I answer to M'dole and M'dur

Dear Incoming First-years,

    Congratulations!!  I’m glad you’re coming to Mississippi!  It’s a beautiful state with beautiful paradoxes.  Come ready to learn.
    I think I only have two or three pieces of advice.  First, have confidence in yourself.  Your students will not run you out of town or kill you.  They will probably really like and respect you after the first few months, even though they will constantly challenge your authority.  Don’t waste time evaluating if you are up to the challenge (especially in the morning).  You are.  Now get moving.
    The two years will pass.  This means that (a) your hellish days that seem to go on forever won’t, and the endless weeks will pass; and (b) don’t put things off.  Don’t put off going to school functions, talking casually with your students, parents and community members.  Jump at the chance to talk with a neighbor or join in on Mississippi culture and events.  There’s a lot more to do than there seems to be, and it’s tempting to schedule these experiences for “after my grading is done.”
    Related to that is something I’ve learned only recently: organize your physical classroom, bedroom, car, closet, space, whatever.  There is so much potential for chaos in the classroom—papers, behavior, missing assignments, etc—that it helps for your surroundings to be in order.  Just last week I cleaned my desk off completely (first time I’ve ever had a completely empty desk top) and it feels great.  It’s such a silly little thing, but I feel more peaceful because of it.
    I guess that’s really all I have to say.  Fun and beautiful things will happen, and I’m excited for you to come.  Best of luck!
 

Give love to your 3rd years this summer!
A

I wonder if I'll ever feel awake and alert all day without caffeine.

I should call my grandmom and Diane.

I get frustrated at my students when they don't understand simple things, but I try not to show it.

I think I have laundry to do but I'm not sure.

Kelsey's wedding will be very beautiful.

Outside it is a gorgeous day.

My mom and step-dad will come to Mississippi for the first time in may.  I know my mom will like it a bunch.  I hope she doesn't try to organize some of my things.  I haven't ever cleaned up this side sun room.  She'll understand if I never do, but we'll have to talk about why I never cleaned it up.

Tomorrow morning I will hear my first alarm at 6:00.  I wonder how many times I'll hit snooze.  It was nice to wake up this morning and feel rested and happy.  Gopher is always happy in the mornings, too.  here is one of my favorite pictures of Gopher.

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From the Executive Summary:

What will it take to improve MS’s Human Development rankings?

Ensure that working families can make ends meet.
Reduce infant mortality by improving the well-being of girls and women.
Improve the health of African American men.
Improve the quality of public education in Mississippi.
Connect at-risk boys to school.

I agree, but HOW??  Let’s take one specific issue-- keeping boys in school.  Why would a boy stay in school without encouragement from home?  sports and activities?  An engaging curriculum?  a sense of purpose and meaning to school?  Our school systems are already overburdened, understaffed, and underfunded.  All of our districts struggle to do the minimum of busing, feeding, and babysitting students.  To do more than the minimum-- to have multiple sports and inspiring teachers-- requires more than the minimum in staff and funds. 

Bullet point solutions like these frustrate me.  It’s like telling me that I need to have a designer wardrobe to improve my fashion.  Um... okay.  Where do I get the money and access to buy a designer wardrobe?

I know this Executive Summary was meant to be exactly that: a summary, not a solution.  I think it did a great job of clearly displaying what is going on-- white vs black, male vs female, county vs county.   It would be nice, though, to someday read a colorful and well-researched report proposing how to improve, instead of what to improve.

Maps to learn more about Mississippi: click here!

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My response to this article.

First, I need to find and destroy whatever study it is claims that class size does not have a significant effect on student performance.   I understand the point being made (in this article and the study) that an effective teacher is more powerful than the teaching conditions, but I have a feeling that the study was culturally biased.  Of course 15 respectful students sitting quietly will not be much different than 30 respectful students sitting quietly.  But HELLO!!  Places exist where students come to school not accustomed to the sit-down-and-be-quiet school culture.  In these schools, 15 bouncing, yelling students are much easier to manage (and thus teach!) than 30 of them.  Not to mention, students performed noticeably better (and were more engaged) in my 18 person class than in my 36 person class.  That miserable study was not conducted at PCHS, HSHS, or any other critical needs district, so we shouldn't even try to apply its conclusions at our schools.

Alright, to the heart of the matter.  I loved Gladwell's idea to have a teacher apprenticeship system to find truly good teachers.  The fact that teaching allows for a wide range of personalities (the entertainer vs the nurturer) and skill sets (withitness and flexibility vs authority and humor vs organization and dedication etc) makes it impossible to find a secret recipe for a good teacher.  We've even talked about the prediction problem in terms of MTC and now Principal Corps.  It's just nearly impossible to predict who will stay teaching and who will leave before June is over.

 I have no problem "lowering standards" as far as test scores and formal training to invite more people into the profession as long as that change is coupled with a solid evaluation system (even though I don't really care if math teachers can write term papers, I do care that they can use proper grammar and know who the president is). But the kicker of it all was Gladwell's final question:

 What does it say about a society that it devotes more care and patience to the selection of those who handle its money than of those who handle its children?

Nothing in public education's history suggests that it will go to great lengths to find the best (or even good) teachers.  The system being proposed is not a shortcut (and public education craves shortcuts like Dauwalter craves Laffy Taffy).  What I mean is, I highly doubt teacher training and selection will be overhauled for the sake of improvement.  On the whole, public education is functioning.  Public education (public anything) does not move from decent to great voluntarily.  So even if this is a perfect plan, I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for its implementation.

My second period came in quietly, sat down in the correct seats, opened up their books, began their warm-ups.  They listened respectfully as I outlined the day's lesson, and it made me sad.

"How long has BB been suspended?" I asked.

"Permanently."  KJ handed out calculators.

On Monday, BB got in his second fight of the school year.  This was his first year back to Potts Camp after being expelled for bad behavior two years ago.  Rumor has it that his time here was probationary... in other words, two fights is one and a half too many.

Honestly, I'm okay with my students settling down quicker and listening closer now that BB is not in the room.  One troubled student can quickly derail a lesson and distract the eagerly distracted.

But what happens to BB?  Like so many of my HSHS students, BB is well-intentioned, smart, and caring... and uncensored, loud, and energetic.  Potts Camp was a great place for BB to grow and succeed because he never slipped through the cracks-- all of the teachers know him, his family, his history, and his missing homework assignments.  If BB stayed at Potts Camp, he would graduate and probably go on to college should he cooperate with our amazing school counselor.

But now that he's not here? 

This is how it works: Potts Camp is a highly functioning school.  It functions so well partly because students who do not behave according to policy (ie by fighting) are expelled or taken to jail or get tired of being in trouble and transfer.  That means that the students who would most benefit from the structured and respectful environment at Potts Camp do not or cannot stay in the school.  But what good is a good school if it can't help BB?

How do we make good schools for the emotionally unbalanced/unparented/overly energetic students?  It's like that silly quote, "I wouldn't want to be a member of any club that would take me."  Who said that?  Karl says Marx Brothers.  Anyway.   What I mean by that is, I don't want BB at any school that would take him.  He belongs at a school that is so highly functioning that it would kick him out. 

BB will have his best chance of success at schools that won't keep him.  Something's wrong here.

Let me type for you a flyer floating around the high school that I intercepted yesterday.  I think it’s very telling of the difference between HSHS and PCHS.  This is verbatim, even caps:

Dear Potts Camp student body.
We the class of 2010-2011 will like to saw we love attending POTTS CAMP and we truly love to attend POTTS CAMP again.  But we just cant take the pressure there’s entirely to much DRAMA going on to many RUMORS going around We love being a 4.7 but everything going on in this school we’re acting like a 1.7 (HOLLY HIGH) in we don’t want to be on there level.  So next time you want to saw well (WELL I HEARD, or MANE SHE/HE, or :ET ME TELL YOU GIRL) just think before you let that mouth run

P.S In for the record no on is GAY at POTTS CAMP.
Love,
2011-2011

This letter/flyer inspires so many reactions in me.  I love being at a school in which students enjoy being there.  I’ve noticed this from day one.  I’m proud that the students have stepped up to confront a problem that they find in their school.  I’m proud that the students are trying to handle this problem in a mature way.

Most of all, though, I’m surprised at how quickly anyone in Marshall County points to Holly Springs as the bottom of the barrel.  No wonder my HS students didn’t have any pride in their school—everyone is saying that they shouldn’t.  That Holly High is not the place to be.  That students at Holly High are on a lower level (the state agrees).  These words are hurtful and contribute to the morale problem at HSHS. 

At the same time, there is a reason HS's reputation started, and this flyer represents the different school cultures.  Students at Potts Camp keep each other and themselves in check because they like the school and they want to make it a good place to be.  I hope I’m not raising my own expectations of PCHS too high only to be disappointed later.  Whatevs.  I’m sure the blog will eventually answer that question.

 And, as a sidenote, I think it's important that people in Marshall County know that Holly Springs is making it's way "up a level."  That HS has had a string of bad leaders, and they finally have a principal now who is serious about change and discipline and improving the school.  Good things are going to come.  I know I've been the first to write hopeless things about that school on my blog, but I don't want Marshall County to lose hope for Holly Springs.

(Molly, I have a copy of the flyer for you.)