A Mention on C-Span

I don't know how much time I'm going to have for blogging in the next week or so due to my working on my application for graduate school, but I felt this was worth a mention.
As Mark Lerner pointed out, WEDJ got a flattering mention on C-Span. It's exciting to be a part of a school that is achieving so much that we are making national news!



Just a street corner in Old Town.

Corrupted Test Scores

Mark Lerner hit the nail on the head in his discussion of the outcome of the DC CAS scores.
I've never seen a standardized test be administered in such a disorganized and undstandardized way. Not only did the math manipulatives not come until the day after we administered the test, we were actually sent the wrong manipulatives to begin with and the students took the test with those which, of course, would affect their scores.
I was told by those in charge of administering the test at the school that all of this was being documented. It's a good thing. I have a feeling there may be more to come of this situation than is currently being report, as should happen.
I want to point out that none of the problems with the test had anything to do with the staff at WEDJ who worked diligently to make sure the test was fair and balanced.



The historic cemetary at Christ Church in Alexandria.

Harsh Criticism

The Education Wonks harshly criticizes Washington beaurocrats and their role in the creation and implementation of "No Child Left Behind," especially in regards to how it deals with students who speak English as a second language.
I have to give a hat tip to this editorial. Much of the problem we have with public education is people who don't know a thing about education telling educators what to do.
That's why I like WEDJ. I work for educators who know what they're talking about.



The corner of King Street and Washington Street in Alexandria.

DC: City or State?

The DC Education Blog posts about the interesting conflict of interest that is unique to the District of Columbia.

Normally, individual schools report to a city, town, or district board of education who reports to a state board of education. However, in DC, the city and state board of education are one and the same. There is a step of over sight that is missing from the equation.

Some might blame a lot of the corruption in DCPS on that and I do think that may be part of it. I think another issue that probably promotes corruption in the DC government is the fact that DC is the only place in the United States that is not self governing. They vote for president, but that is the only federal government official that their vote counts on. They vote for mayor and city council, but anything that the mayor and city council decides must first be approved by congress before becoming a law. Citizens of The District do not vote for representation in congress and, therefore, their government is overseen by those who do not neccesarily have the best interests of the citizens of The District in mind. It also gives DC politicians a sort of second-class status to "real" politicians. Therefore, quality people running for office in The District may be hard to come by.

This isn't to say that there aren't quality people involved in the government of The District. But, let's face it, they are really short-changed when it comes to real political power and that doesn't make it a very desirable position to be in nor does it make it easy to lobby for real change for their constituents.



An historic-building-turned-CVS across from market square.

Amusing Bus Driver

This is generally unrelated to the themes of this blog, but, all the same, amusing and worth a mention!
When we went to the Wolf Trap the other night we ended up taking the metro and shuttle metrobus. The driver we had, both ways, had to be the most amusing bus driver I've ever had.
On the way to the Wolf Trap he was spouting out "DC Trivia" questions for us to answer about really obscure things. I almost got one right!
On the way back he was just making amusing commentary the entire way, mocking the people who were walking and searching for their cars, or people who had gotten pulled over, saying, in a sing-song voice, "You shoulda taken the bus!"
He had the whole bus the laughing and smiling the whole time. It was a very nice distraction! I wish I knew the drivers name, but, since I don't, I'd just like to say thank you to the amusing bus driver who drove us to and from the Wolf Trap. Your comedy really made our bus ride quite the pleasure!



Market Square and City Hall in Alexandria. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington drilled his troops on this square.

Noche Flamenca

We went to see an inspiring performance by Noche Flamenca at the Wolf Trap the other night. I suggest checking them out for a real treat!



Another view toward DC with the Washington Monument prominent.

The Pledge in our Classrooms

I have to link up to Jim Horn of "Schools Matter" again because he writes a very detailed post on the origins of the pledge of allegiance in our classroom and adds interesting and well thought out commentary to the mix.




A view toward DC with the U.S. Capitol Building prominent.

Popular Music in the Classroom

Jabramo of th Music Education Blog Collective posted this in referrence to the role of popular and "non-conformist" music in the classroom. I don't have a lot to say on it myself except that it is an interesting topic. I did leave a comment on that post but, I dare say, it had more questions than answers.



Yet another view of Old Town, this time to the northeast.

Religion in Music Education

I have to comment on this topic as posted on the Music for All blog.
I am a Unitarian Universalist. After many years of being raised Catholic and then wandering from belief system to belief system and teetering on the edge of atheism and agnosticism, I finally found my place in Unitarian Universalism. I am vehemently opposed to the active spread of religious persecution in our public schools and the attempts to funnel public money into religious activities in our public schools.

However, there is a fine line between religious indoctorination and artistic realization. Much of what I believe in using religious music is in the intentions for teaching such music.

As a non-Christian, I am not opposed to using Christian music in school programs as long as it is for the sake of the artistry more than for the sake of the religion. When I was in high school, every year, much to my mother's chagrin (who is also a non-Christian) we used to hold a holiday concert doing serious sacred works (for instance, various portions of Handel's "Messiah") at a local Catholic Church that was built in a traditional gothic style of arhitecture. The concert was always a beautiful tribute to art and music and, in no way, was religion ever forced upon me in this context. I understood the reasoning behind holding this concert in a Catholic Church. We were performing the music as it was meant to be performed and that allowed for a full understanding in the experience of the music. How else do you get 200 plus high school students to love Handel?

That being said, there is a fine line. I believe to force the recitation of the "Pledge of Allegiance" upon students is something that should be considered unconstitutional. The pledge, which originated as late as the 1950's in its present form, requires the sayer to swear an oath to God which is insulting to pretty much every religion except Christianity and therefore is a direct referrence to Christianity. As a teacher at a school where I was forced to recite the pledge with my students (not my current school), I made the concious decision to leave out certain lines as they went contrary to my own religious and political convictions.

So, is it for art or religion? Through art, are we being forced to pledge allegiance to a particular religion? I suppose it all depends on the original intentions and every case is different. In the post in the above link the school did not allow students to play an "Ave Maria" at a graduation ceremony. Now, in a performance, which is constructed in such a way to display the learning of the art, I see no problem in sticking an "Ave Maria" in there. However, a graduation ceremony is a different context. It is an important step in students' lives and one that will be shared by all participating. It isn't a lesson in art; it is a ceremony. A ceremony, as such, should not contain a meaning that will be contrary to even some of those inparticipation. In my recent wedding I was very careful to select music that would have specific meaning to both me and my wife and my family involved. A public ceremony is different from a public display and should be treated as such.

I am sure that this will not be the last time that I will post on this topic.



Another view of Old Town.

Another Music Education Blog

The Music for All blog is definitely worth taking a look at.





Another view over Old Town to the Potomac.

Legally Mandated Child Abuse

On Schools Matter, poster Jim Horn comments that curent trends in kindergarten and early childhood education, especially in our urban districts, and the emphasis on standardized testing for our nation's youngest students is comparable to child labor and even abuse.

I haven't really been around long enough to have seen this transition as a professional educator, but I can pull from my experiences as a youngster in public schools. I also see that many students who end up coming from programs like this are exhausted with being spoon fed information for so many years, and I see the potential for students not wanting to continue their education because of this.

I do think the early years should be saved primarily for the social education of our students and the exposure to all kinds of subjects without bogging them down with having to be tested on it. It should be a time of life for exploration because, all too often, in the future, we never can find the time to do that again.



A view east over Old Town Alexandria to the Potomac River.

A Comprehensive View of "No Child Left Behind"

This was stolen directly from Mark Lerner, but I thought it a good article to share.
Charles Murray of the Wall Street Journal talks about his own experiences with "No Child Left Behind" as seen through the education of his children in addition to his research into test score data.
He claims that the only redeeming quality of this law is its promotion of school choice and that "has fallen far short of its hopes," he writes.

Reading further into it, Mark also posted another article about the way"Education Secretrary Margaret Spellings is running the nation's public schools from her chair in Washington, D.C."

Does this surprise anyone? A lack of consistency from an administration? Tests that are poorly administered and improperly used to measure the wrong thing? This sounds like a bad school trying to fix bad schools.



A view southwest from our apartment building of the George Washington Masonic Memorial.

Blog Beautification Project (BBP)

I was just looking over this blog and realized how dull it has started to look. Solution? More images. I am vowing, now, to include an image with each post, even if it is unrelated to the post at hand. The BBP will start with this post.



This is a view from our apartment building, south, into Alexandria.

Is Notation Out-Dated?

Mabramo of A Music Education Blog Collective asserts that it is and that today's music students, unless focused on particular uses for it, have no comprehensive use for traditional notation in the musical world.
I would have to say I disagree. While alternatives types of notation are increasingly more common as well as having computers deal more directly with the production of sound and such, like the computer, it still can't do everything that good old-fashioned pen and paper can do.
In addition, I just find that once someone has learned traditional notation, all other kinds suddenly become more clear, understandable, and easy to learn.
I see Mabramo's point, of course. Many world and modern musics are not originally recorded with traditional notation anymore if they ever are at all. Also, traditional notation does ignore many effects and timbres that are important to many modern and world types of music. But, I do think that it sets up a basis or springboard, from which everything else can be more easily understood.
I suppose as a primarily Kodaly-based teacher, I would have to believe this. I believe music literacy opens up a gateway to everything else musical with no limitations. To limit yourself in this knowledge, it seems to me, would be a huge mistake.

Personal Post

Normally, I would reserve these kinds of things for my limited-access private blog. But, I thought there might be a few people who do not have access to that who might like to see some of the proofs from the wedding.

Go to that link, then find July 15th. The password is Morin with a capital "M."

Those are the proofs from the official photographer.

Insubordinate Part II

Miss Dennis' post, Insubordinate Part II, is a maybe not-so-startling conclusion only because it is a cry heard around the nation from educators being abused by administration. I only wish I had the courage she had to speak out against those who are doing little to benefit her students and much to make her life more difficult.
Luckily, the administrators at WEDJ are nothing like the ones described in those posts. I am so lucky to be able to work with such intelligent and dedicated people.
And the difference is that I work with them and for the kids.

Back and an Important Blog

I'm back from my wedding and honeymoon. Everything went wonderfully!
This will just be a quick post, but I wanted to point out a new blog.
This is the blog of my best friend (besides my wife, of course) who is currently studying to be a rabbi in Israel. Considering the most recent events in that part of the world I felt it important to keep her perspective linked to this blog as well.
As I'm sure you'll find from her blog she is an incredibly insightful and wonderful person. While we may not always have met eye to eye on every issue, she is somebody who's opinion I trust and value over most others.

Sale On Choral Music

Honest to goodness this will be my last post!

I just wanted to say that Sheet Music Plus is having a sale on choral music so it might be good for any music educators to check that out.

Ok, now I'm off to get married for real!

A Vacation from Blogging

I'm getting married tomorrow and, subsequently going on my honeymoon to Cape Cod. While I found out that I will actually have internet access there, per request of my future wife, I will not be blogging at all for the next week.
Have a great week everybody!

More Public School Woes

I just thought that this post by Miss Dennis was just wonderful. I would have never had the courage to be so blunt with a supervisor, though I wish I was. I remember when I merely mentioned having questions about something a principal of mine was doing, to a union rep (who went and told the principal), I got screamed at in front of a class of about 25 first graders. So I can definitely relate to this post.
It's amazing what you have to go through in the public schools for the betterment of the students. Luckily, I work in a charter school where I can make a difference now.

The Definition of "Quality"

A post on Teaching Matters Most discusses the exodus of educators from the Los Angeles Unified School District into charter schools.

I agree with much of what is said about working conditions in the regular public schools. I found more to talk about from this statement, however:

What teaching quality actually looks like in the charter “sector” is likely to be widely divergent.

I posted a comment in response to the post. Here is what I said:

As a former "district" educator turned charter school educator, I can say that I very much agree that conditions in the "regular" public schools have grown so atrocious as to become unbearable. At my charter school, I am treated like a professional. That unto itself makes a huge difference.
You say that teaching quality in the "charter sector" is widely divergent and I don't doubt that you're right. There are definitely good and bad charter schools. I think the idea of being divergent is the point of charter schools though. It's a break away of the norm. It is to find different and more diverse ways to educate our nations students in the way that they need to be educated. Quality can be defined two ways:1. degree of excellence or 2. a distinguishing attribute. Perhaps the qualities of the schools being divergent would be a good thing for students with diverse learning styles. It's a matter of finding the right charter school for the student.
There are bad charter schools, for sure. As the charter movement progresses, the hope is that those who don't tow the line will close and those who do will continue to provide a diversified quality education that is different from the norm. It is a difference of quality, but not neccesarily a measure of achievement.

Quote on Edspresso

I just wanted to point out that I was quoted on Edspresso yesterday. It's exciting to see that more and more people are finding my blog and actually reading it. I've found it to be a great tool for allowing myself to explore these professional issues and questions I have. It has also been good to get alternate views from people on these issues.
Anyway, I'm in Connecticut now, so, as I said before, posting may be spotty!

"Session One"

Tonight was session one of the "Leadership Boot Camp." I have to say, sitting there, discussing issues of the administration really brought the light the type of work they do on a daily basis. I have the utmost respect for Nadia Casseus, Mary Robbins, and Julie Doar-Sinkfield. The fact that they were able to get together and create a school as amazing at WEDJ is simply a testament to their hard work, discipline, and intelligence. I feel so very privileged to work with such highly intelligent, highly qualified people who have made education not only their livelihood, but also their passion.

We talked tonight a bit about mission statements and their importance in explaining the vision that is to create a school. We also discussed the importance of sharing this statement with others to ensure that everybody shares in that vision so that they're working toward a common goal. I've seen the WEDJ Mission Statement. It is posted all around the school and can be occasionally found in our mailboxes as a reminder of what we're trying to do. If you go to the WEDJ web site, it is there, about halfway down the page, clearly visible.
It says:

"The William E. Doar Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts will foster a safe, creative, enjoyable and culturally sensitive learning environment for all students with the goal of providing a college preparatory curriculum in both academics and the performing arts to produce the next generation of leaders for America and the Global Society."

That mission statement is who we are and it is true to who we are. These are things that our administrators take care in promoting and assessing in the school. It emphasizes the fact that we are creating this environment for not just talented students, but all students. It emphasizes that, while we are a school for the performing arts, we are preparing our students for the future, not just in the arts. It explains that we wish our school to be safe and enjoyable and that is something we've very much accomplished.

This is a mission statement with a mission I find myself very much in line with. Thus, this is a place for me to stay.

Out of curiosity, I took a look at the Waterbury Public Schools web page. No mission statement to be found. I did find a web page half touting the life history of the superintendent, but no mission statement.

I went to the web page of the first school I worked at. No mission statement. Not a surprise. Even if the school did have a mission statement it is unlikely that the principal would even care if the staff bought into it or not. I never remember seeing one at all.

I went to another web site of one of the schools I worked at there, the only other one that did have a web site. BINGO! A mission statement! Interestingly enough, it was actually the mission statement for the entire district which I could not find on a the district web site:

The mission of the Waterbury School System is to establish itself as the leader in Connecticut for urban education reform in partnership with the State Department of Education and the entire Waterbury Community. The School system will provide opportunities for all students to maximize their skills and talents in an atmosphere where teaching and learning flourish under the never-wavering belief that all students can be exemplary students, while becoming respectful, responsible, productive citizens vital to our community.

Sounds good, but are they good to their word? My observation is that no, they're not. They talk about flourishing learning and that all students can be exemplary students, but I don't recall that ever being an aim that was discussed at any meetings. They don't mention the arts which is probably reasonable. Their support for the arts wavers more every day. It was not a district, for which my mission was aligned.

Now that isn't to say that there aren't educators that flourish there. But, my belief is that it is more because of their individual skills rather than any miraculous administrative decision.

But, that is the trouble with these large boxy districts. That mission statement is too general. It doesn't foster a truly adaptive environment for students and its barely visible. So how can the district work toward that goal? I never really knew that Waterbury had a mission statement. I guess I assumed it. At WEDJ I have an understanding of it.

I mean no offense to those working in the Waterbury Public Schools. Many good things are happening there and I applaud my colleagues there who work those conditions. It was not a district that my values were in line with.

Out of Town

Just so you all know, as of tomorrow morning I will be out of town. I'm going up to Connecticut to get married and will be gone for two weeks. The first week I'll be staying at my parents' house where they do have internet, but posting may be spotty at best. The second week I'll be on my honeymoon without internet access at all, so posting will be non-existent!

"Leadership Boot Camp"

Tonight is our first class for the WEDJ "Leadership Boot Camp." I'm actually feeling a sense of apprehension, most likely due to the fact that I haven't actually attended a class that I got a grade for in three years. I think it will be good preparation for the fall.

A New Website for Teachers

I just came across this new web site called We the Teachers. I think this has the potential to become an amazing resource for teachers as well as a great networking tool.
Also its "lesson plan" tool will be a useful alternative to selling one's lesson plans which, as you know, I have a moral opposition to doing.

"Let's Not Worry About Education!"

That's the gist of this post I found on the EDS Next Big Thing Blog.
While I don't think the solution to improving education is to ignore the problems in our current system, I do think some points are made about the access to information our youth has today in comparison with days past. The internet, properly used, can be a tool of virtually infinite wisdom that can easily be used by just about anybody, but is particularly accessible to those who have grown up with it.

This brings me to the book I'm currently in the midst of reading, "Schools That Work: America's Most Innovative Public Education Programs" by George H. Wood, Ph.D. This book was written and published in the early 90's so some of the concepts are somewhat outdated, but many still do apply today. In the book, as far as I've read, Dr. Wood describes how it is the role of public schools in a democratic society to inspire children to want to learn and become learning citizens rather than to fill their heads with facts and figures. He also contests that the "current" and "up-and-coming" policy-making that faces education puts this role, that truly successful schools understand and realize, at risk. I think this very much applies today.

This can go back to an old saying that says, "Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime." The truth is that anybody can collect information. Getting information in this so-called "information age" is not a difficult task at all, especially for those who have grown up after the advent of the internet and global communications. The trick is to inspire students to want to gather information themselves. Great schools know how to do this. Bad legislators don't understand it.

To quote "Mr. Holland's Opus," one of my favorite movies of all time, "A teacher has two jobs; fill young minds with knowledge, yes, but more important, give those minds a compass so that that knowledge doesn't go to waste."

I reiterate, "...MOST IMPORTANT, give those minds a compass..."
That is our most important goal. Great schools are doing this.

NEA, NCLB, and a Federal Teacher Minimum Wage

I found this statement by the NEA to be insulting.
First of all, I've heard all of this talk about reforming NCLB before. Frankly, I've found NEA to be a spineless organization when it comes to this.
And what about this $40,000 a year teacher minimum wage? I find that outright insulting. I'm an experienced teacher and I barely make that much and I live in on of the most expensive areas to live in the United States.
Having a federal teacher minimum wage like that leaves so much out of the loop. $40,000 a year where I live will get you a one-bedroom apartment and a comfortable, but certainly not wealthy, lifestyle. In places like Iowa and Wyoming, teachers would be able to afford mansions. How is this fair?
In addition, different states have different standards for teaching certification. Connecticut is one of the highest paying states in the nation for teachers, but you can hardly blame them because the certification process there is so difficult in addition to there being a high cost of living. The cost of living is higher down here, but the certification standards are lower, so the slight drop in pay seems reasonable to me.
Has NEA taken into account what districts will have to do to pay first-year-teachers $40,000 a year? It will cause less advancement in pay for teachers in general. The best and most experienced teachers will have to make less to pay more to the teachers who barely know what they're doing. Ultimately nobody will end up making as much money because of this.
It simply makes no sense.
It angers me that the NEA would make such a statement. I'm glad they no longer represent me.

Learning is Messy

Wesley Fryer puts a political spin on the messiness of learning on his blog, called Moving at the Speed of Creativity.
He talks a little bit about real time application of learning and "teachable moments" and puts his spin on the idea that if learning isn't messy then it's shallow.
I do agree with him to an extent. I think that a master teacher creates learning out of chaos. I don't think that the idea of students sitting in perfect rows with their hands folded is a practical or even possible method of teaching and learning. Students, on the K-12 level, need to be much more highly engaged. Having K-12 students sitting for too long is a dangerous thing to do.

Regarding Comments

So far, this has only been a minor problem on this blog, but I wanted to speak on the topic of which comments I will approve and which I will not approve. In the past, I have had serious problems with threats over blogs, so I am very wary of what kinds of comments will be posted.
Firstly, I absolutely want to make it clear that it is perfectly okay to disagree with me. In fact, if you can back up your assertions, I encourage you to engage me in good natured debate.
However, making blanket statements or simply stating that you disagree with me or basically just saying, "You're wrong," with nothing even mentioned to back it up is unacceptable. I will take a look at posts like this, but will not publish them on this blog. It is not that I don't value ones opinion, it is that I feel to argue an opinion there should be facts to back it up. In addition, if I have nothing to respond to (ie. there are no facts to dispute) then it's kind of pointless for me to publish on my blog because then there can be no debate.
I may sometimes be wrong. I will happily admit that if things are brought to my attention that I did not previously know. I don't claim to have the answers, but, rather, just an angle to which I see things. Perhaps I am there is something I do not see. You may tell me that. Just don't leave it at that and not give me something to go on to understand why I'm wrong.
In general, as I said, this hasn't been a problem yet. I've only had a couple of posts which were the essence of, "You're wrong," with nothing to back it up. I just didn't want these people to feel as though I were censuring them. It's not that at all. It is that there were no facts or basis given to back these statements up and so the idea of a debate or an admission of fault was, clearly, impossible under those circumstances.
With that in mind, happy posting!

"Meaningful Funding"

Peter Campbell discusses an issue in education that I call "meaningful funding." The idea is that by dropping tons of cash on our public schools it will, in fact, not help education and that idea is a complete over generalization of what the education community is asking for. However, directed funding toward improvement of schools, rather than shallow assessment, is what is needed.

U.S. Secretary of Education

The Education Wonks posts criticisms regarding the priorities of U.S. Education Secretary, Margaret Spellings.
I think a great point is made about hands on administrative involvement. Why, instead of travelling to exotic locales to talk about education, is not Secretary Spellings touring our nation's schools and discussing with those who are working "in the trenches," so to speak, ways in which to improve the use of their funds and student learning.
We need more hands on assessments for our public schools happening. People from government positions need to go in to see what exactly our public schools are doing. This is the tougher, longer, more complicated, and more expensive way to do it, but, as we can clearly see from Secretary Spellings travels, certainly even the U.S. Department of Education could use to appropriate funds differently as well.

Thanks And Progress

I just want to thank those who left comments of encouragement in my last entry and I wanted to tell you what I did in response.
I contacted the U.S. Department of Education, asking them if any plans of this sort are in the making. I don't expect to hear back from them, truthfully. Their form didn't even ask me for my email address.
Then, I had another thought. I emailed the Smithsonian Institution asking them what the process would be for attempting to get something like this started. I'm willing to bet a lot of it is getting sponsers, but, certainly there are plenty of those who would be willing if there was somebody spearheading it. I can't imagine this is ever something that will happen in my life time, but, I figure, if nothing else, it will be interesting to learn about this process.