Observations from Horton Hatches the Egg

When you become a parent, your perspective changes about many things; what songs are okay to play on the radio, the number of air bags in a vehicle, criteria for choosing a restaurant...even your perspective on children's literature.  For example, I used to think it was funny in Judy Blume's Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing when Fudge swallowed Peter's turtle.  When I recently read it with my seven year old daughter, I was wrought with angst and empathy for that poor mother, imagining what I would do if one of my children swallowed a turtle.  Don't even get me started on Robert Munsch's I Love you Forever!  But, the topic of today's enlightenment is the brilliant Dr. Seuss.  If you haven't had the pleasure of reading his work as an adult, I suggest you do, you'll be better for it!

Last night I was reading my 4 year old daughter Horton Hatches the Egg.  If you don't recall the story, I will summarize:

A lazy bird is sitting on her egg wishing she could be elsewhere enjoying life.  Horton the elephant happens by and the bird convinces him to sit on her egg for a short while as a favour.  Horton agrees to do it.  The bird flies off to Palm Beach and is gone for 50 some days.  Horton keeps his word enduring all kinds of tribulations.  The bird returns just as the egg is hatching and wants the egg for herself.  the baby comes out with a trunk, ears and tail of an elephant and is proclaimed an "elephant bird".

Why is this important?  Well, last week, following the May long weekend, Saskatchewan teachers walked off the job for 2 days.  For parents like me, this was inconvenient, finding childcare for our children.  A colleague of mine who works in a core community school described returning to school Friday as a disaster.  You see, for many of the children she teachers, parents are unable (for a variety of reasons) to provide the supervision, care and even food that many of us would consider to be necessities.  Many of these children spent the long weekend and the 2 days off school on the street, in the park, around the neighbourhood with no schedule, no routine, no childcare and for some, no food.  The return to school brought with it lots of baggage and issues to deal with.

For many of these children, their teachers are their Horton.  They are providing these kids with a warm, safe place to be and encouraging them to learn, grow and develop.  At the end of Horton Hatches the Egg, when the elephant bird emerges, Dr. Seuss says, "it should be, it should be, it SHOULD be like that!"  If it was, there would be some students walking around looking more like their teachers than their parents and maybe then it would be easier to see the influence teachers have in kids lives.  But, look carefully and you will see it. Read the comments people left on my last blog post: what makes a teacher special is not the content he/she teaches, it is the relationships he/she builds with the students.  Its the environment of trust he/she creates, it is the way he/she interacts with and values the students he/she teaches.  Good teachers are Hortons, they honour their commitment to the profession and honour the students in their care:

"I meant what I said and I said what I meant, a teacher is faithful 100%"

Here's to the teachers

A funny thing happened to me yesterday, I went to my tap dancing class (one of my crazy hobbies) and my dance teacher (who also happens to be a first year school teacher) said to me, "Hey, nice blog post, I have a link to it on my facebook."  I thanked her and then I asked how she knew about my blog.  She replied, "One of my friends had a link on her facebook, actually, now it is on most of my friends' facebook pages."

I went home and had a look at my stats. Where small hills and dips once appeared, a mountain emmerged.  My usual stats of 34 page views had jumped to almost 500 for that particular post...the one in reply to my friend Jack.  Wow, amazing.  I attribute it not to my writing nor to my appeal (not too sure about either of those factors) but rather, to the fact that Saskatchewan teachers are so stressed by this negotiation process and we so want the public to value and understand what we do that we are spreading the word any way that we can.

In honour of that, and my new found following (let's see if it lasts) I am going to talk today about those special teachers who really played a significant role in shaping who I am.

Grade one, Joan Bisset:  It was 1978 and my grade one teacher had blonde hair styled in the Farrah Fawcett flip.  She wore a silver fox coat (before the age of PETA), she drove a silver corvette, she was as close to Charlie's Angels as one could get in Regina, Saskatchewan as far as I could tell.  I idolized her.  She was kind and witty and she fostered in me a love of learning and questioning.  She taught me to read, one of my greatest passions to this day.  She taught me to write and to express myself through writing.  she made me love school and want to learn.  She set me up for success.  Enough said!

Grade 7 and grade 8, Jean Flett: Miss Flett was not quite 5 feet tall but everyone shook in her wake.  She could yell louder than a drill sergeant and she was the strictest teacher I had ever seen.  The first day of grade 7 a fly walked across the face of a boy in my class and he didn't even brush it away for fear of moving.  We thought it would be the longest year of our lives.  But, as we got to know our teacher, we found her to have such a caring heart.  She would have done anything for us.  Her expectations were incredibly high, she would accept nothing less than perfection, yet she found a way to allow all of her students to reach and even surpass their potential.  She believed in us and she never let us forget it.  I honestly think I learned more in the 2 years that I spent in Miss Flett's class than in any other school year or course, ever. On the last day of grade 8 she cried when we left her class and we did too but the lessons she taught and the way she taught me to believe in myself and my potential stayed with me for a lifetime.

Grade 12: Rene Arguin:  M. Arguin was my French teacher.  He taught like no previous French teacher had.  He taught me about so much more than verb conjugation and grammar.  M. Arguin taught us about the Fransaskois culture.  He taught us to use the language as a vehicle to appreciate dialogue and literature and showed us the rich history of the French Canadian people.  M. Arguin encouraged bilingualism and, because of him, many of my classmates and I attended French Immersion summer camps, programs, and continued to learn and use French beyond high school.  It was because of M. Arguin that I became bilingual and it was through becoming bilingual that I became a teacher.

I was fortunate to have had many great teachers in my k-12 public education, but these ones played a significant role in helping me to become the person, the learner and the teacher that I am.  I owe them much gratitude!

Now, since I know that people are actually reading this blog, I invite you to leave a comment thanking  the special teacher(s) who impacted your life!  Let's celebrate our teachers and recognize the direct contribution they gave to us!  I can't wait to read about your special teachers!

A Butcher, a Baker a Candlestick Maker, a Nurse, a Police Officer and a Teacher

I posted a YouTube video on my facebook page regarding teachers' salaries in comparison to other professions who, 15 years ago, were paid on par with teachers in Saskatchewan.  A friend of mine, Jack (who is not a teacher) posted comments regarding the video.  I believe Jack's comments likely reflect those of others in our province and they had me doing some reflective thinking.  I decided that rather than respond directly to Jack, I would blog my response so others could think about these ideas and varying perspectives about them. So here are my thoughts.  Jack writes:

if teachers want to be paid on par with Police Officers and Nurses then they should have to put in the same amount of hours annually to achieve that pay parody...especially with Police services, putting their lives on the line to protect the general public. Dealing with life threatening emergencies or dangerous diseases, is NOT part of a teachers job.

Certainly a teacher who has been involved in a lockdown, who has been first on the scene at any number of playground accidents, who works in a school where gangs are actively recruiting, where a regular part of his/her day involves checking kids for lice and scabies may disagree with that last statement, as do I. Unfortunately life threatening emergencies and dangerous diseases are often part of our jobs.  Everyone has the right to an education in Canada regardless of their race, religion, gender, health status etc.  Our schools and teachers are working regularly with young offenders and also with students who suffer various illness including HIV.  Just as health care professionals don't deny them service, we do not deny them  education. In loco parentis means that we are responsible to care for our students as a responsible parent would, meaning that we will put our students' needs and safety before out own in any time of crisis.

When I worked in Prairie Valley School Division, we could earn days off for extra-curricular contributions.  In order to earn 3 days off at that time, one needed to put in 325 hours of extra-curricular direct service with students (this did not include any administration time, only time spent with students).  An astounding number of teachers earned these EDO's logging more than 325 hours.  If one considers a work week to be 40 hours, this means that these teachers put in more than 8 weeks supervising and coaching.  Many were far above the 325 mark.  Also important to note that EDO's are locally negotiated and not part of the provincial contract.  Many teachers in the province do not have the opportunity to earn EDO's yet they do put in the same or more time supervising and coaching the students that they teach beyond the school day in addition to planning, marking and preparing.

The teachers of Saskatchewan are not asking you to choose between police, nurses and teachers, for all three professions are essential to the well being of our community.  We only ask that teachers also be recognized for the vital work they do with competitive salaries.  One of the things that I thought about is that, while I feel safe knowing the Regina Police Service is there, my actual direct involvement with the police is quite limited.  Similarly, and luckily, my direct involvement with nurses has also been limited.  I think that the average person feels confident that the services are there if and when they need them but, the number of hours of direct involvement we have with police officers and nurses is significantly less than the number of hours of direct contact with teachers. 

Finally, and most importantly, I want to leave you with this thought.  Having a strong competent police force is essential for managing the crime that exists.  Having a strong competent group of nurses is essential for managing the health problems and issues that exist.  But, the single biggest factor in reducing both crime and health issues that plague our province such as diabetes and obesity is EDUCATION.  And, having a strong competent group of teachers is the best way to provide this necessary service.

What do I do? What is it worth?

In light of the recent developments (the breakdown of negotiations between the Saskatchewan party and the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation) STF members have been asked to use our voices to let the government and the residents of Saskatchewan know about just what it is we do.  In thinking about this, I realize that many people's understanding of a teacher's job is rooted in their own lived experience as a student and for some, as a parent.  While I have no intention of bitching and whining about my chosen profession, perhaps it is worth letting the public know about what it is I do and what I have done as a Saskatchewan teacher.

I began my career as a graduate of the BAC program for French Immersion education from the University of Regina.  I was a primary specialist with a major in French and a minor in Arts Education. Times were tough for the province back then and there was a decrease in enrolment for French Immersion programming so I spent a year and a half working as a substitute teacher.

My first teaching contracts were in rural Saskatchewan, over the course of the next 14 years I taught kindergarten, Arts Education k-8, Core French 4-12, Drama 10,20,30, Food Studies 10, Grade 3/4/5 homeroom,Grade 4/5 homeroom, Grade 6 homeroom, Grade 7 homeroom, Grade 8 homeroom, Grade 9 homeroom, English Language Arts 6-9, Computer literacy 9, Teacher librarian, Career Counsellor, Vice-principal, Principal and Consultant.  During this time I also attended University (at night and in the summer) to earn my Master of Education degree in the area of Curriculum and Instruction.

I have taught in k-6 schools, k-8 schools, k-12 schools and 9-12 schools.  I have taught classes with as few as 15 students and as many as 36.  I have taught in single grade classes, split grade classes, and triple split classes. I have taught in English and French Immersion programs.  I have taught in 9 different schools in 7 different towns/cities all in Saskatchewan.

I  ran two successful cheerleading programs which both involved approximately 6 hours of practice time each Sunday Sept-March, supervision of fundraising of approximately $10,000.00 each year, travel to competitions in various cities and provinces in addition to sitting on the executive of the provincial cheerleading association.  All of this was voluntary, I did not receive overtime, days in lieu, flex time, double time or any other such thing.

I have worked with children who were abused, who were neglected, who were in homes and families where they were not safe.  I have worked with children who were depressed, children who were addicted to drugs, children who were battling cancer.  I have worked with physically and mentally disabled children I have worked with refugees and children who spoke no English.  I have delivered homework to the psych ward and have attended funerals of students who lost their lives in tragic accidents and some who took their own.  I have been in a lock down. I have worked with many agencies such as social services, corrections and public safety, the autism resource centre, the RCMP, the Regina City Police and Child and Youth services to name a few.

I have spent many sleepless nights worrying about students, worrying about their welfare, worrying about their learning and worrying about their futures.

I have experienced great sorrow and helplessness in this profession, but I have also experienced great joy.  I have listened to children learn to read, I have watched self-esteem and confidence blossom and grow in teens through their involvement in extra-curricular activities, I have worked with children who demonstrate a passion for others and who care about the human endeavour and social justice.  I have watched many students walk across a stage to receive diplomas and awards. I have been privileged to write letters of reference for academic scholarships and for employment opportunities. I have had the opportunity to foster a love of learning in many.  I have been able to be the one trustworthy adult in the lives of several students and I am proud and hopeful that I made a difference for them!  I have also had the opportunity to work with, to collaborate and to commiserate with some truly exceptional teachers and administrators.  To learn from them, to lean on them, to benefit from the wisdom of their experiences and to gain insight from their perspective on teaching, learning and life.  This has truly made me a better person and definitely a better teacher and administrator.

I don't regret my choice to be a teacher and though the profession, role, responsibilities and expectations have changed, it remains one of the greatest professions in terms of the responsibility and rate of return on the investment in youth.  As educators, we have the opportunity to help facilitate the development of the world as it could be.  We get to show the future leaders their potential as well as nurturing in them a care for humankind and for the earth.  What is more worthy than that?

So, in a nutshell, that is my experience...one Saskatchewan teacher.  You decide what you think that is worth.

Planning for a Substitute

Recently, due to a crisis and a shortage of available substitute teachers, I had the opportunity to cover a few classes in one of the schools that I work in.  It took me back to those early days in my career when I worked solely as a substitute or "guest teacher" as they are thoughtfully called nowadays.  This experience reminded me of the four basic approaches taken by teachers to planning for a substitute teacher.

Approach I:  Harry Wong Eat your Heart Out:
This teacher has every aspect of the day planned in 7 minute intervals.  Routines and procedures are not only in place, but they rule everything that happens in the classroom.  This teacher leaves nothing to chance, a script may accompany all lessons. The substitute who is in this classroom will have a thick document outlining everything from how and when to excuse students for bathroom breaks to a detailed map of all the art supplies in the classroom.  A substitute in this class can expect to frequently hear students say things like, "Excuse me but it is time for______now" and "That's not how Mrs. _____ does it!"

Approach 2:  Loose Tight and Trusting:
The teacher who uses this approach has faith that the substitute teacher actually holds a university degree and may even know how to teach.  Detailed plans are left however there is room for the substitute teacher to adapt for his/her own teaching style and based upon the needs of the students.  Generally students in these classes have established protocol but are not completely freaked out by change.  An ideal place to sub if you actually want to do some authentic teaching!

Approach 3:  Keep them Busy being Busy:
The teacher using approach 3 has either no faith in the ability of the substitute teacher, or no desire to find out.  This teacher leaves plenty of work for the students to do but little, if anything, for the sub to teach.  Students may be watching a video and completing a viewing guide, doing workbooks, word searches, silent reading and in the younger grades, lots of colouring.  Subbing in this class may seem easy at first but, most times the students understand that what they are doing is pretty much meaningless and consider it more of a free day.  For this reason, a sub in this classroom can expect some behaviour issues to arise as the day wears on...and it will wear on when all you do is babysit !

Approach 4:  Good Luck Loser:
The teacher using this approach is either too sick or distressed to leave any kind of a plan or just doesn't care!  This is the true test of a substitute teacher, figuring out what to do with a room full of kids and no plan.  It is kind of like Survivor: School...would make a great reality show actually!  The ultimate measure of success for the substitute teacher in this case is simply being able to walk out the door at the end of the day with most of your skin, nails, nerves and dignity intact.

We have all read the funny poems about substitute teachers, seen the stereo-types in the movies and sometimes even in reality but, it is truly a thankless job.  Every day is a mystery, not knowing where you are going, what you are doing and in some cases, if you will make it out alive.  These folks deserve some recognition for walking into the battle zone each day!  It is a tough job and somebody has to do it but, I am thankful it isn't me anymore!

On tailoring and teaching

Clinton and Stacy of "What Not to Wear" fame suggest that all women need a good tailor.  I was never certain that this was true.  I always thought that one day I'd find the clothes at the end of the rainbow.  For me, shopping for clothes, especially pants, is akin to the search for the holy grail.  I have been blessed (or cursed) with a larger bottom and a tiny waist which means that no pants ever fit me the way that they are supposed to.  Partnered with my physical issue is the fact that the size of pants is a mystery worthy of CSI investigation.  You know how the diet commercials have women professing to have dropped 4 dress sizes after 3 weeks?  Well I can drop 4 pant sizes in about 10 minutes just by entering a different store.  I can wear anything from a 4 to a 10 which certainly complicates shopping in addition to the fact that no size ever really fits.  Clearly I don't believe in one size fits all and, in my case, one size doesn't even fit one!

I know many people are opposed to curricular standards, fearing that the teacher is robbed of her autonomy, creativity and judgment.  I do see the merits in these arguments and certainly, the implementation and expectation rooted in standards based curricula differs dramatically in the US than in Canada, or even in the various provinces in Canada. But, what holds me to the spirit of the outcome based curricula is that there is some kind of a benchmark; essential learnings identified and indicators of learning suggested from which the teacher can choose and provide her students with appropriate, differentiated ways to demonstrate their learning.

I know that size 8 pants are different things in different stores, I also know that, generally, the more expensive the store, the smaller size pants I wear.  Is this a phenomenon in schools as well?  More affluent schools having higher academic averages? Are they smarter or, like with the pants, does an A represent something completely different in each environment?  Maybe rich kids might be better at math because they need to shop for pants using negative integers!  Seriously though, we need to narrow the gap in expectations.  I think I should be able to expect that size 8 pants fall into a range of relative similarity and, no, maybe that range will not be the same in the UK or in the US (hmm I bet I could find some great fitting pants in Finland!) but at least it could be similar in my country, or at least in my province, or at least in my city, or my school division, or one school...We need to talk about outcomes and indicators, we need to collaborate and focus on common assessment (I don't mean standardized tests and the like, I am thinking more about ways to demonstrate and measure proficiency and conversations about what mastery is and what it looks like and ways to gather evidence of mastery common among colleagues).

I gave in and tried the tailor, I took 5 pair of ill fitting pants and in one week, for just under $90 I have 5 pair of pants that are perfect for me!  Now this was no small task; the lady was pinning all over the place, some needed to be taken in at the back, some on the sides, every pair was different...an 8 is not always an 8!  I am sure her job would have been so much easier if and 8 was an 8 and she knew where she needed to make the minor adjustments to give me and others exactly what we needed rather than starting from scratch each time.  If teachers had a common language and a common understanding of essential outcomes that need to be learned, they could spend less time pinning and more time sewing...more time selecting the indicators that best meet the student's needs, skills and interests.  We could be confident knowing, for example, that a student who achieved mastery of a credit in Chemistry 20 would have demonstrated these essential understandings regardless of which classroom or school he came from!

Clinton and Stacy say all women need a good tailor, one who can give them a perfect fit, I say, a teacher needs to be like that tailor, helping students find that right fit in their learning too!  In the meantime though, I know where I need to go to get the right fit in clothes, the curriculum issue is another shopping experience all together!

Comfort in Community (and coffee)

Today has been a tragic but inspiring day.  A student in one of the schools where I am privileged to work, suddenly and unexpectedly lost his life over the weekend.  Observing the shock, disbelief and grief throughout the school in staff and students alike reminded me of how much a school really is a community.  Beyond the content area subjects and curricula, teachers, students and ancillary staff share a bond much deeper and more human.  They are a community, a large and, at times, dysfunctional family.  A colleague and I went for a coffee and snack/lunch run for the staff and students who hadn't had a chance to eat.  While balancing 8 scorching cups of Starbucks on my lap (they were out of the boxes) as my teammate attempted to avoid the many potholes that plague our city streets and the school's parking lot, my life with skin began to flash before my eyes... Seriously though, I was worried there could be a second tragedy if I was bathed in 300 degree fair trade bold in an attempt to comfort those in need of a little warmth and some caffeine!  Anyway, walking into the guidance office and watching teachers and students comforting one another in their grief reinforced in me the most significant indicator of a teacher's effectiveness; his or her ability to connect with the students.  That ability, like no other, builds capacity for trust and establishes a strong environment for learning and collaboration to take place.  I am touched by the compassion and genuine emotion expressed in response to this tragedy and luckily was not touched by the scalding coffee.  I am sorry that I did not have the good fortune to know this young man, but proud that his teachers cared for and about him rather than just about his marks or how he did on some test.  Being a teacher gives one the opportunity to help develop some amazing young minds and to get to know some amazing young people.  Humanity is one of the most important experiences we can develop and share by being a part of a classroom and school community and/or over a cup of coffee.

An Open Letter to Autumn's Teachers

After purchasing and playing 2 board games at my sister in law's garage sale, I feel it is imperative to share some information with 7 year old Autumn's teachers:

Dear Teachers of Autumn Neiszner (past and present),

Thank you for teaching my daughter to read, write and spell so successfully that she was able to soundly defeat her father and older cousins at Scrabble Junior.  Thank you for developing her critical and strategic thinking so that she could anticipate and block the words the others had planned to spell.

Thank you for teaching her French, so that when the English instructions were missing from the box of Monopoly junior, she was still able to set up and play the game following the correct rules (I double checked).

Thank you for teaching her math so that, not only could she be banker, but she was able to know at any given time how much money she had, and how little money everyone else had.  Thanks to the deductive reasoning skills and knowledge of probability you helped her develop, she was able to fairly accurately predict how many more turns it would take for her sister, mother and father to be bankrupt.

I sincerely appreciate these real world skills you have fostered in my daughter.  You definitely deserve a raise! But, just one suggestion, could you work a little more on humility and sportsmanship?!

Sincerely,

Hillary Ibbott Neiszner

To the women who have made me who I am

To my maternal grandmother, Annette Ayotte Mc Donald, who didn't speak a word of English before marrying my grandfather, who raised 5 children on a seasonal construction worker's salary, who relocated her family all across Manitoba, who cooked and sewed and did whatever she could to make ends meet, who faithfully attended church each week and who I had the privilege of knowing for 12 years; for giving me strength, perseverance, community service and a love of the French language.

To my paternal grandmother, Jean Ibbott, still going at 95, who gave birth to and raised a son while her husband was away in WWII, who raised two children and loved and supported her husband,who always expected the most from her children and deeply valued education,who took pride in herself and her appearance, and who stood up for herself and her opinions no matter what; for giving me drive, style, a passion for education, and for reinforcing my feminism by believing that my cousins, my sister and I could do anything regardless of our gender...and maybe because of it!

To my  mother, Lou-Ellen Ibbott by far the smartest person I know and the most influential person in my life.  Costume sewer, library volunteer, car pool driver, cheering section, shoulder to cry on, singer, reader, accountant, dancer shopper, hostess and friend. For always believing in me, having high expectations of me, for fostering a love of books and literature, of community service, of the arts, of music, dance and learning.  If I am half the mother you are I will be successful!

To my sister, Whitney Ibbott Love; you know how they say people grow to look like their dogs?  Well my sister looks like her married name.  If a Hallmark card was a person, it would be my sister.  To Whitney, mother of two adorable boys; for her tremendous capacity for love and all things related, cuddles, hugs and terms of endearment, for always being the hug I needed, my playmate, friend and a wonderful aunty.

To my girls, Autumn and Holland, nature or nurture, the blood of these women flows in your veins and their values and spirit lives in your hearts.  To my girls, for giving me the most precious, exhilarating, rewarding  experience of all, and allowing me to live it every day; for making me a mom.

To all these women who have gone before and the two who came after...Thank you for all you have given and continue to give to me!  I do not take it for granted!

Happy Mother's Day!

Political activism?

I am sitting at the kitchen table drinking my favourite "donut shop" coffee from what is one of the best inventions of late, the Keurig.  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is on in the background and it hardly seems the environment to percolate political activism but...I can't stop thinking about the Sask Party's lack of willingness to bring additional resources to the bargaining table with the teachers of Saskatchewan.  It seems so contradictory to what this government appears to value and support; young entrepreneurs, problem solvers, outside the box thinkers who will make this province home and will help to build and develop it beyond the agriculture and natural resources which have been our longtime industries.  Certainly a government that values those 21 century, high level Blooms skills in its citizens would have the foresight and long term planning to understand that the sustainability and growth of these citizens depends more on the teachers to develop and nurture theses future critical thinkers and problem solvers than anyone or anything else. Perhaps the government, like many others, believe that students will learn in spite of their teachers, or that having a place for the children to go from 8:30-4:00 is more important than what they are actually doing there.  How unfortunate!  It is mother's day weekend, and looking at the smiling, milk moustached little ladies at my breakfast table just reminds me of how much I want for them, for their futures!  I have to believe that all of the young entrepreneurs and business builders who have made our province home and have helped contribute to its current prosperity would certainly want that for their children too!? And, those who have been here all along, who have suffered though the lean years and struggles we prairie folks have faced, those true prairie people with antifreeze in their veins and a constitution to never give up, those people would definitely want better for their kids and grand kids, wouldn't they?  Where is the error in my thinking? I guess the optimist in me thought that, we would walk off for a day, the Sask party would give their heads a shake and say, "oops, let's try this again, with a reasonable offer this time!"  Instead, I have heard, that they have invested funds into an advertising and marketing plan to justify their offer of 5% over 3 years...Really???  So, that leaves me here, blogging about politics!  Who'd have thought?!  Tomorrow, I promise something lighter, it will be mother's day after all and, as much as I love being a teacher, I LOVE being a mother, the most important job in the world!!!!

Getting Socially Networked Professionally

I resisted for a long time but have recently put myself 'out there' so to speak.  No, I am not online dating; still happily married but, I am working at creating an online professional learning network.  I am the first to admit I don't know sweet tweet about twitter; hash had a totally different meaning to me but I'm twit chatting now!  It isn't as though I was never interested in social networking as an educational tool but, I was also scared.  Not so much by my digital infancy but more by my addictive personality.  I don't mean gambling and substance abuse, I mean that I can't pick up a book and just read a chapter, if I am into it I will stay up all night to finish it.  I bought the boxed set DVD's of the first 3 seasons of "Criminal Minds" to keep me occupied after recovering from surgery and had watched them all within a week! (This explains my heightened sense of paranoia and suspicion of serial killers among us!) So you might see why I could become even more hooked on my aptly nicknamed 'crackberry' than ever!  But, I did it, jumped in with both feet.  Wednesday night, from the bleachers during one of my daughter's 3 hour training sessions at gymnastics, I participated in a chat with folks from all over the place about supporting new teachers and developing their passion while nurturing ours #passiondriven #ntchat WOW!  I'll admit, I was more a voyeur than a participant but what an unbelievable group of teachers were there, sharing and supporting eachother.  It kind of blew my mind and took it off the bleacher bum for awhile too! 

Yesterday, I was one of 12000 Saskatchewan Teachers who took part in a rally/study day walkout.  The first interruption of service in 76 years! At the rally we were read letters of support from other teaching organizations across the country and twitter was a tweeting (as was I!) When you think about teachers and what we do and the fact that folks would be tweeting about how to do more, how to do better, how to be better and how to support others in this endeavour day and night, on their own time, because they care, I say that is passion!  Not overtime, not extra-curricular, just personal professional development and networking to do the best for your students and your colleagues!  How amazing is that!  So, to all those SK residents who think teachers are lazy, have too many holidays, not enough hours etc, etc. I say, get your tweet on, check out what's happening online or, better yet, step into a school, spend a week with a teacher, discover what it is really about!  And, for my teacher friends, I say get networked up, I think it may be worth it (although no guarantees about the addiction thing, I've been checking the twitter for crackberry every 10 min or so to make sure I didn't miss something...it is kind of overwhelming!)

Saskatchewan teachers one day walk out

Tomorrow will be the Saskatchewan teachers' one day walk out.  After reading the many comments posted on the Leader Post website it is very interesting to me that the public is so concerned with the current teachers rather than the teachers of the future.  Many comments referred to teachers as "greedy" and suggested that if teaching is, in fact, a calling, one would be inclined to become a teacher regardless of the pay.  While I agree that it takes a certain kind of person to enter and to stay in this profession that demands patience, work ethic, intelligence and heart; it also demands the type of person who wants to excel in his or her chosen profession, a life long learner who seeks acknowledgement and recognition for his or her contribution.  I believe, the further our salaries move away from other professions which require similar education, training and skills, the less likely youth are to enter the profession at all.  Currently we see some of the brightest and best education grads accepting positions in other provinces which allow them to earn more money and, perhaps, have a better standard of living.  Yes, I am a teacher.  I consider myself to be a hard worker; I have spent much of my career pursuing further education through my Master Degree, courses, conventions and professional reading.  I have done my best to put the needs of my students first and, in addition, have spent many hours coaching and organizing sports and events for students in the schools I have worked all above and beyond the work day.  The working conditions in our profession have changed dramatically in the 15 years that I have been a teacher.  Teachers are working with students who suffer from physical and mental disabilities, who have suffered abuse, who live in poverty, who have just arrived in Canada and speak no English and on and on.  In the past, many of these students would not have been in school at all, and, those who were would not have been able to participate in their neighbourhood school with their peers. The expectation that all students can and will learn allows us to educate all children, but, at the same time, is a daunting proposition.  the fact that, in 2011, a teacher could, at one time, have a classroom with students who suffer from autism, fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, are visually or hearing impaired, are of above average intelligence, have just arrived in the country from a refugee camp and speak no English and your children and my children...it sounds pretty difficult, and it is!  As a mother, I want the people with the greatest capacity to nurture and educate all these children, especially my own, and give them the best possible opportunity to be successful in life.  If my children feel the calling to become teachers, I want it to be because it is a noble and honourable profession with one of the greatest responsibilities attached to it.  I want Saskatchewan School Boards to be able to hire the best possible teachers to educate my children in a competitive market, not to have to accept the ones that they can afford.  I am not asking this for myself, I want it for my children and for our future.  What is it that you want for yours?