An Eclectic Mix of Thoughts

So, the other day when I dropped Dylan off at school, his teacher ran over, got him, gave him a hug and told him good morning. And I thought, at what point in education do teachers stop greeting their students and letting them know they are happy to see them? Middle school? High school? And more importantly, why do teachers (myself included) stop doing this?

I am not suggesting that a middle school or high school teacher hug each of their students as they enter the room, but standing at the door and greeting them goes a long way. When I taught in an actual physical classroom, I tired my best to stand at the door and greet student as they came in AND, I tried hard to let them know I was happy to see them (even if I sometimes was exhausted and didn't feel all that happy.) Occasionally I had to make a visit to the "facilities" during the passing period and there were times when my students said they missed seeing me at the door ushering them in. So, I KNOW they notice and that it makes a difference to at least some of the students and that makes me happy. I like to know that something as little as a, "Good morning," or a, "Hello," can perk up a student's day and put them in the mood to learn.

Enough about education, let's talk about food. :) I haven't been posting my daily dinners, but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. So, let's take a look at some of the recipes I have come across on good ol' Pinterest lately.

Last week I made this pasta with tomato cream sauce via Pinterest and The Pioneer Women and let me just tell you this dinner was an EPIC FAIL. Let me just say that the recipe is good and I think had I actually followed it, our dinner would have turned out well... but I didn't. When I went to buy the supplies, the store was out of cream so I gt half and half. I also FORGOT to get fresh basil because I usually have it in the garden but it has died due to the cold. So, half and half and dried basil are NOT the same. Plus, I had a genius idea of trying rice pasta instead of my usual. Yeah, it was slimy and GROSS.

The next night I decided t make chipotle pork tacos with corn tortillas via Pinterest and Our Best Bites and they were okay. I followed the recipe exactly, but think if I make them again (which I am sure I will), I will ramp up the amount of adobo and not cook the red onion. I tend to like the red onion fresh. Although not a grand slam, these tacos are certainly worth a try.

And tonight I made roasted tomatoes with shrimp and feta via Pinterest and Real Simple. It was quick, easy, and pretty tasty. I served it with a mixed salad (spring mix, tomatoes, carrot, beets, and black beans) and fruit salad (apple, pear, grapes, and blackberries). Dylan has never had shrimp before so I wasn't sure if he would like it. It turns out he is a big fan. He ate EIGHT pieces of shrimp plus his entire salad and fruit salad. I guess I will be making shrimp more often.

I didn't even attempt to take photos of any of the food this week. Eh, whatever. I did, however, take pictures for the photography class I am auditing, and here they are. This particular assignment was to take some photos and then play with cropping using Pixlr. It was really fun and now I am a huge fan of Pixlr. It is a super easy and fun way to touch up your photos.

So, what has been happening with you this week? Make any good recipes?

The Death of Uniformity

I have been thinking a lot about education lately. Partly because school is starting but mostly because of all the budget cuts and new standardized tests being debuted in Texas this year.

I have always been a fan of the idea of public education. That as a nation we should work to educate all of our citizens. That we have a duty to provide a free education, but I have never been a fan of how the theory actually plays out in school policy, mandates, standards, school districts, and in the classrooms around the nation.

I think back to when I was in school, and as I reflect I see all of the accommodations teachers made for me in order to make the educational mold fit me as well as it could.  In elementary school I was ahead in reading and writing skills, and I remember my teachers giving me additional work in order to keep me occupied and challenged. I was also assigned to assist the ESL students with their work. As I progressed through school I became a bit more fidgety and perhaps harder to keep on task and I recall always being the student asked to run errands for the teachers. At the time I thought it was because they liked me better, but I see now that it was really to keep me occupied so I didn’t get too off-task. And by high school I had perfected the ability to sit and stare or doodle when I was done with work or was just plain bored… oh, and I was absent a lot. I am sure I frustrated the heck out of my teachers because I made decent grades (certainly not stellar) but I wasn’t living up to my potential. Honestly, I didn’t see the point. I was bored and I did enough to get in to college which is what I perceived the point of public education to be. Although I am sure my teachers did the best they could, I was disillusioned with public education even while I participated in it, but I really never could articulate why.

As I’ve gotten older and worked on the teaching end of education, I have come to realize what I feel is the crux of our educational problem – unyielding uniformity. The idea that we must teach all kids the same thing, on the same timeline, and in the same manner. The educational community pays lip service to such ideas as differentiation and multiple intelligences but these ideas rarely ever make it in to the classroom. I’m not blaming this on teachers because they are set up to fail. In their educational courses they are taught about all of these wonderful strategies and ways to make the curriculum come to life for the students, but the system is set up in such a way to make this nearly impossible – the TEKS (standards) are the same for every child, students are tested at the end of the year and are expected to perform at the same level, class sizes are huge and often difficult to manage, access to technology and resources is sparse, and in many districts teachers are provided with a teaching calendar which dictates what they are to teach when and often times how they are to teach it.

Scientifically we know that people learn differently and at different rates, so why is it we have created an educational system in direct juxtaposition of this idea? Quite frankly it is ludicrous.

So now that I have stated what I perceive to be the problem, how do I suggest we fix it? The concept is easy enough but it would require a total revamping of the educational system we have come to know. It would require our nation to embrace our differences and to develop an educational system that caters to them.

In my utopian educational system this is what I imagine:

• A variety of types of schools – traditional, trade, virtual, career based, after hours, year round, etc.

• Community involvement – pairing of students who want to learn a trade in a sort of apprenticeship with a master or masters in their area of interest.

• Flexibility in course requirements – it is ridiculous to think that all students need four years of high level math and science. Perhaps the United States should attempt a version of “tracking” where students are tested for aptitude and interest and guided into an area of study (note I said guided and not required).

• Realism – I strongly believe that all children can learn; however, not all children can learn at the same level. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Can’t we play up our strengths instead of focusing on our weaknesses?

• Realistic standards – take a look at the TEKS for various grade levels and you will note many skills, concepts, ideas that you never developed or have ever used. It is ridiculous to me to spend time attempting to teach all children skills, concepts, etc. that they will never need within their lifetime. Why not focus on realistic standards for all and allow students to self-select other standards they would like to work towards?

• Testing – testing would not be standardized. If testing were to be continued (and notice I say IF) it should test actual basic skills and chart individual’s growth from year to year instead of creating a standard that everyone must reach in every discipline studied.

• Resources – technology, staff development, job shadowing, apprenticeships, etc. would be available as needed. Teachers would have the resources they need to educate their students and help them grow.

• Creativity – creativity and problem-solving would be infused in learning. Both teachers and students would be encouraged to take risks and try new things.

I could go on forever with my wish list, but the unifying thread throughout it all is that we – teachers and students – would be seen as individuals and would not be bound by uniformity. Schools could be different and offer different courses. Creativity and individuality would be praised. Students would understand the relevancy of their education because it would actually be relevant. Students would be assessed on their educational growth and not penalized for advancing slower or faster than their peers.

Perhaps I am just being naïve and idealistic. What do you think? How would you fix the educational system or do you even think it needs fixing?

Born to Learn

So, I was searching around on the good ol' Interweb and came across this site.

So far, I have only taken a cursory look around and watched this video, but I am already a fan.


Born to Learn from Born to Learn on Vimeo.

What are your thoughts?

Yesterday's Post Today

When I began writing yesterday's post, I had every intention of answering the question of how is online teaching different then a traditional classroom as well as giving a basic framework of my day; however, the post kept getting longer and longer and I didn't want the pressure of having to be "engaging" for a long period of time in order to keep you interested, so I thought I would break it in to two posts. :)

I, however, forgot to change the title from "A Day in the Life of Me (an online teacher)" to  "Teaching Online: How is it different" until after I had published the post. So, I renamed it after the fact. Apparently it caused a little confusion because the new name didn't update in some aggregators, etc. And, here I go again, rambling on about something not at all interesting...

So, I will finally get to today's topic. :)

I am always asked, "What do you do all day? What does your day "look" like?" Before I begin, I want to assure you that I am busy. Many times I am busier than when I worked in a traditional school setting. That being said, here is a basic break down of my day. Keep in mind, that I have flexibility to shuffle things around as I need to which happens quite often. I am big on making lists in order to keep organized. I usually make my to-do list at the end of the previous day so I know what I need to get started on each morning.

7:00am - Wake up, shower, get the boy dressed and drop him at school

7:45am - Make toast or oatmeal and sit down at my computer - logged in by 8:00am

8:00am - Check and respond to emails, check voice mails

8:30am - Check grade book and grade papers

9:00am - If I have a meeting it is usually during this time period. Last year we met as departments (middle school and/or ELA) and as grade levels (8th) somewhat frequently; we have quick "accountability" meetings each week with our supervisor to check in and see how all is going. We also have weekly training meetings on Fridays. If I don't have a meeting, I use this time to grade or plan.

10:15am - Return calls if needed. Make some calls to families - homerooms students as well as curriculum based calls and log calls.

11:15am - lunch and exercise

12:15pm - Planning for live teaching sessions, reading text, creating lessons, etc.

1:30pm -  Make some calls to families - homerooms students as well as curriculum based calls and log calls.

2:30pm - Live teaching session. This is just a place marker. The live teaching sessions are on a set schedule and last year I had four a week so some days I have a session or two and other days I have none.

3:00pm - Finish up the day - emails, grading, feedback, calls, and/or whatever needs to be completed. Check reports for attendance, participation, grades, etc. Make to-do list for tomorrow based on information in reports as well as anything left unaccomplished.

4:00pm - Done for the day :)

So again, the information above is just a guide to show how my days can be broken up. Some days I spend more time on the phone and others I might spend more time grading and giving feedback. I also attend field trips in my area 2-3 times a semester and meet with the other Dallas area teachers about once a month. I can also choose to use some of my time learning by attending training sessions or viewing training videos.

And during state testing time, I spend my time watching kids test... the logistics of state testing in a virtual setting are a whole other crazy can of warms. :)

I hope that sheds a little light on what I do for those of you who are curious. As always, feel free to ask any questions

Teaching Online - How is it different?

In my post yesterday I spent a little bit of time answering the most frequent questions I seem to get about my job; for those of you who don't know, I am an online teacher for a wonderful public school in Texas. Last year I taught eighth grade Language Arts, and I expect to teach the same this coming school year.

I helped a little with the interview process for a few of the open positions this year and the applicants seemed to ask me pretty much the same questions. What does my day look like? How is it different than teaching in a traditional classroom?

I think today I will begin by talking a little bit about how the position is different and tomorrow I will try to paint you a little picture of what my day teaching from home looks like.

How is teaching online different than teaching in a traditional classroom setting? Of course there are the obvious differences - I am at home and the kids are at their homes. But when you reflect on just that piece of the equation alone, it accounts for a lot of differences. Once I drop my son off at daycare, I am pretty much alone each day (physically that is). I don't have people popping in my office or classroom to ask me questions; I don't have my classroom phone ringing; I don't have the intercom blaring information at me or bells ringing. It is me - somewhat unstructured and uninterrupted. I am going to guess it is similar for students. Although a parent is usually with them during their school day and perhaps siblings, the interruption of fellow classmates is gone - or at least takes a different form (perhaps via emails, etc.)

So, that being said my discipline problems are pretty non-existent. Last year I had to re-direct some students to get them back on track in my virtual classroom (they were chatting off topic) and I had a couple of cases of plagiarism to deal with. Honestly, I can't say I had tons of discipline problems in the traditional classroom either, but the lack of focus on classroom management is definitely different.

I have a much more flexible schedule. Now by that, I don't mean I can work whenever. I have set hours from 8:00-4:00 with a lunch break in there somewhere, but during those hours I have a lot of flexibility when I do what. In a traditional classroom I had class periods, and I knew which students would be in each section on which days. That isn't how it is set up in my online world. I have set live teaching times (2-4 a week depending on how many students and preps) and I have set meeting times (usually in the mornings from 9:00-10:00 when they are scheduled) and then the other time I structure around what I need to get done and who I need to talk with. I like the flexibility and being able to structure my own time around the tasks I need to complete and the needs of my students/families.

It is much easier to differentiate instruction in an online course. All students are given the same curriculum to complete, but I can make additions or deletions to their assignments based on their needs. Students are also able to work at a different pace. They have a minimum of work to complete by the end of the semester, and I provide them with some pacing information, but students can choose to spend longer on one lesson than another. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest advantages of online instruction.

Teaching online is also very transparent. In a traditional school, I went in my classroom and taught and what I did with my students was not very visible to those outside of my room. Sure, I had visitors sometimes and my observations, but that was pretty much where the visibility stopped. In my online classroom, I record my live teaching sessions and post them for anyone to view. Grades are viewable by teachers, admin, students, parents, etc. What I am teaching is visible and how I am teaching it is visible. Reports can be run to see how long it takes me to grade and return feedback to students (we are given a window of time in which grading should take place). Call logs show how often I speak to families. Email logs show what I say to students and families. I am accountable for my teaching and interaction with students/families and it is all visible. I am good with that; in fact, I am GREAT with that.

And probably the most important difference I have seen between my traditional teaching experience and teaching with TCAH is parental involvement. In the brick and mortar schools where I taught, it was always such a chore to get parents interested in what their students were doing or learning in school. In my experience teaching with TCAH, the students' education is more a collaboration with the family than just me and the student. It is a partnership where the parent works at home with the student, and I assist them all in helping the student learn a concept and be successful. Parents are able to log in and view the students' lessons and grades at any time. They know what the student is learning and are involved in the process. I LOVE that.

As I see it, those are the major differences between teaching online and face-to-face. I hope you noticed that I didn't spend much time focusing on technology or not physically seeing the kids. To me those are given and neither make much impact on my teaching. Good teaching is good teaching - online or off. Building relationships with students is something that good teachers do - online or off.

Come on by tomorrow and I'll give you a peek into my day as an online teacher. As always, if you have any questions, please ask!

Online Teaching - What's it all about?

Last year I started a new teaching position with Texas Connections Academy as an online teacher. I have been planning to write some reflections on my first year as an online teacher, but yesterday I decided that perhaps before I reflect on the school year, I should clarify what I do.

Inevitably when someone new finds out what I do, I can tell they are confused and then I get a barrage of questions. So, I thought I would take the time to answer some of those questions now and see if I can paint a more clear picture of what online teaching looks like (at least from my perspective).

The first question I ALWAYS get is about logistics. Where am I and where are my students? It seems that the classroom where students sit in rows of desks is so ingrained in peoples' minds that they have difficulty imagining students learning in any other setting. Well, I am at home in my office where I spend the majority of my school day. I teach from my computer with help from the good ol' Internet, some software, and my telephone. The students are at their homes (or really where ever they work on school work). To learn and accomplish their lesson goals the students need basically the same tools I do - a computer with an Internet connection, their books (or access to online ones), and a phone.

What do I DO all day? Well, I teach. :) I grade papers. I plan lessons. I teach live sessions via an online classroom and Adobe Connect (think Elluminate - what I use is similar but proprietary). I call students who are struggling or who I need to speak with. I answer emails with questions about concepts or assignments. I answer the phone. I talk to parents who need help motivating their students, further challenging their students, or need some help with teaching strategies. I look at reports and see how students are performing on tests, concepts, etc. I attend field trips. I create lessons or clarifying assignments/instructions. I analyze TEKS vs. lessons to make sure all concepts are taught in enough depth. What I don't do is just sit around all day.


What kind of kids do I have? Do I have all of the BAD kids? No, I don't have all of the bad kids. In fact, I have a lot of really GOOD kids. I have students who didn't fit the mold of the traditional brick and mortar school for various reasons or I have families who wanted to try something new. I have competitive athletes, musicians, chess players, actors - students whose schedule makes it difficult to attend school during "normal" school hours. I have students who are autistic, have Asperger's, are high energy - students who might find it difficult to function in a "normal" school setting. I have students who are BRILLIANT and needed something more tailored to their needs. I have students who live in very rural settings and getting to a "normal" school is a chore. I have students whose religious views are perhaps not the mainstream views of the majority. I have students who have had social problems with bullying or "fitting in." I have families who made the decision to do online schooling so they could be more involved and aware of what their students were learning. I have some good, sweet kids.

How do you make that one-on-one connection with so many students? (this one is for you Darren). The same way I do in a face-to-face environment - I talk to them. :) At my school we are "required" to have so much synchronous contact whether in our virtual classroom, on the phone, or in person (at field trips). We also make curriculum based calls to assess how students are learning concepts. In all honesty, I talked to some of my students more last year than in a brick and mortar school. In a traditional classroom when you have large classes, the quiet students who aren't struggling just kind of get overlooked while the teacher is dealing with students who need remediation or those who are discipline problems. It isn't "as easy" to overlook them in an online environment.


How do I know the students are the ones doing the work? Isn't it easy for them to cheat? Sure, it is easy for them to cheat. Let's face it, if they want to, it is easy for them to cheat in a traditional school. So, how do I know they are doing their work? I don't know that every single assignment is completed by the student, but it is easy for me to tell when short answers or essays aren't completed by students. In most of the learning units there is what is called a "portfolio" assignment which is basically either a writing assignment or an application of a skill. If students haven't done the prep work, they are going to struggle with the portfolios. Teachers also conduct curriculum based calls where we ask students about what they are learning. In Language Arts I might ask a general question like, "Tell me about the story you are reading?" or I might ask something more specific and higher level like, "How does the antagonist in story x compare with the antagonist in story y?" The curriculum based calls are logged in a database and can be tracked, so teachers, admin, etc. can see if students are consistently missing questions. Students know they will be accountable for information (most of the calls are not scheduled) and talking to the kids gives the teachers a chance to get to know them.

Those are the main questions I seem to get from people. Perhaps I will write a "day in the life" post before I compose my reflection as well. I think it is important for the public to begin to clearly visualize what online learning is all about and embrace that it is a viable learning opportunity for many.

Feel free to pose further questions in the comments and I will try to get them answered.