The Late Work Conundrum Dilemma

There has been a debate going on for decades between teachers and administrators: should they accept late work? I think it goes MUCH deeper than this question. Isn’t about the students learning the content? If they need more time, should they be able to have it? If they decide to get on board, don’t educators believe in second chances? Does zeros promote responsibility? Do zeros motivate most students to achieve? Well, this week I found myself in the late work conundrum trap, but I am embracing it. It’s funny how rigid I used to be when I first taught. I am reaching far more student with understanding and love than I ever did.

This week I sent out 50 letters to parents and students letting them know that there is missing work and that it has to be turned in to show mastery in the content and skills for quarter one. I offered my services after school once again. I am sure that there will be several types of responses, both good and bad, but I hope that parents understand that the last thing that our students need is to passed on to another grade without gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to function in the adult world. It’s a lot of work for me to take late and missing work at the end of the quarter, but I am there to serve my students and parents. If that is what they need, I am willing to extend myself.

Some students need more time. They may or may not have put it off, but once they do decide to do it, I can go back in and change their grade. When a student does not complete their work, I believe there has to be a reason. There are many reasons; nevertheless, if they need more time, I will give them an incomplete on their report card until they complete it with mastery.
Folks, what does a zero do? It does a lot of things and none of it is good. None of it gives the correct message. Most high school students could care less about a zero, but what they do care about is if the teacher who has invested in them wants them to grow and succeed. If the teacher gets this across, one is more likely to get more work and growth from his or her students. Since I sent out half of my entire class load, I have a lot of work to do building relationships etc. I am not giving up! I will keep trying to reach them and help them to see the importance in what they are doing.

True, students are not adults and do not understand what they will need to be able to do when they get out there in the real-world, but parents and teachers do. In short, we are on the same side and want these teens to be successful both short and long-term.

You don’t have to agree with me on this. We can agree to disagree!

FCAT Retake Anxiety: It's Real for Both Teachers and Students!

In order for my students who are taking the Reading FCAT retakes a week from tomorrow, today I downloaded the ePat Launcher software. They will have one practice test. Though I have been creating online testing simulations, the students are concerned about not being on this software to practice many times.

Since this is not a new concept, I am perplexed with the idea that we do not have more practice tests in the new online testing format. Why isn’t FCAT Explorer converted into the new format. There is a big difference between taking an online test and pencil paper test. Are the students, teachers, and parents the only ones who understand this? I feel like a skipping CD. Is this more about money and less about student success? I have to answer this question with a mighty YES!
Let’s not forget that our paid is tied to these new online tests too. Teachers feel their hands are tied. Students feel like both their hands and feet are tied in knots. What else can I do to make them feel better? I praise, encourage, teach them with whatever tools I have, and I hope for the best.

Teachers feel powerless often to the laws, policies, and new testing requirements and procedures coming down. We seem, for many, to be the last people constituents want to listen to or respect now days. I hope someone reading this will email or call our state representatives and our governor and tell them enough is enough! Write the president too! Flood the White House. Now is a good a time as any!

Here is a complete email list. Click here!

Blown Away

Today I had the privilege to sit and learn from a dedicated, literacy minded, and caring staff as a facilitated the training. We began to talk about literacy and how to incorporate literacy strategies in our classes; I was blown away by the responses of our staff. We created a lengthy list of ideas to use in our classroom. The sharing went on for a long time. Again, I am grateful for NPHS’s dedicated staff and leadership. It was a difficult year last year, but it was good to come back, hug some necks, talk education shop, and put some new plans and goals in place for the sake of our students. We went home today having our minds refreshed. We had to time to collaborate plan, which is something NPHS teachers have been asking for.

If your child attends or plans to attend NPHS, you would be happy to know how much NPHS staff cares about your child and wants to help them succeed.

Anticipating Tomorrow: Work Day at the School!

I am happy to report that I am going to work tomorrow at the school, and I am excited about it! Yes, it sounds crazy. But when you collaborate with people who are creative, kind, funny, energetic, and knowledgeable, it’s a great place to be. So, while this entry is short and sweet, I wanted my readers to know that most teachers enjoy working on their craft and classroom during the summer. It’s their passion. So, tomorrow is right around the corner, and I can’t wait!

The Summer To-Do List: Teacher Leaders Work in the Summer

I have been getting a plethora of questions lately regarding whether or not I have fixed work hours this summer or if I am working at all. It’s a tough question to answer in casual conversation. I don’t think many people understand the heart and life of a teacher leader.

Here is a snap-shot of my summer log. In fact, it may resemble many other teachers around the globe. We work for our students and also to improve our subject area, the way in which we deliver our instruction, up-date our technology skills that keep changing, learn new standards and rules coming down from the legislature, the Department of Education, and the district. The list goes on, and it keeps us busy. A great amount of teachers take this a step further and volunteer to do other jobs that are essential to the school running. As the cuts continue, teachers are being asked to dig deeper. Some don’t need to be asked; they step up to the plate. These are teacher leaders.

THE LIST:

1. I begin with working on professional development for our school, which is a big job. True, I get paid very little for planning, preparing, and teaching PD opportunities, but it’s a passion that I have. I get to fill a need and be happy at the same time. It’s a win-win. I enjoy helping teachers improve their craft, as well as make it possible for them to earn recertification points. Yes, I have to put everything into a system, keep track of points, and verify all of it; but, it’s worth it. I hope to get a lot of things inputted before school resumes. This way my phone should ring less, and I will have more time for my students and to grade papers.

2. I am making 3X5 cards for each ACT word with the definition, part-of-speech, antonym, synonym, example, non-example, and a sentence using the word on it. I think I have 60 out of 300 cards done. I hope to have these laminated. This way my word wall can be interactive. I can also use these for fun review games that reinforce learning. Did you know that much of the research out there says students must come into contact with a word at least ten times, if not more, to learn it?

3. I am still waiting to hear my FCAT scores, so the next project was put on hold. I can no longer put it off. So Monday, I will be meeting teachers to work on planning and a homework booklet. Though we spent the last two-weeks of school hashing things out, we still have a lot of work to do!

4. I want to infuse even more technology into my classroom this year. I attended an Angelweb course this summer and plan to scan one of workbook resources in so their FCAT practice can resemble the new online 10^th grade reading FCAT.

5. I am also hoping to have time to put together a list and maybe even a training on online test taking strategies. I have already sent out a few emails to reading retake teachers asking them what they have been doing to prepare their kids for the online Reading retakes. Do they have any flipcharts they can share? I am hoping they will be able to help us get a training together. All in all, what this means is that if teachers have not moved away from the traditional textbook type teaching class, they are in trouble. I am thankful that I have already using blogs for students to read, interact, etc. I use Gale library, an online library, in several class and homework activities. Students are getting accustomed to reading on-line text. I think I am head of the game or jumping through prehoops here! If you are a teacher, you know what I mean!

6. I am reading Heist Society by Ally Carter and writing test questions to put in to our district resource in Angelweb. Like Accelerated Reader, students can read a book and take a test on it. I need to write at least fifty test questions. I dislike this book immensely and will myself to finish this task!

7. I also would like to work on combining our English Department lessons and resources into one place. I did not volunteer, but secretly hoped I'd have time to help. We agreed on a Focus calendar and many other policies as a department. How nice will it be if a student is moved to my class that I will know what skills have been taught, what Coach lessons have been finished, and a writing portfolio with reading assessments will come with them! How awesome it will be that our grade books will start looking the same. I am not sure how far I will get with this last task, but it is in my heart and I hope to have it at least started.

8. Update my website by putting in all assignments for the 1st quarter in the My Calendar page, all ACT words and test dates for the year (I hope). I actually had to come back in here and add this in; how could I forget my website work?

I have been working on a lot of school projects over the summer, and I have a life too! I am a writer of three blogs, a grandma, mother, wife, sister, and friend to many. I am involved in leadership activities outside of school. I love the beach and playing Bunco. I am watching a house over the summer too. That’s two houses to keep clean…. Oh my! How is it possible? My passion for teaching, mentoring teachers, working with stakeholders, and the hopes to be a part of the reform of our education system keeps me going!

Synergy in the Making: Consulting Success!

I spent three days with six incredible and talented educators last week. I was doing consulting work with two other teams of teachers from two other states. The early morning flights and pranks we suffered at the hotel were well worth the investment of time. There were many take-a-ways from this trip, both in product and relationships. I have always believed that when you give teachers time to work together and create something that they will do it and do it well. The time spent together, as a result of teamwork, was like a productive educational glue that fostered the development of a creative substance, which united this team in vision and purpose. The synergy was amazing!

Working collaboratively with a team of educators to create a unit of lessons that were technology packed and rigorous over a span of two days was eventful. The entire process, from start to finish, was a learning process for all of us. Each person brought a skill-set to the table and every stakeholder was eventually open and willing to dream big. No one was concerned about who said or did what; there were no department politics. There were no administrators of support staff hanging over our heads watching us as if we needed to be babysat. Both of these can scenarios happen, though rare in my district. Teachers were open and felt safe to talk about what has worked and not worked in their classrooms. The dialogue rich days helped teachers to support each other and brainstorm about their students’ needs. This project has just begun; yet, I know that we will continue to talk about our creations and critique them. There are aspirations to involve our classes in pen-pal type chat via classchatter.com and other innovative ideas. While we do not know if the money will exist to keep this project going, I am sure that this group will continue to collaborate via email and use other technology tools to engage their students as a result of our first face-to-face meeting. It is also good to gain others’ perspectives. Sometimes if you’re swimming in the same classroom fishbowl year-after-year, things start looking the same and fresh water is needed.

The other take-away was the friendships that were planted. Little things like when one of the Louisiana teachers gave me crackers to sooth my aching stomach; she showed thoughtfulness and that she cared. One of the Virginia teachers took the lead on our project on day one. This was just after we had all been pranked-called and up most of the night waiting for the police to show up to report it. He did not have to take the lead, but I am so thankful that he did. Also, my prank lasted the longest; one of the Florida female teachers let me sleep in their room. I had soaked all of my sheets to stop the radiation that was penetrating my room, which was the joke. We had spasms of laughter while trying to navigate with the tom-tom; one of the teachers pulled out her phone, AKA back-up navigator as we paced the state police station over and over. These are just a few of the highlights from of our trip and time together. It’s hard to imagine that I was thinking of not going. I’ll never forget the events of this trip, our products, or the amazing people I met!

Best Practices in the Classroom (Pedagogy) VS. FCAT Testing Practice, Coaching, and Prodding

Talk to any student out there, and they will tell you that they hate the dry instruction associated with the approved FCAT practice/ teaching materials coming from the state and into their classrooms. Keep in mind, they are great resources and can be found on the FL Dept. of Education website. In fact, I have put a page on my school website for parent and student resources to use outside of class for practice. Yet, I refuse to use them in my classroom on a regular basis for many reasons.


This FCAT teaching, coaching, and practice prodding goes against what I believe and have been taught as an educator. When teaching in Michigan, there was little talk about which answers were missed by students taking the MEAP in meetings and lunch rooms.


I cannot express the importance of pedagogy that comes through a sound teacher education program! We cannot forget what we have been taught. We also cannot forget why we became teachers. For most of us, it is because a great teacher inspired us to learn, not take a stinkin FCAT test (forgive me). If a teacher teaches and knows the standards and content, they can have successful student gains. I must also interject that students must do the work at school. This means they need to come to school and work; they also need to do their homework and study. The teacher cannot do it themselves. I also believe that if the teacher makes their classroom relevant, the students will come, enjoy, and learn. If lessons stimulate student interests' and the teacher uses Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences in their lesson delivery and assessment choices, the students will be more likely engaged and not bored. This takes a lot of work, but it is worth it. High expectations are also necessary.

I attempt to base my classroom instruction and activities on best practices. These practices come from research. I do what I can to stretch or extend some FCAT lessons and put a best practice spin on it sometimes. I try not even use the word: FCAT! The pressures is building up. I have to stand on what I believe on and in; it's tough to be in a room where everyone else is giving FCAT practice tests the day before the FCAT but you. I think the day before the FCAT they are as ready as they are going to be. I spend that day building their confidence up by telling them that they are ready. This is not a lie. It is the truth. They need to hear it. Many of these kids have failed their FCAT reading test year after year. They don't think they can pass it! This system has created a body of students who do not believe in themselves because of strong arm FCAT consequences.

I use some resource materials that teach basic skills, like the textbook: COACH, but my job is to prepare them for the real world and not how to pass some stinking test (forgive me). Thus, I spend a lot of the year going over (reteaching) terms the kids need to know in order to understand the questions on the FCAT, but I will not bow to the FCAT god. I use data to determine which students need intervention. We practice fluency to build our reading stamina. This is because very few of my students read outside of class. I try to help them find an author, series, or topic they want to read and research about.

I worry that with the new legislation that teachers will become FCAT extremists. We need to remember what we learned in school and use it! Don't bow to the FCAT god; best practices work! Read this following article for more information on this topic and concern facing educations today from the blog: The Answer Sheet from the Washington Post!

Fluency Practice Equals Solid Results

Dear Readers, While the educational climate is rather tumultuous and hail storms seem to be hitting the news everyday, there are some really good things going on in classrooms that need to be reported. The following pictures are from a fluency reading activity we did a few weeks ago. Their fluency graphs show that they are making progress!

Encourage Others in Tough Times!

Yesterday teachers talked and encouraged each other at lunch. I think we need to do more of this right now! Lunch is a perfect place to praise one another about the great things that are happening in our classrooms!

FCIR Exposes Hypocrisy in FL's Government: Is this Babylon?

Are Rick Scott's actions (education cuts) unconstitutional? Did Florida legislators turn their heads? What are they doing for our kids and our future? Read this article from FCIR and find out more! A friend posted this on FB last night. Thought you might want to read it, though it is making many of us frustrated. I am committed to getting the word out. Please do the same!

A Recent Update on the Status on HB 61, HB 1331, KC03, HB 255, and Many More Concerns on the Education Front!

Here is where FL is right now with much of what is news. This is a report from FEA Frontline report. It is a PDF file.

Please read and share!

Remember The Alamo; Remember Our Children

Dear Friends,
This blog entry is quite special to me because I have been to the Alamo, I appreciate our country's history, and I hope our education system can be saved! It is no longer about which political party I am aligned with or which education initiative (s) I am mandated to follow. It seems both of these band wagons have slapped stakeholders, mainly teachers, in the face after doing what we have been told do for the past three decades! It's a sign of the times: the Legislature has made a mess of education. They don't know what to do, and now they want to clean up their 30 year mess, while blaming teachers, who are the obvious scapegoats to this political and idiotic agenda. What about the kids? The truth must be told and true to this blog: I am keeping it real!

Thus, I am reposting an insightful entry from the Washington Post. It was reposted by Valerie Strauss who came across a up-to-date Remember the Alamo letter written by a "Texas district schools chief" . She writes: "This is an open letter issued by John Kuhn, superintendent of the Perrin-Whitt Consolidated Independent School District. Addressed to Texas legislators, this plea for help is modeled on the famous letter that William Barret Travis sent from the Alamo right before it fell in 1836 (the text of which follows Kuhn's). Kuhn refers to plans by Texas Gov. Rick Perry to cut billions of dollars from public school funding."
Please read the actual letter below and consider clicking on the link below to get more information about this educator advocate.

1. Youtube Video of John Kuhn at a recent rally!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlEM4MGNeTY&feature=player_embedded

2. Interview with John Kuhn from Education Week: Living in Dialogue: - A Teacher Blog
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2011/03/i_am_educator_hear_me_roar_an.html

3. The Alamo Letter reposted by Valerie Strauss.From: John Kuhn, Superintendent, Perrin-Whitt CISD
To: Senator Estes, Representative Hardcastle, Representative Keffer, and Representative King during these grave times:

Gentlemen,
I am besieged, by a hundred or more of the Legislators under Rick Perry. I have sustained a continual Bombardment of increased high-stakes testing and accountability-related bureaucracy and a cannonade of gross underfunding for 10 years at least and have lost several good men and women. The ruling party has demanded another round of pay cuts and furloughs, while the school house be put to the sword and our children's lunch money be taken in order to keep taxes low for big business. I am answering the demand with a (figurative) cannon shot, and the Texas flag still waves proudly from our flag pole. I shall never surrender the fight for the children of Perrin.

Then, I call on you my legislators in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch. The enemy of public schools is declaring that spending on a shiny new high-stakes testing system is "non-negotiable"; that, in essence, we must save the test but not the teachers. The enemy of public schools is saying that Texas lawmakers won't raise 1 penny in taxes in order to save our schools.

If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and fight for the kids in these classrooms like an educator who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his community. Make education a priority!

With all due respect and urgency,

John Kuhn
Superintendent
Perrin-Whitt CISD

Here is the text of the 1836 letter:


Commandancy of the Alamo------

Bejar Fby. 24th 1836

To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world------

Fellow citizens & compatriots------

I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna ----- I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man ----- The enemy has demanded a Surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken ----- I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the wall ----- I shall never Surrender or retreat

Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & every thing dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch ----- The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country ----- Victory or Death

William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comdt


P. S. The lord is on our side- When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn--- We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves---

Travis

Please join my blog and forward or send this to others via Twitter, email, and or Facebook!
Let our voices be heard!

Commisoner Smith Resigns Today; His Last Day Will Be on June 10th, 2011

In my attempts to "keep it real" and as things continue to heat up in the education climate, here is the most recent news I was made aware of this afternoon: Commissioner Smith resigned today and his last day will be June 10th, 2011.

The following is a copy of the email I received by JUSTFORTEACHERS-L@LSERV.FLDOE.ORG today. The message below shows the progress Florida's educators have made over the past three years; there are other initiatives that have begun as a result of many peoples' hard work.

One has to wonder why public education is taking so many steps backwards. We worked so hard for so long. Feeling like we have been jumping through hoops that have been delivered down from the House, we have still made strides but we are still faced with the recent changes in legislation. Are more stakeholders going to abandon this ship? Please ponder the implications of his decision though I respect it. I hope it inspires you to stand up and speak up for public education. Sometimes resigning is one way of speaking up and out.
___________________________________________________________
Earlier today, Commissioner Smith informed the public of his resignation effective June 10. I've worked closely with Dr. Smith for many months now and I can say with complete sincerity that he has always appreciated the work of Florida's teachers and the extraordinary job they do for the benefit of students. Please see below for Commissioner Smith's full resignation statement which includes the successes of which he is most proud to have worked with you to accomplish.

This past weekend, I informed the members of the State Board of Education of my intention to resign as Florida’s Commissioner of Education effective June 10, 2011, the last day of this school year. It has been my privilege to serve as Commissioner during a period in which Florida demonstrated bold national leadership in the field of education. The time has come, however, to allow our newly elected Governor to have input through the State Board of Education on the type of leader to pursue his goals for education.

I am very proud of the significant accomplishments achieved by the hard work and aspirations of Florida’s students and educators during the past three years. The following are highlights:

• Florida was ranked 5th in the nation in the 2010 Quality Counts report by Education Week up from 31st in 2007, which tracks state policies and performance across key areas of education.
• Florida was one of only four states in the nation to improve significantly in both fourth and eighth grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), with significant gains for Florida’s African-American and Hispanic students outpacing their counterparts in the nation.
• Florida’s graduation rate climbed to 79 percent in 2010, a new high for our state, with significant increases for minority students.
• More than 120,000 students entered kindergarten better prepared in 2010 as a result of their participation in our state’s Voluntary PreKindergarten (VPK) program.
• In 2010, the number of AP exams administered to Florida’s public school students increased 19.5 percent and the number of students receiving a passing score on an AP exam jumped 14.5 percent. Because of this achievement Florida has the third highest number of students taking the AP exam compared to the nation and ranks fourth in the nation for the number of students scoring 3 or higher.
• At the same time, participation in Dual Enrollment coursework increased 18.4 percent, with a 12.2 percent increase in the number of students earning college credit in these courses.
• For the eighth year in a row, Community College Week’s 2010 annual top 100 report honored Florida’s state colleges with the top spots in terms of degrees earned.

While these are impressive achievements, over the past three years, we have also developed and have begun to implement the following strategies to drive future progress:

• In August 2010, Florida was named a winner in the Race to the Top competition, securing $700 million in federal funds to revolutionize the state’s education system.
• Last week, the Florida Legislature passed landmark legislation called the Student Success Act that will reform the teaching profession and allow our state to better attract and retain high-quality teachers and remove the low-performing teachers from the classroom.
• The Florida Department of Education took a leadership role nationally, developing Common Core Standards and now serves as the fiscal agent for the national consortium of states to develop assessments that will measure student performance on these standards.
• In 2010, legislation was enacted to require more rigorous graduation requirements to ensure that students leave high school better prepared for college and a career.
• A new high school grading formula was implemented that gives parents a more comprehensive look at their student’s school in terms of college and career readiness.
• Florida integrated federal and state requirements resulting in a reduction in reporting and a solid process was implemented to identify and support the state’s persistently low achieving schools.

The foundations are in place and the expectations are clear that Florida will be number one in education! The future is promising and very exciting for our students.

It has been an honor to serve both the State Board of Education as well as the members of the Florida’s Legislature. These individuals have made incredible efforts to build upon the bold education reforms established by Governor Jeb Bush allowing us to progress both quickly and successfully. It also has been a pleasure to work with the talented individuals in the Department of Education who continue to demonstrate commitment to serving students, parents and teachers of our wonderful state.

I thank the state of Florida for the privilege and honor to have served as its Education Commissioner. There always will be a special place in my family’s heart for this blessed state and its students.

Eric Smith


Kelly Seay
Teacher Liaison
Florida Department of Education
Office of Communications
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 1524
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400

A Tough Decision Works Out Perfectly!

Today and during my 8th period, I had a student communicate to me about her absence in my class earlier. She was clearly upset. I had given classroom instruction about today’s lesson; thus, students were logged into FCAT Explorer, working, and compiling information for the FCAT Explorer evaluation exit activity at the end of our class. They also knew that if finished, they should read silently.


Well, I needed to talk to this young lady, and I could not do this in front of them. I also needed to listen. I made a decision! I went out in the hall with her, and I shut the door peering through the classroom window every few seconds or so. She poured her heart out to me for at least ten minutes. It felt like an eternity; her heart was broken, but I couldn’t find out why!


What was amazing was that my 8th period class must have understood that sometimes teens need to know that someone cares and is willing to listen. No, it was not the best time for this interruption, but it was necessary. When I walked in, they were all on task. I quickly asked them if I could take a picture of them for my blog! I was so proud of them and thankful. They exclaimed, “Yes!”


Of course, I saw that they were working, while I was checking via the window, but I could hear a pin drop when I entered. They were on task the entire time; they could not see me as well as I could see them. This illustrated the level of commitment they had towards their academic instruction too! Also, the amount of respect they gave us was admirable and genuine.


While crying students is a rare occasion where I work, I was so proud that my students understood and let me comfort her. I know that they know that if they are having a bad day, or they need someone to listen to them or talk to them, that I will be there for them. This awesome moment awarded my entire class an honorary class True Blue Award. It also reminded me that making a difference and the role of a teacher is quite demanding, unique, and rewarding!

FCAT Writes, Politics, and Scapegoats: A Dismount is In Order!

FCAT Writes, politics, and scapegoats, OH MY!!!!!! The FCAT Writes is tomorrow! I have been flooded with questions from students today and most any other day that we write. Mind you, this is about EVERY day. Questions like, do we need to pass this test to graduate, do I have to plan, do I have to take this test, does it count for me, what if I blow off the test, what if I choose not to come and test, and so many more. I understand the reason why students are asking these questions; they don’t want to take the test, and they do not see its importance. Many tell me to my face that they don’t care. Folks, I get it. There seems to be a disconnect. Do people really understand the ramifications of these statements and attitudes? They should because they are real! Disenfranchised students fight back in this manner. Is this making things any better? No, it only is perpetuating the theory that most teachers are not doing their jobs. Think about this on a greater scale. Is society saying that colleges are not preparing teachers either? I think not!

Do any other people besides teachers understand that the school grade is calculated on this testing data? What about in the years to come and with the Race to the Top Initiative coming down the pike that will penalize teachers for poor scores; does anyone care that teacher’s pay will be effected and their livelihood? Even worse, what about the teacher who is willfully teaching classes to remediate students in reading and writing that house, more often than not, unmotivated students; should they be penalized for caring for their students or being willing to go into the trenches and work harder than Honors teachers?

So, while the world is sleeping tonight, many teachers are hoping, and I am going to say it, praying that their kids will care and do their best tomorrow on FCAT Writes. I do not see any politician taking a student into their meetings and asking them how this assessment will benefit the students. Isn't that what this about: the student? But I do see a lot of people pointing their fingers at teachers. They can’t all be bad; can they? What about parents and students; do they play a role? Does holding a student back hold them accountable? Not really, it just makes them more at-risk for not graduating or worse yet, ending up in jail. Read the research and get informed.

If Rick Scott was going to fine parents for student absences, missing assignments, homework, and assessments, would parents stand up and fight back? You betcha they would! What if parents were mandated to pay for tutoring if their kids were not passing standardized tests? Do you think they would obey this rule? No, they would revolt!

I have to keep it real tonight. I am a hard working teacher, but I will sleep tonight. I have to believe that God is bigger than all of this. I do my job unto Him first. What else can I do? I can’t strike; I’ll lose my job. So, for now, I’ll do my best and hope that the powers that be will see that teachers are the scapegoats right now. All stakeholders need accountability. This includes parents and students, which for many teachers seem to be the missing link.

Yes, I know that there are some teachers that do not their job, but this can't be all of them. So, why do we continue to make decisions based on the few who do not do their jobs? And while our nation continues to see illiteracy rates increase, when will they decide to get to business? The standardized testing horse is dead; it's time to dismount.

There has to be a better way. Why not try making assessments relevant and authentic? I understand these types of assessments are hard to measure and get data from, but do you really want to find out if students are learning, or do we want data to banter with other countries, states, districts, and real estate agents with to determine the school to send our child to, they best state to live for education, or the best part of the city to purchase a home or rent? For some, they want to brag about their school or district report card, but can anyone tell you what is really involved in calculating these grades? I bet most parents, students, lobbyist, and politicians could not. I am not against students writing essays to illustrate learning or taking a test to demonstrate reading proficiency, but I am against the policies behind the FCAT. These are the hard questions and issues that need to be addressed.