Getting Stuff Right
I'm doing pretty well right now. Considering that life has been crazy, I've just let it be.
On Friday I made my students come to school, because I just wasn't happy with their portfolios. Thursday was supposed to be their last day. I lured them in with chocolate chip, strawberry pancakes with all the fixings. I think it worked. I made them from scratch and used my roommate's griddle right in front of them. They loved. I think I made over a hundred pancakes while they hurriedly finished their radio productions.
I then stopped them for a moment and showed them a short fifteen-minute movie I made for them. It was sort my way of saying goodbye, because I plan to leave my monster school for a hidden jewel in Baltimore City that can crow a staggering 100% college acceptance rate for its seniors. I have no intention of not being part of their lives, however. We're too close to not stay in touch and for me to check up on their college acceptance rates. Besides, if I don't check up on them, how will I ever know if B gets the education he needs to surpass his third grade reading level?
As for the blocked transfer to the charter school, it's still blocked. I'm planning on it going through, because that's better than not. I'm just really frustrated at Baltimore's system.
Baltimore has created this process called zero-base, which essentially means that Principals get to start with zero staff and rebuild their classrooms. Everybody gets fired and has to reapply for their jobs. I can see how it makes sense to get rid of under performing teachers. However, those teachers still end up at another school, if I'm not mistaken. It seems like another band aid and short term solution for what is really a long term problem.
Then there's Aimless. I wasn't really thinking about leaving until I was recruited, basically, to teach at this other school. So I started thinking about what that transition would mean to my career and the long run of what I could do to help bring a positive impact to students. I still wasn't sold on leaving, although I was sold on the effectiveness and amazingness of the charter school. Then my principal made some choices about the program I teach without talking to me about it, and I realized that I couldn't get behind what she wanted me to teach. Basically, she wants to me to reconstruct my academy from its mission of giving kids opportunities to do whatever they want to do by starting with college, and being accepted into many colleges, to gaming. She wants my academy to do one thing: produce students who walk out with a certificate paper showing that they mastered a very specific field. I'm not behind that.
I made the jump. I accepted the offer, because it might not be there in two years when she tries to get this new program off the ground. So even though, I'm being fired and have to reapply, apparently I can't accept a new position. This doesn't make sense, because we were told we could leave if we wanted.
It just seems that if you're going to enact a policy of zero-basing you need to realize that it's a double-edge sword. You might lose staff you don't want to lose in the process. Technically, new teachers are tied to their schools for, I think, two or three years before they can transfer. These rules are supposed to go out the window for zero-based sites.
She's (principal) trying to convince me to stay, and I'm humbled by that, but I don't want to be there if I can be at this other school I BELIEVE IN.
This leaves the transfer up in the air, but I think it'll go through since my new principal (I speak as if it'll happen) is fighting for me. He's actually rebelling against North Avenue. I love this guy. He's everything that's right about leadership. He inspires me. So. Much.
Current Principal is going to be even more angry when she finds out I'm kidnapping a student to come to the charter with me. I went to family orientation this week, and my student and her father are behind this new school.
Another random question:
I went to get my vision test yesterday for my license. Can somebody decode this sentence for me, because the entire staff and I couldn't figure out what to select?
Do you feel your patient would be safe driving in an area limited to familiar surroundings?
the doc selected no - which I thought made me sound like it was unsafe for me to drive in familiar surroundings / so she switched it to yes and put no restrictions above the box. Ahhh!
On Friday I made my students come to school, because I just wasn't happy with their portfolios. Thursday was supposed to be their last day. I lured them in with chocolate chip, strawberry pancakes with all the fixings. I think it worked. I made them from scratch and used my roommate's griddle right in front of them. They loved. I think I made over a hundred pancakes while they hurriedly finished their radio productions.
I then stopped them for a moment and showed them a short fifteen-minute movie I made for them. It was sort my way of saying goodbye, because I plan to leave my monster school for a hidden jewel in Baltimore City that can crow a staggering 100% college acceptance rate for its seniors. I have no intention of not being part of their lives, however. We're too close to not stay in touch and for me to check up on their college acceptance rates. Besides, if I don't check up on them, how will I ever know if B gets the education he needs to surpass his third grade reading level?
As for the blocked transfer to the charter school, it's still blocked. I'm planning on it going through, because that's better than not. I'm just really frustrated at Baltimore's system.
Baltimore has created this process called zero-base, which essentially means that Principals get to start with zero staff and rebuild their classrooms. Everybody gets fired and has to reapply for their jobs. I can see how it makes sense to get rid of under performing teachers. However, those teachers still end up at another school, if I'm not mistaken. It seems like another band aid and short term solution for what is really a long term problem.
Then there's Aimless. I wasn't really thinking about leaving until I was recruited, basically, to teach at this other school. So I started thinking about what that transition would mean to my career and the long run of what I could do to help bring a positive impact to students. I still wasn't sold on leaving, although I was sold on the effectiveness and amazingness of the charter school. Then my principal made some choices about the program I teach without talking to me about it, and I realized that I couldn't get behind what she wanted me to teach. Basically, she wants to me to reconstruct my academy from its mission of giving kids opportunities to do whatever they want to do by starting with college, and being accepted into many colleges, to gaming. She wants my academy to do one thing: produce students who walk out with a certificate paper showing that they mastered a very specific field. I'm not behind that.
I made the jump. I accepted the offer, because it might not be there in two years when she tries to get this new program off the ground. So even though, I'm being fired and have to reapply, apparently I can't accept a new position. This doesn't make sense, because we were told we could leave if we wanted.
It just seems that if you're going to enact a policy of zero-basing you need to realize that it's a double-edge sword. You might lose staff you don't want to lose in the process. Technically, new teachers are tied to their schools for, I think, two or three years before they can transfer. These rules are supposed to go out the window for zero-based sites.
She's (principal) trying to convince me to stay, and I'm humbled by that, but I don't want to be there if I can be at this other school I BELIEVE IN.
This leaves the transfer up in the air, but I think it'll go through since my new principal (I speak as if it'll happen) is fighting for me. He's actually rebelling against North Avenue. I love this guy. He's everything that's right about leadership. He inspires me. So. Much.
Current Principal is going to be even more angry when she finds out I'm kidnapping a student to come to the charter with me. I went to family orientation this week, and my student and her father are behind this new school.
Another random question:
I went to get my vision test yesterday for my license. Can somebody decode this sentence for me, because the entire staff and I couldn't figure out what to select?
Do you feel your patient would be safe driving in an area limited to familiar surroundings?
the doc selected no - which I thought made me sound like it was unsafe for me to drive in familiar surroundings / so she switched it to yes and put no restrictions above the box. Ahhh!
I'm happy for you and your new opportunity, Amy. You've certainly worked hard enough for it----. Good luck!
Posted by
Laura B. |
9:27 PM