Earlier I mentioned that it is report card time for those of us in the elementary school system here in Ontario.
We have new report cards this year. No major changes in layout--more space for learning skills at the beginning of the report instead of the ned--but rather substantial changes in style: more student/task specific, "parent-friendly" language.
In my board, like many boards, we use a web-based software engine to write them. We have used this interface for about 5 years now. Some minor updates needed to be made for the new reports--something the vendor apparently took care of....But they dropped the ball and there has been nothing but problems....
But that's not what is on my mind right now, servant leadership is....
In an effort to help us (teachers) change some of the language we use on report cards we have been provided with a list of other "qualifiers" and "descriptors" to use to describe student's academic progress.
"Servant Leadership" was on of the things on our list.
Oh, the irony. To lead by serving those under you, or around you.
I love my board of education--the hypocrits.
Apparently servant leadership is supposed to be important in our classrooms, something we should try to instill in them. As as children learn by example, by observation others, I doubt they will pick this up in the school system. My "superiors" are certainly not leading by serving me. Arbitrary deadlines. Refusal to acknowledge/recognize the personal, time, and financial sacrifices that we staff make....
That brings me back to the report card engine issues.
During negotiations for our current contract, we fought for and won PA days for report card writing. The board did not want to give this to us, but finally conceded. They argued that the days were unnecessary, since they felt we have ample time to write report cards during our school day, during our preps (40min/day). Apparently, they felt that teachers who wrote report cards at home during the evenings, and on weekends were "choosing" to do this....????
So our Friday Report Card writing day came...The system crashed as every teacher tried to login and write. No one managed to get anything done. So our board extended the report card deadline from a Friday to the following Monday, to allow us the weekend to write them. Apparently they do recognize that we use our own personal (family) time to write report cards... The board admin talks a lot about issues with our students--mainly to do with lack of help from parents at home....Well, I am too busy writing report cards to interact with my children....
Great Servant Leadership!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I'm in it for the money
I don't care about your revolution. I just want to get paid.
Han Solo speaking to Princess Leia after rescuing her from the Death Star.
Currently watching Star Wars with the kids. Well, they are watching it, I am still working on report cards.
A line that made me think, though.
The struggle with trying to provide a nice life for my family, while staying true to my principals. I find myself thinking about doing things (investing, real estate, etc.) that I never would have thought about 15 years ago.
I think about about the time I put in at work, for how little I make per hour. The societal value of my job verses the numerical value of my job. Something needs to change.
Real estate (income properties)???? Do I become a landlord. Something I used to consider a parasite on the backs of labour? Do I justify it to myself by telling myself that I will be a different type of landlord?
Maybe I just keep hoping to win the Lottery...
Friday, January 7, 2011
Report Card Time...
I really dislike writing report cards....lots of reasons. Not enough time to really express what I want to for each student. Not sure how to express...etc.
The main reason, however, is probably because I feel that I am not writing them for the parents. I am writing them for the Ministry of Education, the School Board, the Administrators (principal, vice-principal), etc.
And, of course, there is the question of how to write them. There is very little clear and accurate direction given about the expectations of report cards. Little consistency from school to school, principal to principal, term to term.
We have a new report card initiative from our ministry. On paper, I like it. Two report cards (plus a fall progress report) instead of three report cards. Language that is supposed to be more parent friendly, more clear about what students are learning, and how they are doing, instead of quoting provincial curriculum expectations and descriptors/qualifiers on their academic level.
In practice, however, they are not turning out so well. We are being told to write them a "new" way but have not been provided with any models on how to do this.
I hope the irony is not lost here. As a teacher, when introducing a new concept, when teaching a new skill to my students, I always model what I expect. Model how to do it, model what it should look like. I model how to write in paragraphs. I model how to use describing words, I model how to interact with others. Modelling what is expected is a cornerstone of good teaching practice. Yet here our Ministry of Education, and our boards, are telling us we need to just use our best judgement to write them, and if the reports are not written the way that they want them written, we will have to re-write them...
The other issue is time. I want to write a personalized, "parent-friendly language" report card for all of my students. As a parent myself, I understand the importance of understanding how my child is doing in school, and what I can do at home to support this learning. But where do I find the time. During the 1-2 weeks of report card writing time I tend to spend over 40 hours outside of school hours writing report cards. And that is the old way, and doing the minimum to get by. I have never happy with them, and wish I had more time to write better ones. I am not willing to sacrifice my time with my own family, with my children. I am tired of hearing "we are teachers, it is what we do" when the topic of all we do on our own time comes up. The more we do on our own time, the more the government, and the boards expect us to do.
The main reason, however, is probably because I feel that I am not writing them for the parents. I am writing them for the Ministry of Education, the School Board, the Administrators (principal, vice-principal), etc.
And, of course, there is the question of how to write them. There is very little clear and accurate direction given about the expectations of report cards. Little consistency from school to school, principal to principal, term to term.
We have a new report card initiative from our ministry. On paper, I like it. Two report cards (plus a fall progress report) instead of three report cards. Language that is supposed to be more parent friendly, more clear about what students are learning, and how they are doing, instead of quoting provincial curriculum expectations and descriptors/qualifiers on their academic level.
In practice, however, they are not turning out so well. We are being told to write them a "new" way but have not been provided with any models on how to do this.
I hope the irony is not lost here. As a teacher, when introducing a new concept, when teaching a new skill to my students, I always model what I expect. Model how to do it, model what it should look like. I model how to write in paragraphs. I model how to use describing words, I model how to interact with others. Modelling what is expected is a cornerstone of good teaching practice. Yet here our Ministry of Education, and our boards, are telling us we need to just use our best judgement to write them, and if the reports are not written the way that they want them written, we will have to re-write them...
The other issue is time. I want to write a personalized, "parent-friendly language" report card for all of my students. As a parent myself, I understand the importance of understanding how my child is doing in school, and what I can do at home to support this learning. But where do I find the time. During the 1-2 weeks of report card writing time I tend to spend over 40 hours outside of school hours writing report cards. And that is the old way, and doing the minimum to get by. I have never happy with them, and wish I had more time to write better ones. I am not willing to sacrifice my time with my own family, with my children. I am tired of hearing "we are teachers, it is what we do" when the topic of all we do on our own time comes up. The more we do on our own time, the more the government, and the boards expect us to do.
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