattei-Smith asked participants about the role of local levies in Ohio’s education funding system.

“Ohio’s Constitution says it’s the state’s responsibility to fund education,” responded a suburban teacher. “First and foremost, we need to look at whether the state is providing a thorough education for all students regardless of a community’s property value.”

After more discussion regarding the need to reduce the state’s over-reliance on local property tax revenue to fund education,

Mattei-Smith asked attendees what they needed in their classroom to be an effective teacher.

Some brought up the need for Pre-K education funding. Mattei-Smith said that “we may not resolve it in this K-12 funding system, [but Pre-K funding] is on our radar system.”

Participants shared their stories of doing more with less as a result of recent budget cuts in their respective districts. Some spoke of students who couldn’t focus on learning because they were worried about whether they would still have extracurricular activities. Others mentioned specific items they needed in their classroom, like tissues, notebooks and other basic school supplies that their students’ families couldn’t afford. And some looked outside of their classroom.

Said one special-needs teacher. “[My students] need a school nurse — they have very specific health needs. They need a school counselor. They need mental health services. Some days I think I should give them a medal for coming through the door. It’s not just what you need in the classroom.”

Many who spoke agreed on the need for support from the government, both financially and in general, to invest in our students.

“Everyone is here because they believe in an education for our children,” said one urban teacher. “We take money out of our own pocket to provide for our students. We are more than books and we are more than just standing up there and throwing data at the children.”

One education professional focused on a disturbing trend in education funding plans, describing it “as a choice between educating the whole child or more of a business model. We’re not here for the dollars, yet the people that are making the decisions and the funding formula are looking at it from a business model.”

In a similar vein, another educator spoke about the complexities of school funding and the need for more public input. Mattei-Smith, who has been a licensed but non-practicing school treasurer in the state of Ohio since 2009, seemed to agree, saying, “[The discussion] needs to be ongoing and continuous and we need to better figure out how do that.”

Yet when asked about her next steps in the design process, Mattei-Smith was more obtuse, saying she would put the information she gathered into “some kind of cohesive thought pattern and from there we’ll work on a funding model.” She said she planned to come back out in the fall, presumably give advanced notice of meetings, and include  “employee organizations” like the Ohio Education Association.

The governor’s intended timeline to legislate a new funding model for education in Ohio is unbelievably short. Though state officials have until July 1, 2013 to legislate a new funding system,  the governor of Ohio has stated that he wants to unveil it before the end of 2011 and have it ready to implement by July 1, 2012—less than one year from now.

To paraphrase Bette Davis, buckle your seatbelts folks, it’s going to be a bumpy year.

By Phil Hayes, Columbus Education Association

What Happened to Transparency?

I always give the families of my students plenty of notice for an upcoming parent-teacher conference. I also tell my students that they should attend the conference with their family members, and my students always want to know why.

“Well,” I say, looking them in the eye, “we’re going to be talking about you. Since your family is going to be there, I’d much rather talk to you about you and have you involved in this process. It’s in your best interest to be there.”

Involving my students in the conversation I have with their families about them helps to put us on the same page. Reaching out publicly, far in advance, and getting input from all stakeholders that can positively influence students’ educational success is crucial to a successful parent-teacher conference.

These guidelines should be have been — and still need to be — applied to the current efforts to reform Ohio’s school funding model. Former Governor Strickland’s efforts followed this standard.

Strickland unveiled his six principles for education reform in his 2008 State of the State address. The Governor announced in early July of 2008 that he’d hold 12 forums throughout the state over the next three months to get input from Ohio citizens about reforming our education system. An additional six regional meetings were led by Governor Strickland in the late fall of 2008 to discuss education funding with all Ohio education stakeholders.

After a year and a half of highly public and transparent collaboration, Strickland signed the Education Opportunity Act in July of 2009 and transformed the ideas of Ohio’s education stakeholders into law, but the legislation only lasted until June 2011. Ohio’s current governor has taken a much different approach to changing our state’s school funding model than our previous governor.

The passage of the 2011-2013 state budget removed the Education Opportunity Act from state law and gave Governor Kasich and state legislature two years to develop a new school funding model. As a result of this state budget, Ohio is the only state in the entire nation without a permanent school funding model.

Led by Barbara Mattei-Smith, Assistant Policy Director for Education, the governor’s office began to work in earnest on a new school funding model beginning in July of this year. A series of six meetings was quickly scheduled over a two-week period to gather stakeholder input on the principles of the new school funding model.

Mattei-Smith held meetings at locations around the state, but kept each stakeholder group separate from one another. She met with school board members, school treasurers and school superintendents regarding the new funding model’s tenets six times for nearly two hours each time. On five separate occasions she met with teachers for an hour, followed by five one-hour meetings with the school principals. Unfortunately Mattei-Smith was a no-show for the last scheduled meeting with teachers because she went to the wrong room —it was later explained by the governor’s spokesperson as a “simple scheduling snafu”—but the meeting was ultimately rescheduled for Monday, Aug. 1 at the State Library of Ohio in downtown Columbus.

I arrived at the last meeting with my digital camera, ready to take a few photographs for my local association, but Mattei-Smith immediately got up from her place at the front of the room, walked right up to me and told me in no uncertain terms that I was not to record the meeting. I politely explained that I was simply going to take a few photos before the event began.

My colleagues and I took notes throughout the discussion, as did Mattei-Smith. Towards the end of the meeting, Mattei-Smith was asked where she was putting the information she gathered online from previous school funding discussions. After all, all of Strickland’s forums were aired live on local PBS stations — Ohio school districts organized watch parties — and were promptly archived on Strickland’s education reform website for all to see.

“I’m not putting it per se anywhere,” Mattei-Smith responded. “I’m taking notes, trying to put that into some kind of cohesive thought pattern and from there we’ll work on a funding model.”

I don’t know if Mattei-Smith’s prohibition on video recording of the meeting or the lack of public information regarding the discussion in previous meetings would meet the test of state sunshine laws.

What I do know is that if my parent-teacher conferences were held with just my students’ parents, and I gave them short notice that the conferences were scheduled at a time when they would probably be unable to attend, they wouldn’t help my students. Likewise, changing school funding in Ohio requires more than a series of meetings held over a three-week period in the summer.

To be continued. To read about what happened in the last meeting and what teachers said their students need, come back and read Part 2.

By Phil Hayes, Columbus Education Association