Day 26: If I Was In Charge #AprilBlogADay Challenge

-->Prompt: If you were in charge: What needs to change about education?

I put it out there to the Facebook Hive Mind.  I know a lot of teachers.  I also know a lot of parents.  I was curious to hear what others think about what needs to change.  Here are some of the responses: 

"Smaller class sizes~" -M.M. (parent, school administrator)

"I read a while back the the brain isn't fully awake so to speak early in the morning. The article suggested that kids could learn better if they started school a little later in the morning. Also, recess and naps are essential even after kindergarten. The brains need a quiet moment to recharge. Seating arrangements need to change. The square classroom set up is not methodical. Also, please get rid of the awful fluorescent lights. They mess up the vision and aren't beneficial. I'm very pro vocational schools too. Study what you'd like to study and place more emphasis on that skill opposed to a generalized curriculum." -U.S. (parent, works in higher ed)

" Honestly, pay teachers more. I think they have one of the most difficult and important jobs out there. Also, less worksheets and more creative assignments. Less standardized testing and more freedom to stray from the curriculum." -T.B. (parent)

"Do away with: arbitrary/contrived grades, grades, batching by age, frames around subjects. Incorporate: learning driven by intrinsic motivation. Teacher as facilitator, not expert single source of info. End goal of self-knowledge and actual path to career, not expectation of college. Opportunity to engage/intern with actual professionals in authentic application environments. More opportunity for creative interpretation / knowledge demonstration." -K.M. (teacher, parent)

"Fewer worksheets and more hands-on/project based learning. More discussions and fewer lectures." - S.D. (Parent)

 "Teaching to the test. School needs to be focused on learning and exploring and creating a well rounded individual. One of the things that made me decide to move into the library was that I constantly heard that my theatre class didn't matter. And because the teachers had that attitude I had a lot of students who started to develop that same viewpoint. There's a ton more that I think contributes to the behavior issues that seem so prevalent, but I'm going to get off my soapbox now." -C.G. (former teacher)

"Fund the damn education system!" -N.C (parent) 

 "Less time in the classroom and more time in the community. I think it's equally important to develop humanitarian interests and critical thinking with hands on experience...Actively debating, not discussions, that challenge them to provide fact based data so they understand that emotions are part of the debate but not a pass on providing facts to back their emotions. I think it's a skill a lot of people lack...How to balance an account and manage money. Another lacking skill for many..." -A.C. (Parent)


It's fascinating. Of the list above, two are/were NYC parents/teacher.  I often wonder about what is going on in other parts of the country.  I am on board with a lot of what is stated above: mastery based assessment, project based learning, smaller class sizes (the cap here is 34). 

If I was in charge, this is what I would do: Change needs to begin with teachers.  Teachers are the best source of information and insight into the needs of students, schools and how assessment should and can work.  All the answers are already there: ask us, stop making decisions for us. 

15. Supporting Parents- The Conversations To Be Had #Edblogaday

I have never felt like this was something I was especially good at. I am not that great advisor that is in constant contact with my students. I also have a number of parents, who after two years have still never met and to my best knowledge have not ever come into school.

I have three families who I text, call, email pretty consistently, there are a couple more who are in between lots of communication and none at all. When there is none, it's because I never get a response and their kid is not failing, so I have let it slide. There are bigger advisory fish to fry.

The Chancellor built in, with our new contract, time for parent outreach. It's the time for midday phone calls that often are bad news. It sucks and doesn't really feel constructive. I often wonder what it's like for K-8 teachers who have 32 families they have to keep abreast of everything and not just 10 to 15.   While I think parent outreach is a great idea, the current structures don't work that well.

I also think a lot about better ways to communicate. I was reading through the informal parent survey from the last PTA meeting and while most of the feedback is positive, frustrations do center around communication. In the digital age people have come to expect instant information and access and in many ways parents and students do with things like online grade books, parents and students can track their progress.  If teacher doesn't grade fast enough, parents are frustrated.  My school sends home weekly progress reports on top of parents and students having access to the same information- putting even more weight on traditional grades and I worry that the weekly reminders about failure don't inspire change but just degrade and oppress students who in many cases are already struggling.

How do we shift the conversations that we are having with parents?  Especially around things like grades and learning?

I have watched kids fall apart this year because of the pressure from home around grades.  I am not a parent and I make no attempt to pretend that I am or that I understand what a parent deals with.  I am a teacher though and I see the correlation of messaging from home coupled with messaging from schools and the impact it has on students.  I know some of this is huge and systemic, but this is where my brain is right now.