Day 129: Dear Governor, What'd I Ever Do to You?

Day 129, from the standpoint of teaching my class, was a typical day.  No issues, no worries.
And then...

We had an emergency union meeting regarding my state governor's budget proposal for public education. 

I wish I could say that everything was roses.

But it's not.

Gee, where to begin?  Well, first I would like to say that I am pleased (at this point) that our governor has not taken away or rallied to take away our collective bargaining rights.  Past that, I am not pleased.  Not pleased at all.  Here is a list of why my sunny day suddenly turned cloudy:

1. Pay freeze.  All public school employees, from custodians to cafeteria workers to secretaries to principals to teachers, have been asked to take a pay freeze for this coming school year, or there will be furloughs in my school district.  The governor says the districts across the state must do this to save the state thousands and thousands of dollars.  This, after he has proposed to cut over a BILLION dollars to public education and public state universities.  If ALL of the bargaining units in my district (and I dare say, others) do not accept pay freezes for the upcoming school year, then there will be furloughs, with notices as early as May.  In my district alone, that equates to a MINIMUM of 49 positions across all areas.
2. Cuts to the education budget.  My district stands to lose nearly 20% of its funding from the state. Our district projected a $927,000 shortfall after our budget was done earlier this month.  The district offered early retirement to those who were eligible and came close to a balanced budget.  When the governor gave his address (just several days  later), that shortfall grew to $2.6 million. I don't have to tell you what that means for any district in this situation.
(Interestingly, businesses and other companies/corporations have not been asked to "share in the sacrifice" to help make my state more fiscally sound.  In fact, companies have been allowed to use a nearby state for P.O. box mailing addresses while the companies do business here, thereby avoiding fees and taxes that should be paid to the state.)
3. 18 new proposed bills affecting teachers and other workers in education.  Some of the more pressing ones:

• One bill would allow districts to furlough teachers for purely economic reasons.  Seniority would not be the deciding factor in these decisions.  Not only that, but the furloughs would be allowed without school districts being required to cut costs through other means.
• Another bill would allow a version of merit pay for teachers.  Basically, if your test scores are reviewed and your class is not meeting the goal set aside by the state, you could be fired.  Note that this does not take the makeup of your class into account.  So if I have students who are learning the language, or students with special needs, or students who came to you as a lower group because of outside factors (lack of parent support, undiagnosed learning disabilities, etc.), I could risk kissing my job goodbye.
• Another bill would permit uncertified school nurses to be in the buildings.  (Sorry, but as a parent with a child with asthma and another with allergies that can result in anaphylaxis, I'd want a certified nurse in the building.) 

I believe we are going to take the pay freeze for this year (two nearby districts already have), partly to save jobs and partly to help the public's perception of teachers.  The public's overall impression of teachers here is that we work nine months out of the year and have summers off at the taxpayer's expense so we should just stop complaining about everything and let the governor do his job. 

Sorry, but until they've taught a mile in my shoes, they have nothing to say.  Yes, I'm a teacher, and that entails a lot more than nine months of work.  Some of my roles:

• Educator,
• Counselor,
• Parenting coach,
• Literary expert,
• Confidante,
• Entertainer,
• Nurse,
• Psychologist,
• Crisis manager,
• Psychiatrist, and
• Parent...

...Just to name a few.  I have fed children, clothed children, and provided basic school supplies for children.  I have been hit, threatened more times than I care to count (by students and parents), and called out of my name because I wanted to help a child that needed it. I have spent thousands of dollars providing my classes with items a nonexistent school budget couldn't provide, including pencils and writing paper for my students and copier paper for their work. I have endured several years of wondering if I would have a job because of budget cuts--years before the economic situation we are in now. I have taught students and their parents the English language.  I have taught children with all ranges of special education needs, from autism to deafness to bipolar disorder to emotional support.  I have spent years teaching students of various grade-level abilities (sometimes a range of kindergarten-level to fifth-grade level) in my second-grade-level classroom.  I spend my summers taking even more classes in education and planning how to implement those strategies for the next year. I'm up early, in the building early, stay late, and am to bed late...all in the name of a better education for a child.

...I KEEP COMING BACK BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN EDUCATION. 

Day 21: Controversy

Have you ever done something to try and make things better and other people take offense to it?  Have you ever been involved in a misunderstanding and people take offense to you? I hate when that happens.

It started yesterday with a colleague sending out an e-mail to the entire grade level asking about an alternate format for reading comprehension quizzes after being asked about them by a parent. Apparently, parents were talking to each other and one parent asked another teacher why the quizzes were different than what his/her child took. This colleague wasn't sure what the parent was talking about, so s/he sent out the e-mail to try and get clarification to explain to the parent what happened.  Come to find out, the children who took the differently formatted quizzes were special education students in another room.  The quizzes were formatted by the special education teacher to meet their IEP goals.  The other children received the regular quizzes.  One part of the issue down.

The second part of the issue continued because I had made two alternate format quizzes to see if the format was challenging enough to let the students practice what they've learned and easy enough for parents to understand.  (We've had problems in the past with parent complaints that the questions--which come directly out of the story discussion section teacher's manual--were misleading and confusing.  A point that I--and my colleagues--agree on.  Some of the quizzes needed work.)  So I explained to the other team members that I am trying out the new format to see if it is better understood by students and parents.  I sent out a copy of one of the quizzes that I made up and said I would gladly share if anyone was interested.  (Some of us don't use comprehension quizzes, but do other comprehension activities.)

I hadn't shared the alternate format prior to the e-mail from yesterday because it is still a work in progress.  If the format is still confusing, I'll need to change it or think of another option.  So far I've done two and the students are doing pretty well on them.  Parents will see them for the first time in the students' test folders on Friday, so I will see how they are received.  

On a side note, my husband would like everyone to know that he is not a mean person.  He didn't like the way I wrote about his actions during the whole cell phone alarm incident from yesterday.  He thought it made him sound like a mean person for laughing at me.  I was totally not trying to make him out to be insensitive or anything. My husband is a great guy and has a ready sense of humor.  I guess I failed to see the humor in the midst of trying to find the source of the blasted vibrating sound!  I DID, however, laugh about it after I realized what I did because it was pretty funny.  Still, I can think of better ways to start a Monday.  =D

Day 17: Parent Meetings

I bet you think this post is about the book order.  Alas, it is not.

I know you have come across children in your teaching that make you take a step back and say "Hmmm...."  I have one such student this year that just seems to stand out from the others.  This child has some areas of concern I think need to be addressed.  Here's what I've observed:

First of all, the handwriting is not legible most of the time.  Spacing, sizing, and formation are questionable.  There are days I literally cannot tell what has been written down.  This with some accommodations from the OT already.  Second, the student has a very hard time staying focused on the task at hand.  Third, this student takes an exorbitant amount of time to get anything done, independent or not.  Fourth, I have checked over the files of this child, and s/he seems to be slowing down in his/her academic progress.  Finally, guided reading levels were done last week.  The reading specialist made a trip to my room to ask about this child because progress again showed a reversal.

I have set up a meeting with the parents for this Friday because I know where this child needs to be by the end of the year and if the past three-plus weeks are any indication, s/he won't get there without intervention.

It's always hard to approach parents about the fact that their child may need more intervention because parents are afraid their child will be labeled.  I understand that worry; I've been through the process with one of my own.  I'm just praying that these parents will be receptive to my concerns and are willing to go through the necessary channels so we can figure out what is going on and get this child some help.

Day 8: Special Education

My school has a new tier to our special education program this year.  The program, which was moved from one elementary school to my school by central administration, services intensive learning support students.  Some of the students are blind, deaf, have Down's syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and severe developmental delays.  Because of this new program, my school not only has new students, but quite a bit of new staff in the way of teachers, specialists, and aides as well.

I'm not here to complain about the program.  My mother worked for over 15 years as a special education aide for children and an adult education aide for adults with special needs.  I know how hard she worked to help her students and clients.  I know how well she treated those she was put in charge of; like they were members of her own family.  She treated them with respect, challenged them to do their best within their capabilities, and always acted in kindness.

Like I said, I am not here to complain about the program in my school.  Nor am I here to glorify my mother's work ethic; however, I AM here to state an observation. 

I've always wondered how a person who has gone to school to study the field of special education can treat his or her students with disdain.  I mean, this person has studied the conditions children are diagnosed with, the developmental expectations for each child, and strategies to help the children succeed as best they can.  Why oh why then, do we have staff members who act like it is a chore to do the job in which they've invested so much time and money?

On the playground today I observed an aide using sarcasm with one of his/her students.  This child is not as far along developmentally as his/her peers.  This is not an excuse, as his/her caregiver/teacher/helper during the day, to have a smart-aleck attitude with the child.  I always wonder how an aide would feel if the child were his/her own child and the person who is supposed to be helping the child during the day was treating him/her in an inappropriate and what I consider to be a disrespectful manner.

So the child "may not know/understand what's being said," or "doesn't get it."  The fact of the matter is that this child is SOMEONE'S child.  A baby that was carried in the womb with expectations from hopeful parents.  A child whose parents had to deal with the diagnosis of what to expect.  A child whose parents have dealt with (and are more than likely still dealing with) the frustrations, heartache, worries, successes, and triumphs of  raising a child with special needs.  It shouldn't matter whose child needs specialized care.  What should matter is that someone is there to meet the needs of that child without being short-tempered, sarcastic, apathetic, or indifferent. 

If treating a child with respect, courtesy, interest, and general good manners is just too hard to do (in special or regular education), then maybe it's time to find a new career.  The children and their families deserve better.