Today's Teacher Concerns

If we are ever going to attract and keep qualified and dedicated teachers in America’s schools, then we must address those issues that concern them the most. In an informal survey of classroom teachers there were a number of recurring themes. Let us set aside, just for the moment, the issue of teacher, as it will always come to the forefront of any serious discussion. W can then focus on the other overarching themes.

1)   One issue that always seems to be present is how do we motivate students. Many of today’s students do not receive ample support at home to see the value of education in their community. With so many electronic devices that are entertaining, it is quite difficult for the teaching profession to compete and make education engaging. It doesn’t always have to be “fun” but it should be thoughtful with achievable goals.

2)   Those dreaded lesson plans. Teachers are concerned about whether they are adequate enough for a class period. Will they be scrutinized by building administrators and held to some litmus test with regards to goals and objectives? In the event a teacher is absent from school, will a substitute be able to carry out the plans and not lose a day of precious class time.

3)   Not being able to successfully convey the material to the students. This is a major concern for first year teachers, as they may not have had sufficient contact time with students during clinical practice to become proficient in this skill.

4)   Getting parents on your side. Veteran teachers know that parent support is crucial to student success in the classroom. It important to have frequent and open communication with parents, making sure to always include them in the loop. Parents can be a great asset to aid students  with their homework. Don’t forget that some are available to be classroom assistants are trip chaperones.

5)   One of the most frequently mentioned issues is job security. Every year when school budgets are prepared, teachers at the low end of the seniority scale  have to nervously wait until new contracts come out. Not having a contract renewed, for whatever reason, can be an emotional blow.

This is just the beginning of a long list. It is important to know what the expectations  are from day one in the classroom. Being prepared and ready for anything are skills that will serve teachers well as they journey along their careers.

c.2013 J. Margolis

Common Core State Standards Update

Forty six states plus the District of Columbia have signed on to participate in the Common Core State Standards program (CCSS) authorized by the White House. This appears to be the successor program to No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. The essence of this new? initiative is to prepare school students for a more rigorous academic program. The implementation deadline for CCSS is to be the 2014-15 school year. Many of the classroom teachers around the country have expressed legitimate concerns that that they have not been adequately prepared to adept the new guidelines   and integrate them into their curriculum. One of the notable parts of the program is that the new programs do not specifically lay out HOW teachers should teach. CCSS provides guidance but leave the materials to select in the hands of the teachers.

According to the defined goals of the program “all students, regardless of where they live, will graduate prepared for college, careers, and citizenship.” That is an extremely tall order given the socio- economic diversity in America’s public schools. This may yet be another “pie in the sky” program that is not truly grounded in addressing the differences that leave some children behind from the very first day they ever walk in to a school. CCSS also purports to facilitate interdisciplinary learning with the expectations teachers in the various academic disciplines will collaborate to make the classroom a more productive place.

According to Common Core, parents will be key players in the success of the program. That can also be said for every other program that has come down the trail and failed. If parents don’t buy into the program and lend their support to their children and the classroom teachers, then any program is doomed to failure.

The National Education Association is lending its support to this initiative and has developed a teacher toolkit to aid teachers. You can learn more about Common Core and access the toolkit by visiting nea.org/commoncore.

c.2013 J. Margolis

Magazines to Engage Your Students

Magazine Reviews

I was recently given copies of several magazines that are designed for classroom use. Several of them are published by the Carus Publishing Company, headquartered in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

I would like to share with you some of my findings and perhaps suggest that you request review copies to see if they would fit into your curriculum.

Cobblestone- Cobblestone is an upbeat magazine that focuses on American history. In the recent copy I reviewed, the topic of this issue was immigration. There were excellent photos and political cartoons. The magazine tried to draw connections between immigration to the US in the early part of the twentieth century with the immigration issues of today. There are sidebars that provide students with definitions of key vocabulary terms. Also in this issue, there was a timeline of immigration laws and their impact on American society. There were even sample questions from the US Citizenship test. Teachers will find topics for discussion and student based activities to compliment classroom learning.  The magazine also seeks out student work for future issue such as poems or drawings. The reading level appears to be for upper middle school or high school.

Carus also publishes a magazine that focuses on World History. The title of this magazine is Calliope. The format is similar to that of Cobblestone. The issue that I reviewed focused on ancient Greek history and mythology. There is even a short play for students to act out. Several of the articles are written by college professors and professional magazine writers. There is even an opportunity to “Like” the magazine on Facebook.

The third magazine that I recommend focuses on science. It’s called Odyssey, Adventures in Science. You can take at look at the magazine website at www.odysseymagazine.com. A recent issue delved into the topic of auto racing and understanding the aerodynamics of fast cars. There are math problems to solve, diagrams to review and again excellent photos.

A one year subscription to any of these magazines is about $27 dollars. I encourage you to take a look and decide if these could help engage your students in social studies and science.

Comments are welcome.

C.2013 J. Margolis