The Pencil Wars

The pencil wars are coming.  But first off...

I am part of this research team called "SERP", which stands for "Strategic Education Research Partnership".  The premise behind the organization is that lead researchers at Universities around our area team up with local educators, and create tasks/lessons that can be analyzed to assess student thinking.  The team has come up with a number of different ways to evaluate students thinking, and have some really interesting approaches towards doing math and introducing students to new/difficult concepts.

I bring this up, because today the SERP team came to my classroom and recorded me while I presented a particular lesson.  This particular question is called "The Dragonfly".  I'm not totally sure how much of what we did today I am at liberty to share on my blog, but the general approach is this:

1. Introduce the body of information about the question, but no question.  Students think about/consider the information presented.
2. Students hypothesize as to what types of questions might be asked using the information presented
3. Present the students with the actual question I want them to address.  When they finish with that, then they work on one of the other questions that students came up with previously.
4. Students present and justify their particular approach to solving the question.  There is no one right "approach" to answering the question. 

After arranging the appointment with the SERP media team to record the lesson, I was nervous.  I was nervous, not because I didn't think my students could handle the lesson, but because of their behavior in class.  If I am not continually on top of them and riding them for their behavior, they go out of control.  And a big part of the lesson is me getting down with my students, and pushing their thinking, which limits the amount of energy that I can expend keeping them in check.

Today, my concerns were completely unjustified.  When the students saw the big camera in the classroom, and me wired with a microphone, they knew something was up and their behavior was extra, extra amazing today.  To be honest, they were probably up to par today with any other classroom, but for my kids, they were awesome.  Maybe I should have them come film my classroom every day... because they truly were stars today!

On the flip side, another one of my policies, one of the programs that makes my class succeed (occasionally), one of my high expectations for my students, one of the ways for me to ensure that my students are prepared for class has been shot down by the administration.  They're claiming that it is against the law to prevent my students to come to class without the supplies that they are EXPECTED to have with them every day, like their math binders or more specifically - a pencil.  I literally haven't been letting my students into the classroom without a pencil, and if they show up without one, then I tell them they'd better find one somewhere because they're going to need it.  Every day.  There has never, ever, ever in the entire history of my classroom been a single day where we haven't used a pencil.  I don't know what makes my students think that they can show up to my classroom without a pencil, and be ok with it.

This was a huge war for me last year.  I literally would spend the first 10 minutes of class making sure that all of my students had pencils, and were able to finally do something about their work.  I tried everything under the sun to make sure that they were prepared, like trading pencils for something of value to them, charging them for pencils, having them work them off in my classroom, calling parents to get pencils for their child, giving them broken pencil stubs to encourage real pencils, tying being prepared in class to their grade, giving them participation points (which evidently is also illegal... although I'm lacking the evidence to support that stance) and even just giving them out.  That last one failed miserably, as I started going through about 50 pencils every single day.  I HATED the pencil wars with a passion, and I just figured it was one that I was destined to lose.

Until one day I finally just got so fed up with my students not bringing pencils that I told them "You aren't entering my classroom tomorrow unless I see a pencil in your hot little hands."  Ever since that day, 98% of my students bring a pencil to class, unfailingly.  In our little chaotic corner of the world, I'd gladly call 98% a success.  And now I'm being told that I can't do that any more, and that I have to just give my students pencils because that's what the Williams Law requires.  I'm personally calling bull crap on this one, but unfortunately until I can find the evidence to support my position, I'm going to have to cave.  If anyone out there can help me find the full write up on the Williams Legislation, I'd be extremely grateful. 

Day by day, it seems like the systems that I've found to be effective in my environment are being pulled out from under me.  My motto at school has always been "Do whatever it takes for me to get the job (educate my kids) done", but it seems the tune these days is changing to "Be hesitant to take any action because odds are you're stepping out of line with some unknown protocol or breaking an obscure law, so be mediocre and play it safe".  

Forget it.

Evidently I'm becoming a rebel.  I say this, because today alone, the third day of the week, I was chewed out three times by administrative figures at my school for not following protocol.

The first time, I was chewed out because I had a student that was being extremely disruptive in the classroom, and I tried to follow protocol with him.  Protocol dictates that I call the office to send me a security officer to escort the student to the counseling center.  The problem with this is that about 50-70% of the time, the security officer never actually shows up.  So then I still end up with having to deal with the heinous situation that is my classroom, with the disruptive student now empowered knowing that I can't do anything with him:  I can't send him out because I don't have an escort to take him out and he can now do whatever the heck he wants in the classroom because he's already been "sent out".  So for the sake of the learning of the majority of my students, I literally grab the student, kick him out of my class (without an escort *gasp*) and get back with my lesson.  Peace.  Until the administration comes and chews me out for not following protocol, something that they've been getting much, much, much more strict on lately.  And to be totally honest, I applaud their efforts, because I think it's the first step towards getting our school on track.  However, when my attempts to follow protocol aren't met with the response that is demanded, I do what it takes to get my job done, which is educate my students - to hell with the protocol.

The second time occurred after I had failed to get my attendance turned in. The protocol with attendance changes on a daily basis, and today, the protocol was to put the attendance in an envelope on the inside of the door in my classroom, and security is supposed to come by every period and pick it up.  They came after first period, and never again for the rest of the day.  Now, I have my normal math class, which takes place in my classroom, but then I have my other classes which take place in the computer labs at the school.  So, come 7th period, I'm in the computer lab of the school, and our attendance office comes to the lab to pick up my attendance.  Our dialog goes something like this:

Attendance:  "Do you have your attendance?"

Me:  "Yeah, here it is." (I give him 7th period attendance)

Att. "Where is the attendance from your other periods?"

Me:  "I don't have it here..."

Att.  (Look of enormous frustration and distaste on his face) "Come on man!  You need to have your attendance with you, we've been talking about this for weeks, and you always have a problem with this!  You never have it with you - so where is it?"

Me:  "It's in the envelope back in my room, by the door.  It hasn't been picked up since first period."

Att.  "...Well, I don't have a key to your room.  Go get it."

I can't win here.  I just can't win.

And the third time, oh this was by far the best of the day.  So, for the most part, protocols in general at my school follow the basic rule of the weather in Venezuela.  Don't like it?  Wait about 10 minutes, it'll change.

Yesterday at the staff meeting, we talked about what to do with students in the hallways during lunch.  We came to the conclusion that there are to be NO students in the hallway at lunch, period.  I'd say this was new, but it's not - that's been the policy since I started working there.  We can let them think it's new policy though.  Anyhow, due to this policy, if I have students who come talk to me about wanting to come to my classroom and work during lunch, I will go down to the lunchroom, let them grab their lunch, and then bring them with me to my classroom.  If they come with me, great, if not, then they miss out and I don't let them in.  Today was no exception.

But it was raining.  And so all the students end up staying inside the building, and it just so happens that today we had some "support" from the district to help us manage the students.  As I'm walking back to my classroom with one of my students, the district person tells me that no students are allowed in the hallways without a pass. Uh... ok.  Yesterday we agreed on NO students in the hallway period, but forget it, whatever.  I go back to my classroom with the original student I brought with me, and we get to work.  Not 5 minutes later, I hear yelling in the hallway, feet pounding down the hallway as they go running past my room, and then some more yelling, and finally someone pounds on my door (My students always do this, and I HATE it, regardless of how many times I have them try it again.  They don't know how to knock lightly, they pound like their lives depend on it).

I open the door, and there's not one, but FOUR students outside my door.  Supposedly the district person wasn't letting anyone by without a pass, but here I have four standing in front of me.  So I suppose that she let them by for heaven knows what reason.  Remember, original school policy is that there are to be no students in the hallways...  I ask them what they want, and three of them say that they want to come in and work with me.  I tell them no for various reasons, mostly because I hadn't talked to them beforehand, and I was working with someone else.  The fourth student left her instrument in my classroom, so I let her grab it.  As I'm speaking with these students, the district person comes storming by my classroom, chasing after some other student, and says something about me letting students in my classroom without passes.  Ok.  The students in the hallway leave, and I'm back to working with my student in my classroom.

2 minutes pass.  I hear keys at my door and in steps our admin with the district person.  They go on to assault me about not following protocol, about having students in my classroom without passes, and that these rules don't hold up when the teachers of the school blatantly ignore them.  I stifled a laugh at this point, and humbly point out that the only student I have in my classroom at this time is the one student I brought back from the lunchroom with me.  I mention that I didn't let any of them in, except the one to grab her instrument she left in my classroom, and she left immediately afterward.  BAM!  NAILED ME!  That was my fatal mistake - I let the student into my classroom without a pass. They proceed to drive into me for the next few minutes - that this is exactly what they're talking about, and how I have complete disregard for the rules.  WHAT RULES?!?!  The rules change every 30 seconds at this place - I have no ideas what rules I'm following and which ones I'm breaking, because I have no clue what the actual rules are!

I can't stand this place.  It's a seething pile of inconsistent incompetency.  If I didn't love my students as much as I do, I would truly, truly hate working here.  But, my desire to see them succeed thankfully overwhelms my disdain for the rest of the crap I have to put up with, and makes working at my school tolerable.  But only just barely.

On the plus side, there were a few great things that have happened this week.  For starters, I had a substitute teacher hail me as her saving grace when I came in and assisted her classroom during my prep period yesterday.  As I left, she said "I can honestly say that you are the only math teacher in this school district that could be on TV."  Now that I think about that, I'm not sure what she meant by that, but I'm going to take it as something positive.

Also, I had a Conscious Classroom Management consultant tell me that "If you were teaching math at any other school, you'd be the best math teacher in the district."  That was flattering, but then it caused me to think... well, why would I have to be at another school?  Wouldn't I be the best teacher in the district, especially since I'm teaching at my school?  I highly doubt it.  Ultimately, I think it was a subtle way of saying that my classroom management skills need some work, and that's what's holding me back from really being awesome.  So, something to keep striving for.

And finally, the best thing that has happened, possibly this year, was one of my students came in to get some help after school today.  Last year, this young woman was a complete terror.  I loved the days when she didn't show up, because when she was there, life was awful.  This year, she has completely turned her game around.  Today she was telling me that last year she took her GPA from a 1.2 up to a 2.2, and this year has taken it all the way up to a 3.4!  I told her I've seen the difference in her attitude, in her participation, in her test scores, in everything.  I asked her what has caused this change, and she said "My dad."  3 legged stool anyone?

This is the reason why I'm in this job right now.  Forget the administration, forget the bureaucracy, forget the worthless professional developments and forget (gladly) all the crap that the district gives us.  It really all comes down to the students, and being able to make a difference in their lives.  I don't know where she'll be 5 years from now, but I am feeling much more confident in her future now than I would have at this same time last year.  She has limitless potential, and I'm glad to be a part of unlocking that.

She said she wished we had an art program at the school, and I agreed.  But in the mean time, I'm always glad to draw with her.  So when we finished math, we drew this on my smartboard - my first drawing in years...

It's a sunset, in case you can't tell.