Hedgetoad Teaching

I hear that a lot these days. It used to be mostly from various teens trying to negotiate the drama unfolding in their lives as they wandered into that no-man’s land between adult and child. These days it’s from adults trying to navigate the education scene these days. So many people talking and no one listening. The other day I was reading a post by a blogger I’ve been following for several years. Before there was such a thing as “blogging.” We all know spring is IEP review season. This blogger wrote about his daughter’s. Among the various elements, there was the discussion about the state assessment tests. She did not pass. There was discussion about what this means… and why said student needed to pass this test. Would she be taking a modified test? While reading, all I could think about was what would happen to that child as she entered middle school and high school. A history of not passing the assessment test vs. teachers who will now be evaluated on how many students pass t...

The school year ended without a principal at my school. A rudderless ship, leaving us all wondering and worrying about the upcoming year. How to put it in a politically correct manner…? More worried about the choice maker, rather than any actual person taking the position. Clear as mud, right? Anyhow, no principal was found. Or rather, none that would accept the position or was sufficiently appropriate for the position. I’m sure it was for economic reasons as reported in the local paper – our only source of information. Instead we now have an interim principal. First order of business: get every single student who failed the HSPE into the building in August (Ha!) to retake the test. Do not worry about the fact that only a few registered… there is sure to be extra booklets (ha!). So what if your contract doesn’t start for another two/three weeks! If you cared about kids, you would cancel your father’s surgery and recuperation time! Hire a nurse! (who would make more than you if you ...

For all those who will be spending two plus hours this morning alternating between extreme boredom and a strong desire to throttle the kid sleeping away the AYP step. I'll be grading research papers (because I'm the idiot who ALWAYS assigns papers due the day the grading period ends) and worrying about all the things that I probably should have covered more and whether the students will take the test seriously.

This week, my students will be taking the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE), formerly known as the WASL. I’ll have to admit that I’m nervous… there has been a lot of pressure this year to improve scores. Weird pressure… it’s been a weird year altogether, but suffice it to say that this year many people will be biting their nails until the June scores.  If I can convince my students to take the test seriously they should all pass. The problem is that there will be those who won’t take it seriously. They will finish in less than 30 minutes and sleep for the remaining hour and half. And I can’t really do anything about it. If the student decides he/she would rather sleep in with the rest of the juniors and seniors who passed last year and mom thinks it ok? There’s nothing I can do about it. The student who transferred last month from another state, who may or may not have an IEP in that state? Hope for the best. And when these students don’t pass, according to the President it will...