Diane Ravitch on the Negative Effects of overtesting

Bullying based on hair color

In this era of the heightened awareness of bullying, and the 24 hour a day cyber bullying that occurs, it is difficult to process when a group of students walks down the wrong path.

Last week we had an issue where some students declared a particular day to be "Kick a Ginger Day."  In essence this meant that students were targeting their red-haired peers to be kicked all day long.

Now I understand the power of the Internet, and of popular television.  However, it amazes me how something started on a cartoon could manifest itself in our hallways to the point where students actually fear for their own safety.

Apparently this is a national phenomena.  I just "Googled" it and got 4,113,000 results.  It began with the cartoon "South Park" on Comedy Central in a 2005 episode.  It has since been linked to beatings around the country.

I must be more sheltered than I thought I was.  I can only assume that the makers of South Park were attempting some sort of parody of discrimination and intolerance that has somehow been misinterpreted.  I would like to believe that it was never intended to cause harm.  Having never seen the episode it is difficult for me to post an opinion.  I can give me opinion on the event as it occurred here at the middle school.

For more detailed information, here is the letter I am sending home with the students today:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

In an era where bullying and discrimination are a rising issue we cannot tolerate when a group of students singles out another group of students.  Every child in this building has the right to feel safe and secure no matter what else happens.

We regret to inform you that Thursday we faced the issue of students kicking other students because of the differences in the color of their hair. For some reason a few students have decided to bully other students simply because they have “red” hair.  It has been termed “kick a ginger day.” We will not ever tolerate this kind of behavior.  Aside from the appalling lack of sensitivity, this presents a physical safety risk.  Therefore, it has become necessary for us to take strict action in this case.  Please know that strict disciplinary action will be taken against students who bully in this (or any) fashion, up to and including suspension from school. Of course, counseling will also be implemented in order to help offending students learn ways to change their inappropriate behaviors.

We have great students at Queensbury. I’m increasingly impressed with their strengths, abilities and behaviors every single day. However, at times, some tend to stray. We make every effort to teach students the correct way to behave and treat each other.  We consistently send the message that it is never appropriate to put your hands on someone else. Unfortunately this situation goes well beyond that.  It is at best disappointing that we have had students behaving in this fashion.  Again, this type of bullying, really any type of bullying, will not be tolerated at QMS.  We urge you to have frank discussions at home about why this type of behavior is intolerable, even if your child was not involved.  From this incident we have a platform to teach our children why this behavior is inexcusable. 

                                                                                               

When the children return on Monday we will be asking their guide room guides to have a group discussion about these incidents, and why bullying will not be tolerated.  We will take additional steps to create a bully-free environment as we move forward. Thank you for your anticipated understanding and support. It is greatly appreciated.

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Douglas M. Silvernell                                                 Richard Keys

Principal, Queensbury Middle School                        Assistant Principal, Queensbury Middle School

I am surprised at how wide-spread this truly is.  As wide-spread as it is nationally, it will stop at QMS.  For those of you who are school leaders, keep an ear out for this, it doesn't seem to be going away.

I would like to think that Facebook and Comedy Central would look to do something to mitigate what has been occurring based on their platforms for disseminating information.

I'm not sure what this means . . .yet.

We thoughtfully plan program and curriculum in our schools.  The process is pretty similar from district to district, administrator to administrator, and teacher to teacher.  You can view Heidi Hayes Jacobs' stuff, Bob Marzano's stuff, and even the Understanding by Design Model from Wiggins and McTighe.  Pretty much it boils down to:

1. Review the Standards (New York State, CCLS, ISTE, you pick)
2. Decide which ones are important (using data of course) to you for developing your program, unit or lesson.
3. Decide what you will use to determine if the students learned it.
4. Develop learning objectives, activities, a scope and sequence, and lesson plans.

Now, it can be a lot more intricate and difficult than I am portraying here, but it essentially boils down to these elements.

I have recently added a new layer to my own professional development in the area of curriculum and instruction.  i have begun to seek out different ways of thinking about thinking.  In this day and age data, testing, and standards are the end of all things education.  After all, the most important thing about education is holding the teachers accountable for results and the efficient use of taxpayer money.  I really have no problem with this in so far as it goes.  I believe it only goes so far, and limits us profoundly in educating our children.  

Are results important? Sure they are.  The enterprise of education is about producing productive citizens who are ready to face the world when they leave us.  Not only face the world, but improve it.

The efficient use of public funds is also important.  I get it.

But, this new focus is extremely narrowing.  An old adage in education is "you get what you test."  We will be getting exactly that, and more of it very soon.

As I continue to look for understanding, I have yet to find where a rigid regime of testing can improve learning.  It can improve test results, but is that really learning.

So, what are we missing/ I have started to spend time reading things that are only tangentially related to education.  I found Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind, fascinating. He talks about empathy, story, and design (among other things).  I can't help but believe this is critical for our education system, but we constantly demonize it and downgrade its importance.  The CCLS have a high focus on understanding mathematics, and in the area of ELA they have a high focus on informational text; downplaying 'story.'

I'm not sure  . . . yet!  I know this concept is vital for educating children, I'm just not sure yet how it can be celebrated when dwindling resources need to be channeled to the new test.

I visited a private performing arts school in the fall.  I was quite taken by the places their students were able to go to college after they left.  The school is called Walnut Hill School for the Arts.  When I visited the school I didn't here any mention of state testing.

I did here a lot about how students learn in real-world situations given real-world performing arts tasks.  I'm not sure  . . . yet!  I'm not sure yet how this can be done in a public setting, but I am sure it has a place.

I have also started reviewing the plethora of thoughts being cataloged by the TEDTalks.  If you have not visited this yet, I highly recommend it.  There are some brilliant people sharing some brilliant ideas here.  You can find it by going to http://www.ted.com/.

The beauty of this is that each speaker is given only 20 minutes to share their great idea.

I'm not sure  . . . yet!  I don't know how these ideas will effect my thinking about education.  I only know that it has.

On the first day of school I showed my staff a video of a TEDTalk by Sir Ken Robinson about creativity in schools and how it is disappearing.  He also speaks on why it should not disappear.  I'm not sure  . . . yet!  I don't know yet how it will effect public education, I "feel" that it must though.

You can see the Talk here:

http://blog.ted.com/2006/06/27/sir_ken_robinso/ 

I'm not sure  . . . yet!  I'm not sure yet how 'feeling' beauty will impact education yet, but again, I 'feel' that it must.  I recently viewed a TEDTalks segment by Richard Seymour on "How Beauty Feels."  If you would like to see this wonderful idea about the emotions of beauty, please go here:

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_seymour_how_beauty_feels.html

As we continue to move through this era of numbers, data, standards, accountability, . . . 

I worry we will be losing sight of the right side of the brain.  It is harder to measure what it produces (creativity, feeling, emotion, . . .).

I know it is important for our children.  I know it is important for schools.  I know I need to figure out how to protect it in my school.  

I'm just not sure yet . . . How??

Where have I been?

If there is anyone still out their who checks in on this occasionally, I apologize for not putting a lot of posts up.  You see, I have found this new arena to post my thoughts about education, and QMS.  It is a lot easier to maintain, and I can post from anywhere in the world (with a wireless connection and my cell phone).

Yes, I have to admit that i have joined the Twitterverse.  I created an account in October, and I have spent a great deal of time there.  I like the fact that I have to keep my posts to less than 140 characters (including spaces).  That is part of the reason I am struggling with the extreme length of this current post.

Why Twitter?

• ease of access
• brevity
• connected
• choice
• professional development

Like I said earlier, i can connect to twitter from anywhere.  With my smart phone, or laptop, or any Internet connection I am on and "Tweeting."

I love how short the messages are.  They force me to write in a style that boils information down to what is really essential.  I can always paste a link to a web site into my Tweet.  As a matter of fact I am going to do that for this post.  if the link is too long I take the URL to TinyURL.com, shorten it, and paste that new URL into my post.

Twitter helps me to stay focused in following the topics I want to follow.  I am able to follow the thoughts, news, and research that other educators are posting.  This helps me stay in touch with local and national education news.  There is a lot happening out there.

I can also create multiple accounts.  If I want to follow news about my favorite sports teams I can set up a separate account for that so it doesn't clutter the education posts.  For example I can follow the Mets, Jets, or Gators, and their fans, and analysts, and . . . 

Now, I haven't done that yet, but there is always time later.  It also helps me to stay connected to people who follow my posts.  If there is some post I find particularly interesting I can "retweet" it.

I am free to choose who to follow, what to read, and what to post.  It is entirely my choice.  I have been posting educational thoughts, but I have also been posting about things happening on campus.

It has also filled a professional development need.  I am more aware of what is happening in my profession, and I am able to pursue those interests further with some direction from others.

So, I apologize for moving into a different realm, but I plan to stay there for a while.  If you would like to follow my posts you can follow @Qmsprincipal.

TCT Credit Union Teacher of the Week!

Congratulations Mr. Thompson!!!

Read the Press Release Below:

Teacher of the Week

Week of October 24, 2011

CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS WEEKS TCT FEDERAL CREDIT UNION TEACHER OF THE WEEK …MR JIM THOMPSON, 6^TH GRADE MATH TEACHER AT QUEENSBURY MIDDLE SCHOOL.  HE WAS NOMINATED BY A STUDENT WHO NOT ONLY SAYS HE IS A GREAT TEACHER, BUT LEARNING IS FUN AND EASY WITH MR THOMPSON AS HER TEACHER.   AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS WEEKS TCT FEDERAL CREDIT UNION TEACHER OF THE WEEK, MR JIM THOMPSON 6^TH GRADE MATH TEACHER AT QUEENSBURY MIDDLE SCHOOL. MR THOMPSON WILL RECEIVE A TCT FEDERAL CREDIT UNION PRIZE PACK, A PLAQUE FROM ADIRONDACK SCHOOL PORTRAITS AND  SPORTS JOURNALS, FLOWERS FROM A LASTING IMPRESSION AND GIFT CERTIFICATES FROM STUDIO 71 AND DAVIDSON BROTHERS… CONGRATULATIONS FROM ADIRONDACK BROADCASTING AND TCT FEDERAL CREDIT UNION.

Twitter

I have had a very educational week.  There is nothing more exhilarating than learning new things!

I have had the distinct pleasure to work with several of my local colleagues to put together the New York State Middle School Association's annual state conference.  This year it was held at the Maple Avenue Middle School in Saratoga, New York.

Middle school educators from around the state were able to participate in a full day of professional development from leading middle level educators from around the country.

I was able to see how Garden City Middle School arranges their structure and programming to meet the needs of their young adolescents.  They were recognized as a Essential Elements School to Watch at this convention.

I also was able to see Jay Riffenbary deliver a motivational speech last night.

The highlight for me today was listening to several presentations by Rick Wormeli about differentiated instruction, grading, and assessment.  Rick was brilliant, and right on the mark.

I wanted to thank Mr. Mark Fish, and Mr. Chris Reed for inviting me to work with the local committee to put the conference together.



On another note, I have started a Twitter account.  I am new to it so I am not sure exactly how it works.  My account can be found at QMSprincipal , I invite you to follow me.  I am going to be looking to follow the leading educational thinkers on the scene today, and I will be Tweeting about QMS events and happenings.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. (Steve Jobs quote from the last issue of The Whole Earth Catalog).

MDA LockUp November 15!

"I'm being Locked Up 'For Good"

It's true.  On November 15, 2011 I am being put in "jail" to help raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  The MDA has "arrested" me and I must now post bail.  My bail has been set for $2400.  The money will be used to do a variety of really good things:

My Bail could:

• Send three children to The Hole In the Woods Ranch for summer camp.
• Pay for 24 months of support group meetings to help families cope with the challenges of Muscular Dystrophy.
• Pay for a 1/2 hour of research into 40 different types of neuromuscular disease.

Please join me in this fight against this debilitating disease.  I'm already slated for Lock-Up, but you could help shorten my stay and provide money for a great cause as well.  If you would like to help please click on the following link to visit my Lock-Up web site!

https://www.joinmda.org/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/247007/Participant/dsilvernell/Default.aspx