Allison Lynn's blog

Reaction to Swine Flu Epidemic and its Impact on Schools

Although I am almost always of the opinion, that if you don't have your health-you really don't have much of anything at all, that it should therefore be preserved at every measure of precaution-I'm not convinced that prohibiting all students from attending school rather than only those who have been in contact (or suspected contact) with the virus  prevents rather than exacerberates this problem.  Certainly, the mere possibility of a few students having come in contact with the virus will not deter thousands of other students from fully enjoying a 2-3 week "vacation" in which they will probably interact just as much (if not more intimately) with their peers than if school was in session.  New York Mayor, Bloomberg, appears to affirmt the sentiment that such a total shut-down is a bit of an over-reaction as he states that the eight cases confirmed at a city school were mild – and only a small fraction of the 100-some students who thought they had swine flu actually did.

In Atlanta, Dr. Bob England, director of Public Health, further substantiates my conviction that school (for the most part) should remain open as he reasons, " Because current data does not suggest that this strain of H1N1 is behaving any differently than seasonal flu, I am recommending schools Maricopa County no longer dismiss classes."  Several other public health officials contend that there is no reason to believe that the swine flu is no more virulent than any other forms of influenza and that the aggressive measures are only being taken because the strain is new.

For these reasons, I do not believe that this new health scare or potential epidemic entirely warrants the kind of absolute shut-down in schools across the nation.

With Love and Appreciation-Thank You, Second Years!

I have had the absolute privilege of meeting, living, and working with a phenomenal group of individuals who will be graduating from MTC and venturing into a future to which they will be an invaluable asset no matter what sector they choose.  Specifically, I have the utmost gratitude for Anna Morrison, Crystal Stewart, and Kelsey Mayo, without which I would have given up all teaching aspirations and probably quit the program a long time ago.

Anna,

I cannot even begin to articulate the infinite ways in which you literally saved me this past summer.  Your unyielding commitment to service, learning, and this program in its entirety is humbling and fueled by a passion that beautifully defines you.  Whichever sector in life now receives you, will be inevitably blessed by your touch which I truly do believe turns everything into gold. ; )

Crystal,

Your team spirit mentality has been, on several occasions, my saving grace.  From making sure that I was my physically and mentally adjusted to not only the program but to life in Mississippi, you invested in me entirely.  You were always available for last-minute lesson planning ideas and resources.  Then, even and especially during the time when I lost the support of the program itself, you continued to reach out to me through email, text, and phone calls in the exact ways that I needed to be encouraged. And for taking it upon yourself to be my unofficial mentor, I love and thank you!   I consider myself infinitely blessed to have known you.

Kelsey,

You are the first person that I communicated with in MTC! Thank you for a year of guidance, reassurance, and straight-up constructive criticism.  You handled every one of my questions, struggles, and failures with gentle honesty and optimism.  After each one of debriefing sessions, I felt like I could breathe again, teach again, and fail again with the conviction that teaching is above all else a learning process that would be anything but stagnant as long as I allowed my failures to shape rather than hinder my growth.  You are amazingly talented yet modest, and it has been the utmost privilege to know you.

 

What it's like being in Ms. Albanese's Reading Class

In response to a writing prompt that asked students to describe what it is like to be in my Reading class, I received the following responses from some of my 8th grade students:

 

Student #1: "It is very fun to be in Ms. Albanese's class because we do fun group work.  She teaches us stuff we do not know, she helps us when we don't understand something.  Also, she lets us listen to music when we finish our work.  Sometimes when we make good grades on our test she rewards us. That's why I like Ms. Albanese's class a lot."

Student #2:  "This class is always hot, sometimes boring, but I like it because we have fun sometimes and my teacher is the nicest teacher I've ever met."

Student #3: "My reading class is a nice and friendly environment.  Our teacher is very kind.  She takes her time to make sure every student gets whatever she's teaching.  My peers are nice and treat everyone with respect.  My teacher keeps our classroom in tip-top shape just for us kids.  These are some things about our classroom."

Student #4: "I think this class was fun this year. We get rewards sometimes.  The teacher is awesome and can be very nice.  The students are cool and fun.  The class itself was very fun and interesting."

Student #5:  "This class is a very nice class to be in.  My classmates are very helpful people to be around.  Ms. Albanese is a very nice and sweet teacher, but she does have a bad side. What I mean by that is when we don't listen to her, she is going to get mad."

Student #6:

"To be in Ms. Albanese's class is alright. She is a great teacher, but her other students act childish and immature."

Student # 7:

 "To be in this class is fun.  It is fun because there is not that many of us in here and my teacher makes the class fun.  Sometimes she lets us have class outside.  That's why I like this reading class a lot."

Student # 8: (A rap)

" This class is good

like it really should.

I do my work and pass my test.

I do so well cuz I do my best.

My teacher is great

Why do a lot of kids want to hate

Yeah, she is White

But she teach just right.

She makes our work fun

She even lets us work in the sun.

So come on and try it

You really can't deny it."

 

 

Response to School Strip-Search Case

The circumstances under which the young girl mentioned in this article was strip-searched was nothing short of a complete and utter violation to her bodily privacy and physiological wellbeing.  This is not to say that strip-searching is never a viable measure of action, but in this instance it had merely the most minimum basis and virtually no justification.

In this case, the primary reason for the victim's interrogation was the testimony of another student who claimed that she received ibuprofen from the said victim.  While a questioning in some form may have been appropriate, the crude manner in which a full-out strip-search was performed was both assaulting and baseless. 

The timing of this assignment ironically allowed me to juxtapose the circumstances of this article with the immediate reality of a drug bust at my school that occurred yesterday. The blatant difference is that the students made the marajuana pass (quite cluelessly) right in front of the teacher at which point she wisely did not buzz the office, but discretely sent a stapled note up to the office to alert the administration who required that all teachers hold their classes.  After about 2 hours of holding classes, the police took the boys in custody, questioned them, and then and only then performed a partial strip search and total pat-down which revealed the substance in question. It is under these circumstances and by the professional protocol upheld by my co-workers and administration that I believe a strip-search is entirely more justified.

Authentic Based Assessments

 

More than mere criteria for measuring a student's capacity to interpret and reciprocate, true accountability for content or skill acquisition is much more accurately assessed in performance - based or authentic assessments.  If authentic assessments are defined as "an activity in which students construct responses, create products, or perform demonstrations to provide evidence of their knowledge and skills" (Hibbard, et al., 1996, p. 277 this method of assessment is more immediately effective if it mocks a real - world situation.

 Statistically, when students who are taught using authentic assessment techniques are compared to students who are only traditionally assessed, the former have evidenced higher grades, test scores, aptitude for knowledge and less discipline problems. Above all else, an authentic assessment should accomplish just this, an authentic meaningful context for the assessment task, one that is based on real experience.

Currently, I use a balance of both traditional and alternative assessment.  In culminating a poetry unit, I have already administered a formal assessment and we are currently working on a perfomance-based powerpoint presentation.  In developing,  administering, and evaluating this assessment, the rubric must remain the core focus. In developing the rubric a scoring device that lists the criteria in which the powerpoint project will be evaluated is absolutely essential.   This rubric must distinguish between unsatisfactory, satisfactory, and excellent quality and addresses both content and presentation skills.  The rubric component of the powerpoint project further enables students to grade themselves using the rubric prior to turning in their work.   I believe that rubrics work best when they are appropriate for the task, easy to understand, and focused on the most important aspects of the project. When students understand my expectations, they can strive for quality and instantly evaluate their progress toward a set goal as they prepare their work.

"What If......"

 

Hypothetical #1:

The bathroom policy at your school is such that every time a student needs to use the restroom, you need to buzz the office and inform them of the child's gender and then wait for their approval. Often times, however, there are set periods of time when the bathroom is"locked" or  "being cleaned."  This particular morning, your seventh grade male student insists that it is an emergency that cannot wait.   Although to your knowledge, this student does not have any written and documented medical notes on file that say his bladder problems supersedes any stipulated bathroom restrictions-the urgency in his tone of voice, his erratic movements, and strained facial expression all suggest that he is going to go all over himself in about a second.  To no avail you once again buzz the office and clarify that it is an emergency to which a droning matter-of-fact voice responds, "I'm sorry, it's closed."  Your student then verbalizes your most imminent fear, "It's coming out..."

All at once you want to tell him to move toward the garbage, or open up the back door, or at least get out of the classroom, anything but.......THAT.  Now you have one ashamed 14 year old boy with his head held down, wet pants, a few puddles, and a classroom in hysterics....

 

Hypothetical #2:

Its the beginning of the year and as a first year teacher in an an alternative school for students who are classified  especially  for their behavior problems, you are exceedingly thankful for all and every behavior management/discipline support you can get. Well, maybe not every....

Your school is renovated and used to be used as an elementary school so it is small in both population and capacity.  For this reason you think nothing of it when the security guard spends an excessive amount of time around your end of the hall or literally right outside your classroom.  It works out great actually, whenever a student becomes aggressive or you sense that he/she will you don't even need to buzz the office and haphazardly write an office referral (while resuming instruction) before sending him off, you only need to open the door (if he's not already standing at the window) and instant, on site support is at your beckoning call. This is great until, one day after school you're cleaning up your room and there he is- standing, grinning.  You smile politely and say hello, expecting only to exchange a few inconsequential words of common courtesy:

Security Guard: So how are you, hanging in there?

You:  I am - it's challenging, but they say it only gets better. How about you?

Security Guard: Well, they're putting all kinds of pressure on me, but my main concern is you.

You: Oh....Thanks.

Security Guard: Are you married?

You: No.

Security Guard: So, have you found a man to take you out yet, since you've been here?

You: Well, I'm really busy with lesson planning all week and class all day on the weekend so I really don't have time to go out.

Security Guard: Will you have a drink with me one night after school or how about labor day weekend?

You: Uhh no, I'm sorry-I really don't go out, ever.

Forunately for you, he doesn't persist.  Now however, when there's a behavior conflict at hand, you hesitate and think twice before asking for any outside support. At times, this is unbearable, but you truly want to evade this man at all costs.  But what cost, exactly? Do you just let time pass and then continue to invoke his support as if nothing  was said, confide in another teacher (at which point it will probably get to the principal), or directly report it to principal- knowing that sexual harassment charges are handled extremely seriously within the district and you don't at all consider his behavior to be serious or threatening.

Response to "A Portrait of Mississippi: Mississippi Human Development Report 2009"

 

 Although the facts, statistics, and generalized conclusions that this presentation brings to light is of timeless importance and relevance- in actuality, it merely urges us to once again confront the ever present reality that not only Mississippians, but the general public has long conceded.  While such an intention, to reintroduce an enduring social problem by way of an illuminated, executive summary with up to date statistics, analogies, and a re-phrased ‘call to action,’ is in no way unprecedented and hardly insightful. 

That “Mississippi compares poorly to other states…in areas that are critical to human life defined by freedom, choice, and access to opportunity” is demoralizing, but not groundbreaking.  Admittedly, as a current resident of Madison-Hinds, the county group with the “highest earnings of any county group in the state, the lowest percentage of adults without a high school diploma, and the highest percentage of college graduates (apart from education)  it is easy for me to dismiss such blaring analogies such that, “Some groups in the state enjoy well-being levels similar to those in top-ranked Connecticut, while others experience levels of human development of the average American nearly a half century ago,” as data that is entirely disparate from the  reality that I’ve come to know as Mississippi.   Also, in regard to the revealed discrepancy in quality of life among “Whites and African Americans in income and health,” this too is completely inconsequential and even contrary to my personal reality as my African American co-workers live (seemingly) comfortably in beautiful homes and I sleep on an air-mattress, living paycheck to paycheck. Of course, the latter has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the transitional circumstances of a single, young adult who recently graduated college and is trying to establish a budget and pay back loans with a first year teacher’s salary of just under $30,000 a year.

While the AHDP is effectual in its attempt to"stimulate debate about political and human issues,” there are no recommendations, no policy guidelines, and no pointed suggestions as to accomplish their alleged intention of “empower[ing] people to hold elected officials accountable for progress on issues.”

 

 

Teen Pregnancy Rate by County

Median Earnings by County

Response to “Summer School: Unfulfilled Promise”

 

                 In a holistic outline for academic success in summer school, the Southern Regional Education Board, emphasizes that reading and math proficiency rates should be prioritized through the creative and individualized response of specific student needs and achievement, and the rigorous evaluation of teacher and student performance.  At no other time did I feel I was part of a system that was operating on those success aligned precedents than during summer school last year.  It is within the board's articulation of what a successful summer school must necessitate in order to “help struggling students improve their performance,”  -that I may look ahead to this summer school with complete confidence that MTC comes equip to deliver this type of summer school.

 

Although I thoroughly appreciate summer vacation, the very fundamentals through which summer school is derivative, entirely supports the Board’s recommendation that,  “Summer school should not be something that is added on at the end of the school year to help struggling students. Summer school should be a required part of year-round program of extra time and special help for struggling students.”  As an integral part of the academic year, rather than the school year, it is imperative that teachers maximize opportunities for differentiated instruction by providing what the board calls, “the use of instructional materials and strategies that are different from those that have failed during the school year.

 

       Their final recommendation, “all summer-school programs should include rigorous evaluation of teaching strategies and student achievement,” is one that preserves the caliber of instruction by vigorously assessing the competency of the instructor and one that is mirrored and consistently implemented in MTC summer school. Furthermore, student progress, a critical indicator of teacher effectiveness, may be evidenced by  an entrance and exit exam and projects that reflect the higher DOK levels and serve as a blueprint to inform the teacher of each student's strength and weaknesses.

           

      While summer school is often and most traditionally considered remediation, with the resources, planning, innovation and initiative that the MTC classes of 2008 and 2009 will inevitably bring to Holly Springs, summer school will be every part enrichment as it is remediation.  To this end, planning becomes much more than logistics, but is moreover imperative in order to accommodate the board’s fourth recommendation, to “provide clear, reasonable standards for the length of summer programs and scheduling of classes and allow enough flexibility for innovation, creativity and responsiveness to community needs.”  By “developing benchmarks to determine promotion and interventions during the school year to continue supporting the students who need it,” (Denton, 2001; Harrington-Lueker, 2000; Eisner, 2000) summer school is much more than the ends to a mean, but is much more a catalyst for enduring student-centered learning and productivity that will be actualized throughout the academic year.

 

 

 

Response to "Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment k-12"

 

 

According to Heidi Hayes Jacob, curriculum mapping  involves much more than a day to day plan instructional and standards based plan for a subject-it is much more the interdependence between long range planning, short-term preparation, and clear communication  that is prefaced in a cumulative and interdisciplinary background knowledge of the students’ education.  Curriculum mapping must necessarily be contextualized within the micro(classroom) and macro (district) levels of horizontal planning through the course of one academic year and vertical planning that extends throughout the k-12 experience respectively.

Although my alternative middle school’s small size  theoretically lends itself to team and interdisciplinary planning-vertical curriculum mapping or for that matter, any type of long –range planning that takes into account academically where the students have been and where they need to arrive has not yet been attempted, (if not avoided.)  Quite honestly, given the demographics of our student population, each child being 2-3 years behind grade level-such long-term planning and consideration that vertical curriculum planning requires is often overwhelming at times irrelevant.  All too often, we rather employ the type of planning that Jacobs describes as  “coming together to formulate lists of objectives, skills, and concepts that are optimum goals for teachers to implement” and “occasionally inspire and focus teachers’ actions” but remain nothing more than “lifeless inventories of isolated skills.”  At this point, at best our interdisciplinary team structured planning has adequately accomplished the horizontal method of curriculum mapping.

            In order to successfully curriculum plan this summer, it will be imperative for us to be focused on not only what is being taught, but of the skills we are addressing along with the assessment of these skills. By focusing on what we need to teach instead of what we teach and deciding what form, how, and over how much time it should be done- we may accomplish the kind of comprehensive curriculum mapping that Susan M. Duke [1] defines in  as an “integrated curriculum” that is  “multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary,” and truly accomplish the task of ‘mapping.’

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[1] Planning Integrated Curriculum: The Call to Adventure. Dukes, Susan M.

Hope for Change in the New Semester

 

There are an exhaustive amount of things that need to be revamped in my classroom for this next semester, but since I only checked my e-mail and received notification of this blog this morning-I'll list the top 10 and continue later.

1) Consistently enforcing the rules and consequences.

2) Consistently distributing positive rewards

3) Consistently maintaining parent contact (both positive and negative.)

4) Prompting the students to take ownership of their learning by providing them with goal-setting tools, a choice in the designation of certain assignments, and contracts that they will sign when they miss homework, classwork, or refuse to do any of the above.

5) Incorporate a homework chart that will be posted on the outside of my door with the daily percentage average of received homework for each period (the period with the highest percentage average will be rewarded on Friday.)

6) Finish and utilize learning centers!

7) Effectively facilitate cooperative learning (not merely group work) but a collaborative learning team in which each member is responsible for a designated role.

8)  Develop a more age-appropriate and captivating selection of books to be circulated in the classroom library.

9) Use the library and the librarian as a resource to implement more interdisciplinary learning in the classroom.

10)  Approach everything with 100% more energy, passion, and zeal.