Mrvaudrey

Tag: teacher

  • Why Teachers Should Blog

    First, let’s address the dumb word. Blog.

    Sounds like a Star Wars villain.

    "You'll never catch me, Skywalker!"
    “You’ll never catch me, Skywalker!”

    It’s short for Web-Log, but nonetheless, the term is a poor approximation for the amount of good stuff happening online.

    Kate Nowak–at least 20% of the brains behind Mathalicious–asked for some input on Teacher Blogging, so here it is:

    1. What hooked you on reading the blogs? Was it a particular post or person? Was it an initiative by the nice MTBoS folks? A colleague in your building got you into it? Desperation?

    Desperation. During my first year teaching, I found myself regularly journaling, “There hasB got to be an easier/better/more fun/cheaper way of teaching this concept”.

    After exhausting my master teacher (and getting plenty of good ideas from her), I took to the internet and found teacher blogs: people who were not only sharing their successes, but also their failures and shortcomings. I would find a cool lesson and read about a teacher in Mississippi whose 6th period was just as unruly as my 3rd period.

    As a first-year teacher, that feeling was like being back in the first grade and finding out that Jeremy struggled with chin-ups, too.

    2. What keeps you coming back? What’s the biggest thing you get out of reading and/or commenting?

    The collection of math teachers online is like having a staff lounge with only trustworthy, non-grizzled, innovative veterans, all of whom will happily share all their secrets for free.

    If such a thing existed in the automotive business, all cars would run on tap water and get 400 miles per gallon.

    In commenting, I get to share my own [limited] experience with teachers, many of whom are new to the gig. It feels like giving back.

    And it’s real humbling to see big names in Education commenting also, or people giving comments much more astute and helpful than my own. It’s good to be humbled sometimes.

    3. If you write, why do you write? What’s the biggest thing you get out of it?

    I love running my new lessons through a checkoff of sorts. Through blogging (and Twitter) I can ask teaching questions to a specific audience and get only the advice I want. Example below; read a few of these:

    I asked people across the state about a project my class was doing and got all those responses within 24 hours. Not bad.

    4. If you chose to enter a room where I was going to talk about blogging for an hour (or however long you could stand it), what would you hope to be hearing from me? MTBoS cheerleading and/or tourism? How-to’s? Stories?

    A few things:

    Tier your instruction (eh? Get it?) so that you can address both the non-bloggers and the established bloggers. Do that by describing what blogging is in its ideal form. That will inspire a beginning in those that don’t blog yet, and an advancement in those who already do.

    Emphasize how easy it is to join. When I spoke on Twitter last month, I called it “a wide rushing river that is full of chatter and intimidating to look at, but dipping your toes into it is easy.”

    On your blog, you mentioned “written, public reflection”. Touch on how the worst employees in any profession are those accountable to no one. Written, public reflection provides a respectful vulnerability. There is something powerful in two parties saying, “I’m imperfect and I need help,” and “So are we, here are some ideas.”

    Good luck.

    ~Matt “Romanticized and Touchy-feely” Vaudrey

  • My Testing Shirt

    I have a testing shirt.

    I’m not sure how itB becameB my testing shirt, but I faithfully wear it on every day that my students test (including every day of CST). Students and teachers across campus know that it’s a test day when I wear this shirt.

    And occasionally, they dedicate works of art to the shirt.

    (Occasionally, they have forgotten and they remember when they see the shirt. “Awww, we have aB test today?”)

    At Ross my first year teaching, this shirt was just too awesome to turn down. I’ve definitely gotten my $8 worth over the years.

  • Goddess of the Classroom

    I first met Kelli during the first month of my first year teaching.

    Well, I donbt actually recall the day that I met her. My first two weeks of teaching were such a whirlwind–the details meld together into a trauma of botched activities, stuttering lessons, clunky worksheets, and the occasional discipline issue (which soon became frequent discipline issues).

    I do, however, remember when I first saw Kellibs fifth period. My Assistant Principalbafter watching the vehicular collision that was my fifth periodbsaid, bYou have to watch Kelli teach.b

    The next day during my planning period, I followed A.P. into the back of Kellibs class with my notebook, completely clueless for what I would write down.

    I wish I had videotaped itbit was pure poetry. Like watching Olympic figure skating.

    First, the students filed in with subdued murmurs and sat down quietly. I had seen these students during lunchbthey were not quiet people. Kelli taught Algebra Readiness, an 8th grade class for students who didnbt pass Pre-Algebra last year. A rough-and-rowdy bunch of surly teens with odors and attitudes sour enough to curdle the milk in your grammabs teacup. It wasnbt even my class, and I got nervous.

    “Miss Webb, I don’t got a pencil.”

    bPlease take out your packet and turn to S.P. 15.b Kelli calmly intoned over the rustle of paper. The bell had just sounded and all her students were in their seats, most with their pencils out. I looked around the room and thought I was dreaming:

    • Her 18 students were evenly spread throughout the room, most of them alone at a table.
    • All the hats were off.
    • Nobody touched each other.
    • No backpacks or purses were in laps, all rested on the floor or the chair next to them.
    • Most of the students had their packets out and were hunched over them, silently working.

    Kelli began to weave through the rows, giving little comments.

    bThank you for getting started, Jamal.b
    bGood start, Maria. Put your mirror away, please.b

    And this was when I knew I was in the presence of greatness:

    bMiguel, please spit out your gum.b

    Miguel curled his lip, bI donbt have any gum.b

    bLet me tell you what I donbt do.b Kelli bristled, straightening to her full six-foot-two and narrowing her eyes. bI donbt argue with children. Spit it out.b

    I’m surprised Miguel didn’t piss himself. I got chills just writing that.

    Miguel paused, considering his chances of winning a battle with a woman twice his size and thrice his age. He wisely stood and leaned over the trashcan as Kelli moved on to other tables. The thunk of his gum in the metal wastebasket was the only noise in room A5, save for the delicate scratch of pencil on paper.

    After about five minutes, Kelli produced some more magic. She went through the worksheet with the class.

    Now, any teacher can walk through problems, but nobody in Ms. Webbbs class got bored. She pulled names from a cup of popsicle sticks (what teachers called brandom samplingb in those days) and asked students for their responses.

    Ms. Webb: Ysela, number 5.
    Ysela: Ummb& I didnbt get it.
    Ms. Webb: Okay, what do you think we should do first?
    Ysela: Ummb&. Take away seven?
    Ms. Webb: (grimaces) Ooh! Is there a mathematical way to say that?
    Ysela: Ummb&Subtract seven from both sides of the equation.
    Ms Webb: Oh, much better. I like that. Damon, take over number 5.

    It was magical. She coaxed answers from students who hate math (or so they tell their friends). These students have made a career out of coasting and doing nothing, but they have nowhere to hide from the watchful eye of Ms. Webb.

    And risk.

    No… not that one.

    Non-teachers may not realize this, but Ysela was hoping to be ignored, skipped, and left at peace. Getting students like Ysela to take a stab at a foreign problem is hard work. By eighth grade, she’s learned that the three magic words “I don’t know” will get her skipped in most other classes, and enough skips will get her ignored entirely.

    In Ms. Webbbs class, there was no ignored seat, no back of the class, no hats pulled down, and no students get to pass on a problem. If you donbt know, take a guess.

    Itbs one of several things that Ibve stolen for my own class.

  • Not One Of Those Days

    There are days when I love my job. Days when I know that some students combated their ignorance with their effort and triumphed. Days when I lay my head on my pillow at night knowing that I did my very best and I changed lives.

    Today was not one of those days.

    Today was a “Put on Rage Against the Machine and scream at the steering wheel on the way to a church board meeting” days.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfhJV9FZGAk]

    (NOTE: That video probably has some swearing in it. So does this post.)

    I mean, most of my classes were fine. Kids worked hard, performed well in groups, and built on basic skills AND graphingba quite successful day.

    Except 4th period.

    Like a swarm of locusts, they descended on my ramp. Already pushing, yelling, and making inappropriate jokes. I held out my hand for them to shake (as I do every day) and one student flat out refused.

    I knew a storm was brewing.

    I battened down the hatches and piloted a new game for them, but it was no use. I sent two students to the office before we even finished the warm-up. They made it clear they had no intention of contributing to the class, yet I felt a twinge of regret as I called for their escortbsurely I could have done something differently.

    The day progressed and three students earned detentions (gum, gum, and continued disruption) before we did our 6 times tables and left.

    Then the real show began.

    Figure 2: An orderly and respectful classroom

    Ryan stayed after school to grudgingly serve his gum detention. I instructed him to move the desks into the configuration I projected on the wall.

    bIbm hungry! I donbt wanna do anything!b

    Deep breath. bRyan, you have two options: You can do 15 minutes with me without complaining or you can do two lunch detenbb

    bBut Ibm hungry! I donbt wanna do this!b

    bIs that your choice then? The two lunch detentions? I can have Ms. Holwood call you out tomorrow to talk about it.b

    bb&no.b Ryan stuck up his lip in a perfect teenage sneer. This could have been the cover of Teenage Sneer Monthly.

    Figure 3: The “Hiding Gin In A Water Bottle” Issue

    bOkay, then. Your two options are 15 minutes with me without complaining or interrupting, or two lunch detentions with Ms. Holwood. Whatbs it gonna be?b

    bHere!b

    For the next two minutes, Ryan held a desk and wiggled it when I looked his way. Then he acted surprised when I sent him out.

    He paused at the door and screamed, bI hate you!b before pounding a chair and my door with his fists and storming down my ramp.

    Figure 4: How he felt vs. How he sounded

    Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. My students mostly like mebeven the ones that dislike me donbt hate me.

    I felt like absolute shit for a couple hours, even though experts in teenage defiance (the RSP teacher, my youth pastor wife) assured me that it was just bwhat they dob.

    Doesn’t matter. I felt (and still feel) that I could have done something different to avoid this situation without compromising the order of my classroom.

    Oh, well. I have two days without Ryan in my classroom to think about it. Hebs on class suspension pending a parent conference. I guess that means I win.

    Sure donbt feel like a winner.

    Concerned Parents Against Funfetti

    UPDATE 10 October 2012

    After a phone conference with dad and a day of class suspension, Ryan and I agreed on a hand signal for him to indicate to me when he is getting angry.

    Today’s art project and lesson went swimmingly for all classes (including 4th period sans Ryan). Today I feel like a winner.

  • Why Give Homework?

    We all have done it. We all have complained about homework.

    Too much, too hard, too often, too confusing, too boring, too dry, too unrelated, too specific, too stinky: take your pick.

    For teachers, this presents an interesting predicament; as students, we complained, now we have the chance to do something about it.

    My first year teaching, I took over for another teacher after two weeks. I continued what she did. Would any of us do different?

    Itbs like parenting. We pass on what we received because we knowB it. Not because it worked well, not because itbs easy, but because itbs familiar.

    Over the last 6 years, I have struggled to find a fair way to do homework. (Feel free to skip reading this portion unless youbre a teacher.)

    • Year 1: Assigned 20-30 problems every day from the book. It was too much, students hated it.
      • Completion: about 15% of students on a given day.
    • Year 2: Assigned less than 10 problems per day, and I started naming each book assignment (alphabetically) to keep them straight. Students were more likely to complete them AND they didnbt pile up. Itbs much easier to say bTake out HENRYb than it is to say bTake out page 137, numbers 6-16 even and 23-37 oddb.
      • Completion: 35% per day
    • Year 3: Began adding projects, worksheets, and other less conventional homeworks to mix it up.
      • Completion: 40-50%
    • Year 4: Drowning under the weight of 8 preps (12 different grading rosters) I revert back to whatbs easy: problems from the book.
      • Completion: 30-60% depending on the class.
    • Year 5: New School! A combination of named assignments from the book, worksheets, workbooks, and projects.
      • Completion: 70-80%

    All of that was missing the point, the driving force, the reason:

    Why do we give homework?

    All of the bflipped classesb and bmastery learningb B and “common assessments” and bindependent practiceb all center around one thing: Learning stuff.

    The whole point of sending students home with bulging backpacks is that the material that we discussed in class will stick to their Teflon brains.

    (Get it? Teflon. Nothing sticks to…. never mind. It was a stretch.)

    Also, click here to see the teacherly emails between me and Fawn Nguyen regarding the best way to make Homework (and Teaching) effective.

    So, non-teachers, now you know why [good] teachers spend so much time thinking about this stuff. If you were a teacher, how would you do homework?

  • SBG – Standards Based Grading

    A few weeks ago, Fawn Nguyen started a discussion about Standards-Based Grading, where teachers grade based on the mastery of a skill, not based on points and “work”. Below is that conversation (because I covered pretty much everything I have to say about it, for now).

    This post is written for teachers. Sorry other readers (Mom), but you will likely be bored by what appears to be a discussion in minutia. Feel free to read on if you’ve a taste for pain.

    I couldn’t resist a chance to use this picture.

    (Clarifications and links have been added that weren’t in the actual email.)

    From: Matt Vaudrey

    Hey, Fawn.

    I just read your post about starting the year. You’ve clearly done more work for your craft this summer than I have, and I’m curious about how your SBG is going. I tried it with my HS students, but abandoned it when I moved to the Middle School, where “the study skills are important” (my math coach).

    From: Fawn Nguyen

    Hi Matt,
    I had to chuckle getting your email because I’m nowhere with SBG! Yes, I’ve read a lot, so lots of things in my head but they all need to be sorted out…

    But two things for sure I know I’ll start in 2 weeks:

    1. stop grading homework

    2. allow test retakes (and test A LOT fewer items, more smaller quizzes, no big chapter tests)

     

    Kids probably think they’re in a “dream” class given these two things.

    So, I’ll definitely be “doing” SBG-like stuff, but I just don’t have anything written down yet.

    I need to think through the 2 items. Now that you’re asking, let me think aloud:

    1. Homework logistics: 5 to max 10 problems a night, answers posted somewhere (online? outside class?), those who do NOT do them must come in at lunch (or something, but then this kinda punishes me to babysit them during lunch, UGH), periodic homework quiz then?
    2. Test retakes: biggest challenge of making at least 3 versions of a test/quiz. Then how/when/where are retakes held at?

    There’s another teacher teaching math, and it’s not fair to her that I decide to go off on SBG on the 11th hour like this. So my compromise is what I’ve stated above, just start with those 2 items. But no rubrics/concept standards yet (FOR SURE I don’t have time to write these this year). Just normal points from “normal” quizzes, just given in smaller chunks…

     

    Good point about middle schoolers and study skills. Hmmmm… come to think of it, just how many MS teachers are doing SBG? The big ones Cornally and Bowman and Shah and Elizabeth and Kate are all high school teachers! Interesting, might throw this out on Twitter to see.

     

    There, you just allowed me to put some thoughts down in writing about SBG more than I ever have 🙂
    What are you thinking of doing? So did you even try it at all at the middle school?

    From: Matt Vaudrey

    Yo, Fawn.

    My own experience with SBG was:

    • at best, a way to minimize work for me while making the grading system easier to understand
    • at worst, a half-hearted attempt to create an easy final project.

    This was a school were any classroom innovation was purely intrinsic, received no praise, no critique, and no acknowledgement. Which is why I left.

    Herebs what I did for one year with no outside input (this was pre-Twitter for me).

    1. No more graded homework. I still go over the answers every day, and if students (I had seniors) wanted to copy, they were more than welcome to.
    2. Every Wednesday (minimum day, 40 minute periods) we had a Homework Quiz, with problems taken off the homework for that week. If they were up to date on the homework, they got 100%, thus boosting their quiz-test scores while demonstrating mastery of key concepts.
    3. Four-point rubrics for everything. That way, a zero for a missing assignment doesnbt tank their grade. (See here for more reading on that.)
    4. Throughout the year, students received bStandards Mastery Sheetsb (see attached) after a test. I checked that these were included in their notebooks, but other than that, I didnbt grade them fully until the end of the semester. As you can see, they had to demonstrate mastery in key concepts, sometimes making up their own problem and explaining the steps.
      1. I had a 5-point rubric for this.
      2. I named each one with an alphabetical name; itbs more fun than bstandard 4b.
      3. After I graded them, I laid all of them out and looked for copies. If they copied, they received a zero (BOTH copiers).
      4. Thenband Ibm pretty proud of thisbI announced to each class, bIf you copied or let someone copy, you may come to me now and ask for a fresh one. If you donbt think I caught you, feel free to stay silent. You are dismissed.b
      5. Roughly 60% of the class copied at least one.
    5. I added a grading category for each standard (which took a while) and made a point to create assignments that dealt with one standard at a time. In Trig and Geometry, it was pretty easy to do.
    6. At the end of the semester, when students come by during lunch to ask for extra credit, I point them to the Mastery file and say, bShow me what you know. Your grades for Standard 4 were low, so take DELTA.b

    I think it could have gone well if I had stayed at the high school. At the middle school level, they canbt connect the dots between bdoing homeworkb and bunderstanding the topics on the HW Quizb. The high-school students would say out loud in class on Wednesdays, bShit. I gotta start doing the homework.b

    Regarding your re-takes, thatbs a separate issue than SBG, I think. It could be solved by doing 5-question, consecutively numbered quizzes a la Dan Meyer. In my class, students must study at home for 90 minutes observed by a parent or guardianbwho sign off on a study log (attached)bbefore they are allowed a re-take. This dramatically cuts down the number of re-takes. My first year, I had a student who re-took quizzes ad nauseum until he got 100% on every one. I stopped changing the version just because I was sick of it (and was also a terrible teacher).

    Fawn concluded our e-mail thread with a short note, mentioning:

    Lots of people have lots of questions about SBG because it’s not a one-size-fits-all, (is anything in education?) so the more conversations, the better.

    Well put, Mrs. Nguyen.

    Below are some more readings on the subject and the attachments that I mentioned.

    Timon Piccini on SBG
    Mr. Piccini then recommended Jason Buell, who wrote on SBG here and
    here.
    Timothy McSweeney’s grading scale (composed entirely of Samuel Beckett quotes)
    A huge compilation of SBG materials from a teacher I know from Twitter.
    A huge compilation of SBG materials by somebody I don’t know.

    Documents I Used:
    Standards Mastery – Trigonometry Std. 1
    Standards Mastery – Geometry Std. 18-19
    Test Re-take Study Log

  • A Come to Jesus Meeting

    It’s a phrase that my mom used when I was young. “We’re gonna have a Come to Jesus meeting when you get home about your grades in English.”

    A balding preacher springs to my mindbwhite knuckles gripping the podiumbleaning toward the congregation and flecking the front row with frothy vengeance, screaming, bTurn from thy wicked ways!b

    Thatbs certainly how I felt on Thursday with my iPad class.

    On Wednesday, I got an email from one of the P.E. teachers describing her discontent with my students using their iPads to take pictures, play games, and dick around during P.E. class.

    She probably didnbt say bdick aroundb. Thatbs an embellishment.

    This emailbcopied to my administrators, of coursebgave voice to a sentiment that other teachers were probably feeling; I donbt know what to do with these things. Can I confiscate them? Can I discipline the students for taking them out?

    I sent an email apologizing for the students and assuring that I would deal with it. I sent an email with the iPad policies to the whole staff, then cracked my knuckles and waited for the iPad class to stumble unwittingly into 3rd period.

    As they entered, I shook everyonebs hand (as I do every day) and said, bGood morning! Please put your iPad in the cart and have a seat.b

    Then I came to my podium.

    bTeachers have been complaining about this class. [dramatic pause] They say that you are taking your iPads out in other classes, taking pictures, playing games, and letting other students use them. [dramatic eye contact with the offenders] You all know what the expectations are; you signed a contract and so did your parents. You know what to do, and youbre making me look bad. So today, webre going to practice how to have a class without the iPad, so you know how your other classes should look. Clearly, you need some practice.b

    Then I put on a smile and we went through the period. I thought they got the point.

    The next day, I caught two different students playing games in my class. I directed them to put their iPads in the cart, and their responses were:

    bWhat? Ibm done already.b
    and bWhy?b

    To the second student, I fixed him with my best teacher stare and asked in a low tone, bIs that a serious question?b

    He wisely didnbt respond.

    I quite enjoy Halloween. I love to put on a costume and be somebody different for a short while. Itbs not because I donbt like my usual self, but itbs just so fun to be somebody new for a little bit.

    Thatbs why Ibm comfortable being a hardass in short installments. I like when everyone in my class is happy, but teachers will tell you that a teacher who is only happy will result in a class that is only unruly.

    For those two students, I began taking deep breaths about 10 minutes before the period ended, preparing myself to instill the fear of the Lord in them.

    When the class ended, I motioned for those two to wait, and the RSP teacher to also stick around. I brought them over to my desk and showed them a copy of the student/parent contract.

    bThis is the contract that you and your parent signed. This bullet point says I will use the iPad for academic purposes during school hours in accordance with the rules set forth by MVUSD. You both were well aware of the rulesbespecially after our conversation yesterdayb but you chose to break them anyway. In this contract, the penalty is removal from this program and this class. We will have a meeting this weekend to see if you should be removed. Ibll let you know what we decide on Tuesday. Youbre dismissed.b

    Two wide-eyed and trembling teens trudged out the door. Once it closed, I turned to the RSP teacher and asked, bToo much?b

    Her eyes were also wide. bNo! That was awesome!b

    Then I called their parents and gave them the same discussion. I predict two very remorseful students in my 3rd period on Tuesday.

    “This is worse than when Nemo died and I had to flush him.”

    Furthermoreband this is the part that my wife doesnbt getbIbm buying myself an easier year by sacrificing these two little lambs on the altar. Because middle-school students gossip like two old church ladies at bridge club.

    You can guarantee that every other student in the class will be terrified to use a game in class, which is exactly what I wanted. Thatbs why I was comfortable wearing the Red-Faced Preacher mask for a few minutes.

    So that I can be Happy Math Teacher for the rest of the year.

    UPDATE 2013 January 31st:
    One of the aforementioned little lambs didn’t come to Jesus, and was removed from the course after his next offense a month later.

    He probably hates Temple Run now.

  • Teacher Report Card

    Ever heard of the John Muir Trail? That (and my wife’s mission trip with her youth group) isB where I’ve been for the last month. Some people have complained, and they need to lighten up.

    Mario: “I think [this class] is fair because everyones idea is respected.”
    Deja: “It’s fun and I can’t wait to get to this class.”
    Sara: “Mr. V grades fairly but is too nice with giving good grades, (not that that’s a bad thing).”
    Jose: “I’m fine with my grade because I know I didn’t try my hardest.”

    These are the kind of student responses that help me form my class for the next year. I read each one, every year.

    The prompt goes something like this:

    “Gentlemen and Ladies, you are going to grade me [pause for incredulous exclamations]. I want to know how to be a better teacher, so you’re going to grade me honestly. And don’t spare my feelings. You must fill out the whole thing.
    You don’t need to put your name at the top–it can be anonymous if you want. I will read every one of these. Also, if you give me all As or all Fs, I’ll know that you didn’t care and I’ll burn it…laughing while I do.”

    As with anything I field a few space-head questions (“Do I put my name on it?” “Can I give you all A’s?”) then turn them loose.

    I change up the questions every year, (the 2012 download is at the bottom of this page) and this year, I used a whole back page for short-response questions.

    Itb�s one last chance for me to squeeze some clarity into their year.
    Itbs one last chance for me to squeeze some clarity into their year.
    I get authentic, unfiltered assessment straight from the horseb�s mouth.
    I get authentic, unfiltered assessment straight from the horsebs mouth.
    Sometimes itb�s cute and flatteringb�&
    Sometimes itbs cute and flatteringb&
    ...sometimes it's sarcastic, but well-mannered*...
    …sometimes it’s sarcastic, but well-mannered*…
    b�&sometimes itb�s legitimate great feedback, andb�&
    b&sometimes itbs legitimate great feedback, andb&
    ...occasionally it's cringeworthy--but necessary--feedback.
    …occasionally it’s cringeworthy–but necessary–feedback.
    Also, they're teenagers. The ones that say I'm not fair are often the ones that got in trouble that week.
    Also, they’re teenagers. The ones that say I’m not fair are often the ones that got in trouble that week.

    I figured this question was a good way to get a quick two-sentence summary, and Ib�ve learned a lot about how students view the b�themeb� of my class.
    I figured this question was a good way to get a quick two-sentence summary, and Ibve learned a lot about how students view the bthemeb of my class.

    RC8

    RC9

    This was just fun.
    This was just fun.

    RC11

    Ah, to be a teenage boy.
    Ah, to be a teenage boy.

    Click here to download the Word Document I used.

    *The “test-day shirt” to which Sara refers is this one, shown here on Crazy Hat Spirit Day (with a student drawing of me wearing it). I wear the Test Shirt every test day (including all 5 State-test days) as a way to lighten the mood for students with test anxiety.

    UPDATE 13 July 2012:

    Andy‘s right; I should mention what I learned from this experience.

    In previous years, I’ve noticed startling trends in theB fairness category. I would consistent low marks when it came to “treating all students the same” or “giving consistent expectations”.B Fortunately, I know the students’ penmanships well enough to ask the class as a whole for further feedback. Some of those chats went like this:

    Vaudrey: A lot of people marked me low for fairness. Why do you think that is?

    (This is about June–most of them are checked out. Or they know me well enough to know that tactfully, respectful criticism will be well-received)

    Maria: Well, sometimes you treat certain students with more second chances.
    Jose: Yeah, like when I got detention for talking during the test, but Jamal talks all the time. (Several students nod).
    Vaudrey: You’re right; that doesn’t sound fair. Anything else?

    If I prove that I won’t get butt-hurt by student feedback, then the class gets a little more bold in their assessments.

    Sarah: Sometimes, your morning breath is really bad.
    Drew: Yeah, like dog crap.
    Vaudrey: Whoa! We’re getting a little carried away. Sarah, thanks for your honesty. Drew, keep in mind that we’re focusing on improving my class, okay? Anybody else?

    In full disclosure, here’s what I learned from this year’s reports:

    • Middle school students have much less to bitch about than high school students.
    • About 15-20% of students would like more explanation on tough topics. Nobody said my teaching pace was too slow.
    • Most of the students liked my class. A few studentsB really liked my class. That felt good.
    • I’m doing a better job of treating all students fairly. (That sample conversation was from a few years back.)
    • For next year, I should teach more closely to the standards, so students see common questions beforeB the test.
    • For next year, I should keep the class under tighter control. In recent years, I’ve slacked on classroom management because I taught seniors. Eighth graders need a little heavier hand.

  • Getting Pinked, riffed, or “having probationary status terminated”

    bDid you hear? Mr. Avery got RIFfed!b

    bYeah, I got pinked again this year.b

    bMr. Vaudrey? Hi, we got the listb& and youbre on it.b

    Non-teachers, you have no doubt heard one of the above terms used around this time of year. Herebs what they mean for teachers:

    Beware the Ides of March

    Every year by March 15th, the California Education Code (bEd Codeb for short) states that teachers must be notified if their contract isnbt renewed for the next school year.

    This could be for several reasons:

    1. The teacher is brand new to teaching and itbs just not a good fit. This way, he or she can get a new job, a fresh start, without saying bI got firedb.
    2. The state has no money, so schools have to make the same services available to kids, but with less staff, so itbs a Reduction In Force (bRIFb for short)
    3. The district has no moneyb&
    4. The school has no moneyb&
    5. The city has no moneyb&
    6. The teacher is new to the school and this is a good way to see if they will work out: Fire them after a year, then if you want them back, you re-hire.

    In our district, we have over 300 positions being cut.

    Thatbs a lot. Itbs about one in five.

    “Anybody with levitation skills gets pinked. It’s a new district policy.”

    Herebs why teachers make a big fuss about it:

    Suppose you work at the GAP.

    “Hi, I’m Devon. Can I get you a pooka-shell necklace?”

    You were brand new to the retail business and hired on a bProbationaryb basis. You work very hard and sell a lot of modestly priced polo shirts.

    Then March 15th comes, you are told that you might be fired, for no reason, in June. Do you keep working hard until then?

    “These pencils aren’t going to perch themselves.”

    b&cuz itbs really tempting to take your time stocking the capri pants after that. Whatbs the point? Youbre out of a job in a few months.

    Some of your co-workers start using up their sick days and some outright quit.

    Still unclear?

    Suppose you play football.

    Your season ends and you are told your contract is over. Itbs pretty common, but you canbt help feeling that youbd be kept if youbd made more tackles or touchdowns.

    You quite enjoyed playing for your team, the Colts, but they may not have the money to hire you back.

    Do you snoop around other teams for a job? If you find one, youbll just be starting out there at the bottom of the ladder, ready to have the same thing happen next year.

    Do you wait it out and see what happens? They all like you on the Colts, but what if the season starts and they canbt afford to keep you? You then have no team to play for. Is that better than playing for the Redskins?

    [This is probably a good place for some snide remark about the Redskins.]

    My first year teaching was a disaster. It was so bad, that I got pinkedB in late January. They didnbt even wait until March to let me know that I was done.

    I stuck it out, though. I worked just as hard all the way to mid-June, harder perhapsbknowing that I had nothing to lose and I could try new things.

    At least this year, I made it all the way to Pi Day.

    Also, if you work at a charter school, as I previously did, they are exempt from the March 15th rule, as I wrote previously in anger.

    **Credit to Laura, from whom I stole the bold formatting idea.

  • A Math Valentine

    I had a sub on Thursday, and the students’ assignment was a Valentine’s Card using math vocabulary (and the math terms underlined).

    Here are some of the all-stars. Click on the first one to see a slideshow.

    So, I stole a few lines, and here is a letter to my wife, the lovely and talented Andrea Vaudrey (with the math terms underlined):

    To my Valentine:
    Our love is like an irrational equation; it can’t be simplified.
    You are a factor of my life.
    If we distribute our love, we can be together forever. Together, we make a perfect square.
    I love you like a coefficient loves its variable.
    You are the square to my root, the solution to all of my equations. The slope of my love for you is ever increasing.
    We fit together like coordinates on an axis.
    You are the solution to my New Year’s resolution. Our love is a slope that increases with all my hope that is so dope.
    I less than three you.
    For my love, like pi, is neverending.

    Happy Valentime’s Day.

    ~Matt

    UPDATE February 20, 2012: Thanks to Scoop.it for featuring this post, and for opening my eyes to what a fabulous online magazine you are.

    UPDATE February 11, 2013:B And here’s the B Math Valentines Card GuideB thatB I used. I’d give credit… if I knew where I got it.