tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post2180170332275744771..comments2024-02-14T06:30:27.643-05:00Comments on A Teacher on Teaching: NFL Adopts Common Core Playbook--Copying Education ReformsJohn J. Viallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05355223708051895485noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-58719644319821509552019-11-26T09:47:16.111-05:002019-11-26T09:47:16.111-05:00Recent News from Florida 🏝 🏈 📚
A great essay ...Recent News from Florida 🏝 🏈 📚 <br /><br />A great essay about the application of Common Core Standards to football to improve performance. If every player learns the best techniques and strategies and applies them to their game, the game should improve, right?<br /><br />Florida students and teachers are in luck because schools across the state will soon have new “world’s best standards” according to FLDOE Secretary Richard Corcoran who expects 100% of our students to be proficient in reading and math. Our game is already great! MDCPS 4th graders have the highest scores in the country! Will the new Florida Standards improve our game even more?<br /><br />It is unfortunate, however, that we have a critical shortage of academic coaches and support staff although recruitment events are held on a monthly basis. Besides, not many young people want to go into the education field anymore because our academic coaches and other members of team staff are underpaid, micromanaged, verbally and physically abused, harassed and even shot and killed. The new Florida law in regard to arming educators to stop violence hasn’t been as popular as expected. However, the guardian program together with increased security, additional surveillance cameras to monitor every player and coach in the education game is expected to bring positive outcomes. We are still striving to demonstrate top performance. That is why we now have new FLDOE Secretary Richard Corcoran whose wealth of experience in law and legislature coupled with his wife’s leadership role on the board of charter schools will ensure the academic success of Florida public schools! Wish us good luck and keep praying! ❤️ ☮️ 🙏 <br /><br />#teachersdemandaction #education #commoncore #newfloridastandards #rondesantis #fldoe #doe #richardcorcoran #football #standards #floridastandards #test #testing #TeachersDemandActionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07960263247046128305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-410001108682118222015-01-04T07:38:34.680-05:002015-01-04T07:38:34.680-05:00Thanks, I appreciate it. I don't think our lea...Thanks, I appreciate it. I don't think our leaders in education have even a hint of a clue.John J. Viallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05355223708051895485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-41087156643993582922015-01-03T16:56:12.972-05:002015-01-03T16:56:12.972-05:00Hi John, I stumbled upon this brilliant satirical...Hi John, I stumbled upon this brilliant satirical piece recently and thought it would be great to have it resurface during playoff season. Just worked it into the Arne Duncan twitter storm #whatif @arneduncan. Hoping to send more people your way! So hard to work with only 140 characters! https://twitter.com/alleybLFP/status/551481592636784640Aliciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13287040927545833798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-83538483041870768832013-12-09T13:54:42.552-05:002013-12-09T13:54:42.552-05:00Make Sure To cover that And Protect Yourself.. Thi...Make Sure To cover that And Protect Yourself.. This Is One Of The Most Powerful Articals Out There And Will Definitely Grab Attention.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-87739990526301152202013-12-09T13:52:25.969-05:002013-12-09T13:52:25.969-05:00John Vail
One Of My Readers Was Concerned About Li...John Vail<br />One Of My Readers Was Concerned About Libel Lawsuits. Did You Qualify The Piece Somewhere As Fiction?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-59712928910269250012013-12-06T04:33:07.168-05:002013-12-06T04:33:07.168-05:00NFL football news, rumors, and Fantasy advice from...NFL football news, rumors, and Fantasy advice from the experts at CBSSports.com. NFL scores, standings, stats, and blogs covering every player and team in ...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13746919753289729169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-7848741799091605492013-11-06T22:08:27.236-05:002013-11-06T22:08:27.236-05:00Of course, all of the teams will be above average....Of course, all of the teams will be above average.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-81937948099135554722013-08-18T05:08:37.287-04:002013-08-18T05:08:37.287-04:00I think you meant to say, "Teacher evaluation...I think you meant to say, "Teacher evaluations are SUBJECTIVE rather than OBJECTIVE". Yes, if you are good friends with the principal - a pay of his/hers, then things are peachy, and the evaluation goes quite well. If not, then the principal can find all kinds of things wrong with your teaching style/methods.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-28779539908722756972013-08-18T05:03:48.887-04:002013-08-18T05:03:48.887-04:00Think about it, though. People are not robots. N...Think about it, though. People are not robots. Not everyone CAN play the game. Think about the high (and increasing numbers of children with Autism. Think about kids with Down's. Think about kids with dyslexia, and discalculia. Think about the kids who are socially and emotionally disturbed. Think about kids whose parents are in jail. Think about kids who are living in poverty. Not every child WILL be a reader. There are children with brain injuries, with medically fragile conditions, with serious illnesses, with serious disabling conditions. We need to be realistic. Not every child will be a reader, and not every child will go to college. Let's bring some common sense back into the equation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-9752659468956403532013-08-18T04:57:53.688-04:002013-08-18T04:57:53.688-04:00I totally agree. I see the same diversity and dif...I totally agree. I see the same diversity and different strengths and weaknesses in my family. Education is not, and should not be one size fits all. Education should be fun and child-centered as much as possible. Maria Montessori would be rolling in her grave at all of the standards and testing that goes on these days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-88813686713512102702013-08-18T04:50:27.179-04:002013-08-18T04:50:27.179-04:00Holy Mackerel! I had no idea that some districts ...Holy Mackerel! I had no idea that some districts had done away with recess! Is this really true? What in heaven's name? WHY???? Kids (and teachers) NEED recess. Kids NEED to have breaks. I agree that we need to stop comparing ourselves to other nations. Perhaps other nationalities ARE smarter. So what? Why does it even matter? God made us all different and unique, each with different talents and abilities. I myself love writing, reading, spelling, and history, but have always found math to be a challenge. Does that make me stupid or less of a person? No, indeed it does not. We have the VERY BEST healthcare and doctors here in America. I think that counts for something - and we have democracy, and we have lots of fertile land, and we grow many wonderful and amazing things here. We have many, many blessings in America, and let's recognize and celebrate these blessings. We have awesome teachers - even with lots of unmotivated and many rebellious, resentful, and even dangerous students. Many students are resistant to learning, and yet teachers are required to teach them anyhow. Many teachers are spat upon, hit, kicked, and given death threats - AND they have to clean up poo, clean the bathrooms in their classroom, wait to go to the bathroom, wolf down a quick lunch WHILE babysitting delinquent kids (no breaks!) and then they get yelled at by some parents who are off their rocker and some who are downright rude. (There are also super and wonderful parents too as well as super and wonderful kids too, but you have to acknowledge that there are mean and rude ones out there too.) Then the teacher gets evaluated by the principal - the teacher who has been doing a super job for YEARS - and is said to be lacking in x, y, or z skills all because of these new, totally unrealistic expectations, such as expecting certain special ed kids to be doing certain types of math equations and reading at certain grade levels. All the while, the teacher is putting in the most insane hours, paying for his/her own continuing education, paying for classroom supplies & materials, and working many, many hours without pay. WHERE IS THE GRATITUDE FOR THESE SELFLESS SERVANTS, AMERICA??? When will you stop criticizing teachers????? Teaching has become a profession of insanity!!!!! Why would anyone choose to teach now-a-days? The certification process alone is so completely complex and whacky and intense that they teach a WEEK-LONG course on how to obtain it. I say the government needs to get back to fixing the roads and quit trying to "fix" schools; they were never broken, thank you very little.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-4982914631020814212013-07-14T19:47:56.160-04:002013-07-14T19:47:56.160-04:00Absolutely wonderful! Awesome!Absolutely wonderful! Awesome!Oliver Schinktenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14237507526807823850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-75192095106550267012013-07-09T00:49:46.443-04:002013-07-09T00:49:46.443-04:00I am the parent of four wonderful children. My ol...I am the parent of four wonderful children. My oldest is 10 and profoundly gifted with an 150+ iq. My older daughter is very creative. Math does not come easily to her and she gets frustrated when reading quite often. My b/g twins just finished Kindergarten. My little boy was practically deaf until the age of 3 and has some delay's as a result. He finally seems to have gotten a handle on phonic's but it was a struggle and sight words required a lot of extra work. His twin could read when she was two. She steals her big sisters chapter books all the time. In my own house I can see that children have different needs and learn at a different pace. My kids attend two different schools so all of their special needs can be met. Two need extra challenges and their school traditionally works 2-3 grade levels ahead. The other two go to a Catholic school and receive lots of individualized attention. I don't see how a standard curriculum, like the one you are describing, would benefit any of them.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-20344892230706540972013-07-09T00:36:19.835-04:002013-07-09T00:36:19.835-04:00Unfortunately the evaluator needs to be impartial....Unfortunately the evaluator needs to be impartial. Seen this much. It is not subjective.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-2436279720201602622013-07-08T16:02:08.759-04:002013-07-08T16:02:08.759-04:00Not afraid at all...most of us. Not anxious to be ...Not afraid at all...most of us. Not anxious to be rated on shaky criteria.<br /><br />For example, when I had a young man miss 106 days of school in a single year, who should we rate when he does poorly on his tests?<br /><br />Mom, or Dad, or his pediatrician?John J. Viallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05355223708051895485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-17819680903678354722013-07-08T15:34:57.746-04:002013-07-08T15:34:57.746-04:00So on your evaluation from your supervisors there ...So on your evaluation from your supervisors there weren't specific sections related to the work you do? Those where you are rated as Does Not Meet, Meets, Exceeds, etc.? Every person I know in a wide variety of professions is evaluated in this manner.<br /><br />I do, however, agree that principals and administrators should be the ones judging (evaluating) our teachers. The problem is that if there are no standards to evaluate them by, then the playing field is not level and there cannot be a fair evaluation. <br /><br />Standardized tests, as I mentioned in my original post, need to be (and can be) fixed as they are far from perfect. Test scores, however, should be just one measure of effectiveness. Unfortunately, teachers cannot be evaluated due to union contracts in most areas....sadly, there are many 'teachers' who simply show up to collect a paycheck but are untouchable because they cannot be terminated. So my original question stands, why are teachers so afraid to be evaluated?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-67567239666579016732013-07-08T14:43:28.273-04:002013-07-08T14:43:28.273-04:00In very few professions are people actually held a...In very few professions are people actually held accountable to a "baseline." I can't even think of one. In most jobs, people are evaluated by their supervisors, period. Let's let our principals and school administrators do the job they were hired to do, and evaluate our teachers.<br /><br />Would you judge a doctor based on how many of his/her patients ended up getting certain diseases? No, because too many other factors come into play: diet, exercise, genetics, etc. Why on earth would we evaluate a teacher based on how well his/her students do on a particular test? Principals and administrators should be the ones judging our teachers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-6337084673692795922013-07-08T14:25:09.428-04:002013-07-08T14:25:09.428-04:00We had a decent curriculum for our course. The pro...We had a decent curriculum for our course. The problem was trying to measure what teachers really did with a 50 question test (in Ohio it covered three years of material, too).<br /><br />I could have hammered away at the basics and insured my kids learned the key one or two facts; and then I'd have scored higher (and under new Ohio laws perhaps earned merit pay). I was NOT going to get paid extra for bringing in those veterans...and yet to not do so would have struck me as educational malpractice.<br /><br />I knew who wasn't making enough progress in my class by testing them myself. That's what we've done since time immemorial.<br /><br />The standardized tests only measure the baseline; and if you deviate from that you do so at peril.<br /><br />One other example you might like: I used to require my students to read four books and total 1,000 pages of outside reading to get an "A" or "B" for the year in my history class. I think a lot of reading skills develop in the same way physical strength does by lifting weights.<br /><br />Since I wanted to instill a love for reading, I gave kids a list with hundreds of choices. Gone with the Wind, Killer Angels, Black Hawk Down, Night, Co Aytch, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.<br /><br />It took a lot of time in a history class to make a program like that work. I was cautioned in 2008, my last year, to stick to the benchmarks on our state curriculum.<br /><br />I can only say in good conscience to you that I felt this was nuts. Even if my students could find the Gobi Desert on a map (the only geography question in 2008) in 2008, they wouldn't need to know it ever again. But, ah...if only I could turn out a few avid readers. There was the rub.<br /><br />I also worked extensively with students on writing style...not just grammar. Again, very sadly, not anything I was going to be scored high or low for, based on standardized tests.<br /><br />Hope I'm not annoying you with too many examples; some "basics" you need to teach you learn only by teaching, not writing up Common Core Standards. I was surprised in 2000, for example, to find that many of my kids no longer recognized a picture of Adolf Hitler. So a good teacher adjusts and a core curriculum is essentially dead and inert.John J. Viallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05355223708051895485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-53896212413858664292013-07-08T14:08:13.011-04:002013-07-08T14:08:13.011-04:00Actually, you've given a perfect example of wh...Actually, you've given a perfect example of what I was referring to. <br /><br />You clearly went above and beyond the baseline, and your students - I'm certain - are much richer for it. Unfortunately, with the system we have now of patchwork curriculum, there are kids that have never heard of Islam - or Judaism - or Buddhism - or even have a clue where Israel can be found on a map. Why is it a bad thing to have core set of knowledge that a kid is expected to have when exiting a particular grade? I just don't understand the resistance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-12404358741050617662013-07-08T13:55:48.578-04:002013-07-08T13:55:48.578-04:00Amen, to that. Amen, to that. John J. Viallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05355223708051895485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-69049126361508530642013-07-08T13:52:49.464-04:002013-07-08T13:52:49.464-04:00My experience with the last set of standards was t...My experience with the last set of standards was this: they were very minimal. For example, what ONE question would you want students to be able to answer regarding Islam on a standardized test?<br /><br />We had one in 2006. One again in 2007. So, was I wasting my time when I tried to make sure my students knew: what jihad was (current events, surely; and I hate Muslim bashers, by the way), where Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Mecca, Jerusalem were on a map (not tested, of course). Or: if I can bring in 14 veterans, to speak to my school (as I did), including Iraq and Afghanistan veterans...what baseline measures that?<br /><br />I set much higher standards for my students than any test could ever measure. So, do I do wrong if I refuse to focus like a laser on Songhai trade?<br /><br />Yep...that was on our standardized test.John J. Viallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05355223708051895485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-75588671617748016242013-07-08T13:12:30.327-04:002013-07-08T13:12:30.327-04:00Non teacher here. I'm not looking to pick a f...Non teacher here. I'm not looking to pick a fight, but I'm curious why there is so much resistance among the teaching profession to being evaluated against a baseline? I cannot think of a single other profession (although I'm sure there are some) where people are not held accountable to a core standard. I acknowledge there are tremendous issues with standardized testing, and they should be addressed by cross functional teams of those with academic and real world expertise alike.<br /><br />I'm also sensitive to the variability the children bring to the equation, but isn't that really the point of a common core - setting a bar that fantastic teachers like yourselves can help the kids reach or exceed? The common core as I understand it is just that, a core. It sets a level playing field that ALL teams should play on. <br /><br />I think the NFL analogy is actually quite apropos, but I see it from a different angle. The NFL is the common core itself...all players that play in the NFL had to reach a certain level of expertise to be at that level in the first place. The coaching (teaching), is what takes individuals and teams above and beyond that baseline and creates those that come out on top; but shouldn't we be striving to make sure everyone has the skills to even play the game?<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-49833932125568485862013-07-08T12:49:39.161-04:002013-07-08T12:49:39.161-04:00If lessons were designed by master teachers so you...If lessons were designed by master teachers so you didn't have to spend all your time dreaming up what you wanted to each and every day and waste time scrambling around trying to get together the materials you needed, that would be a benefit. We lived in Japan, there was one detailed curriculum for the whole country, with detailed lessons and all materials provided to all teachers. Teachers were able to concentrate on making sure those lessons worked for their individual students. Also, because the lessons were the same throughout the nation, all the students were in the same place all the time. Teachers didn't have to wonder what this student transferring in or out needed because they knew they were on all pretty much on the same page. The lessons were all very well done too. They provided a lot of variety and used a lot of good methodology. I think we do our students disservice when they move from school to school because everyone is in a different place we're all so fiercely independent, we all decide how we are going to do it in our district or in our state or in our city and who cares that the kids just get lost in the shuffle. I think that would be a wonderful benefit of Common Core, or one of the purposes, so that kids don't get messed up when their parents move from one town to another. Then, if they took it another step further, actually providing all the materials and training necessary to carry out their mandates, that would also be beneficial.<br /><br />PS I am a high school teacher at a US school with a student turnover rate of about 30% a year and a budget that gets lower every time we're asked to do one more thing.<br /><br />PPS German schools don't have sports teams, either. Kids who want to participate in organized sports do so at their parents' expense, not the governments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-7033861217484925112013-07-08T11:37:24.663-04:002013-07-08T11:37:24.663-04:00Fair points; I don't mean that length of servi...Fair points; I don't mean that length of service alone makes any of us good. It does, however, provide perspective. I see, for example, that tracking by ability is "in" again in schools.<br /><br />My experience with the last round of tests tied to NCLB was almost surreal. Could students answer questions about Songhai trade, mercantilism and Shay's Rebellion in social studies. We geared up for that test and spent hours on preparation and gave our kids practice tests, etc.<br /><br />State of Ohio killed the test in 2009. It didn't even last five years.<br /><br />One of my first posts ever on this blog lays out my fears--that standardized testing will curtail real learning. It's about bringing fourteen combat veterans to my school to speak--and how this was the very antithesis of standardized education.<br /><br />Sham Standards...May 25, 2011.<br />John J. Viallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05355223708051895485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997519179796849230.post-14022069201648012542013-07-08T09:58:00.371-04:002013-07-08T09:58:00.371-04:00Taught 14 years in High School. Great analogy. H...Taught 14 years in High School. Great analogy. However, "years of experience" does not equal good teaching. Most of the time we are on our own, trying to figure out how to do our jobs, and some of us don't do it right. A lot of us are not doing it right. Teachers are the worst at accepting criticism, so most never change. Common core like every other system before it does work for new and/or failing teachers. It just doesn't work for those who have success without it. Following your analogy, some bad coaches would perform better with a universal playbook, as long as they were allowed to leave it behind once they were performing better. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com