ADIOS!

I have learned a great deal in this class. I enjoyed the class discussions and group activities. this course gave me a true insight on what is going to be expected as an administrator. The policy assignment was my favorite assignment. I just knew that I had all the answers. Ha! there are no right or wrong answers.

4/6 IIRC Data

I am so confused as to if I need another blog or not, I'm just going to do it.  (Dr. Closen, if you are reading this, know that I am saying to myself, "That's what you get for getting behind, Kristin!".  I'm pretty sure that the email you sent to us, towards the beginning of class, about keep blogging even if you are in sunny Florida, was indeed directed towards me. Uh-oh.  Anyway.....The IIRC data was confusing at times but I started to enjoy looking for trends, either up and down and trying to figure out what occurred during that time.  I still don't think I have the knowledge to always predict the cause but I was proud of myself for putting the data together and knowing that something did happen to cause the difference.  Like Anna, I am going to enjoy looking into other districts and checking their data.  I especially find it interesting when you come across a school with similar demographics, but different scores.  That would really keep me guessing!

3/20 Motivation

Alicia Sanders hit the nail on the head.  Rock Island has an awesome schedule.  The teachers and students come back rested and ready to tackle a new quarter.  Since my kids go to Rock Island schools they are off at the same time I am (which is sometimes not exactly restful, but very convenient) and the whole family can get away from the everyday routine.  Our superintendent has started a new program called W.I.T. awards.  "Whatever It Takes" awards are given out after a teacher, staff member, or even parent is nominated to the superintendent for going up and beyond in the name of education.  The super then goes to the school and presents the teacher with a W.I.T. teacher and makes a small "speech" as to why the person was nominated.  Some people laughed, but I thought it was very nice.  I loved hearing about what other people in my district are doing and really like nominating someone.  This is motivation. Something that doesn't cost a lot of money (cost of t-shirt), yet is competitive enough to mean a lot.  I applaud Mr. Loy for recognizing those teachers who are giving it their all and making a difference with our students!

3/17 Mentoring

I had a very bad experience as a beginning teacher and mentoring.  My mentor ended up being someone I could not trust, wanted me to clone her, not learn from her and gave me no positive feedback.  With all of this said I think I would actually make a good mentor.  Knowing what not to do can only make you better, right?  My first thoughts were to shy away from the entire idea but I'm too much of a people person to not be involved in what could be an excellent program.  I enjoy helping people.  By this I mean find their own way.  That's what makes me a good math teacher.  I don't think there is only one way to teach how to do a math problem.  There may be 10 different ways, and as long as the end result is that a student got the right answer following some method so be it.  For an example:  Attendance.  As a mentoring teacher I would explain the role attendance has at the school/office level (it's importance), show how I do it in my grade book, answer any questions, then let the new teacher see what works for them, following up on the idea in a few sessions.  Everyone does their "stuff" their way, and that's okay with me.  

End of class-

This has really been a great class. I learned so much and I am still thinking about all the stories and scenarios discussed. I know several of us have discussed class and feel that this was by far one of our best. The most beneficial element for me was that I can now relate to the administration and understand the reasoning behind some of their choices. I feel that the information given will help me in all aspects of my career even if I stay a teacher. I big thanks to Dr. Closen you have set us out with a ton of information that will be useful in our future endeavors, whatever they may be. :) 

Collective Bargaining

Did anyone else find this section interesting. I sure did, maybe because our contract is up this year and we have a whole new panel of members joining us. I found it interesting to understand what is right and what is wrong, just like the "black and white" situations. I have so enjoyed our cohort together, there is such a great comfort level for all of us now. Thanks to you all - Sanders This was a great class..... Wish I was golfing like Closen right now, but I will get back to finishing my research paper. LOL

What a class!

First, I would like to address Jay's nice comment about feeling so included in our cohort (thank you, Jay).  You were a great fit with "the group", and yeah, I would like to say that we represent the greater majority of the Rock Island-Milan School District---we work hard and like to laugh!  I am very happy with what we have done and the direction we are going as a district and am proud to say my own children attend the schools in Rock Island.  I used to be an advocate for black and white issues; however, since I have been attending the district Discipline Code update meetings, and have worked with our school attorney, I see that those days are gone.  It would appear that almost everything is a case by case decision and the entire world is gray.  It made me very uncomfortable at first, then I started to understand it more.  It is still hard for me to put it into words, but my take on the situation is that rules are made, teachers make sure they are taught, and if a student violates the rules we find out why before we dish out consequences.  Being on the side of extreme, here's an example:  A boy brings a knife to school.  Did he bring the knife to school because he went fishing the night before and wore the same pants to school the next day forgetting to take the knife out, or did he bring the knife to school to intentionally invoke harm to himself or someone else?  Should the student of one circumstance get the same consequence as the other?  

EDL 522: The Final Weekend

I want to start by saying thank you to the Rock Island cohort for welcoming me in their group. I was a little nervous at first, but your kindness and friendliness made me feel very comfortable. If your cohort is representative of RI school district then you have an incredible district. Being from a small district I felt very blessed to hear your viewpoints throughout the class. Dr. Closen's experience in the administration field made the material very applicable. I'm glad he presented the material as "no right or wrong answers". Although I'm new in the program, I was afraid the material in all the classes would be presented as factual with no shades of gray. Once again thanks to all and I look forward to our finance class.

The End of the Class

This is one of the classes that I can honestly say that I am very sorry to see it end. Although, I have been challenged and had a lot of information learned in a short period of time it has been one of the best classes that I have taken in the program. This weekend as usual was jammed packed and there were many things that could be addressed here. After interviewing recently I was really impressed with how well "Amy" did when sitting down in a room with so many strangers. I wish I had her poise when I do interviews. I know in the hiring interviews where I have represented staff I hate that we can't give feedback or go away from the pre-established questions. I really liked being able to give her feedback on what connected with us and where we thought she could improve. What valuable information! I find the IIRC's fascinating although my husband is tired of hearing me speak of them and looking up the information on schools of family and friends and wondering what is happening at those schools. GREAT JOB ON THE PRESENTATIONS EVERYONE. It was nice to see the comfort level of questions being asked and answered in the middle of them. People had to know their topics for that to go so seamlessly. Have a nice time off everyone. See you in a few weeks. Enjoy the golf games Dr. Closen.

Weekend Academy

I really enjoyed Sat. and Sunday's topics and all the information that was covered. Boy, Dr. Closen can sure cover a lot of information in a short period of time.
The young lady that my group interviewed did an outstanding job maintaining her composer. Her answers were well received and her sincerety really shined through.
Whatever district lucks out and gets to add her name to their staff is going to very fortunate.

Sunday's presentations were very informative. You could really tell everyone did the leg work necessary. I especially enjoyed Jay's delivery. I don't know if it was his calm demeanor or his confidence and knowledge in the subject matter. But Jay, I want to take your class next. LOL

I also enjoyed Debbie's and Lisa's presentation very much about "CyberBullying". They did an excellent job mixing up their presentation with actual footage to keep our interest. The clips they shared with the class were perfect at getting their point across. I just also would like to add, as many of you are already aware, I have 3 computer classes I teach, along with other classes. Trust me, the dangers of "Cyber bullying" and "My Space" are topics I am discussing on a daily basis. I am constantly drilling and discussing the latest information and showing specific TV clips of the dangers that lerk right next door in some cases. I am always reading the latest information about these prevalant topics to my students so they can be aware and use their head when in a given situation and not do anything they will forever regret. Trust me, many of them have left my room "scare straight"and that is the way for these troubling times with our youth I beleive it needs to be.
Enjoyed the class. Everbody take care and the best of luck in the future. You guys are born leaders.

Weekend classes

I found that having class on both days sure made the weekend go fast. Nice to get it done.
I thought the ladies that came in to interview showed a lot of courage. The one that I watched being interviewed did a nice job. She even had a good sense of humor when she realized that she was probably talking to the wrong people about the "diverse" student population at Eugene Field. It was funny waiting to see who was going to say " do you mean the Eugene Field in Rock Island?"
The presentations were interesting and I am glad that I took notes after looking over the final.
It was a nice class and will be even better if I can find those "aforementioned" notes. That may be the first time I have ever used that word... it may be spelled wrong, but it is still a cool word!

Bret Gibbons

Class

I thought all the presentations were well thought out and informative. I enjoyed the variety of topics. I don't want to mention one in particular because each one had merit.

Thank you, Dr. Closen, for making this class one of the most informative that I've had in the last two years.

Jay, it was nice to meet you and you fit into our cohort quite well. To my Rock Island Cohorts, what can I say? I feel that the two years have flown by. Each one of you brought something unique to the class. We were from different schools, different grade level, and we taught different subject, but we connected. I'll remember each one of you with pleasant memories. Best wishes in your future endeavors and may you be blessed with bright tomorrows.

Janet

Sunday's Class

I really enjoyed all the presentations! Everyone did a great job. I loved Karla and Krisin's presentation about student led conferences. I particularly enjoyed the packet of information that came with it. I will use those resources when I implement student led conferences.
Janet and Lori's presentation was very informative too. There was lots of information. I think the district would benefit from the presentation because we really don't have a good program currently in place.
Joe and Jen's presentation was interesting because it brought up a lot of areas for debate in the area of performance pay. I like that they brought up several sides of the issue.
Connie and Bret's presentation was clear and to the point, sending across a clear message about the importance of extracurricular activities for students. They had some good statistics.
I also enjoyed Lisa and Debbie's presentation on bullying. Cyber bullying is certainly a pressing issue in education. Way to go on the multi-media presentation through including the U-Tube clips.
Jay did a great job on his collective bargaining presentation. I liked that he had first hand experience with his topic. That really came across. I also thought he had great presentation skills.
I hope I'm not forgetting anyone. I really enjoyed all the presentations. I thought this was a very worthwhile assignment. I hope everyone got some good information on PBIS from our presentation. GREAT JOB EVERYONE!

Class presentations

I enjoyed listening to everyone's presentations.  I knew about student-led conferences and mentoring from my own experience and I think they are valuable.  I felt vindicated when Connie and Bret talked about extra-curricular participation and music helping kids with their grades and school satisfaction.  It was interesting to hear Jay talk about contract negotiations from the union rep's side.  I remember that the pros and cons of merit pay is a hot topic from one of our previous WIU professors who consulted with Florida's school systems.  

Thank you Dr. Closen for an informative class.  Since I had no plan on becoming an administrator I was a little worried about this class before. 

Presentations

Everyone is doing so well getting up and presenting. If people were nervous they covered it up well. I especially liked the Cyber Bullying Presentation. It is a new upcoming problem that needs attention. It concerns me there are no policies on the books to cover this problem. I have had several situations occur that has resulted in terrible fights. Last year at the HS, there were many fights between girls as a result of MYSpace comments and texting during school. There needs to be something in place. This year it is happening with the boys, too.

Jay did a great job on his presentation. He was very clear and knowledgeable. It is not easy to join a group that is already established. Jay you blended in very well and provided a different perspective. You are going to make a great Principal someday. :)

This class was very valuable. I learned so much about administrator responsibilities and different ways to handle difficult situations. The stories and experiences were interesting and taught me more than any book could. Thank you Dr. Closen for bringing your experiences to us.

I enjoyed all the presentations today. Even if I didn't mention your presentation, do not feel left out. I am hungry and tired.

Enjoy the nice weather today. I hope to take a motorcycle ride today. :)

Connie

Sunday's Class

This was a very interesting class today! I really enjoyed all of the presentations, especially Jay's. He made the Interest Based Bargaining very easy to understand. However, I am glad that Debbie's and my presentation is over. I think that every one's presentations were very informative. But, I am glad it's over!!! I will be very glad not to have to do another IIRC data comparison!

Sunday's Class

Saturday's Class

I enjoyed Saturday's class. It was interesting to interview the student teacher. I remember interviewing for my first job. I laugh when I look back on some of my answers! Over my six years of teaching, my answers now would be a lot different, particularly when it comes to classroom management. I thought the woman we interviewed did a nice job. She was very open to our advice. I think we offered her some good information for when she goes into her real interviews.

Thanks

Thanks for the compliment. It took years for me to learn this. My personality has done a flip flop since I began teaching. I actually use to never say much and let others take advantage of me. Once I realized that I what I was doing was just as good as what they were, I started to change.

I like looking and analyzing the report cards. Since data is used to drive instruction practicing with authentic helps me a great deal.

Dr. Closen, I love your stories! Your retirement was a lost to your district. I love how you started you day. You made every employee feel that they were valued.

I've always made a special effort to treat all my co-workers the same. At the beginning of the year the playground supervisors don't know what to make of me because when I pick my students up I always say "Thank you." Two small words but it let's them know that I value what they do on a daily basis.

Same Story Everywhere!

I find it so interesting listening to us talk about our district. When one thinks that we are different, we relate so well. We see that it doesn't matter what school you are in, you will always have the person that tries to empower you and the school. It is hard to be in a building where you have such negativity and how at times we would love to have Janet there to save us, but she and Closen said it best. WHY ARE WE LETTING THESE INDIVIDUALS "EMPOWER" US. Words to ponder over. - Sanders

April 19th

Well I was going to talk about the student teaching assignment but after seeing that everyone else picked that topic I will go in a different direction. I really enjoy what we learn in this class and it all seems to be very applicable as both a teacher and an administrator. I thought the discussion on teacher pay and the comparisons to the "business" world was great and something for all of us to think about. I really believe that most of us loving working with kids or we wouldn't be in this business. If summers off is the reason for teaching then we are in a lot of trouble. I also really enjoy looking at the different schools using the IIRC report and using data to help determine what is going on with the schools. Its intriguing to see the data and compare certain schools with other schools. Overall I really like how this class makes you think about things you will face as an administrator and even as a teacher as well. I definitely feel it helps you be prepared because it makes you more aware of situations that you might face.

Saturday April 19

Wow! Another action packed day. After reading a couple of the other blogs, I too have to agree that the interviewing practice was informational for Angel, as well as for myself. I remember all the nerves that went into sitting in front of a panel of people and to have practiced before hand would have been extremely beneficial. I feel that most of us also took something away that we will be able to use in the future. One more plus to this experience!

Mock Interview Process

I had the opportunity to do this as an undergrad and wish now that I had.  Angel and Amy had a great deal of courage to come in and do what they did.  Even though they were nervous they saw this experience as a real asset.  I was fortunate and was hired at the first school that I interviewed (but I also knew everyone on the interview committee-and they say it's not who you know!), but this process was wonderful for both sides.  I enjoyed being able to giving Angel some "buzz" words to use in her interview while at the same time be able to listen to her experiences from her student teaching experience.  She was a wonderful interviewee and has real potential acquiring a position as a primary teacher.  

mock interview

Angel did a great job in the interview. When I was in school, we did something similar to the mock interviews. We did ours before we started student teaching. I do not think it was nearly as useful as what we did today. I like everything about the process. Angel had to encounter a room full of people, answer difficult questions, and got some great feedback to use in future interviews. She already had some experience to draw from and which will give her a real advantage. This was a very valuable exercise that was useful to us as well!

Saturday's class

I really enjoyed the interview process with the student teacher. She was very enthusiastic and I would hire her. We all thought she was answering the questions very well, but then Dr. Closen asked some questions, and she really had to think about the questions. She was very open to all the suggestions! It would have been very helpful to have done something like that before I had gone on interviews many years ago! I also found it very interesting when we were talking about school climate. The administrator definitely affects how the rest of the building reacts to change. I do know that several buildings in our district are having some personnel problems, and it will be interesting to see how everything gets resolved.

Amy--student teacher

I enjoyed watching and participating in the interview with Amy, the student teacher.  I felt her passion and enthusiasm for teaching.  It brought back memories of my first teaching interview.  I liked her and felt I would hire her and was happy to pass on any tips to give her "an edge" in her real job interviews.  Too bad all three student teachers didn't show up.  I think Amy felt we helped her.  I learned a lot from the process of creating a list of questions, too, even though we didn't use the list for a middle school interview.

And even though I don't like those IIRC comparisons, at least I feel more comfortable doing them by now.  Thank you Dr. Closen

Class Response to April 6th

Sorry my blog is so late... I only seemed to remember when I was at school where I was unable to connect. Even now at home I am having trouble staying online.

I enjoyed the presentation by Holly. She is obviously passionate and very knowledgeable about School Counseling. I have seen her give presentations a couple times before and I learn something new each time she speaks. She makes you want to be part of that specialized group. I don't think I would want to spend that amount of time going to school though. I respect people who choose Counseling as their career choice. Joining the counseling program is a huge commitment. I am glad school counseling has changed from what it used to be. The field of counseling needed to have skills that were more than just helping students choose a possible career.

Connie

EDL 522 RI Postings

I really enjoy reading all of your posts. I also enjoy reading the positive comments about using the IIRC data and the feedback I give you. It makes me feel like I may be contributing something to you that will help you in your future educational endeavors :)

Good work!

Awesome Feedback!

Congrats to Dr. Closen and his awesome feedback. This has been the most informative class on the progress we are doing. I need to know what that is that you use to correct our assignments and give us feedback right on our document. I am a feedback taker and giver. It is nice to have an instructor take the time to give us constructive feedback even if it may be critical, takes us on a whole new direction. - Sanders

Policy Review Sunday

I too, have to agree with the others that looking at the policy book helped me to better understand the workings of the district. Like some of the others I never had looked at the policies as a whole and found it very intriguing how things were worded to be open for interpretation. When discussing the issues with our small group I remember almost every issue someone said, "Well this is how I read it."

I also like looking at the IIRC materials and like Anna have gone on to look at schools that I have friends and family in. I have also looked for information for myself. My husband is a Home builder and we will be moving soon, AGAIN! I have researched a few areas that we would like to take into consideration and the IIRC information is clearly a helpful tool in making that decision.

All of this information is so interesting - Keep it coming!

Policy Review

In class we discussed the School Board Policy book . It was very interesting because I never took the time to look through it besides on a need to know basis. I found that as an administrator having to make decisions based on the policy book, there are not any right or wrong answers, you just your beliefs and best judgement. So as an administrator you have to do what is best for your organization and what is in the best interest of the students. I found that our policies are very general in some areas and very specific in other areas. There needs to be a policy in place and user-friendly.

Shortened Class

Even though it was a shortened class the information received seemed as though we had been in a regular full day session. I really enjoy the numerous things that we learn in each session. I also appreciate the extra material and answers that Dr. Closen gives out in class such as the information on internships.

I agree with other bloggers that the IIRC activities are very valuable and interesting. I know that since looking at this material in class I have gone into the program and looked at schools where friends and relatives have children attending to see what their schools profiles look like.

It is very valuable to hear from the support services that add to the school community. To be the most effective and up to date, school leaders need to know the talents and areas of support that various personnel can add to the school. If there are skills out there we can tap into, why waste the time and energy of the people doing things such as paperwork when their needed skills can be better utilized. I know in our school we beg for more counselors or counselor time with students. If their time is used in paperwork why aren't we looking at ways to have someone else help with that part of the job so they can see more children. Is this something a principal can work on or does it have to come from other areas in the district that govern the counselors?

By the way, I love the tablet PC and automatic feedback. If I worked with older students I think it would be a great asset to the classroom and maybe a technology request item.

Sunday's 1/2 session

WoW! So much informative information in such a short amount of time. I thought reviewing and analyzing those data sheets for the different districts we have looked over the past several sessions have been extremely interesting. I have a new respect and appreciation for those principals and superintendents that have to make those difficult judgement calls as to where the majority of the district funding will be for that particular year.
I also found it interesting and intriging about the ethical questions we as educators need to keep in mind daily since we are in the public eye and held to a higher standard. Whether we like it or not, when we step foot into our classrooms or in any public arena we are being judge, and even more so being a teacher. I believe especially in the educaitonal field we have an obligation not to disappoint our students and the community in which we serve. If you haven't guess I am referring to the stripper story that Dr. Clossen touched apon. I am disgusted that the district allowed this inappropriate behavior from one of their teachers to continue in the classroom. Call me oldfashion but I don't care if she was a Master Teacher every year in a row. This to me should be unacceptable behavior from any educator in the classroom. Obvioulsy, most of her colleages were aware of her second lifestlye, as I'm sure her community was aware as well. Obviosuly, she missed thevery important memo that teaching and stripping don't mix. I feel as a professional in educational field you are put in this postion and power and you better make sure you are up for the challenge.

policy assignment disscussion

I found the policy assignment discussion beneficial as well as interesting. Hearing the policies of a small district like Jays compared to Rock Island opened my eyes. Also I liked hearing the recommendations that others came up with.

The school counselor presentation was informative. I understood the importance of how it has changed. Rock Island really needs to find a way to meet the recommended ratio of 1-250. I have many children in my room who need sessions but there isn't enough time for the counselor to see them.

Janet

IIRC breakdown

I continue to enjoy the IIRC website. I believe this site can be very beneficial to every school district. While I don't understand some of the inconsistencies in finance, it is nice to be able to ask Dr. Closen questions. I also begin looking forward to finance class. At first I wasnt sure about the relevance of this site to this class but I now understand that personnel decisions are usually based on monetary decisions that may be analyzed by this site. If not decisions are made by finances then possible assessment trends may be clarified by the monitoring of this site annually. I used the site in a Statistics class I teach today to try to find correlations between low income, attendance and expenditures/students with student achievement. I asked the students to predict the relationship then after having the scatterplots to draw a line of best fit (if a correlation exists). They enjoy working with real-world situations. This is also what I enjoy the most about our EDL 522 discussions on IIRC.

Board Policies

I enjoyed the assignment on policies. Examining real life events and searching for our school's policies on these matters gave me a good understanding of some of the policies the district has in place. I also liked the conversations that followed. It was interesting that although we studied the same policies, people's interpretations differed. This situation outlines what Dr. Closen told us, how there are many shades of gray and no situation is really black and white.

school vs guidance counselors

I enjoyed hearing about school counselors again from Dr. Holly Nikels. (Dr. Sandra Watkins class) I grew up in the era of guidance counselors and I remember taking some quiz on what kind of career I was supposed to have an aptitude for.  Also, what colleges would help me gain a degree in that career.  That is about the only time in 3 years (10-12 grade was high school at that time) I remember ever going to that office.  I liked the idea of a school counselor having weekly half hour sessions with each grade and using a curriculum such as friendship, cyber bullying, etc.  Sort of "preventative maintenance" you might say. I like the energy Holly projects when she talks about her subject matter.  You can tell she is passionate about her job.

Sunday's Class

I found the school counselor part of the class very interesting.  It seemed like she went into it a little bit more than in Watkins' class.  At one point, I had thought about going into the counseling program, and I had to laugh when Holly said that she got sick of hearing people whine.  This one reason I didn't go into the program,  I didn't think I would be too sympathetic (even though more than a few people encouraged me to go into the program.)  I also found the personnel policy to be very helpful.  I did not realize how vague some of the policies are, but after Dr. Closen explained that you don't want everything to be black and white I can understand why they are set up that way.  Administration needs to have some leeway.

I am looking forward to interviewing the student teachers!

10 situations for class

I really enjoyed the Personnel assignment where we had to look at the different situations. I thought it was important to remember that things are not black and white but often fall under the gray area. I noticed that our policy is vague in many areas and its important to remember that being detailed can cause you problems some times. If you are very detailed in the personnel policy then you set up a lot of boundaries for things you can or can't do instead of just leaving it up to the Principal or Superintendents discretion. I also think its important to remember that different policies will be in place for different size school districts and different make up of schools. For example, a small school may allow the hiring of relatives because they are the most qualified candidate, while a big school may frown upon it. Overall it was very interesting and was worth looking into.

Professional Development

In class we discussed professional development. The purpose is to increase the capacity of the entire faculty of a school to strengthen student performance. The end result is to increase student performance and I think teachers forget why we are there. We choose our PD from our Terra Nova data and I think it works, if teachers are all on the same page( curriculum and standards).

Rested and Now Motivated

This past week has been a much deserved break for all of us. I am truly interested in the topic of "Motivation" and what it really means for me. I love working these 9 weeks on and two weeks off, this schedule that Rock Island has provided us, is really awesome. It gives us an opportunity to get refreshed and go back motivated to start again. I talk to many educators around the quad cities and they are so jealous, but most of all I have witnessed them going back to school still tired and the constant complaining. WOW how lucky we are! Enjoy the rest of break...

Monday's Class

The class on Monday provided some interesting topics. The theories of motivation really hit the point that the teachers have to be behind something for it be successful. Smaller projects may get done but for the larger plans the buy-in sounds like it is key.
Reading the IIRC charts about other schools was informative. I had a principal that would say, "well, the money is there, but I don't know if the money is there." Now I may know what he was talking about, maybe.
Brings me to the last topic of Thomas Ryan. What a crook! Should have done more jail time and they should watch him now, because some of the money got hidden- or was he that stupid.
Speaking of stupidity and off topic. If Thomas Ryan would have lived in Davenport, Iowa, he may have been able to get off on probation that would have included going to church for 8 weeks in a row. His pastor could have vouched for him and he could have turned his life around. That is, if he had only been in trouble with the law 1 or 30 other times. Hopefully some other city will have a better plan.

Bret

Orientation to district curriculum

I was impressed by Dr. Closen's quote "If you don't know what you are supposed to teach--how do you know when you've taught it?"  That made me think about whether or not our district has all of our curriculum arrows aligned.  New teachers especially need to know what the district expects them to be teaching--district standards, etc.  I am glad that the instrumental music department has gotten our act together and produced a curriculum for 6-12 grade.  Unfortunately, there is one teacher who doesn't follow it but he is retiring this year and that gives us hope that the new person will be a team player.

good job, Jay

Good job, Jay. You are doing exactly what a good teacher leader should do. You had an idea that would benefit your district. You did more than talk about it to your fellow teachers. You took it to the principal, the person who make the changes.

I will be interested in knowing how your professional development changes. Longfellow spent part of one our 1/2 day last year on Yoga.

Janet

professional development

Being in a small school district has its advantages (and disadvantages). One advantage is being able to invoke change. On Tuesday I talked at length with my Principal about our professional devolpment programs (or lack there of). He agrees it is an area that needs to be addressed in our district. Often the afternoons are planned by our part-time curriculum director. They are often times aimed at K-12. At best we may split into K-5 and 6-12. So most topics of discussion are very vague and little is accomplished. When I asked the question of how often we set a goal of improving student achievement with staff development, he agreed we are far from that. From our meeting came a promise of additional meetings and that we work more from research based platforms and get away from such vague meetings. I do understand, however, this may have to be a grass-roots type movement, where teachers take more responsibility of the inservices that we have in the future.

Monday's Class was Intriguing!

After reading the posts I have to agree with most of the comments. I really find the information from class extremely interesting and so beneficial to a teacher, department head or future principal. We have touched on so many areas and I feel they all are so important. I, like others loved looking at the case studies. It is so interesting to hear how others feel and what the "real" answers are. I also liked sorting through all the information gathered from the data sheets. Amazing how much information you can pull from a district we know nothing about. Finally, I am really interested in learning more about mentoring. I really hope our district continues to nurture the idea of mentoring; really great things can happen when we work together. I know when I started in RISD #41 my mentor was fabulous. I never felt like he thought it was a burden and always asked if he could help more; this was a great feeling being a new teacher in a big district. I hope this program continues for future newbies in the RISD.

Professional Development

On my way home from class I couldn't help but think about the conferences I attended and if they really did lead to improved student achievement. 3 summers in a row, I was talked into going on the HSTW conferences. Beside being in a different part of the US, I learned a little about a lot of different things. At first I felt honored to be asked, but I did not feel like I had gotten enough out of the mini sessions to help me in the long run. There really hasn't been much follow-up of what we came away with. Maybe I was asked to go because other people didn't see the value in it or didn't want to give up 4 days during the summer.

Our school has been trying to move towards more differentiated professional development. Dr. Closen talked about that in class and I can see a real need for that. I would rather spend time locally with my peers than go away to a conference. Our last 2 in-services were more differentiated. I felt like I came away with something valuable that I can use to improve student achievement. In the 9th Grade Academy, we have been having differentiated instruction conferences/training for the English and math teachers. It has been designed to be used in our own classrooms and worked on together.

Administrators need to think about the goal of improving student achievement before creating a plan for professional development for the staff.

I hope Rock Island High School will continue to move in the same direction for professional development.

Monday's Class

I thought that Monday's class gave us more of an indication of what it would take to be a principal. I especially liked discussing the different scenarios in the book. However, interpreting the data from the different schools on the IIRC was very challenging. I am not a math person at all, so it was very helpful to go over and understand a little better this type of data. Not saying that I am now an expert at it, but just that it gave me a better understanding of what administrators have to deal with.

Monday's Class

I enjoyed class on Monday. I particularly liked reading the cases in the text book and answering the questions about them in small groups and then in a large group. I like examining realistic situations that often come up in the educational world and reflecting on my opinion about them or how I would handle them as well as listening to the opinions of my peers. These types of activities prepare us for times we are in these situations. It was also nice that you grouped us differently for the activity. I had never worked with Karla or Kristin before and I enjoyed it (not that I don't enjoy working with my usual group). I also was shocked to hear all the stories of fraud that occur in the school system. Those stories certainly made for an interesting class!

Motivation

We talked about motivation of personnel during today's class. As a data team leader I really need to take this information to heart as many times I am the one to bring a new idea to our team (from other sources) and if I know or can find the motivational key for the members of the team then I can make the information more inviting for their acceptance or just for their consideration. This is an area that I think is key for principals as they work with their staffs and increasing student achievement. I also feel that this class has been motivational for me and I really appreciate the knowledge that I am receiving.

The information on mentoring has been very valuable. As a person who was given the assignment of mentoring without training or guidelines I value the ideas that were set out during class. I really want to be an asset to the person I am mentoring and know I should be doing more for her. Therefore, I have talked to the people in charge of the mentoring program and have volunteered to assist in the revamping or creation of the new program.

St. Patrick's Session

St. Patty's class was very informative with the data that was presented between the lack of correlation between the experienced teacher vs. the fresh new teacher willing to do whatever it takes to get student achievement up. Along those same lines, I have always thought how ignorant and detremental to the educational field it is to hire a new fresh face with such enthusiasm and drive, and then reward them with the most stressful teaching postion with the most challenging students in the school. Why does it seem the more experienced teachers, who of course also get paid the most, end up with the least stressful job in the building? Who makes these decisions? Are the districts that practice this type of placement really thinking through their decisions? What about new teacher moral? Or burnout, because they have so much pressure? Perhaps it just comes down to laziness of the administration and they don't want to make waves so they just settle. Or it probably just boiles down to who knows who with the most power and influence?
I have really been enjoying listening to Dr. Closen's insight and many stories into the adminstration world. It is quite fascinating and eye-opening.

Monday's Class

Oops! Poor editing skills. My sentence should say... would increase student achievement.

Janet

Monday's Class

I can't count the number of professional development workshops I have sat through, but I do know that the majority were not topics that would not increase student achievement. As a teacher leader I plan to be involved in planning for professional development workshops. Maybe I can help gear future workshops to focus on topics of this nature.

Janet

Professional Development

One of the most important things in class today was when we talked about the purpose of professional development. The purpose of professional development should not be focused on teachers but should be focused on increasing student achievement. This makes perfect sense in education and makes sure that students are the center of the schools. It seems that much of our professional development is wasted on things that don’t focus on student achievement but instead focus on other things. In fact, it seems schools in general would be more successful if they would always make decisions based upon increasing student achievement. It also seems that individual teachers would be more successful if they always focused on student achievement instead of other things. 100% focus on this will probably never happen but getting closer to having everyone focus on student achievement would certainly help.

benefical class

I thoroughly enjoyed class on Sat. The discussions were excellent. The instructor was well prepared and kept me interested. I am also enjoying the book. Longfellow will be changing and I will need to apply for a teaching position. The material covered in the book is making me feel more relaxed as I go through the process. I've decided to apply for the development team. I hadn't planned to, but after Saturday I feel that I am qualified and I can do the job.

Deb, we are a cohort, a family, there is no way we would leave you hanging.

Janet

Mission Statement

In class we discussed that mission statements should incorporate three elements. We looked at our district's mission statement and another districts. It was interesting how our mission statement was one sentence and stated the main outcome. The other school district included all elements, but was a little to wordy. I think we have to find that medium.

THANK YOU!

I just wanted to thank Dr. Closen and everyone else again for your flexibility in changing one of our class meeting dates from April 5 to April 20.  Sixty junior high students, one music judge and I breathed a sigh of relief that we will not have to stress over changing our string solo music contest to another weekend. I am not sure how I made that mistake--guess I didn't copy the class dates down correctly back in November or whenever we decided. Thanks again--just one more reason I am glad to be teaching in Rock Island.

Achievement Correlations

I must say that I was surprised at some of the data shared regarding student achievement and various contributing factors.  For instance, the teachers years of experience had no direct correlation between student achievement in 3rd, 5th, or 8th grade.  The connection between the teachers amount of additional education showed the same [no correlation] in 3rd and 5th grades; however, there was a small increase in student achievement for the 8th grade students.  An example would be a math teacher that gets a master's degree in mathematics, according to the data, might show a slight increase in student scores.  The data that I found most disturbing was the negative correlation between teacher salary and student achievement.  Data actually showed that the more a teacher makes, the less likely students are to show increased achievement in 3rd, 5th and 8th grade.  Wow!

An Information Packed Class!

Saturday's class was extremely informative. I love getting first hand information from a past superintendent about the hiring process of teachers and principals, and what employers are looking for. This will help if I decide to become a principal as I hire teachers. More immediately as I move to St. Louis next school year, I will soon be on the other end of the hiring process and I am certainly going to be using this information when I interview.
I enjoyed examining the data on the school report card in class. I also enjoyed the exercises from the text. The discussions that came about from the readings were interesting. I really like the book and am learning a lot. Finally, my favorite thing about Saturday's class is the combination of new information and concrete examples and stories.

Thies - Exciting!

I completely enjoyed the first session of class. I loved all of the analogies that were expressed throughout the day and will be hanging several of them in my classroom and hall.
To begin, I feel this course or one with similar background information should be mandatory for a Bachelor's degree in Education. In just one session, I feel that I can better understand where the administration is coming from in the decision making process and all teachers should have at least a basic understanding. I now see that decisions can't be so black and white. There does not seem to be a scenario that fits the what if this happens...., because terms of incidents are always different. I feel that this information needs to be broadcast and could help administration and teachers work together in the decision making process. Which backs another idea given in class - that committee or teacher input is just that - ideas. This is another big flashing light in better understanding the role of administration.

Are you in the right SEAT?

WOW! How many of you are pondering this question right now? What an eye opening first day of class. I have heard a current administrator state in many meetings about being on the right bus and we will go far. But the true test is looking and seeing are you in the right seat. Think of that teacher in your building who is always looking like this could actually be the worst day of their life. And what about the compulsive screamer, I hear them now. Or the students that run the classroom, because the teacher has no clue about classroom management nor wants to learn. They definitely are not sitting in the right seat.

What a Day!

Wow! What a first day of class. The further we get into the program the more I feel that being a principal is a goal I want to strive for. I liked the statement "It is not so much about what you learn but that there are no right/wrong answers. It is all relevant. You need to look at everything in context and there is no black and white." I get the feeling that this class is going to open my eyes and increase my understanding and patience with those in administration.

A topic of discussion that hit home was when we talked about teachers or committees have "a" say versus a "final" say. This has been a hot topic in our building with various committees expecting that their "opinion or recommendation" be implemented and then becoming angry when it is altered before implementation or not being implemented at all. I think that it needs to be made clear at the onset of a committee gathering that they are not the end all. That is the principal or superintendent.

Another topic that hit home was when we talked about the "right people in the wrong seats." I really like the phrase and the concept behind it. I can see utilizing it in the classroom to help explain a decision that has been made. I also found the Future's Wheel a valuable tool to be utilized to look into and plan for the future. It takes you out of the present and makes you look at the bigger picture.

As informative as this session was, I am looking forward to the next.

IIRC

I enjoyed looking at the IIRC website. Its nice having a former superintendent to answer questions about budget changes. The best part for me was looking at the scattergram. It is definately the most important testing data I've seen. Our teachers' first excuse in not improving test scores is our low income students. It will be nice to show them actual data on how many districts overcome more problems than we have. On the other hand, it shows we are actually doing very well when compared to districts of our size and financially similar.

Gibbons 3-15-08

I enjoyed the class today because I have gotten to know the people in the cohort and it is nice to get together and see everybody (weird? but true).
Talking about the skidiving took me back to realizing that, yes, it was the most scared I have ever been in my life. I went twice on the same day because the first time gave me the shock, that I could not believe how afraid I was. I was in the 3rd group to go and if 2 ladies would not have gone before me in the 1st two groups, then I probably would have been the guy that came back with the airplane. "Did you think about dying?" Hell yes! Both times the door came open- it definitely went through my mind.
On a lighter side, I doubt there's many people that you hang out with Dr. Closen that can top what happened to you. It reminded me of the scene in "Jaws"; where they were sitting around comparing who had the worst scars. You could end the whole conversation by saying "screw you guys, check out what happened to me! (wusses!!).
I also liked hearing about Burbank. When I taught in Chicago I looked at some apartments across the street from Reavis High School, but everything was very expensive. I think back now and wonder if I would have gotten a place on the southwest side, if I wouldn't still be teaching there.
What I learned in class today is fine. I imagine I am not going to be a principal, so if we are going to sit for 8 hours, I appreciate that it is at least interesting. I like the people in the class and the conversation is always decent.

Bret Gibbons

Connie - March 15 08

I have been involved in the interview process as a business owner and in education. In education, I have always been on a panel of anywhere from 3 to 6 staff members. Most of the time, there was at least one administrator on the panel.

During our discussion about the interview process, I was surprised the statement "references available upon request" could cost a person a job opportunity. Also, I was aware a person's appearance is very important for an interview, but I did not realize how important it was when dropping off an application.

"It's not so much what you learn..."

My "aha" moment of the class today was Dr. Closen's quote "It's not so much about what you learn but about the fact that there are no right or wrong, black or white answers.  Everything should be taken in context."  That made me think that it isn't enough to just set a rule, you have to look at each infraction and judge accordingly.  If a first grader brings a key chain with a tiny plastic gun on it perhaps you should rethink the policy of expulsion for a weapon or weapon look alike for this particular incident.

Everything should be taken in context.

We have been having an ongoing discussion between teachers and administrators at our school concerning certain types of weapons being brought to school.  The administrator in charge has been saying exactly what Dr. Closen said:  There are no right or wrong answers.  Everything should be taken in context, and everything is relative.  The teachers keep insisting that it should be a black and white issue, either you are wrong or you aren't, but the administrator is saying that we need to look at each incident separately.  I am starting to see where she is coming from.  We cannot look at everything in black and white.

Interview Questions

I really liked the part about the things to avoid in the interview process. Without being aware of them ahead of time I can see where it would be easy to fall into some of those bad interviewing tactics. I can especially see a problem with the Halo effect where it would be tough not to give someone a job when you really like them. I could also see where the confirmation bias would be easy to fall into. It would be better not to make a quick judgement and be objective about the interview and give everyone and equal chance. Overall its important to not have pre-conceived ideas about a candidate coming in for an interview and try and judge everyone fairly and equally.

My thoughts about today's discussion

I really enjoyed the section that was discussed regarding the interview process. There are many factors to take into account that I never would have thought twice about. For example, the "Halo effect" that may be a challenge for some on the interview panel because many of us go into a particular setting with pre-conceived ideas and judgments. Also, making sure that you don't use offensive phrases or tone when your the interviewer that may make the applicant become defensive and over reactive. This could obviously cause an unfair disadvantage or negative outcome for the applicant due to his/her defensive response.

It is always important to remember as a teacher and administrator to get to the root of a problematic situation taking place in the building or individual classroom. Walking through possible ways to resolve the situation at hand with an open ended discussion involving everyone, not just the few that may be the most biostrous in that setting can be beneficial and be a teachable moment for all.

One last comment I would like to include is about smiling and demonstrating your optimism with a smile. I personally feel it is a priceless contribution and cost nothing for all the positive outcomes that one can receive. It can put many at ease, you can win over those that were in denial, or you can simply change someone day around for the better just by flashing a sweet warm smile in someone direction. When I see someone in a authority position and they never smile that personally makes me feel very uncomfortable and somewhat intimidating. I suppose that in itself would somewhat be a plus if you want all those around you to be constantly reminded that"your the Boss".

I continue to look forward to upcoming discussion and personal issues during this class.