A Reader Writes... (Yes, I Know the Hours are Long - Part 3)

In response to the post, “Yes, I Know the Hours are Long,” a teacher writes:

So if you have children at home that you are have to leave with a babysitter, when they reach school age will they act out and have behavioral problems because their mommy or daddy were never at home with them when they were awake?

SC Response

Again, my argument is that effective teachers work a lot of hours. As do effective lawyers, doctors, accountants and entrepreneurs. It seems to be a hallmark of being considered a profession.

My work (avocation) is to make the long hours that teachers put in as effective and efficient as possible.

The individual has to decide if the profession can co-exist with the family life that he or she desires. This same decision applies to any job or profession. Which brings me back to my avocation / vocation premise. If teaching is your avocation, the intrinsic rewards offset the hours, stress and time away from family. If it is your vocation, the extrinsic rewards can be considered low and the intrinsic rewards mean little.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Yes, I Know the Hours are Long - Part 1 & 2)

The same reader/writer submitted the following two comments.

Mr. Cain,

I commented on this blog (Yes, I Know the Hours are Long) yesterday, yet I see you refuse to post my comments. Are you afraid that the readers of this blog might actually agree with me about the extreme hours, over the top demands by administration, and piling on of concept after concept, all at the expense of actually being able to teach? I see that 3 people disagree with your blog while only 2 agree. Can you not post comments from someone who doesn't agree with you?

SC Response

First of all, I appreciate the fact that you are reading the blog. However, by the tone of your comment, I have to assume that you are fairly new to the LYS forum. Based on that assumption, I’ll explain how I deal with reader submissions. In general, I post comments on a first come, first served basis. So it takes about two to three weeks for a comment to post. Which is why the topics seem to be presented in waves. Occasionally, some comments will be moved up in the order, because of interest, timeliness, or as in your case, there is a contrary view.

Second, as for a suggested “fear of disagreement,” there is none.

Third, as long time readers and true LYS’ers know, this is the arena of ideas. May the best idea win.

Fourth, debate is healthy and hones the intellect by fostering critical thought. This blog began as a vehicle for a handful of progressive school leaders (the old school LYS’ers) to discuss, vent and debate on topics relating to operating an effective school or school district.

Fifth, I sign my initials at the start of every one of my comments. If I write it, I stand behind it until new information or experiences revise my thinking. I do not hide behind an anonymous posting. I do not believe that is what a true leader or a person of conviction would do.

Now for your original comment, which has been moved up in the rotation (along with all the submitted comments relating to post in question).

Think. Work. Achieve.

In response to the post “Yes, I Know the Hours are Long,” a teacher writes:

Mr. Cain - your numbers are way, way off. We put in about twice the hours you have noted in your chart. Yes, I agree that this is a job I love, but we have had so many changes piled on us this year (your program being one of them), that the stress level of our school is off the charts. I would LOVE to have the time to completely devote to teaching and preparing for my students, but all of our time this year (almost every planning hour, after school hours, etc.) is being swallowed by strategies, theories, concepts and meetings (during the day which requires a sub) that we have absolutely NO time left to breathe. My mental and physical health are very important when facing 155 students every day, and that is being compromised this year by theories, theories, theories. Don't try to make us feel bad because we have families and outside lives when we are devoting many more hours to our jobs than you give us credit for. Dare I say, yes, my family does come first in my life, but that doesn't mean I don't love teaching also.

SC Response

First, in my post I illustrate that to do the job well requires a minimum of 60 hours a week. I did not imply that teachers work only 60 hours a week. However, a claim of 120 hours per week is hard to support.

I do empathize with your struggle to implement new practices. Any change can be difficult and stressful. Though I cannot address the specifics of your campus, I can address the specifics of the training and support provided by Lead Your School. At the classroom level we emphasize the execution of a common scope and sequence (a foundation practice), the use of short-term common assessments (a foundation practice) and the reflective implementation of five fundamental instructional practices. Yes, it can be stressful when first working on this, but to not do so is to decide to be purposefully ineffective. From your statements, I do not believe that you fall in this category.

Though you may be in the “fake it until you make it" mode, I doubt that your students are being harmed by education theory. What harms students is the failure to attempt to apply theory and best practice in the classroom.

In no way was I attempting to make effective teachers feel bad. I was validating that exceptional teachers work exceptional hours. I was validating that teacher hours are long in every setting. And I was attempting to point out that if one entered the profession because they thought that the hours would be easy, then they chose the wrong profession.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Readers Ask... More Assessment Questions

There is a LYS district in Texas that is in the midst of implementing common assessments. The district is taking the lead on the six weeks assessments (awesome); the campuses are taking the lead on the three weeks assessments (awesomer). The following is a correspondence between the curriculum specialists (and new LYS'ers) and me that I thought that some of the LYS Nation might find helpful.

Question 1: How many questions should be on the assessments (3 week vs. 6 week), taking into consideration one assessment is campus based and the other is district based?

Answer 1: The three-week assessments (created by the campuses) should consist of 7 to 15 questions. The actual number is determined by the number of critical concepts covered during the three-week assessment window and the number of review items required.

The six-week assessments (created by the district) may have significantly more questions than what is on the three-week assessments. First, the assessment window is twice as long, which means that there are more critical concepts that have been covered. Second, there are times when the district needs data from a TAKS (state accountability test) similar assessment. However, a good rule of thumb is to use 15 to 30 questions.

Question 2: Should there be a time limit on the assessment? If so should it be the same for the three-weeks and six-week assessment?

Answer 2: The goal for the three-week assessment is that it can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

The six-week assessment should naturally take longer, since the assessment has more questions. However, it is our recommendation that the assessment take no longer than a class period, unless the purpose is to specifically mimic the TAKS (state accountability) test.

Question 3: Should we only put one question per TEKS (state curriculum standard) on the district assessment?

Answer 3: There are a number of factors to consider.
1) Some TEKS (state curriculum standard) are assessed in different ways, so the district assessment may need to reflect this.
2) Historically, some TEKS (state curriculum standard) are assessed on the TAKS (state accountability) test more than others. Again, the district assessment may be designed to reflect this reality.

Question 4: Should each district assessment for each six-weeks have the same number of questions?

Answer 4: Not only is this not recommended, the reality of district assessment needs would seem to predispose different assessment lengths at different times of the year.

Question 5: Is there any other information you feel would be good for us to share with principals and teachers?

Answer 5: Just the reminder that the purpose of assessments is to generate information that drives instructional decisions and adjustments. To not assess is to leave classroom, campus and district performance to chance.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

Game On! video clip

Above is a TV segment on the success of Game On! at an elementary school in Irving, Texas.

How's that for excitement?

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

The LYS Nation in the News

Click on the link below. It is about a newspaper article reporting on a LYS principal and the success he has had at his school since he took over.

http://neighborsgo.com/stories/61573

And yes, Game On! is pure LYS. Beware of bootleg versions and contact us if you are interested.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

A Reader Writes... (Mythology)

In response to the post, “Mythology” a reader writes:

I enjoyed this article. Student engagement and purposeful talk are an informal way of assessing "who gets it and who doesn't" in a jiffy. Most students lack descriptive words in their speech and can no more write than speak appropriately. They use the same words over and over again. This is my second year to use purposeful talk and the more I use it the more I learn about our society: There is no one for many of our students to talk to at home, therefore, our students have TV language and their cognitive language is lacking. It is so difficult for them to speak about a science experiment we just completed. Consequently, I end up doing the same experiment until they have the vocabulary to speak about it. The most interesting conclusion - now the student can talk about it at home. I wanted to share and agree with your article.

SC Response

Thank you for sharing and thank you for validating the power of this Fundamental 5 practice. You are correct in pointing out that in many households, for any number of reasons, our students get little opportunity to converse. Much less, converse about academic topics. The more we model this behavior and provide students frequent opportunities to practice, the more our students blossom and begin to enjoy learning. Plus, as the teacher you get the added benefit of being able to sneak in a little rigor and relevance on the fly.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...