Sunday, October 6, 2013
Thursday, March 24, 2011
What School Budget Cuts Feel Like
If you want to know what it's like to teach in a school after significant staffing cuts, come visit me. I realized on my ride home from work tonight that I already work in a situation that may be what it's like if they (state govt.) cut school budgets (translation - cutting teachers) like everyone is reporting. I teach in a school that's closing at the end of this year due to declining enrollment in that school's attendance area over the past several years. The community persuaded the school board to keep the school open so that year's 6th graders could finish the 8th grade. As a compromise, they have phased the closing - last year we had 7th and 8th graders; this year only 8th graders. One grade level. 87 students. Sounds easy, right?
Let me interrupt by saying --- I love teaching. I love the people I work with in my school and across the district. I am challenged every day and wouldn't trade this career for anything. I am blessed beyond measure to have a teaching position in an area I'm passionate about -- language arts and reading.
Back to reality ...
Remember that with a declining enrollment comes a declining staff. Because of our enrollment, we are allotted 5 teachers, a paraprofessional, an administrator and an administrative assistant. Our 4 elective teachers have our students 1st period, then are off to teach at other campuses. No librarian and their vast expertise. No ISS teacher to help with severe discipline problems during the course of the school day. We share a special education teacher, nurse, counselor, and social worker with other schools so we do not have these services full time. 8th graders in our district have 2 electives - their other elective is either TAKS Reading or TAKS Math (if they didn't pass state tests last year) or a reading strategies or math strategies class (depending on which they need worse). No art, choir, theatre, AVID, or any of the other typical electives you find in most middle schools. We have a handful of students who have been in band and still take band, often rehearsing and performing with the high school band.
I work with the best group of teachers - we've been together for several years and we all get along and work really well together. With all the staffing/eliminations, we've had to be creative in more ways than you can imagine. We have resources, supplies and necessities, but I feel like that the students are really getting the short end of the deal. Some of them have 3 math-related classes or 2 reading classes and 2 math classes - every day. Sounds ok because they probably need it, right? Well, yeah. But too much of a good thing is overkill. If they're not a brilliant academic student - particularly math or reading - they get to be "unsuccessful" 2-3 times a day. Kids really lose out when their education isn't complimented with the other valuable electives and services that schools have traditionally offered.
I'm preaching to the choir and just felt the need to write this down. Hopefully those in leadership positions at the district, state, and federal levels will make smart decisions and realize that doing more with less simply cannot jeopardize our kids' educations. They're our future and deserve the best.
Monday, June 14, 2010
My Response to a California Teacher
Originally published in 2010. This was something I wrote in response to an email that I received and articles/rumors/half-truths about Title I schools. I just had to include my 2 cents worth - for whatever it's worth.
I also teach in a Title 1 school, mostly Hispanic origin, and am an English as a Second Language teacher also. San Antonio is a predominately Mexican-American community although all nationalities are in the city as well. I was intrigued by the information because it sounded so familiar. I'm pretty sure from getting to know my students that most are legal and come from hard-working families - very proud and steeped in tradition. I had two recent immigrants in my class this year - both from families who have legally-obtained jobs and documentation. Most all of the parents/grandparents/guardians I have met are law-abiding and don't like "illegals" any more than anyone else. I'm sure it's true in some areas of the country, but based on where I work, you can't say that all Title 1 schools have mostly illegal immigrants. What makes my "blood boil" are people who assume that just because a Mexican is working a construction job that they are here illegally.
Since our entire district is Title 1 because the majority of families are low socioeconomic and income levels, kids get free breakfast and lunch. There are days they don't like what is served so they either give it to someone who will eat it or it gets tossed. My two sons will also tell you that at their schools, most kids prefer the snack line (chicken sandwiches, pizza, nachos, etc.) over the traditional cafeteria food line. Food preparation laws everywhere require that uneaten food, even if it's individually wrapped, be thrown away. This is true for any place that serves food. I've noticed that the kids I teach love fresh fruit and juice - things that are more expensive in stores - and will take an apple or orange over a candy bar any day.
I'm not a Constitutional expert, but in what research I've done (and teaching US History the past two years), the 14th amendment protects life, liberty, property, equal protection, and due process of law to "any person." So while there's the issue of whether or not someone is in the US legally, they still have rights as people according to the Constitution, until they have to prove otherwise. It wouldn't bother me if all my students were brought here by their families illegally - they are children and I would never want to deny any child the opportunity of an education, regardless of their background. What their parents do isn't their fault. And yes, while our district encourages the Mexican culture through language study, fine arts, etc., classes are taught in English -- I'm an ESL teacher and I speak to students only in English to help them learn the language. I know very limited Spanish but not enough to carry on a conversation, so I don't have the second language to use when a student doesn't understand. I either use visual or other cues, or get a student to translate for me. I have a great time with my limited English speaking students! We do have bilingual programs in earlier grades, but it is to help kids make the transition from learning in Spanish to learning English. We encourage students to speak both and to not lose their native language. I tell my dual-language students all the time that they are lucky to speak two languages fluently. Many who grew up speaking Spanish have taught their parents English - what a gift from such a young child.
The teacher in this article should feel grateful for the funding she gets for equipment and supplies. Kids tear it up because they never learned any differently. They tear up stuff in "regular" schools also. I tell my own kids that I think our generation has really screwed up their generation because we've given them everything -- everybody gets a trophy, nobody loses, everyone's a winner -- which causes the entitlement. They have to be taught how to take care of things. When stuff gets tagged in my room or at school (and it does), it gets cleaned immediately - after awhile, they won't bother it. Last year I had problems with kids cutting the cords on the computer mice - fine - no computer use in my room and they had to earn the right to get them back and check out a keyboard and a mouse to use. We had the funding to replace the damaged equipment, but they had to learn that they need to respect what is given to them. I rarely have problems with students tagging my bulletin boards or destroying another students' work. When it happens, it's another teachable moment.
I do agree with the writer's comment about culture -- it is a cycle that is hard to break and you have to find a way to balance opportunity and tough love with enabling them. Americans are way too politically correct. Until we can fix the social problems, it will always be tough in Title 1 schools. Some of what we see as "social problems" are considered "normal" in their family or culture. I had an 8th grade student with a one-yr-old daughter this year. Her own mother is only 28 and also has a 13-yr-old and a 3-yr-old -- different fathers. This girl has "personality+" and used it to get her way - at first, she called me a bitch countless times but that's how she speaks to her own mother. She was in my pre-AP English class, got a "commended" score on her reading test. She ended up getting in a fight toward the end of the year and went to alternative school - she told her friend to tell me hi and that she missed me. She knew that regardless of what she did or said to me, I wasn't giving up on her even though there was a time I considered it. You can't save them all, but you can always try to plant seeds of hope for a better future. Our main goal is for this girl to finish high school, even if it is in an accelerated program where she can work and go to school. She has way too much potential to end up like her mom. She wants to use her life experience for a career in criminal justice as a social worker or probation officer.
Our district does have services and referral agencies for pregnant teens and teen parents, but if that is what will get these kids at least a high school diploma, I'm ok with that. I had another male student - age 15 - 8th grader - who has a 4-month old. Everyone in his life has pretty much given up on him, so naturally, he has given up on himself. He's smart - just won't come to school. He was sent to our school to get him away from a situation at his other school. He usually slept in my class, but when you're the 15-yr-old single parent of a 4-month old, you could understand why.
There are lots of sad situations where I am, and it's difficult some days, but even the "thug" kids can be great kids deep down. I am proud of where I work, and decided to stay in the district by choice after my second year. I read the part about new teachers and subs crying their way out the door. I cried nearly every day my first year and most days my second year -- I've been called every name in the book in both English and Spanish, flipped off, had things stolen, things thrown at me -- you name it. A vice principal told me you really need thick alligator skin to work with this population and to put it in perspective - I'm in my 40s, they are 14. It took awhile, but I have very thick skin and won't lower my professionalism to react to their immaturity. I can't imagine teaching anywhere else at this point in my long-awaited teaching career.
I'm definitely not a fan of illegal immigration, but welcome to the U.S. if you go through proper channels to be here legally. The process does need to be fixed -- it is way too complicated. In a former job before becoming a teacher, I was the human resources liaison with an immigration attorney for a computer programmer our company hired from India - he had a specific skill set that no other applicant from the U.S. had (the job had to be posted for about 6 weeks if I remember correctly). It took about two years for the entire process from initial hire (on a work visa which took a few months by itself) to him obtaining his greencard. The paperwork and research involved was insane.
Thanks for indulging my "venting" - I'm pretty passionate about my Mexican kids.
Since our entire district is Title 1 because the majority of families are low socioeconomic and income levels, kids get free breakfast and lunch. There are days they don't like what is served so they either give it to someone who will eat it or it gets tossed. My two sons will also tell you that at their schools, most kids prefer the snack line (chicken sandwiches, pizza, nachos, etc.) over the traditional cafeteria food line. Food preparation laws everywhere require that uneaten food, even if it's individually wrapped, be thrown away. This is true for any place that serves food. I've noticed that the kids I teach love fresh fruit and juice - things that are more expensive in stores - and will take an apple or orange over a candy bar any day.
I'm not a Constitutional expert, but in what research I've done (and teaching US History the past two years), the 14th amendment protects life, liberty, property, equal protection, and due process of law to "any person." So while there's the issue of whether or not someone is in the US legally, they still have rights as people according to the Constitution, until they have to prove otherwise. It wouldn't bother me if all my students were brought here by their families illegally - they are children and I would never want to deny any child the opportunity of an education, regardless of their background. What their parents do isn't their fault. And yes, while our district encourages the Mexican culture through language study, fine arts, etc., classes are taught in English -- I'm an ESL teacher and I speak to students only in English to help them learn the language. I know very limited Spanish but not enough to carry on a conversation, so I don't have the second language to use when a student doesn't understand. I either use visual or other cues, or get a student to translate for me. I have a great time with my limited English speaking students! We do have bilingual programs in earlier grades, but it is to help kids make the transition from learning in Spanish to learning English. We encourage students to speak both and to not lose their native language. I tell my dual-language students all the time that they are lucky to speak two languages fluently. Many who grew up speaking Spanish have taught their parents English - what a gift from such a young child.
The teacher in this article should feel grateful for the funding she gets for equipment and supplies. Kids tear it up because they never learned any differently. They tear up stuff in "regular" schools also. I tell my own kids that I think our generation has really screwed up their generation because we've given them everything -- everybody gets a trophy, nobody loses, everyone's a winner -- which causes the entitlement. They have to be taught how to take care of things. When stuff gets tagged in my room or at school (and it does), it gets cleaned immediately - after awhile, they won't bother it. Last year I had problems with kids cutting the cords on the computer mice - fine - no computer use in my room and they had to earn the right to get them back and check out a keyboard and a mouse to use. We had the funding to replace the damaged equipment, but they had to learn that they need to respect what is given to them. I rarely have problems with students tagging my bulletin boards or destroying another students' work. When it happens, it's another teachable moment.
I do agree with the writer's comment about culture -- it is a cycle that is hard to break and you have to find a way to balance opportunity and tough love with enabling them. Americans are way too politically correct. Until we can fix the social problems, it will always be tough in Title 1 schools. Some of what we see as "social problems" are considered "normal" in their family or culture. I had an 8th grade student with a one-yr-old daughter this year. Her own mother is only 28 and also has a 13-yr-old and a 3-yr-old -- different fathers. This girl has "personality+" and used it to get her way - at first, she called me a bitch countless times but that's how she speaks to her own mother. She was in my pre-AP English class, got a "commended" score on her reading test. She ended up getting in a fight toward the end of the year and went to alternative school - she told her friend to tell me hi and that she missed me. She knew that regardless of what she did or said to me, I wasn't giving up on her even though there was a time I considered it. You can't save them all, but you can always try to plant seeds of hope for a better future. Our main goal is for this girl to finish high school, even if it is in an accelerated program where she can work and go to school. She has way too much potential to end up like her mom. She wants to use her life experience for a career in criminal justice as a social worker or probation officer.
Our district does have services and referral agencies for pregnant teens and teen parents, but if that is what will get these kids at least a high school diploma, I'm ok with that. I had another male student - age 15 - 8th grader - who has a 4-month old. Everyone in his life has pretty much given up on him, so naturally, he has given up on himself. He's smart - just won't come to school. He was sent to our school to get him away from a situation at his other school. He usually slept in my class, but when you're the 15-yr-old single parent of a 4-month old, you could understand why.
There are lots of sad situations where I am, and it's difficult some days, but even the "thug" kids can be great kids deep down. I am proud of where I work, and decided to stay in the district by choice after my second year. I read the part about new teachers and subs crying their way out the door. I cried nearly every day my first year and most days my second year -- I've been called every name in the book in both English and Spanish, flipped off, had things stolen, things thrown at me -- you name it. A vice principal told me you really need thick alligator skin to work with this population and to put it in perspective - I'm in my 40s, they are 14. It took awhile, but I have very thick skin and won't lower my professionalism to react to their immaturity. I can't imagine teaching anywhere else at this point in my long-awaited teaching career.
I'm definitely not a fan of illegal immigration, but welcome to the U.S. if you go through proper channels to be here legally. The process does need to be fixed -- it is way too complicated. In a former job before becoming a teacher, I was the human resources liaison with an immigration attorney for a computer programmer our company hired from India - he had a specific skill set that no other applicant from the U.S. had (the job had to be posted for about 6 weeks if I remember correctly). It took about two years for the entire process from initial hire (on a work visa which took a few months by itself) to him obtaining his greencard. The paperwork and research involved was insane.
Thanks for indulging my "venting" - I'm pretty passionate about my Mexican kids.
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