Alternative Funding?

With Colorado ranking among the bottom nationally in school funding, how are our schools going to manage to survive? Is it time to start thinking of funding alternatives? And if so, what? Some have mentioned the use of advertising on busses or in the classrooms. Others have suggested increasing student fees or requiring tuition for all schools. Are these options feasible and will they ultimately help our students or hinder them?

Scheduling Input

As we begin the mad dash to the end of school, there are many extremely important tasks to be completed, among them scheduling for next year. I know that in Special Services we are fairly hands on with scheduling of students on our caseload, but I am wondering if that generalizes to the rest of the faculty. So here is my litany of questions: Do you feel you have adequate information to recommend courses/levels for students? Have students come to you for class/level recommendations? Were there students in your class at the beginning of the year who were obviously misplaced above or below their ability level? What has happened to those students? Have you heard from parents regarding scheduling? Have you been "over-ridden" for scheduling by a parent at another school? Was the outcome positive or negative for the student?
I guess I am trying to figure out who really has influence on student scheduling. Is it the students, teachers, parents, or counselors? I am interested in finding out how you all perceive the scheduling for next year at Arapahoe.

Looking Forward to Next Year

Reflecting back on my first year at Arapahoe, I can think of a number of things that worked well for me this year and a countless number of things I want to improve upon next year. Now that our first year at Arapahoe is coming to a close and we have had the opportunity to learn a great deal about the school, the students, and the overall expectation for teachers, what are some of the changes you want to make next year? Is there something you tried this year that worked well and you will continue to do next year? Is there anything you experimented with at Arapahoe that didn’t work and you won’t try again next year? What do you look forward to most about having a “fresh” start next year as a “veteran” teacher?

CSAP and YOU

In the spirit of CSAP week, I was wondering about how much lesson planning is geared towards CSAP. During the course of this year, my lower level algebra course was very much influenced by the CSAP tests. I focused on CSAP vocabulary, problem solving, and answering in complete sentences. Does the CSAP test influence your lesson plans? If so, how? What about subject areas that are not covered in the CSAP test (World Language, Counseling, etc.)? How do you address the CSAP test?

The Image You Portray

My mind has been thinking hard about what to post on here and today I had an incident that sparked this blog. Image. What does image mean here at Arapahoe? Is it what you wear or is it more than that? On a personal level, what kind of image do you think you are potraying towards your students or towards your colleagues? What kind of image do you want to model for your students and how do you know if you are accomplishing that? And when the image is distorted on both ends, how can you change it (ends referring to you and your students).

Grades and grading and maybe some learning

I am in the process of preparing for conferences on Thursday and as I examine my grade print outs, I experience moments of "What am I looking at?"

I started experimenting with weighted grades and categories this fall when I started at AHS. I liked the idea of of a more open and honest grade book, where parents and students could easily monitor academic progress. (My other goal is to create a community of learners where grades are valued, but the community of the class is as important as the kid's actual grade.) I am lucky enough to work with a great group of folks in my department - so it was easy for me to look at how they did their grades and then figure out my own system. My categories are simple; responsibility, formal assessments, daily learnings and the final. I played with the percentages a bit between first and second semester, but I maintained a simple system. I also changed how I structure assignments in my US History classes. There is less emphasis on small homework assignments (daily learnings) and more on seminars and the unit essays (formal assessments). I want to focus more on big picture learnings and building bridges to other concepts in class. My goal is to have the grade categories reflect this value.

But...

Lately, I am wondering if I am spending too much time on the grade part of the grade and not enough on what the kids are learning. Kids are crafty - they have figured out how to play the new and improved version of the the grading game. They inquire about their responsibility points as much as they do the other points. I wanted to achieve more meaningful grades, but lately I am wondering if that is a juxtaposed term like "military intelligence."

I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions. It is funny, when I talk to my freshmen about grades, they are all excited about more, as they put it "real work", but they still want to know how many points everything is worth and whether or not I will be collecting it. On the surface they buy into my "we are a community of learners" value, but at the end of the day, they want to know what being in the community is worth.

new teacher

I have been thinking of how new teachers or a new teacher from another school and what major adjustments each person has made. Better yet, what would you say is the one thing here at Arapahoe you have done or learned that you feel made you a better teacher? For me I have found working with my new department members and even those outside of my department has been helpful. It is always beneficial for me to collaborate ideas and just see what works for individual teachers for any situation. Just my two cents.