Sunday, March 27, 2011

Teachers and Social Networking Sites

Beware of the “Drunken Pirate!”

Stacey Snyder was a 25 year old senior education major at Millersville University in Pennsylvania and was assigned to Conestoga Valley High School for her student teaching. During that time Snyder posted a photo of herself on MySpace clad in a pirate hat with a cup in her hand. She labeled the photo “Drunken Pirate” and told her students at the school about her web page. When school and university officials learned of Snyder’s MySpace photo, they took action. Conestoga High School terminated her student teaching assignment and the university refused to issue her education degree and did not recommend her for Pennsylvania state certification.  Snyder sued the university, claiming that her First Amendment rights had been violated. The case, Stacey Snyder, Plaintiff v. Millersville University (No. 07-1660) was heard in US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on December 3rd, 2008. The court ruled in favor of the university.
I share this story with you as more and more school districts are checking social networking sites of both current and prospective employees. Numerous other civil liberties cases involving teachers had made their way through the courts since the 1970’s. The essence of many if these cases is that teachers, by nature of their work are held to higher ethical standards than the general population. They have been entrusted with the lives and education of America’s youth and as such need to present a high moral and ethical posture in the public eye.  Social networking sites like Face Book, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc are not private.  Additionally, most posts in cyberspace are permanent and cannot usually be “unposted.”
At the university where I worked, the director of the Student Services Center developed a PowerPoint presentation about the dangers of teachers (or student teachers) posting material on social networking sites. If anything, please let this blog post be a reminder to you to clean up your social networking sites and to not invite your students to “visit” your pages. In this current politically charged environment, which is so hostile to teachers and the teaching profession, do not give the attackers any more ammunition.

A complete posting of the court decision can be found at:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/Decision%202008.12.03.pdf

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Teaching about the Civil War

Civil War Sesquicentennial

April 12, 2011 will mark the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter, SC, launching the beginning of the long and bloody American Civil War. The war that pitted family members against each other ended in the loss of over 600,000 lives, making it the deadliest war in US history. For the next four years, reenactments of battles, commemorations at battlefields and new exhibitions will take place across the country. These events will create excellent teachable moments to provide lessons about the war, as well as the economic and social impact it placed on the country. There will be numerous opportunities for students of all grade levels to explore this significant part of our history. There will be opportunities to focus not just on maps and dates, but music and literature as well.
There is also an abundance of information available through the Internet. A good place to start is the site
One of the most outstanding web sites that I have reviewed has been created by The National Archives. The site www.Docsteach.org  has a wealth of primary sources that can be used with the readily available tools to create specific lessons that address such learning skills as sequencing of events, data interpretation, as well as map reading and interpretation skills. You should spend a great deal of time with this site (5 stars).
Another site worth viewing is www.civilwar.com.
Planning a field trip? The web site www.civilwartravelers.com is an excellent source of information about battlefield, historical monuments and markers as well as forts. The information is organized by state. A great resource if you and your students are up for a planning an excursion.
Books to Read
If you are to read only one book about the Civil War, I would strongly recommend James McPherson’s Pulitzer Prize winner, Battle Cry of Freedom. Originally published in 1988, this volume is the definitive work on the topic, by one of America’s most notable historians.

( Photo credit- Library of Congress  LC B811-465A)

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Testing Time in America

It’s all about the test.

 Call it whatever you want- Iowa test of Basic Skills, California Achievement Test, FCAT, HSPT, etc. If it’s spring it must be testing season. Many of you have been prepping your students since the first day of school. Other may have been” pushing “your students as the testing dates draw near.  The high stakes tests have wide reaching implications. For a school district, test scores are used as litmus test to determine whether a school has met its AYP (yearly progress) according to the guidelines of the No Child Left Behind Act. For some teachers, their salary increments or even their jobs may hinge on the outcomes of their students performance on statewide assessment tests.
( As of this date, the state of Florida is trying to implement such a program)
For the students, testing is a time of fear and anxiety, for in some instances it may determine promotion to the next grade or inclusion in such programs as gifted and talented. Some students get physically sick as a result of the stress placed on them by testing.
What can teachers do to aid their students in becoming successful test takers? And more philosophically what can teachers do to demonstrate that learning is more than just preparing for the test? In some schools many programs have been cut (art, music, any subject not on test) to make time for test preparation.
An excellent article that evaluates both sides of the high stakes testing argument was written by Alina Saminsky. The article entitled “High Stakes Standardized Testing: a Panacea or a Pest?” The article can be retrieved from www.studentpulsed.com
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3192 (Scholastic on line- Prepare students for standardized tests)
Probably one the most dynamic and vocal opponents to standardized testing is Alfie Kohn. I strongly recommend that you read his article “Standardized Testing and its Victims” that appeared in the September 27th, 2000 issue of Education Week http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/edweek/staiv.htm
As always your comments and input are welcome.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Summer Institutes for Teachers

What are you doing this summer? 

Well, it’s finally March.  Spring break and the end of the school year are not far behind.  It is time to think about summer. While we can all agree that teachers deserve some vacation time and need to reconnect with family or head to the beach, you need to think about your future as a professional educator. Your formal education does not stop on the day you are handed your degree and teaching certification. Teachers must always continue the process of becoming a better and more effective teacher. To that end it is time to take a look at the wide variety of summer programs available for teachers. The choices are limitless. There are programs both here in the US as well as overseas. Some will grant you graduate credit, possibly necessary for a pay raise.  Others will be required for ongoing professional development hours mandated by your state.
A number of the programs provide stipends and reimbursement for travel. For others, you will have to foot the bill. Check with your tax preparer to see if any of these expenses are deductible.  Many programs are sponsored by colleges and universities. So check with those in your area to see if summer programs are available and in what academic areas.
There are several caveats for you to consider as you start your search.
1)      Many of the programs have a competitive application process. You may need to demonstrate your need/ desire to participate in a specific program. (e.g., write an essay, obtain letters of recommendation from administrators, etc.)
2)       Many of the programs have deadlines that are coming up soon. Some had a March 1st deadline.
3)      Check with your school district and see if you qualify for any professional development funds. A number of these programs require travel and lodging that you must pay for. Programs that offer graduate credit may charge an additional amount per credit for tuition.
4)      How will your students benefit? How will you benefit?
A number of years ago I attended an excellent summer program for school counselors at Lyndon State College in Vermont. I took a morning and afternoon class lamenting that I could not take advantage of the weather and beautiful sights in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. I returned the following summer and only took a morning class, giving me ample leisure time in the afternoons. Keep these things in mind while planning.
Here are just a few programs. There are hundreds more.
http://www.neh.gov/projects/si-school.html- National Endowment for the Humanities
http://www.streetlaw.org/en/Program.10.aspx US Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers
http://www.exploratorium.edu/teacher_institute/summer/  Summer Institutes for Science Teachers
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/education/seminar_overview.php (summer programs for history teachers in NYC)

Please feel free to share any experiences with summer programs that you have had and any recommendations for outstanding summer workshops, courses, or travel/learning programs.