The best subject to teach?

I am trying to debate the best subject to teach?  Here is my list on a scale of one to ten.  One being the worst and ten being the best.

4 English:  This subject is tested and under the Admin microscope.  At least you have job security!
1  Math:  In great demand, but kids hate it.  it is also tested.
5 Science:  It can be cool doing experiments, but it's tested.  the students love it or hate it!
7  Social Studies:  Students can get excited about the stories, it's not tested and it's fun.
9  P.E.:  Most kids love P.E. And you can get a workout while teaching!  strange thing happen in the locker room though.
10  Technology:  It's the future, kids love the subject and it fun.
7. Art:  It's fun, but messy.  Also kids can't color worth a darn.
1.  Special Ed.:  It takes a special teacher to teach this class.

What do you think?

All students should have a laptop!

Should all students have a laptop?  I think they should.  Many schools are trending that way and for good reason.  Most jobs require some type of PC knowledge these days.  Put all text books on the computer and get rid of stacks of textbooks.  Spend the money on laptops like the Microsoft surface, a Crome book or a laptop.  These laptops are not that expensive.  Replace the books with online learning.   We would then be better preparing our students for the work force.  What do you think?

New teachers in Education Often Quit

Many wonder why teachers burn out after four or five years of teaching, but it's not that simple.   Many people would say the pay is low for someone with a BA or masters degree , but that is not the whole problem.

1.  Teachers with a degree should get more respect.  We are treated like crap and have a ton of education.
2.  To many darn meetings.  Let us teach and prepare for lessons.  Especially new teachers.
3.   Professional development in most cases is awful, boring and done just to say they have had a training.
4.   Kids are out of control, sometimes because teachers are poorly planned because of lack of experience and time to plan.  Kids are also out of control because there is no plan for out of control kids.  Suspension does not work and you are stuck with trouble makers everyday.  Teachers are stuck with terrors in the classroom.
5.  Teachers can make more money working somewhere else year round.  Why take the stress?
6.  Leadership at the top is bad and little help.  You will be lucky to have one good administrator as they are burnt out as well but they are stuck in their career.
7.  Teachers in Middle and high school get little parental support.  Some elementary schools are bad as well.
8.   Many new teachers get volentold to attend meetings, sponsor clubs, and sponsor committees burning themselves out.
9.  Some teachers think every paper a kid does has to be graded with extreme care and they burn out fast.  Kids just throw their papers away and could care less.  Parents rarely see kids work.
10.  Some teachers over plan when a simpler lesson would be just as effective.  Hours of planning for a 60 minute lesson every day will ware you down.  Especially when the students do not even care to pay attention to it.

If you paid teachers more they would be more willing to stay and deal with it, but many will continue to burn out.   Many seasoned teachers have learned to deal with these issues, and it takes a special kind of teacher to really love their profession.  Teaching is not easy.  What do you think?

Common Core Are You A Fan

Common Core is the new thing in education, but I am not sure I am a fan yet.  For one mastering a topic is great, but that will put students on the subject for weeks.  What about students that already know the topic or master it  quickly?   Students may get stuck on something they already know for weeks.  Talk about getting board.  What do you think about common core?

AVID

AVID:  Advancement Via Individual Determination?  What do you think about the program?  For those who do not know what AVID is it is a class that students take to gear them up for college!  Most of the students placed in AVID are "C" or average students that need a small push to gear them up for college.  Many of these students would be first generation college students.  The program visits colleges, does college projects, teaches time management, how to take notes using Cornell notes and pushes kids to excel in their classes.   The AVID coach checks up on students making sure they are doing what they need to do in their class.  Do you think that AVID is a good program?  Or does it leave to many kids laking the push they may need for college as only a few classes of AVID at a school are usually offered.

Back to school night

We recently had back to school night at our school.  Out of the 140 kids I teach I saw 4 parents.  This is crazy and shows that parents in some schools are not vested in their child's education.  What are some ways to get more parents to back to school night?  Should this be mandatory?  If a parent can not make it to back to school night should they have to schedule a conference?

Edmodo for the classroom

I have been using Edmodo.com in the classroom for a few years now.  It is a great tool to post assignments and have students turn them in there.  Parents can also see the students assignments and due dates as well making it a great tool to communicate with home as well.  There is also a great free classroom management app as well like class dojo, but without the set up.  Using edmodo also allows for online discussions which makes class a little different, and allows students who would not raise their hands to participate Edmodo even allows the teacher to set up online polls to see what the class is thinking.  If a student misses class they can still get their assignment and turn it in on time.  Edmodo is the future of education!  What do you think?

PBIS: Does it work?

I have been the chair of PBIS for 4 years.  We scored a 97% for our implementation of PBIS at my school, but still have failed to reach some of the kids.  How do we get better buy in?  Many kids are excited about our activities like dances and the student staff basket ball game, but some do not seem to care no matter what.  How do we reach that 3 percent?

Classroom Managment

Being a good teacher means that you can manage your class well.  Here are a few tips to better manage your class!

1.  If you do not teach math consider making kids write in pen.  Less trips to the pencil sharpener means less goofing off.
2.  When doing group work only allow your students to talk in their group.
3.  Follow a 10 minute rule for the bathroom.  No bathroom the first and last 10 minutes of class.
4.  Tell students to throw paper away at the begingin or end of class.  Not while they shoud be working.
5.  Use a seating chart and move troubled students away from distractions.

What suggestions do you have?

Do you have great lessons.  Post them here!

Good Lessons Students Can Relate To

Good lessons require your students to relate to the activity or project that they are assigned.  If you make it meaningful and exciting they will remember it and do better work.  One great project I did was to have the students write their state senator about a topic of their concern.  The students became very passionate about their project.  Some wrote about a diseases, others wrote about clean drinking water or a war.  There were many concerns on the students minds.  The neat thing is that the senators office even wrote them back.  What is a great project you did with your students?