Hampton VA

I left relatively early this morning and drove down to Hampton VA to give a presentation at a conference tomorrow. I was encouraged to fly but the idea of flying (especially from LGA to ATL to Hampton) seemed like a form of torture that should be outlawed.

I also knew the drive would be a trip down memory lane since I've done this drive with both my mom and my dad. The ferry ride was uneventful but relaxing despite the best attempts by the dolphins to be adorable and distracting. I always appreciate long, scenic drives and wished that I had time to take pictures and visit with relatives along the way. I arrive in Norfolk around 3:30 only to find Route 64 had turned into a parking lot. Luckily I have a lot of experience getting lost and was able to find an alternate route across the bay to arrive at the hotel at 5:30. The organizer of the conference had graciously offered to take me out to dinner but was offered a ticket to Batman at the Imax so I'm going to enjoy a nice room service dinner, a glass of wine, and some basic cable. This will probably be the least local meal that I have eaten in weeks!

In case you're wondering what my presentation is about I will be talking about the history of STEM education reform in the US. The basic headlines: 1) We have an inherently screwed up system of local control and very little other than federal action will make the resistant nutjob schoolboards raise their standards and care about the underresourced kids (usually the ones who don't look like them) in their communities. 2) We're seriously screwed globally 3) The recommendations that every commission (including my own) has come to and has claimed to be innovative were initially recommended in 1983, so see #1.

It is kind of a daunting presentation challenge. It is inherently boring stuff that requires a lot of context to find interesting or to make jokes about. There is also a ton of information that I'm supposed to impart and I don't know most of it myself so I'm a bit nervous. Finally, its to an audience that has the potential to tell a lot of other people about it so if its good it could help to brand the Museum as a place of expertise. Oh, and my throat is pretty sore.

I'm off to a well deserved dinner and to try and cram more info into my head. I'll post some more pictures from LBI.

How Hard Can it Be?

http://www.slate.com/id/2195147

I'm a teacher by training and still work in the education field. The question of being able to tell a good teacher from a bad one still manages to baffle policy makers and those responsible for hiring. I always find it odd since any students can tell you who the good teachers are in their own school. On its surface, and in my opinion, its not a difficult question.

Here's a clue:
Walk by a classroom a few times in a week. If the majority of the kids look bored they probably aren't learning too much. You may also want to compare the bored look to the look that kids have when they're watching TV. They are both passive engagement with a source but the TV at least keeps them engaged.

I can't really figure out why teachers are in such a unique position. Is it that they are civil servants? Responsible for people when there is an age difference? Responsible for so much? Given so little direction about their expectations?

Ideally, teachers come out of their training with a play book of strategies to help them organize a class and teach content. It is experience with that playbook in real game situations that allows them to be a teacher and to effectively lead a class through a learning experience. But, when we add alternative certification routes into the mix we see that there are few outcome differences depending upon your initial training meaning that a good teacher will be a good teacher regardless of initial prep. I'm of the opinion, having gone through both a traditional teacher prep program (MA at Teachers College) and an alternative certification program (NJ alternative route) that there is very little that should be learned without first having experienced a real life classroom with real life students.

If new teachers, trained at colleges, are coming into classrooms with little to no experience or record of their teaching ability then what exactly is the value of their degree other than as a qualification? Further more, what types of induction programs work best to take people with the potential to be good teachers and give them the opportunity to learn without doing too much damage to kids or their egos?

I'm not sure what the point is of tangling with the unions. What happens in a world without unions? While I'm sure I wouldn't want to find out until there is a great and qualified administrative staff in every school, I'm pretty sure that there wouldn't be a rise in abuse of power or the firing of great teachers. Most importantly, if a principal is a leader of a school and responsible for the quality of education that the kids participate in why wouldn't they need the power and authority to do their job?