Perspectives Archives

A Teacher's Journal: What Do We Really Want?

I was re-reading some of the posts on my professional blog this morning, and stumbled across an entry that I wrote last spring that continues to resonate with me. It wrestles with the idea that we still struggle as a nation to decide exactly what it is that we want from our public schools---and those struggles prevent us from ever being truly successful in the eyes of everyone.

For me, a hard working classroom teacher that takes criticism of public schools personally, that lack of clarity has caused a strange combination of exhaustion mixed with frustration.

Interested in reading the original post? Here it is:

I was catching up on some blog reading this morning and found some interesting connections between posts from Brett on the DeHavilland Blog and Brian Mull over at November Learning. Brett sparked my thinking with these thoughts:

I was rereading a classic marketing article--Marketing Myopia, by Theodore Levitt (found in this excellent book)--and came across the following:

In a sense [Henry] Ford was both the most brilliant and the most senseless marketer in American history. He was senseless because he refused to give the customer anything but a black car. He was brilliant because he fashioned a production system designed to fit market needs.

We habitually celebrate him for the wrong reason, his production genius. His real genius was marketing. We think he was able to cut his selling price and therefore sell millions of $500 cars because his invention of the assembly line had reduced the costs. Actually he invented the assembly line because he had concluded that at $500 he could sell millions of cars. Mass production was the result, not the cause, of his low prices.

This is a fantastic new take on a classic story (and apparently a true one, based on Ford's writings). And it illustrates a critical difference between how most people fulfill a market need, and how a visionary like Henry Ford does.

Most people look at what they have, or what they do, and try to figure out where to sell it. Ford figured out what people wanted--in this case, an affordable car--and figured out how to give it to them. Hence, the invention of the assembly line, a means to an end which enabled him to provide that car affordably.

What if we applied this to public education? It seems as if the tremendous legacy system we have limits our vision, forcing us to think in terms of what the current system can do, and preventing us from thinking about what it is our customers need. What if we wiped the slate clean--forgot about all the buildings, the standard course of study, the bus schedules, the textbooks, the lunchroom, and everything else--and started from square one? What if we looked at what the customers of public education (students, parents, other stakeholders) really need, and how we can fill that need?

If we identified any of the following as a true want/need of education consumers, how would we retool the system to make them possible a la Henry Ford?

Brett's questions are brilliant because the vision and purpose for public education has become muddled by the cacophony of voices trying to shape direction for our schools. Put 10 random adults in a room and ask them what their "true wants and needs for education" are and you're quite likely to get ten different answers--not to mention a headache, high blood pressure and a darn good argument!

Consider this list of goals for schools compiled by a Superintendent in Missouri that Brian Mull found and recently shared with his readers:

America's public schools can be traced back to the year 1640. The Massachusetts Puritans established schools to:

1. Teach basic reading, some writing, and arithmetic skills, and

2. Cultivate values that serve a democratic society (some history and civics).

From 1900 to 1910, we added nutrition - immunization - and health to the list of school responsibilities.

From 1910 to 1930, we added Physical Education, including organized athletics - the practical arts - vocational education, including home economics and agricultural education, and - school transportation began to be mandated.

In the 1940's, we added business education - art and music - speech and drama - half day kindergarten, and - school lunch programs appeared (We take this for granted today. It was, however, a significant step to shift to the schools the job of feeding America's children 1/3 of their daily meals.)

In the 1950's, we added expanded science and math education - safety education - driver's education - expanded music and art education - foreign language requirements were strengthened, and - sex education was introduced (topics continue to escalate).

In the 1960's, we added Advanced Placement programs - Head Start - Title I - adult education - career education - peace, leisure, and recreation education.

In the 1970's, the breakup of the American family accelerated, and we added - special education (mandated by Federal Government - Title IX programs (greatly expanded athletic programs for female students) - drug and alcohol abuse education - parent education - behavior adjustment classes - character education - environmental education - school breakfast programs appeared (Now, some schools feed America's children 2/3 of their daily meals.)

In the 1980's, the flood gates opened, and we added keyboarding and computer education - global education - ethnic education - multicultural/non-sexist education - English-as-a-second-language, and bilingual education - Teen pregnancy awareness - Hispanic heritage education - Early childhood education - Jump Start, Early Start, Even Start, and Prime Start - full day Kindergarten - pre-school programs for children at-risk - after school programs for children of working parents - alternative education in all its forms - stranger/danger education - anti-smoking education - sexual abuse prevention education - health and psychological services were expanded, and - child abuse monitoring became a legal requirement for all teachers.

In the 1990's, we added conflict resolution and peer mediation - HIV/AIDS education - CPR training - death education - expanded computer and Internet education - inclusion - Tech Prep and School to Work programs - gang prevention education (in urban centers) - bus safety, bicycle safety, gun safety, and water safety education.

In the first years of the 21st century, we have superimposed upon everything else a layer of high-stakes, standardized tests.

Whew!

Is anyone surprised when teachers tell you that they're exhausted by the daily demands of their work? Is it possible to succeed in a system swamped by a million different goals set by a million different special interest groups wanting to take us in a million different directions? What's more, do we have any chance of down-sizing expectations in a culture where "Biggie-Sizing" everything has become a national pastime?

What is it that we really want from schools---and when will we take the time to come to consensus on this seemingly simple question?

Posted by William Ferriter at 8:22 AM on March 9, 2008 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Think Globally, Learn Locally

One of the reasons that I chose to make my career in the Wake County Public School System is that I knew I'd be surrounded by progressive thinkers and advocates for change in schools. One of the most progressive groups in our county that has served as a critical friend for years has been the Wake Education Partnership---and they've left me just plain jazzed again.

You see, earlier this week, the Partnership hosted a forum on the challenges involved in promoting world-class education in Wake County. Attended by almost 150 leaders from the business, parent and school community, the Forum was kicked off by a keynote address from Martin Lancaster, president of the North Carolina Community College System and followed by facilitated discussions between participants.

Each participant group was asked to respond to a series of questions related to global education--which I believe to be one of the most pressing issues facing our county. The answers to each question are summarized below.

See if you agree with their assessments:

Question 1: What will our world look like in 2020?

• more diversified population


• higher tech and more evenly distributed


• intellectual capacity more distributed


• continuing issues with war, famine and environmental issues


• Local economy will be more urban, strong, high tech, more dense and cosmopolitan.


• greater competition from around the world


• ease of travel between countries, more mobile, "blurred country borders"


• live longer, more healthy, work longer


• speaking and communicating in a language other than English


• economy more service industry related


• more well-rounded culture


• Technology is key to society. Current training is not sufficient.


• We could lose our economic edge.

Question 2: What will a world-class, globally-competitive graduate need to know and be able to do?

• continue skill acquisition (lifelong)


• ability to communicate, strong interpersonal communications skills, reach out to diverse populations


• critical thinking skills, ability to validate information


• higher level thinkers, ability to work as a team


• understand what the "global economy" is and how it is going to impact students


• ability to bring disparate subjects together to understand the system (knowledge integration)


• sound basic liberal arts education (foundation)


• collaborate in a multi-cultural environment; global teaming


• higher proficiency in a specialized area, ability to adapt


• multi-cultural fluency (language, culture, history and government)


• having the capacity to think about other cultures and how they live

Conclusions:
The citizens of Wake County must work closely with the Wake County Public School System to determine what steps are necessary to ensure that its youngest citizens can compete in the future world market. We know that we need to make improvements in how we are preparing our children for the future and leaders must continue to define what world-class public education is. If one walks into a school, can they recognize that the students are receiving a world-class public education that is preparing them for the global economy? What resources are needed to make our schools world-class? Does a world-class public education even exist?

(Wake Education Partnership, "2008 Education Forum Results." E-mail to 'author'.28 Feb 2008.)

I couldn't agree more with the vision of a world-class education set forth in these statements by the Wake Education Partnership. Easily the greatest struggle that educators face in today's day and age is properly preparing students for a future that is poorly defined yet rapidly changing and increasingly borderless.

While most educators, parents and business leaders know that something must change, we often struggle to imagine what those changes might look like. Thankfully, leading thinkers on teaching and learning are beginning to tackle this question in a very structured and systematic way. In a 2008 post on his blog, Will Richardson---widely recognized as one of America's most progressive educational thinkers---worked to define the kinds of skills that would be necessary for students to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world.

He wrote:

Our kids' futures will require them to be:

Networked--They'll need an "outboard brain."

More collaborative--They are going to need to work closely with people to co-create information.

More globally aware--Those collaborators may be anywhere in the world.

Less dependent on paper--Right now, we are still paper training our kids.

More active--In just about every sense of the word. Physically. Socially. Politically.

Fluent in creating and consuming hypertext--Basic reading and writing skills will not suffice.

More connected--To their communities, to their environments, to the world.

Editors of information--Something we should have been teaching them all along but is even more important now.

So what does that mean for teachers and schools? What actions must we take to create the networked, collaborative and globally active learners described in Richardson's post and by the Wake Education Partnership? What barriers will we face in our efforts to rethink teaching and learning?

How can we ensure that our students will begin to see beyond themselves, understanding that global challenges are our challenges and that global citizenship is essential for the continuing success of our community? Will current models of student assessment have to change? How about models for teacher evaluation and professional development?

Do spending priorities change in a system that is increasingly interested in developing globally aware students? How? How about time priorities within our classrooms? Should we reinvent (re-embrace?) social studies as a critical content area that can no longer be overlooked? Is it even possible for us to continue juggling our current curricular responsibilities and add new tasks to our plate?

Can we streamline our work in any way?

Interesting questions, huh?

Pick one and leave a feedback comment with your answers. If we get enough interesting replies, I'll post them next week.

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:09 AM on March 1, 2008 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Raising Awareness on Darfur

Few educators would argue that one of our primary responsibilities is preparing students for the 21st Century. Learning to use digital tools to create, communicate and collaborate is essential because those skills and dispositions will define the most common workplaces of tomorrow.

The greater burden, though, is preparing students for standardized testing today! Pressure to produce results on end of grade exams often scares teachers away from digital learning opportunities. "I don't have the time to teach 21st Century skills," they'll argue. "I'll never get through my curriculum. Besides, I've only got three computers in my classroom and they rarely work."

Sound familiar?

Then you'll be jazzed by a global collaborative project designed to raise awareness on the genocide occurring in Darfur that I stumbled across a few weeks back.

The project---birthed by DC 8th grade teacher George Mayo and Tampa 3rd grade teacher Wendy Drexler---is titled Many Voices: Darfur...and it is remarkably approachable. The only product that students are being asked to produce is a comment on the Many Voices project blog on March 6th or 7th.

To make commenting even easier, I've created a list of commenting strategies which you can find here. George and Wendy have also created a list of prompts that your students can respond to when commenting. And George's students have created a collection of resources that your students can use to get caught up to speed about Darfur.

Many classes are taking this project even further---and are inviting you to join them! Here's a pledge to end genocide that your students can read and sign, showing support for those who are being mistreated around the world and here's a Voicethread presentation that includes conversation around political cartoons that you can comment on:

The best part of this project is that it ties into the required curriculum of several different content areas. Almost all of our language arts curriculas expect students to participate in cooperative dialogue by reading and responding to the thinking of others. Social studies classes across grade levels study issues related to power and government---and seventh graders study Africa directly.

Many classes are also focusing on Black History month right now, using this time to study themes like justice and injustice in America. These themes resonate in our students---and make for natural connections to the Many Voices: Darfur project.

There are also hundreds of high school kids who already know tons and tons about genocide in Darfur, as I learned through the incredible piece spotlighting their work in the News and Observer on Thursday. For those students, the Many Voices project would be a breeze!

That means jumping in and participating in this project is not something "extra" for you to do. Instead, it is a chance to get your toes into the digital waters while teaching your curriculum. Your students can be a part of something much bigger than themselves in less than 30 minutes. All they need is a chance to participate.

Couldn't be a much better opportunity than that, don't you think?

If you're interested in seeing your students participate, consider the following simple steps:

1. Begin by introducing your students to exactly what's happening in Darfur. I used this powerful multimedia presentation to learn more myself...and then chose parts of it to share with my students.

2. Then, ask your students to do a bit of free-writing about the idea of genocide. Should the world community care when a group of people millions of miles away are being mistreated? Why? What kinds of consequences do genocides have on the world community? What kind of actions should the world community take to help unprotected members of different races or religions?

3. Have your students proofread and edit one another's free-writing. Comments to blogs don't have to be long and complicated in order to be powerful----but like any writing that is being shared with a broad audience, they do need to be grammatically correct! Ideas are cheapened when they are riddled with mistakes.

4. Design a system for getting your students access to a computer on March 6th or March 7th. Sign up for the computer lab if it's available. Create a sign-up sheet for your classroom computers if it's not! Consider allowing students to leave comments during silent reading time. Make commenting a station activity for that day.

That's it! By taking these four simple steps, you can help your students understand how genocide affects everyone----and give them an experience in digital collaboration that they won't soon forget.

If you're interested in talking more about how to make this work in your classroom, look me up in the Lotus Notes address book and drop me a line. I'd be happy to help!

Posted by William Ferriter at 11:15 AM on February 24, 2008 | Leave Feedback

Educational Summer Programs at Local Colleges

We've assembled a list of career-oriented summer programs at local colleges for our middle and high school students. These programs are both fun and educational, and they can help direct a child's career path through hands-on career-focused activities.

Link to the School-to-Career summer programs at Wake Tech, NC State, Meredith, and Duke.

The Office of Pre-College Programs at North Carolina State University will host its 3rd annual Information Fair for Pre-College Programs and Summer Opportunities for Youth on Sunday, February 24, 2008, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the McKimmon Center, on the corner of Western Boulevard and Gorman Street in Raleigh.

 

Chris Droessler

School-to-Career of Wake County is preparing every student to make knowledgeable career choices.

Posted by Chris Droessler at 9:07 AM on February 20, 2008 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: The Road to Irrelevance?

Recently, a Teacher Leaders Network colleague of mine got me thinking about the state of teaching when he asked:

So, do you think public education is heading for obsolescence? Will the institution be 'left behind' because of its own lethargy?

I actually think the answer to my colleague's first question might just be yes....but the answer to his second question is definitely no.

Here's what I mean:

I really do think that public schools are becoming somewhat irrelevant and obsolete to our kids. We literally "unplug" them each time that they set foot into our doors----and more importantly, we disregard (disrespect?) the ways that they've chosen to create, communicate and collaborate. While they've embraced social networking tools and online applications, we've resisted making them a part of our instruction.

Teachers tend to operate from the belief that students have the responsibility to adapt to our instruction, rather than the belief that we have an obligation to adapt our instruction to our students. In fact, we sometimes get belligerent when our students seem bored in class, taking it as a personal insult rather than a reflection of instruction that doesn't match the interests of the kids in our class.

I'm not sure that this "resistance to change" is a result of lethargy, though. Instead, it's a result of the lack of time and effective professional development about how to best integrate new technologies into the classroom.

For me, embracing a new instructional practice----whether it uses technology or not----takes hundreds of hours. I have to read about the practice and have my interest piqued. Then, I have to see it in action in other places. Then, I need to design a "first stab" at making the practice a reality in my room. Then, I need to tailor it to meet the demands of my own setting and my own lessons. Then, I need to fail a few times and hunt out solutions from peers who are using the practice effectively.

All of that takes a massive amount of time....and with technology, the adoption process is only longer because many teachers aren't drawn to digital tools to begin with! "Mastery" is always more challenging when the tools are new.

I think the barrier we face is one that we've wrestled with forever: In our country, professional development isn't valued or supported. Time away from kids for teachers is seen by the general public as wasted time. Until we can change that flawed perception, we'll struggle to get teachers to embrace any new instructional practice because they recognize that "growth" means unpaid efforts long after the school day has ended.

Posted by William Ferriter at 8:05 AM on February 17, 2008 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: My Personal Shame

I'm sometimes embarrassed about the kind of guy that I am. I've got a list of weaknesses that stretches out longer than my arm---and I'm sure you could find a whole range of people who think I'm a dog. I'm often convinced that they're right. After all, I can be impatient and self-centered, I'm a loner who is more comfortable behind a computer screen than he is in group conversations, and I can be quick to argue.

But my greatest strength is my willingness to be honest and open---and that's what I'm fixin' to do here. Let me tell you about the incredibly selfish decision that I made a few years back.

Why would I willingly open myself up to the criticism that this entry is likely to generate?

Because it's time that the voice of teachers are heard in the constant debate around redistricting in our county.

My confession is sparked by a seemingly one-sided article in the News and Observer questioning the merits of our community's commitment to balancing the percentages of free and reduced lunch students in buildings across our district. As T. Keung writes in a loaded opening sentence:

Don't expect Wake County school leaders to prove that their policy of trying to strike a districtwide balance on the number of low-income students at each school helps those children academically.

They just can't.

Perhaps I can.

You see, I've spent the better part of my fifteen years in this school system working in the affluent schools of Western Wake County. I was lucky enough to be a part of the first faculty at two high performing, low poverty schools: Davis Drive Middle and Salem Middle---and I've passionately served those communities well for nearly a decade. I've earned a solid reputation as a teacher who goes the extra mile and who resonates with the student population.

I've coached multiple teams, influencing the hearts and minds of the boys who have played for me. I've offered after-school clubs and inspired countless readers and writers. My classroom is characterized by engaging conversations and opportunities for students to learn skills that they will need to succeed in the 21st Century. We use digital tools to explore our curriculum and to create content for the Web.

And I'm proud of what I've done for my students. They are generally better for having known me.

But in the back of my mind, I've always wondered if there weren't students who needed me more. After all, Salem Middle School is lucky enough to have a sea of accomplished teachers----and our students come to school with advantages that students living in poverty will never have access to. Shouldn't I take my skills to a building with a higher percentage of students who struggle?

Most of those who criticize our commitment to using economic factors in student assignment decisions would say yes. The answer to improving the performance of students living in poverty isn't reassignment, they argue. Instead, it's ensuring that every child has access to an accomplished teacher. Consider this quote from T. Keung's piece:

The lack of a study proving that reassigning poor students helps them academically leaves Wake school officials open to critics such as Abigail Thernstrom, a senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute, a policy research organization that supports school choice. Thernstrom said more effective teaching is the best method for educating low-income students -- not reassignment.

Sounds easy, doesn't it? Just stop moving kids around, pay no mind to alarmingly high percentages of poverty, and improve teaching. All will be well with the world.

The problem is this: Recruiting and retaining accomplished teachers in buildings where poverty rates soar is no simple task. Consider my story as an example:

A few years back, I decided to leave Davis Drive Middle School because I needed a bit of a professional change. I'd grown stagnant. In the process of interviewing, I landed a job teaching science at Seneca Middle---the ficticious name of a Wake County school where I had several professional acquaintances. Seneca and Davis were different places. At the time, Davis Drive had less than 7 percent of their student population living in poverty and Seneca had almost 30.

My time at Seneca was amazing in many ways. I worked with some of the most passionate teachers I've ever encountered---people who had a heart for children living in poverty and who worked long hours trying to meet needs that children at Davis never had. They spent countless hours providing free tutoring before and after school and counseling kids whose parents were going through troubled times.

They found ways to fund needed supplies for students who had nothing. They organized volunteers from local community groups to provide role models for kids that needed someone to look up to. They learned about gangs, developed effective practices for motivating struggling learners, and marshalled the resources of the system whenever it looked like a kid might fail.

And like me, they also left work every day completely exhausted!

Swamped by demands that I never had to deal with while working with affluent students, I thought about quitting early and often. I had few skills that were tailored to the setting where I was working and there were no real opportunities to learn more.

The shocker for me was that despite doing a dramatically more difficult job, I was getting no additional time or resources at Seneca Middle than I was at Davis. My planning periods were spent in special programs meetings or in filling out discipline referrals. On countless occassions, I floundered in the middle of lessons because many of my students hadn't yet mastered the basic skills needed to move forward with even simple tasks.

I spent hundreds of hours planning lessons that were appropriate for the wide range of students in my classroom. Then, I'd spend hundreds of hours trying to find the resources to deliver those same lessons. Then, I'd spend hundreds of hours picking up the pieces after those lessons didn't work.

All for the same pay as I was getting at Davis Drive.

Now, if I were an altruistic kind of guy, I would have walked the same path taken by the dedicated professionals who have chosen to make their careers in high poverty schools. To me, these teachers are Saints that put the needs of their children above themselves. They knowingly take assignments that are demanding and rarely seek to draw attention to the very real challenges that they could let go if they simply found a new place to work.

But I'm not an altruistic guy. I quit Seneca Middle after just one year. And that's a source of great personal shame for me.

Think about it: Teachers are supposed to be selfless, aren't they? We're supposed to be socially aware and willing to give to others. We're supposed to stick up for the little guy. With a bit of gumption, we're supposed to attack any challenge---and inspire our students to do the same!

Instead, I walked away, returning to a position in a school where my students are equally deserving but far more likely to succeed with or without me. I knew that my qualifications and experiences would get me hired again in an "easier" school and felt strongly that my decision was justified---after all, nothing was being done to make work with students of poverty more desirable.

"That's a source of shame we all share," I'd argue. "When we're willing to publically recognize that positions in high-needs schools are far more demanding than positions in schools serving more affluent populations, I'll consider moving again."

The fact of the matter is that our district's commitment to balancing the percentages of students living in poverty at each building makes sense to me because I know just how hard work in high poverty schools really is. By using economic factors in our assignment decisions, we're creating schools that at least have a fighting chance of attracting and retaining enough accomplished teachers to serve students well. Even though I was too selfish to stick it out, thousands of other teachers are willing to "give it a go" in buildings across our county because percentages of poverty are manageable.

Nowhere in our district will you find schools that are simply miserable places for teachers to work----and in the long run, that contributes to student achievement and to the overall health of our system. Employers that look at Wake County as a potential home for their companies can find successful schools from one side of a very large county to another----and a part of the reason for that is we've worked to make teaching easier in communities that might otherwise be riddled with poverty.

Now, I'm willing to be open-minded. I understand the draw of neighborhood schools and stability for parents and students---Heck, I grew up in one and loved it.

But neighborhood schools don't serve everyone equally. Some neighborhoods struggle with almost overwhelming challenges brought on by poverty----and those neighborhoods will struggle to ensure that every child has access to an accomplished teacher unless we plan to provide teachers in more challenging schools with longer planning periods, smaller class sizes, increased salaries and more social service professionals.

To do otherwise is an open admission that we just don't value every child in our community equally.

Posted by William Ferriter at 8:42 AM on February 10, 2008 | Leave Feedback

CTE Students Tour Naval Hospital

Forty of our top Health Occupations students from five Wake County high schools had a unique experience touring the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune. These students got to walk through many of the specialized rooms and even toured their impressive lab area.

The students saw medical personnel working their regular jobs, which is so essential for our students to see. Students had the opportunity to talk to the health professionals about their job and what lead them to their career choice.

Many of these students have already decided on their career direction based on experiences in their Health Occupations classes. This trip behind the scenes at a hospital gave them the sense of actual working conditions that they can't get in a classroom.

Picture of our students in the hospital lab.

We are fortunate to have Health Occupations courses as part of our Career and Technical Education (CTE) program in Wake County. The aging baby-boomer generation is demanding more health professionals, and we are doing our part to prepare them.

These students are designing their postsecondary education/career pathway, and this hospital trip may have helped narrow that focus for some.

This is just one of many special activities that are occurring in February as part of CTE (Career and Technical Education) Month.

More information about CTE Month in Wake County.

Chris Droessler

School-to-Career of Wake County is preparing every student to make knowledgeable career choices.

Posted by Chris Droessler at 11:55 AM on February 8, 2008 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: A Time for Listening

Over the past three years, I've done a heck of a lot of writing. I've published just under 20 columns in a monthly newsletter for the National Staff Development Council, just under 80 columns here on the WCPSS website, and just under 150 columns on The Tempered Radical. I've had articles published in Threshold Magazine, Teacher Magazine, The Journal for Staff Development and Education Leadership.

But I've never written a column that touched a nerve like last week's Are We Toxic to Boys entry here on the Morning Announcements.

As of Friday afternoon, 50 different readers had left comments. To give you some perspective, 50 comments on a single entry in the blog world is nothing short of unbelievable. Typically, columns---regardless of the forum---average between 5 and 15 comments per entry.

With the response that I got, you'd've thought I was writing about redistricting!

What's even more amazing is that every single comment was from a parent or a teacher who firmly believed that our classrooms are failing our boys. Their passionate words were a wake-up call for me, serving as a reminder that my instruction has to be tailored to the unique needs of every learner----and that traditional classrooms can be punishing places for our boys.

Many parents spoke of the higher levels of activity that they see in their sons....and the negative reaction this activity draws in schools. Consider these examples:

I found this article very interesting. Everything you said I've hear about my son. Every teacher he's had says the same thing, "He a very smart boy but he easliy gets off task." I know---I'm his mother---but I know he is very smart and just needs an active learning environment.

Over the years, our son has definitely felt that some of his teachers have favored the girls in the class. As a boy he has been reprimanded for asking too many questions, moving too much, or making too much noise. I don't know if single gender classrooms are the answer, but I do have appreciation for a teacher who can understand the temperament of a boy, and overlook the little stuff in favor of a more boy-friendly learning environment.

Others recognized the very real impact that standardized testing has had on teaching and learning in our schools---and suggested that boys suffered from these changes more than girls:

We are so worried about teaching "how to take a test" we lose sight of building the love of learning with these children...If some of the teachers could put a little ingenuity back into their teaching, while following the curriculum put in place by Wake County schools, children would be ready to go to school every morning because they will be AFRAID they will miss something!

I believe there are some fundamentals that are no longer in the school day that greatly contribute to the "hyperactivity" and other so called "behavioral" issues that you and your peers face every day. Look, I'm an expert on this ADHD stuff, spoken to many premier thought leaders in this area in the medical community about one of my own children, and I can tell you that one of the main things that is missing in school is rigorous exercise. Yes, that's right. That is the best thing "on the market" for hyperactivity, and we've squeezed it out of the school day, even at the elementary school age level (I have one of them too).

Several comments came from teachers---sharing the successes and struggles of trying to reach boys in the classroom:

I am a band director in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The majority of my students are male. I spend time after school each day for enrichment tutoring, teaching them how to advance on their instruments, play the drum set, etc. The more hyperactive ones are also the most talented. The more I give to them instructionally, the better my results.

You really have adminstration that walks into your class to observe who won't mark you down for students blurting out in class? I think that is a wonderful thing. In all fairness, we are told as teachers if our students aren't sitting in nice little rows raising their hands that we don't have control of our classroom and no learning can be taking place.

I teach preschool, so I can tell you all about wiggling. I have the opportunity to get my kids moving, trying crazy things, and am slowly having them sit for longer periods. Working with older kids, there is not a lot of time in the schedule for fooling around. Teachers need to be taught in methods training to accommodate different styles of learning. Teaching kids to love learning is as valuable as the curriculum.

Tons of readers tackled my central question: Should we consider single gender classrooms for our kids:

My son is "one of those boys" who can't sit still, talks a lot, and taps with things to stay focused. Yet, give him something to do physically or with his hands, and he masters concepts very quickly. I'm not sure that gender -separating is the answer. We all have to learn how to work with all kinds of people. I think reinforcing ideas through different learning styles might be more appropriate.

I am not sure if single gender classrooms are the cure. Instead, a well balanced effort by teachers can entice both boys and girls to perform at similar levels. When boys aren't allowed to be boys----check, when children are not allowed to act like children----they miss the long road of growing up. Medication, drop-out rates and discipline issues rise, leading to adults that cannot act like adults.

I absolutely agree that boys and girls have very different thresholds for sitting still and not making noises. My son, and the sons of many friends, have all had problems in school because they couldn't "behave." It's just the boy level of activity. Girls sit and write FOR FUN! Most boys, mine included, would rather take a stick in the eye. If having single gender classrooms will allow boys to be themselves AND enjoy being in school, I'm all for it. Unfortunately, my son will hopefully have survived high school before this happens.

And some wondered whether race played an important role in this conversation:

Yes, I do think the school system is toxic to boys---especially Black boys. These boys are stereotyped if they don't look or act a certain way. Teachers have no tolerance for hyperactive or mischievous boys. They are easily labeled as disruptive and perceived as not wanting to learn.

Some male teachers dislike certain boys that are independent, silent and strong willed. They know that those boys have formed a negative opinion of them and do not want to become a part of their society. This is not racial, this is how they express their maleness. We as a society do not know these boys at all.

The comments that tugged at my heart-strings the most were from parents sharing personal struggles to see their sons succeed:

Our boys are trounced on, put out, overlooked, disrespected and tolerated. These are some of the most creative, loving, kind-hearted, funny, caring and understanding people we know and we don't want to take the time to realize that! How unfortunate for the rest of us!

I have 3 boys and early on I observed that they learned by moving and were often tapping a pencil or drumming their fingers or jiggling a leg when having to "sit still and listen". My middle son was written up last year for being "disrespectful and tapping his pencil while his science teacher was presenting a lesson"; my very sad kid came home and told me that he wasn't even aware of doing that at that time!

I serendipitously found this article right after attending my 1st grader's IEP meeting for behavior and social problems. I am lucky he too has an understanding teacher, but she is very limited and I worry about future classrooms. I feel forced to "label" my child as disabled just so he can act normally! I suppose his disability is "inability to suppress natural gender behaviors." How were boys treated in the classroom before all these issues arose? What constituted disruptive behavior then and how did boys get the appropriate outlets?

I think the comment that left me wondering the most, however, was the last one left. Listen to the pain in these words:

As the mother of an almost 19 year old sophomore drop-out, I would agree totally with this article. I felt like I was treading water in an ocean trying to hold my son on my shoulders as I dealt with numerous school personnel in regards to my son's education.

I tried everything to get my son through school. If there was a medication for ADHD; he took it. If there was an IEP coordinator or counselor at his school; I knew them. He has been in detention, suspended, reprimanded, sent to therapy, but most of all, humiliated. I prayed for the teacher that would finally get through to him to teach him ANYTHING!!!

He will be 19 in March, with less than a 9th grade education trying to work and be an "adult". I feel like the school system that was supposed to teach and help with all the "assistance" from an LD program---as well as myself---have let him down. I think that if he had someone that cared enough about him, he would have likely finished high school.

But everyone that we ran across never seemed to know what to do with him.

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:14 PM on February 1, 2008 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Are We Toxic to Boys?

As I stumbled through the news this week, I found an article in the London Times that caught my attention titled Boys, Brains and Toxic Lessons. In it, Alexandra Freen---a Times Columnist---tackles a question that runs through my mind often: Do traditional public school classrooms fail our boys?

It's a fair question to ask, isn't it? After all, boys have fallen far behind girls in almost every measurable category of school performance. Their end of grade test scores are lower, their graduation rates are lower, their rates of participation in advanced placement classes are lower and they drop out of school far more often than girls.

By any account, that should be alarming.

But the alarms just continue if you dig into the statistics a bit deeper. Consider that:

---95% of children who are diagnosed as hyperactive are boys.
---Boys make up 80-90% of all discipline referrals in schools.
---Boys make up over 65% of all children on medication.
---Boys make up over 70% of all children in special education programs.

Shocking, huh? In our efforts to "control" and "manage" our classrooms, it seems that we are unknowingly putting boys at a disadvantage. As Dr. Leonard Sax---author of Boys Adrift and advocate for single gender classrooms---argues:

"In the co-educational classroom so many of the choices we make are to the advantage of girls, but disadvantage boys. The fact that girls are doing well is not the problem. The problem is, why can't their brothers do as well?

Asking a five-year-old to sit still and read and write is something that many girls can do, but many boys can't. I have visited more than 200 schools. This is what I hear the teachers saying, 'Jason, why are you standing?', 'Gerard, are you making a buzzing noise?', 'Robert, can you stop tapping?', 'Look at Emily, she's sitting still and is good'.

These observations have been reinforced time and again in my own fifteen year teaching career. Boys who thrive in my loud, fast paced classroom are often labelled "discipline problems" and "trouble makers" when they head off to other teachers. I can remember fighting a special programs referral started by a colleague on a boy early in my career because I knew that he was not struggling with a learning problem. "This kid's bright," I argued in a particularly heated meeting.

"Yeah, but he never shuts up and he never sits down," I was told. "He's hyperactive and that needs to be fixed."

Needs to be fixed, huh?

I guess I just don't see the traits that make boys so unique as "broken." Instead, I work hard to make my classroom a "boy-friendly" place. I'm never surprised by students who blurt out or who struggle to stay seated. I move often---and let my kids move often too. I break lessons into smaller chunks and make sure there are plenty of opportunities for kids to talk to one another during the course of my class.

And it seems to work. The boys I serve year in and year out are pretty successful, both socially and academically. They enjoy coming to school and are willing to work hard for me. That's something I'm proud of---and something I wish I could pass on to other teachers because it breaks my heart to see those same kids lose the love of learning when they end up in a room where "boy-ness" is seen as an illness in need of medication.

So what do you think? Are the majority of today's classrooms "toxic" to boys? Have your sons struggled to succeed during the course of their school careers? Where did they thrive---and what was different about those settings?

Are single gender classrooms something that we should consider as a community? Is the gender gap an issue that we need to begin to aggressively address?

If we get a good collection of comments, I'll post them here next week. Should make for interesting reading.

Posted by William Ferriter at 12:27 PM on January 26, 2008 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Interesting Reads #1

One of the features that I've started adding to my own professional blog is a list of links to articles that I read during the course of a week. At first, I thought it was just an easy way for me to keep track of the information about education that catches my eye.

You know how the Web can be---finding information is almost overwhelming.

And I use a service called Delicious to bookmark interesting sites that makes posting to my blog easy. In fact, a list of links that I save in Delicious is posted automatically every day. So not only am I able to keep track of articles of interest to me, but I have almost constant content for my blog as well----a key for keeping people interested.

What I didn't realize is just how much readers would appreciate links to resources!

I've had several people email me directly to say that these posts---which I figured would be of interest only to me---were one of their favorite parts of my blog. Turns out that other people struggle to sift through the sea of content online too. "It takes me hours to find one or two pieces that are worth exploring," one respondent wrote. "Your posts save me tons of time because they point me straight to interesting reads!"

That's pushed me to consider posting lists of "interesting reads" here on the Morning Announcements a few times a month. While you may not be jazzed by every link that I share, inevitably something will eventually catch your attention----and I will have saved you the hassle of having to find it on your own!

With that said, here's a few pieces that crossed my radar this week. They've got a decidedly "tech-heavy, social networking" theme:

It's Spooky Out There
An interesting article on how Alabama schools are balancing the need to keep kids safe online and the need to provide exposure to tools for communication and collaboration published in the Working Towards Excellence newsletter.

Social, work lives collide on networking websites
A USA Today piece on the blurring of privacy lines that occurs for users of social networking sites.

The Economist Debate Series on Education
The Economist---a news magazine out of the United Kingdom---has been holding a series of interesting online debates this year about education. This link connects to the archives of all conversations---and provides direct access to the current debate on the role that social networking sites can play in teaching and learning.

Skip and the Troublesome Teddy
A student blog post that illustrates the kinds of reflective thinking that can result when classrooms embrace blogging. Student authors had their thinking challenged by a reader----and then responded to the challenge. That's reflective thought----and that's cool.

Anyway....hope something here catches your eye. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Chances are I'll hit on a theme you're motivated by at some point in the future!

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:32 PM on January 18, 2008 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: The Digitally Connected Kid

I've been doing a lot of reading and writing lately about teaching with techology---which is something I'm both personally and professionally drawn to.

And you know what, I'm pretty convinced that kids today are just plain wired differently. After all, they've grown up connected, haven't they? The constant stimulation and instant gratification of the Web---not to mention increasingly interactive television programs and video games---can be difficult for me to compete with!

Sometimes, I find myself frustrated by my kids. "Why won't they just sit still and listen?" I grumble. "After all, that's how I learned----and it's good enough for them too!"

Sound familiar?

But I also believe that as professional educator, it's my job to tailor my instruction to meet the needs of my ever-changing student population---rather than simply demand that my students adapt to the reality of my classroom.

To that end, I figured I'd share a few articles with you that are shaping my thinking about the digitally connected kid:

1. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants: This 2001 Marc Prensky piece is an amazingly approachable description of the differences between those who see no separation between technology and life---and those who have to work to make technology work for them!

It's kind of a defining selection for anyone interested in understanding how technology has changed our kids.

2. A 14-year Old Talks Educational Technology: Ever wonder what runs through the minds of our students when thinking about technology in schools? Then check out this piece, drawn from an interview with a tech-driven kid named Arthus.

May as well hear it from the horse's mouth, right?

How has technology changed the lives of the kids in your life? Are the changes something positive that we should embrace...or are they completely overrated? Do our children use technology for meaningful, creative purposes...or is it just a simple form of entertainment?

Are schools prepared to teach students who were born in an era when digital tools were nearly ubiquitous...or are we hopelessly stuck in a forgotten time and simply resistant to change? Should finding ways to make digitally enhanced classrooms a reality be a top priority in our county?

I guess I'm stuck with more questions than I have answers today!

Posted by William Ferriter at 3:39 PM on January 13, 2008 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Custom Tutorials for You!

Few would argue that technology is playing an increasingly important role in the lives of adults and children as we sprint towards a digital tomorrow that has yet to be clearly defined. Learning to capitalize on the wide range of tools available for communication, collaboration and creative instruction is essential for teachers, parents and students alike---yet time for learning is short.

To address these challenges, Wake County has begun to develop a website including links to valuable web-based resources and screencast tutorials introducing new technologies and topics. The materials collected and developed for this site are designed to support teaching and learning both at school and at home.

Better yet, the materials collected and developed for this site are almost always free!

Interested in learning more?

Then be sure to spend some time poking around in the website by visiting this link. Also, spend a few minutes checking out this short introductory video:

The section of the site that is currently the most developed are a collection of writing and grammar tutorials found here. Primarily designed for middle and high school students, these tutorials introduce viewers to the characteristics of high quality writing and to the kinds of basic grammar topics that every child must master.

Created by a Wake County language arts teacher, these tutorials specifically address the curriculum delivered in our community's classrooms. These tutorials can serve as mini-lessons for teachers or as tools for review for students working from home. More importantly, they can serve as a model for parents who are interested in learning more about the kinds of skills that students should be developing in their English/Language Arts classes.

You might also be interested in this collection of tutorials introducing students to the skills necessary for determining whether or not a website is reliable or this collection of tutorials introducing a range of technology tools that are valuable for supporting teaching and learning.

(Kids---there's even a collection of tutorials showing off thousands of free resources available in iTunes!)

We hope you'll be a frequent visitor to this growing collection of valuable resources--and that you'll make regular suggestions about topics that you'd like to see tackled. We also hope that you'll share your favorite resources with us so that we can continue to add to the base of common knowledge we're building on teaching and learning with technology.

Together, we can ensure that our children are prepared for the digital world that they will inherit!

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:17 PM on January 6, 2008 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Just Another New Year?

Round about this time every year, I get to thinking about my hopes and dreams for the New Year. I don't know why, but it's the only time that I ever get wistful, so I figure what the heck....I may as well run with it.

I've got about a million dreams in my personal life right now. My wife and I have just finished saving enough money to adopt a child and I'm hoping to be a dad sometime before next January.

There's a scary thought, huh?!

Professionally, I hope to be able to nail down enough consistent part time work to allow myself the chance to stay in the classroom full time. That's been a goal of mine for a long while---I've never wanted to be anything but a classroom teacher---but with a child on the way, a 12-month salary is a must for me now.

And for our community, I'd love to see less acrimony in our conversations about schools.

Think about it---Pretty much every time education comes across our collective radar, anger is not far behind, is it? Every decision is met with criticism and every action is second-guessed. Calling our responses "passionate" would be putting it kindly most of the time!

And honestly, it seems like that "passion" is getting us no where quick. If we're truly interested in maintaining---and improving---a public school system that is recognized nationally for academic success and that contributes to the strong growth in our local economy, then we've got to start working together rather than opposing one another at every turn.

What will it take to make my dream of collective action a reality?

First, our school system will have to learn to communicate better: I'm always blown away by the negativity that my neighbors have towards the Wake County Public Schools. Parents completely committed to individual teachers and buildings speak with scorn about our system as a whole, doubting the intent of every action that we take. I've sadly learned over the past few years that trust between our system and the community is almost non-existant.

What's frightening is that this lack of trust results in flawed assumptions about the direction of our system. A perfect example is the incorrect assertion that yearly redistricting happens primarily because of our county's commitment to diversity. No matter how hard I try---or how many numbers back up my argument---I can't convince critics that redistricting is primarily a result of explosive growth.

But building trust is the responsibility of the system. District leaders and school board members---who I know as honest, hardworking people---have to commit themselves to explaining the rationale behind every decision and to reaching out to those groups who are the most critical of our actions. While the conversations are sure to be difficult, they're also essential for a system that depends on the financial and emotional support of the community that we serve.

Next, every citizen will have to seek out answers before jumping to conclusions. One of the best tips that I ever picked up about communicating in difficult situations was to always ask why a resonable, rational person would make decisions that appear--at first glance--to be illogical. By doing so, you're forced to see your "enemy" as a human that is worthy of respect. You're also forced to think critically about both sides of an issue before forming opinions.

I'm not sure that this kind of critical thinking characterizes conversations around education in our county. Instead we all---teachers, parents, business leaders, district leaders, elected officials, community activists, reporters---tend to make emotional judgments about those who we disagree with. Then, we allow emotional judgments to override facts when making up our minds.

Does this sound like anyone you know? It definitely describes my behaviors when responding to critics. "They're clueless," I'll rant, "If they were intelligent, they wouldn't make these mistakes."

Dehumanizing those who we see as opponents makes it easier to ignore them---and makes it less likely that we'll consider perspectives other than our own. To responsibly participate in conversations about the direction of education in Wake County, we owe it to ourselves to think critically---and to trust that others are reasonable and rational too!

Finally, if we're going to see acrimony around schools fade, our elected leaders need to make education a real bipartisan priority. Someone once asked me what I thought the greatest barrier to school improvement was. My answer: Election cycles and politics.

Interesting, huh?

But remarkably true! Education---which you'd think would be an issue that drew consensus rather than conflict---is political times ten. Often, well-intentioned elected officials end up getting suckered into political jockeying that clouds progress...and anytime politics becomes the primary factor in decision-making, it's our system that suffers. Fighting within the ranks of our elected officials frustrates me only because it ends up interfering with our ability to educate children.

Imagine how productive we could be as a community if we were committed to finding solutions for educational challenges together? By organizing the best minds representing diverse perspectives into work groups based on a true spirit of collaboration and consensus building, we would benefit from a collective intelligence that often seems lost in our conversations about education.

Now that's a dream worth pursuing, isn't it?

But it is a dream that will take effort from everyone---including you and me---if we're going to make 2008 something more than just another New Year.

Posted by William Ferriter at 11:28 AM on December 30, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Tale of the Tired Teacher!

If you were to ask my students about me right now, they'd tell you that I've been nothing short of cantankerous for the past two weeks. I've been quick with the criticism and the picture of poor patience, that's for sure. My sense of humor is almost non-existant, replaced with stern looks, terse words and one seriously righteous red pen!

How's that for a double-dose of Bah-Humbug?

Now, don't get me wrong: I haven't been bitten by the bitter-bug for just any ol' reason. My students have been wide open for most of December. I'm no meteorologist, but based on the craziness that's broken out in my classroom lately, I'd have to guess that the moon has been full since Thanksgiving! Friday was the tipping point as one of my favorite students inexplicably threw nacho-cheese sauce and chocolate milk against my wall---and then couldn't stop laughing about it as I fussed.

The only silver lining to my black holiday cloud: We're tracking out for a five-week break in five more days!

In many ways, that's the best part of our school's transition to a year round calendar. While I'm suffering from some serious "teacher fatigue" right now, I know that I'm going to have the much needed opportunity to recharge in a few days. What's more, the tensions that are so clearly building up between students on my team will wash away over track out as well. My kids will come back focused and ready to rip again in early February---and I'll be happy to see them!

An unexpected benefit of our conversion to year round has been that my instruction has gotten more targeted and specific because I recognize at the beginning of each track-in session that I have a rapidly closing 9-week window to deliver content. Understanding that my time with students is limited has caused me to be far more specific about what I am going to teach and when I am going to teach it. Units that tended to drift on a traditional calendar because end dates were soft have been tailored and trimmed, focusing on essential content and the required curriculum.

While I understand and respect the argument that the year round calendar does not fit the schedules of many families---and support the decision of any family to opt out of a calendar that interferes with their ability to raise their children----I'm becoming a believer that the year round calendar has some real benefits for both teachers and students.

Now if I can only survive five more candy-filled days of holiday mayhem!

Posted by William Ferriter at 12:07 PM on December 15, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Parent's Perspective:

Centennial Campus Middle School recently held a career fair, and I received a copy of a letter that a parent sent to the Career Development Coordinator who helped organize the event. I think it's worth sharing here.

Dear Mrs. Stephens, I have a personal philosophy for my (2) two kids, "...don't be like your father or me, be Better..." Growing up as a kid raised by my grandparents I saw the daily struggles of just trying to make trivial ends meet. Somehow my grandparents did provide a continual roof over our heads, clothes for our bodies, and food to eat. In fact the only time we ate out was during family reunions. My grandfather dropped out of school when he finished the 4th grade, and my grandmother made it to the 8th grade. I remember, as a young girl sitting with my grandmother helping her read her Sunday school lesson book. When my grandfather realized I could read and write, he would take me with him if ever there were some documents involved that he would have to sign. In fact, I still have that memory of him signing his driver's license one time with a big ole "X," because he didn't know how to write his whole name. On November 15th, 2007, at the 7th grade house "Health Career Fair," I watched young men and ladies appear interested in their future. Some were wide-eyed and inquisitive about the exhibitors and their career occupations. Others were absolutely perplexed about the number of years it would take to be an EMS technician or a Neo-natal nurse. Of course there were the very few who looked as if they could care less. Some scientists speculate that, if you teach a child (no matter what you're teaching them), they are more likely to adopt what is taught to them, versus what is simply shown. I have found that to be true in the case of my own kids. I was raised by two people who finished life with an elementary education, and didn't encourage me to get a good education. I spent my middle school and junior high years in remedial classes. Now, as a mom I push education and its importance. My children jump at opportunities to learn something new and different often. My heart leaped with pride on Thursday as I volunteered at the "Health Career Fair" to see kids taking their education and their future seriously. I'm sure the papers each child carried were class work, but I overheard some of the best and frank questions that indicated absolute interest in the careers represented. I left Centennial Campus Middle School on November 15th with sore feet (standing for 2 hours in heels) and a heart full of pride. When I arrived at work I bragged to my co-workers how CCMS is taking a literal and active part in helping kids decide now WHO and WHAT they want to be when general study classes come to an end. CCMS is preparing my child and other children to be Pharmacists, Chiropractics, EMS Technicians, Clinical Psychologists, Neo-natal Nurses, or other positive influential persons with a career, not just a job. I can almost guarantee these types of events will help CCMS students encourage and be positive role models to the generation that follows them. Proudly, Marsha Harris-Parent

School-to-Career of Wake County is preparing every student to make knowledgeable career choices.

Posted by Chris Droessler at 4:29 PM on December 10, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Learning About Student Assignment

Having spent the better part of my fifteen year teaching career in the simply exploding Western corners of our district, I often dread this time of the year because I know that the release of the annual student assignment plan is going to spark passionate conversations about the "state of our system" in the press, in the workroom, and in the community.

Parents who I know well will seek me out as a sounding board, looking for advice on how to feel about a process that seems to bring criticism at every turn. "Does this plan make any sense?" they'll ask. "Why are so many kids moved every year? Whatever happened to the neighborhood schools that we grew up in?"

Their questions have been difficult for me to answer for one simple reason: Until Thursday, I'd never actually read the school board policy governing student assignment in our county!

Hard to believe, isn't it? I mean, no single policy draws more attention from the parents and students that I serve, so shouldn't it be required reading for a guy like me?

Feeling poorly prepared to answer this year's inevitable rush of questions, I spent Thursday morning in a session studying the student assignment policy and listening to the logic behind reassignment as explained by Chuck Delaney---Assistant Superintendent for Growth and Planning.

The first surprise for me was that the actual policy is incredibly approachable. The entire document is only two pages long and there was no hint of the intimidating language that so often makes intelligent conversations about critical issues impossible between us commonfolk. After ten minutes of reading, I finally understood the foundational beliefs behind a policy that I originally knew little about.

If you haven't read it yet, you should! Check it out here.

The next misconception dispelled for me was my long-held belief that our district's student assignment policy is primarily driven by efforts to ensure economic diversity across our 153 schools. Easily the most newsworthy aspect of redistricting---and one that I feel ensures that all schools have access to highly accomplished teachers---I honestly thought that the only reason we moved thousands of students each year was to balance the proportion of free and reduced lunch students in each building.

This belief has bled into nearly every conversation about reassignment, hasn't it? Just today, the morning news I was watching said something like, "Wake County prepares to move thousands of students again, all in the name of diversity." Dawn Graff of Wake Cares went even further in this interview with News 14 Carolina, saying:

"Diversity trumps education in Wake County. I think parent concerns are at the bottom of the list, diversity obviously is at the top of the list. While some diversity may be good, diversity at all costs, diversity above parental participation is destructive."

As it turns out, maintaining diversity is only one of six factors taken into account when moving students in Wake County. I found out on Thursday that the list of factors taken into account when making student assignment decisions also includes:

Facility Utilization: The student assignment plan will seek optimal utilization of each school's long-range capacity and, whenever possible, reduce utilization of mobile or modular classrooms that cause a school to operate at more than the approved long-range capacity.

Alignment With The Magnet Schools Program: The student assignment plan will include a review of the extent to which the systemwide objectives of the Magnet Program are being achieved.

Grade Structure: The student assignment plan will adhere to K-5, 6-8, 9-12 grade organization whenever possible with consideration for moving groups of students together across levels.

Stability Of Assignment: Nodes will remain assigned to the schools at each level (Elementary, Middle, High) for at least three years before being considered for reassignment, whenever possible.

Distance: Proximity of nodes to assigned schools will be considered, and no student should travel more than the maximum time established by Board Policy 7125.

After looking over this list, I suspected that facility utilization---rather than diversity---has probably been near the top of the list in Wake County's reassignment decision making. After all, we've added tens of thousands of students and opened literally dozens of new schools in the last decade. Simply filling these schools would force our district to move students, wouldn't it?

A bit of digging proved my suspicions correct. Here are three facts that surprised me in this year's proposed reassignment plan:

1. Of the 6,500 students likely to be moved in 2007, about 5,000 are being moved because of the opening of three new elementary schools in Western Wake County. Some students will attend these new schools and some will be moved into the seats vacated in existing schools. (Deciding Factor: Facility Utilization)

2. Between 1,000 and 1,500 students are being moved to ensure diversity. That's less than 20% of the students in the current version of the student assignment plan. (Deciding Factor: Populations of Students With Higher Needs)

3. Over half of the students being moved in 2007 will actually attend schools that are closer to their homes. (Deciding Factor: Distance)

Do any of these facts make reassignment easier for neighborhoods affected by next year's plan?

Heck no! There's nothing better than the synergy of a school embraced by its community---and reassignment often prevents that synergy from ever fully developing.

But knowing that the decisions made around student assignment are far more sophisticated than I ever expected---and discovering that factors supported by most members of our community (decreasing the distance that children must travel to attend school and reducing the number of mobile units used as classrooms) are often of primary importance to district planners---has helped me to believe in a process that I've always poorly understood.

Posted by William Ferriter at 7:19 AM on December 8, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Defining What "We" Expect of Schools

One of my Teacher Leaders Network colleagues from Virginia asked an interesting question that left me thinking when he wrote:

What are we trying to do in schools any way? What is the purpose? Is it to create kids who will be good employees, have successful jobs, enjoy reading, make music, end poverty, paint pictures, give teaching the respect it deserves? I'd love to get some feedback about the purpose of schooling.

Great question, huh?

This question has been stuck in the back of my mind for quite some time because I often feel like my work is scattered and unfocused. As a teacher, that inefficiency is frustrating. As a taxpayer, it's nothing short of maddening! One of the greatest barriers to answering what "we're trying to do" in schools, however, is that there is no one clear definition of who "we" really represents!

You see, there are dozens of different interest groups served by the public school system---parents, students, teachers, the business community, taxpayers, religious leaders, the university system, local government, state government, the federal government---and each has their own expected outcomes for our work. Some want schools to focus only on content knowledge so we can beat back the perceived threats posed to our nation by a quickly growing China and India. Others expect schools to teach children character, self-discipline and healthy living habits. There are cries for an increased focus on "basic skills" (a poorly defined concept in our rapidly changing world), "21st Century skills," and "skills for succeeding in the New World Economy."

The metrics by which success is measured are as varied as the interest groups setting expectations! To some, standardized tests are the single most important performance indicators. Others look at obesity rates, dropout rates, and college graduation rates. For parents, their own children are the bellwether for the health of the system. For business leaders, it's new employees. For government agencies, it's statistical databases quantifying any number of demographic factors.

From inside my classroom, I've seen the damaging effects of these varying expectations and metrics. New programs are rolled out at a blinding pace in an attempt to adapt to changing demands. No effort ever seems to stick around for long, introducing a never-ending instability into our system. I simply worry that by trying to be responsive to everyone, we're serving no one particularly well!

How can a community passionate about providing nothing but the best for children work together to come up with a common definition of the purpose for schooling? What would it take to narrow expectations to a manageable (and affordable) list that would have wide-ranging support? Who should spearhead this effort---and who must be a part of the conversation?

When will "we" begin?

Posted by William Ferriter at 12:40 PM on December 1, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Free College Credits for HS Students

This interesting opportunity for high school students came through my inbox this week from a member of Governor Easley's staff. Figured I'd share it with you in the hopes that Wake County families can take advantage of a rather incredible opportunity offered by our state:

This year, North Carolina high school students have the opportunity to get a jumpstart on college while they are still in high school. Learn and Earn Online is North Carolina's new program that allows high school students of all ages who have completed the prerequisite courses to take online college level classes at no charge.

Registration for the spring, 2008 semester is currently open; however, because this new program was funded in the most recent state budget, the information is still getting out to school leaders, students and parents. Students do not have to be in an existing Learn and Earn high school to take advantage of Learn and Earn Online. For more information please visit www.nclearnandearn.gov.

In North Carolina, we are committed to bringing educational opportunity into every community for all families. Thank you for helping us achieve our goal of getting more students to attend college so they can be better prepared to succeed in the 21st century economy.

Posted by William Ferriter at 12:05 PM on November 24, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: More Thoughts on Testing

Educational Leadership is one of the most widely respected journals in the education profession. Read by teachers, administrators, superintendents and educational researchers, Ed Leadership literally shapes the thinking of some of the most influential individuals in our country.

So when an Ed Leadership article titled "How Teachers See Testing" came through my inbox the other day, I took a few minutes to sit down for what turned out to be an interesting read. After all, the impact that testing is having on the teaching and learning in my classroom has been on my mind a lot lately. What struck me about the Ed Leadership article was how closely the opinions of the teachers interviewed matched my own experiences with testing.

Most importantly, the teachers interviewed recognized that testing does have inherent value. One teacher wrote, "Scores from a series of properly administered tests constitute one of the many aids in identifying students with outstanding academic talents; in ascertaining achievement and ability levels; and in planning a curriculum consistent with the achievement and ability levels identified."

The limitations of testing, however, were also noted. "Since tests are not culture-free, they are not fair to all children," wrote one teacher. Another added, "There is much learning taking place which standardized tests cannot measure."

My greatest concern---that classroom instruction in an accountability culture is becoming less about learning and more about test preparation---was also highlighted:

"One of the respondents reported that in his county...every teacher is expected to bring his pupils up to a certain level by year's end, regardless of 'the multiplicity of factors involved.' This means, according to the report, that between tests, some teachers spend countless hours 'teaching to the test' with little time for children 'to explore, talk about things, experiment...But,' he added, 'in a situation like this, what else can a teacher do? It's just plain human nature."

The best part of this article: It was written in November of 1966!

What does this mean for today's schools? How can we most effectively use testing---an endeavor that costs our district and state millions of dollars annually---as a tool for driving change in our classrooms? Is it time for us to abandon testing as a simplistic tool that simply doesn't tell us what we need to know about teaching and learning? Can we effectively---and affordably---create more sophisticated measures of "success" for our schools and our students?

Do we even want to?

What will assessment and accountability look like in the year 2047? Will we ever get to a point where we're confident that our tools for judging teachers and students are considered reliable by the majority of those who are served by our systems?

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:33 AM on November 17, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Kids on Internet Safety

I've been thinking a lot about Internet safety lately---It's a topic that I think all responsible parents and educators need to embrace in order to ensure that our students learn the skills necessary for functioning in our new digital age. While it's not tested, it definitely should be taught!

This week, I decided to ask my kids about Internet safety. I was curious to find out whether or not they've run into trouble online. I also wanted to know where they were learning about Internet safety.

Here's a few of their thoughts:

Question: Rate your Internet safety behaviors on a scale of 1 to 5, with one representing you're completely unsafe and 5 representing you're completely safe all the time on line.

"I think that I would rate myself a 3 or a 4 because before I got into your class, I did give out some personal information on my blogs and sites. I've edited most of that out now, but I think I could do a lot better." ---->Pebbles.

"I think I would rate myself a 4 because I usually now do not use any of my personal information. The least safe thing that I do online is having a Myspace page--although the only people that can see my profile are friends that I have met up close and in person." ---->Jake the Snake.

"I give myself a 3 because online I play games with people that I don't know. That scares me a little, but it's fun." --->The Ultimate Destroyer.

Question: Has anything weird ever happened to you or your friends while online?

"Once, one of my friends and I went on AIM and made an IM session with one of our friends---or so we thought! We had typed in the wrong IM address and were IMing with a guy who said he was in his 40s. We logged off, blocked his screen name and told my mom when he started asking us questions." ----> Pebbles.

"When I was online with my friend, we were playing a game and all of a sudden, a live video of someone doing inappropriate things popped up." ----> Spider Pig.

"Some strange things have happened---like a random person has talked to us and we had no clue who it was!" ---> Jumproper.

Question: How much do your parents know about your online life? Rate them on a scale from one to 5, with 1 being they know nothing about what you do online and 5 being they know everything that you do online.

"I'd have to give them a 5 because every 5 minutes my mom comes upstairs to see what sites I am on. Also, my parents don't let me have Internet access in my bedroom." ----> Dobie the Taxi Driver.

"Probably a 3 or a 4 because some of the sites I visit have really violent games and they know nothing about that. They do put locks on some sites they know are really bad." ---> The Random Gamer.

"I would rate my parents a 4 because they're usually in the same room as me when I am on the computer. It's actually really annoying." ---> Funkey Monkey.

Question: Have you been surprised by any lessons that you've learned about Internet safety? Which ones?

"I was very surprised by how we tracked down a school and its exact location just by using a teacher's name in less than 5 minutes. I had no idea that it was that easy to use the Web to find someone." ---> Primus

Posted by William Ferriter at 4:43 PM on November 10, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Do We Overprotect Our Kids?

An editorial in the News and Observer titled When Parents Become Stalkers caught my attention this morning. Author Ellen Goodman works through a chronology that I have seen first-hand during my fifteen years of teaching. Parents---caught in the grips of a fear-driven culture---are relying on technology to monitor the actions and movements of their children.

"We have a disharmonic convergence of anxieties," writes Goodman, "the dual fear that kids are endangered and/or dangerous, out of (our) control. There's the sense that we are raising our children in a more treacherous culture."

And in many ways, we are raising children in a more treacherous time.

In the real world, our communities have been completely redefined. We are increasingly isolated from one another as job markets shift, work demands increase, and families have less time to socialize with one another. Faces around the block---who would have been familiar friends in an earlier decade---are nothing more than strangers seen in passing today.

Insecurity creeps in to the hearts and minds of parents responding to this reality. Protecting children from hidden dangers---a responsible act in any decade---has become far more difficult in a world with a spiraling number of new unknowns.

The virtual world that our kids have embraced only presents a new set of challenges for parents unfamiliar with cyberspace. Horror stories of children discovering pornography or being bullied by peers using digital forums are common---and little remains as frightening as the stories of abducted teens that seem to make their way into the news more and more often.

Our response---as Goodman describes so well---is to "tether" our children with technology. Instant message and email tracking options are almost standard features offered by Internet service providers today---and if they weren't, we'd look in other directions.

Innovative companies are taking advantage of GPS technologies, inserting tracking devices in clothing and cell phones. Services such as "Geofencing," "Wherify-ing" and "All-Tracking" allow parents to receive updates about the location and decisions of their children at all times.

Like Goodman, I believe that new technological tools have made our children safer. I'll never forget the day when I was 14 and petrified because I'd been approached by a creepy stranger in a van about 20 blocks from home. Without friends to protect me---or a phone to call for help---I ran for my life.

But like Goodman, I believe that we've taken our obsession with protecting our kids a bit too far. You see, we've allowed our faith in technology to replace our faith in our children as the primary tool in our safety arsenal. Conversations about responsible actions and behaviors have been set aside---seen as unnecessary in a world where digital tools seem infallible.

As a result, our kids are left woefully unprepared. They're never forced to develop effective decision-making skills because they're almost completely shielded from difficult situations. "We may be protecting them right out of the ability to make their own decisions," writes Goodman, "Including their own mistakes."

Sometimes I wonder if the more responsible action would be to invest energies in the countless conversations about personal safety that my parents had with me.

Posted by William Ferriter at 6:28 PM on November 3, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Shooting Our Own Feet

I don't know if you've had a chance to read the article I wrote for Teacher Magazine about my colleague Maria who walked away from teaching because of the lack of differentiation in pay and opportunity in our profession, but it got picked up by a newspaper in Colorado.

What is interesting to me is that it evoked a comment that I'm growing increasingly frustrated with. One of the paper's readers wrote:

If Maria was in it for the right reasons she would have plenty of rewards. The best feeling in the world to a teacher is to make an impact on our students lives, the look on thier faces when they succeed at something that they may have struggled with.

Don't get me wrong: I love my kids and wouldn't trade the relationships that I have with them for most anything-----but all too often,teachers who talk about changes to the teaching profession are openly shunned. Self-sacrifice is the trait we admire the most in our educators---and most teachers tend to wear that badge with great pride.

What I wonder as a career educator is are we shooting ourselves in our own feet when we passionately state that relationships with students is the only reward that we could ever possibly need. Are we setting ourselves up by promoting an altruistic ethos that the general public has widely embraced?

I sound heartless, don't I?

In fact, when I write about issues like this, I am often embarrassed by how selfish I sound---but teaching is incredibly demanding, and I believe that educators often cheapen arguments in favor of improved working conditions and increased salaries when we make statements like, "The greatest reward ever are the children in my classroom." The general public has little incentive to work with us to improve our profession if we repeatedly argue that relationships are what matter the most.

Who needs salary increases when smiles will suffice?

It is time for teachers to actively redefine our message so that non-educators understand that while our work is incredibly rewarding, those rewards have proven to be insufficient to retain the numbers of teachers that our nation needs to ensure that no child is left behind.

Leading educational researcher Linda Darling Hammond once said that incentives are plans that successfully encourage people to behave in a desired fashion. The kids of my classroom love my stories, so I use them as an incentive for good behavior----If you work hard for the rest of the day, I'll share a tale with you. It works for every kid every time. If the majority of my kids didn't like stories, though, I'd have to try something different, right?

What good is a classroom incentive if it doesn't appeal to enough students?

By that definition, are positive relationships with children a successful incentive for staffing our nation's classrooms? If not, why is it the only incentive that most educators ever talk about when speaking of their professions?

Posted by William Ferriter at 7:16 AM on October 27, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Paige Elliott: 'What are all of the teachers doing, Mrs. Elliott?'

I was faced with this question four weeks into the school year as a student entered the building on the day of the week they know as "late arrival." He had noticed that all of the teachers were "in meetings" but did not understand why. At that moment realized that not all of our educational community was familiar with what is or will become regular practice for teachers. Since WCPSS educators are familiar with the concept of PLCs (professional learning communities), I thought it might be nice to use the public blog as an opportunity to inform some of our less familiar readers.

My school has the fortunate opportunity to adjust the schedule once each week for "late arrival." Students arrive one hour late, while teachers arrive at their normal time. Different schools may have different practices. For instance, some schools provide teachers with a common planning period or lunch period. Whatever the case, specific time is dedicated to the purpose of allowing teachers to meet in what they call a "PLC," or professional learning community.

Now the purpose of these PLCs is to focus on learning, not necessarily teaching. Rick DuFour, an educator and researcher, explains in Getting Started: Reculturing Schools to Become Professional Learning Communities that such schools that focus on learning are schools that:

• were united by a shared vision, collective commitments, and common goals;
• involved teachers in collaborative teams that considered the important questions of teaching and learning;
• integrated continuous improvement processes into their regular practices; and
• focused on results.

Because teachers are interested in the success of all students, it is important for teachers to learn from each other and focus on the learning of all students. Groups are formed based on various factors, from grade level to subject to department.

In the collaboration process, we ask: What it is we want students to learn in each subject, grade level, or course? How will we assess what students know and can do? What is our plan for responding to students who aren't learning?

Together, we address short and long term goals. Educators engage in research-based and data-driven plans. Since each PLC may be focusing on a different aspect of student learning, no two PLCs may look the same or be at the same points in their research, planning, and discussion. The important thing is that teachers are collectively focusing on the learning of all students.

The concept of learning from each other and sharing ideas is not new. Various businesses and professions have employed this method for years, even educators. The difference now is the "formal" implementation of the practice to WCPSS. The bottom line is that educators are actively seeking ways to help students be successful.

Hear more about Paige's views on professional learning communities in the WCPSS Podcast.

Posted by Paige Elliott at 11:57 AM on October 25, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: A Compromise We're Comfortable With?

A strange twist of fate found me sharing a table on Thursday with some of the most intelligent support staff members in the Wake County Public School System. We'd come together for a conference spotlighting the challenge of recruiting and retaining employees for our system.

I inevitably end up feeling guilty when engaged in conversations about recruitment and retention because all too often, attention remains focused on improving the working conditions and salaries of teachers. Rarely does our community place equal emphasis on recruiting and retaining other school employees.

I've never been more convinced, however, that this oversight hinders our ability to succeed as a system.

You see, while our district has exploded in size, allocations of new positions in departments that support our schools have---for the most part---remained unchanged. Dozens of new schools, thousands of new teachers and tens of thousands of new students are being serviced by overworked carpenters, bus mechanics, HVAC servicemen and network specialists.

What's more, salaries for those working in supporting roles haven't kept pace with comparable positions in the private sector. "Last year, my group saw almost 100% turnover," remarked one member of my focus group, "People were taking similar jobs in other companies for more money and less work."

It's hard to argue with those decisions, isn't it?

Now, I'm a sympathetic guy---so I feel bad for those who are working hard in difficult conditions with poor wages. What's more, my wife worked as a teacher's assistant in the Wake County Public School System for years---so I have first hand experience with the struggles of making ends meet on a support staffer's salary.

But I'm also a realist. I understand that most members of the general public are primarily concerned with the quality of the classroom teachers in our system. "Why should I care about payroll technicians?" one neighbor recently asked, "As long as my kid has a good teacher, I'm happy."

"We should care because classroom teachers---and the students who attend our schools---can't be effective without adequate support staffing!" I answered.

Here are a few examples of the kinds of struggles that I face because our district struggles to ensure that positions beyond the classroom are filled with enough highly accomplished individuals to meet the demands of a growing region:

1. For some reason, the air conditioning in my classroom was on the fritz for the first nine weeks of this school year. My students and I suffered through long periods of 80-plus temperatures punctuated by short bursts of arctic air.

Working through the hottest August on record---where all but one day saw 90-plus temperatures---I would have loved it if there were enough HVAC servicemen in our district to troubleshoot this problem! As it was, I struggled to keep my kids active and on task in what we started to call "The Salem Sauna."

I heard from a friend that the problem was fixed during my year-round track out break. It was too late for my students, though. We start in a new room first thing Monday morning---and we're hoping for a comfortable learning environment, that's for sure!

2. Also intriguing is the semi-regular network failures at our school. For the past two years, we've seen our Internet connection go down for periods of 30 minutes to 3 hours about once a week.

Ten years ago, network failures wouldn't have been an issue for my students and I. We would have just fired up the overhead projector, busted out our workbooks and moved on with business as usual. Today, however, 75% of my instruction relies on the Internet. We explore websites daily, view streaming video, and create digital projects to demonstrate what we know. Without the Web, we're paralyzed.

The length of our outages is completely dependent on how long it takes to get into contact with the network technician assigned to our school. Perhaps this wouldn't be an issue if our tech wasn't also assigned to twenty-something other schools as well! In the meantime, I slap together some alternative plans, grumble about instructional time lost, and keep my fingers crossed that we'll get connected again soon.

3. At least two or three times a month, I'll have a student who needs to see the school nurse. They might fall down at recess and have gravel embedded in their elbows, feel ill from the virus currently making the rounds in our building, or simply be too sick to concentrate on whatever it is that we're doing in class.

Imagine how difficult it is for me to explain to twelve-year-olds that we really don't have a nurse at school every day! Instead, we have a nurse who is in our school a few times a week---and who we can reach by phone or pager in the event of an emergency. "Sorry, kiddo," is my typical answer, "Can you tough it out or do you need to call home?"

4. Last year, I was fortunate enough to win a $5,000 prize for being one of North Carolina's Regional Teachers of the Year. The money---which was supposed to arrive in the first week of July---didn't show up in my bank account until the middle of November. The intervening months were a blur of weekly phone calls trying to find someone who could help me to track down exactly where my cash was!

I was pretty frustrated, but I also understood the daily challenges of the payroll technicians that I was working with. While my $5,000 prize was a priority for me, these techs had thousands of employee paychecks to process and manage. I was only one entry on "to-do" lists that were almost overwhelming.

The wait wasn't enough to drive me from the classroom---heck, in many ways getting the money right before Christmas was a pleasant surprise. But such struggles for new teachers who are barely making ends meet might just be enough to make them question their chosen careers. Teaching is hard enough without having to invest countless hours simply trying to get paid!

Make no mistake about it: Underinvesting in those who work beyond the classroom may be a way to stretch our tax dollars and get more from less out of our school system. But our belief that supporting positions are somehow irrelevant is having an undeniable impact on the teaching and learning in our district's classrooms that is growing at an alarming rate.

Is this a compromise we can be comfortable with?

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:51 PM on October 20, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Internet Safety Resources

I am a digital junkie, plain and simple! I'm the kind of guy who can get sucked into staring at a screen for hours on end regardless of how beautiful the real world happens to be. My wife---who is nothing short of a Saint herself---has learned that "Just one more minute" rarely means one minute when I'm online.

And my digital junkie-ness actually comes in handy for a guy who spends his days teaching twelve year olds. You see, today's middle schoolers have been connected since birth! If it can't be thrown up on the Web, it's not worth studying to half of my kids---so they're thrilled when they end up having a teacher who knows more than they do about what's possible online.

But my greatest challenge is teaching my students to embrace the power of the Internet while protecting themselves at the same time.

If you're a parent of a tween or a teen, you know exactly what I mean. Whether we like it or not, our children are going to seek out opportunities to connect and to communicate with others while online. And whether we like it or not, the Net isn't always the safest place to be.

So how should responsible parents and teachers respond to this reality?

It's really quite simple: We have to learn as much as we can about what safe surfing practices look like and then spend time teaching the children in our lives how to protect themselves while online. To do otherwise is to leave kids woefully unprepared for the world that they've jumped into feet first!

Here are some resources that I think are worth exploring if you've got a digital kid running around the house:

Know it All for Parents
http://www.childnet-int.org/kia/

Quite possibly one of the coolest sites covering Internet saftey, Know It All for Parents is a guide to the Internet designed for parents and teachers, but complete with a section for students as well. Created by a British charity, this site includes streaming video narration by holograms of adults and students that is fun and interesting to watch. If you're a parent, sit down with your kid and learn a few valuable lessons together!

Chatdanger
http://www.chatdanger.com/default.aspx

Kids think that the greatest innovations on the Internet are communication sites that allow them to meet new friends from around the world. It's powerful to be able to connect with others---and in many ways, our children will be using the Internet to connect and communicate for the rest of their lives! But games and sites that allow users to communicate with one another can be the most dangerous places for our kids. Everyone that kids meet in such places is a stranger, and they may not always have the best of intentions. Visit this site with your child to learn more about keeping safe in chat rooms, social networking sites and games that allow people to play with others online.

Totally Wired
http://www.totallywiredbook.com/

Written by Anastasia Goodstein---the author of Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens are Really Doing Online---this blog contains great information designed to help parents make responsible decisions when reacting to their child's interest in the Internet. Goodstein does a nice job balancing the need to be safe with the need to empower children to embrace the new tools they will work with for the rest of their lives.

Hopefully these resources can help you to support your children as they continue to explore the Wonderful World of the Web!

Posted by William Ferriter at 9:28 AM on October 12, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Teaching Middle Schoolers

I was nominated recently for Patron Saint of the Universe by a parent of three middle schoolers. "I don't know how you deal with 30 of them!" she said.

Learning to love middle schoolers didn't take long for me---they're incredibly curious, kind-hearted and funny creatures who still smile and aim to please.

But they did take a bit of time to figure out!

Perhaps the most important tool that I found to understand the unique characteristics of my kids was The National Middle School Association. This group has developed a wide collection of resources that help parents and teachers to understand the unique characteristics of pre-adolescents. My favorite resource are a set of three presentations called the Fundamentals for Student Success in the Middle Grades.

What I learned was something that no one ever told me in college: Middle schoolers are going through an incredible period of cognitive change. Their pre-frontal cortexes----the part of the brain that controls organization and decision making----are still developing.

Do you think that explains why completing homework is such a challenge for kids from 12-14?! Perhaps homework policies that punish students for missing tasks or classroom policies that punish students for missing pencils or paper are developmentally inappropriate after all!

I also learned that in an adult, the pre-frontal cortex and the amygdala work together as a "surge suppressor," moderating emotions. In middle schoolers, this coordination hasn't fully developed yet----leading to emotional outbursts and mood swings.

Sound like your kid?

Good! That means they are a perfectly normal middle schooler!

Anyway----I just wanted to share a resource that helped me to understand my students better because I think kids in the middle are often woefully misunderstood!

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:38 PM on October 6, 2007 | Leave Feedback

My Teddy Bear was in a Broadway Musical!

I had the honor of working behind the scenes last week at the Les Miserables musical at Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium. For months I have been working with students from Wake County schools as well as the professional staff that made the musical come to life. I got to know two of the professionals on the technical crew years ago when they were students. I'm pleased that they took the technical theater skills they learned in school and have turned it into a rewarding professional theater career. Bravo!

I was duly impressed by the caliber of performance produced by the Wake County kids. Not just the incredible singing voices and acting talent on stage, but the students in the orchestra, as well as those working the technical side of the theater backstage. In my humble opinion, it was a better performance than a traveling Broadway production. These kids were giving 150%, since many in the audience were their family and friends. And for most, this was their first time in a big-time musical on the big stage. What a story that will make with their grandchildren -- First time on a big stage, and getting to work closely with Broadway star Terrence Mann. Wow!

It was while backstage that I ran into my teddy bear. He explained that he had been asked to be a prop for the musical. He was little Cossette's bear, someone to keep her company while she was on stage. I noticed a few other familiar items on the prop table besides my teddy bear. There was the gavel that I used as president of my college fraternity, which was now being used by the judges to condemn the wrong man. And there was a silver platter that I remember from dinner parties my mother held many years ago. I'll have to keep the Thenardiers away from that! You know you're in a theater family when your personal stuff spends more time on the stage than in your house. But it's worth it!

My teddy bear enjoyed his big break into Broadway (Broadway South, that is), and he's looking forward to his next big production. He really enjoyed working with the kids, who would stop by the prop table every now and then to have a chat. He is after all, more than twice the age of any other cast member, but working with the kids made him feel young again. He remarked at how everything became so real on stage. The actors took their lines to heart and made the audience truly think that they were in Paris in the early 1800s, living a miserable life, and putting all hope in a revolution. Through all of that miserable despair, it's love that kept people going, marching on to their reward in heaven.

Sure I cried during Valjean's prayer at the barricade, but I'm sure the parents in the audience would agree that the most heartwarming scene came when their own child came on stage, which I can relate to, because my teddy bear was in a Broadway musical last week, and I'm very proud.

Chris

For more information about this musical experience, as well as some great pictures, go to www.wcpss.net/school_to_career/lesmiz

School-to-Career of Wake County is preparing every student to make knowledgeable career choices.

Posted by Chris Droessler at 9:24 AM on October 1, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Thoughts on Constant Testing

A bit of an advanced warning, readers: I'm in a sour mood, so this entry is going to be anything but sunshine and candy corn. I know that most people like to imagine smiling faces and happy places when daydreaming about educators, but the fact of the matter is that teaching today can be downright frustrating.

At times I even wonder why I bother with classroom teaching at all!

What's interesting is that my love for my students hasn't changed a bit. In fact, this week has been a constant reminder of how much I value the powerful relationships that define my work.

Monday started with a visit from Ham--one of my favorite students last year--who risked detention by sneaking out of the lunchroom to come and see me. Then, I bumped into Max--a ninth grader who buried himself under my arm at the Y after seeing me walking in to work out. On Friday, a line of students waited to speak to me before going home to start their first three-week track out session, just wanting to say goodbye.

I wouldn't trade those moments for much of anything.

But my work is less rewarding today than it was ten years ago, primarily because we live in an almost constant state of crisis in schools. As the accountability movement has wrapped its hands around our classrooms, the pressure placed on teachers has gotten to be almost unbearable and the messages that we send about performance are almost always negative.

Don't believe me?

Then pick up a newspaper! Rarely a week goes by before some reporter or another uses their pen as a cudgel to question the competence of classroom teachers. Heck, I Googled "schools fail" this morning and came up with 172,000 digital affirmations that there are plenty of critics ready to launch barbs at my chosen profession.

Teaching a tested subject only makes life more difficult for me. You see, test results have become the sole indicator used to determine success or failure in the eyes of most who seek to "improve our schools," which puts the work of language arts and math teachers directly under the microscope at the middle school level.

I'll never forget the first time that I realized exactly how much confidence people placed in test scores. I was teaching third grade early in my career and had developed a strong relationship with a student named Marco. He and I had hit it off from day one, and I had used that relationship to leverage growth. Marco worked harder for me than he had for most any teacher he'd ever known, and I understood his academic strengths and weaknesses better than most of the other students in my class.

His mom came in for a conference towards the end of the year, interested in knowing more about her son's abilities. After I spent 40 minutes sharing what I knew, Marco's mom blew me away by asking:

"That's great, Mr. Ferriter...but what does the test say?"

The perceived wisdom of the test has only grown since my time with Marco---despite warnings from test writers themselves about the dangers of using standardized exams as stand-alone tools for assessment. Programs like the federal No Child Left Behind legislation and our state's ABC Accountability model have cemented testing's place in the culture of American education.

What impact has this had on classrooms?

First, it has narrowed the curriculum delivered to students. Topics many consider essential like Science and Social Studies---which, until recently, received little testing attention below ninth grade---have been almost completely swept aside in most elementary and many middle school classrooms as teachers make additional time for tested topics like reading and math.

The consequences are sadly apparent---even in my school serving students with strong families that can supplement the curriculum. Each year, I have students who struggle to tell me why 1776 was an important year in our country's history and who argue that smoke and noise from trains would make the Underground Railroad an uncomfortable place to be. Most know Martin Luther King--remember, we have a day off named after him--but few know much else about our nation.

Is it any surprise that so many high school students fail our state's US History End of Course exam?

Testing has also created inherent divisions between the teaching faculties in many buildings. Those responsible for tested subjects feel great pressure to perform because they are held directly accountable for results while the work of others goes unquestioned. When "things go bad," (read: test scores weren't where they are expected to be), fingers are often unintentionally pointed at the language arts and math teachers by even the most accomplished school leaders.

For me, the burden that comes with teaching a tested subject surfaced first a few years back when our school was selected as one of North Carolina's top performing middle schools. "Wait until you see those sixth grade reading scores," our principal said to me as we were celebrating, "Then you'll see that there's still work to do."

His words hurt. They sent the message that what we had done---which was nothing short of Herculean, requiring long days for a full year---wasn't good enough. "I want to teach PE," I muttered as I walked away. "At least then, no one will come knocking on my door when test scores are low."

But teachers of untested subjects---who make up nearly 60% of most faculties---have seen their positions change in negative ways over the last decade as well. Shorter class periods and fewer resources have simply decimated programs that were once the pride of communities. Teachers working in the electives and social studies often feel pushed aside and undervalued in buildings focused on "results" (read: higher test scores).

In a profession where relationships matter, hard feelings on the part of teachers in tested and untested subjects can interfere with student achievement and destroy morale. Without constant attention, the divide that grows can simply swallow a building.

Most importantly, though, testing is chasing teachers out of classrooms. Drawn to a profession that feeds intellectual creativity and builds on human connections, teachers grow discouraged with instructional programs that require teaching to the test. Even serving high performing students likely to "pass" regardless of how closely my teaching mirrors the end of grade exam, I have found myself abandoning what I believe to be motivating lessons in favor of drill and kill preparation.

I spend more time each year teaching students tricks for answering different styles of questions. We practice challenging questions day after day, hoping to avoid the simple mistakes that cost points on every exam. "Just one or two mistakes," I say a thousand times a year, "Can make the difference between a level 3 and a level 4."

Why have I set aside my belief in higher level instruction?

Because my scores are regularly the lowest on the hallway, despite lessons that are widely celebrated as innovative and challenging---and in the end, the only thing that I ever have to defend are the results that my students produce on the exam.

The problem is that I'm growing bored with--and mentally exhausted by--the constant stress of teaching to the test. Like many of my accomplished colleagues, I could move into any number of positions beyond the classroom tomorrow that would offer more professional freedom and less accountability for results.

Don't get me wrong: The testing movement in America has driven productive change, forcing schools and districts to address the learning challenges of all children and providing one source of meaningful feedback to taxpayers who invest billions into education.

But I'd argue that it's time to rethink our definition of success and to develop measures beyond standardized testing to evaluate both our students and our schools. Our singular reliance on exams is simply too destructive to completely embrace.

Posted by William Ferriter at 11:52 AM on September 30, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: They're Definitely Bored

I was on my way home from the Sam's Club the other day when I heard one of the most ridiculous radio interviews ever. A college professor and a high school teacher were discussing academic achievement at their respective levels when the host of the program asked, "What role does boredom play in the struggles of today's students?"

"None," the college professor replied. "College students aren't really bored, they're just pretending."

I almost drove off the road!

As the interview went on, I realized that the educators on the program were in a serious state of denial. "There is real peer pressure in colleges that discourage students from looking too interested," the professor continued. "To maintain their social standing, students put on a show. While they look disinterested, they're actually quite engaged."

I figured I'd test this theory by asking a few of my former students about whether boredom was a part of their daily lives in schools. "Yup," replied Joey, a top performer in many of his classes. "I do well, but I am definitely bored."

"So you're not pretending just to look cool?" I asked.

"Nope. Sometimes classes are just completely boring," he replied.

One cause of the disconnect between students and their current coursework is that our kids are connected from the day that they're born and yet effective technology integration remains elusive in most classrooms. Consider these statistics:

Our nation's overemphasis on standardized testing doesn't help either. Teachers feeling pressure to produce results on tests are less likely to encourage inventive thinking in their rooms and more likely to emphasize simple memorization of basic facts. The old adage, "The content that gets tested is the content that gets taught" remains true---and the content getting tested simply isn't terribly complex.

Regardless of the cause, the time has come for our nation to rethink what education looks like. To continue to hold to "tried and true" instructional practices that have served teachers well for decades is to ignore the reality that our students are changing and our schools are not.

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:04 PM on September 22, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Why are We Learning This?

I caught myself slipping to a place I'd rather not go earlier this week when one of my students asked me why we were practicing a particular type of reading question in class.

"Because it's going to be on the test!" I emphatically replied.

What a horrible answer, huh?

And one that has only gotten more and more common as today's schools operate under a cloud of coercive accountability. Teachers are feeling the pressure of measuring up to outside assessments---and that's changing the very nature of learning in classrooms.

Now, don't get me wrong--It's high time that schools were held accountable for performance. I've written more than once about my frustration with educators who refuse to accept responsibility for student learning and fully believe that we cannot expect to be seen as professionals until we are willing to be measured by results.

My struggle, though, is that "results" has come to mean one thing in education: Scores on standardized tests. And because those scores play such an important role in educational decision-making, they become an all-consuming focus of the work that we do in classrooms with children each day.

Every lesson is tied directly to a testable topic. Every outcome is charted and mapped. We have graphs hanging on every wall targeting the skills that our students struggle with and the ones that they've mastered. We pour over every ounce of data that we can get our hands on trying to find new strategies that will result in "increased student growth."

Teachers aren't the only ones feeling the effects of this change---students are as well. Grades dominate nearly every conversation in my classroom. "Mr. Ferriter, did I do enough work to get an A on this assignment?" is the most common question that my kids ask me each week.

Those actions should be celebrated---as long as we're satisfied with defining "student growth" as higher EOG scores.

But my kids never seem interested in learning just to learn any more. "Will this be on the test?" they ask---putting down their pencils whenever the answer is no. And I find myself increasingly hesitant to drift off of my "scope and sequence" charts for any reason---even if a teachable moment leaves my students momentarily jazzed by something beyond our curriculum.

Sometimes I wonder if we've gone too far in our push to measure and quantify every outcome of the teaching/learning process.

Posted by William Ferriter at 2:04 PM on September 15, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Learning to be Safe Online

While it is not a part of my required language arts and social studies curriculum, I spent a good chunk of time this week talking with my students about Internet safety. As a tech-driven teacher, I feel strongly that there could be no more important lessons for students to learn in today's day and age.

Interested in what we talked about?

Then check out this collection of resources and advice that I posted on our classroom website:

Internet Safety Resources

There is no arguing that the World Wide Web has given you the opportunity to become smarter---and to have a lot of fun while doing so!

But at the same time, the Web can be a dangerous place too. You might come across people who don't have the best intentions and who can hurt you. They may be kids your age who decide to try to bully you or they may be adults pretending to be your age---which is even scarier. Because the Internet is largely an anonymous place, anyone can pretend to be anyone. The person who IMs you pretending to be an 12 year old student at a local school might really be a 32-year old person who lives in the next town over.

So how do you keep yourself safe? How can you continue to use the neat tools of the Internet without having to worry about those with bad intentions?

You constantly think about Internet safety. You never use your real name, give anyone your address, post the names of your brothers or sisters or school, or pair a picture of yourself with details about your hometown. You also NEVER reply to anyone that contacts you digitally unless you personally know who that person is in real life.

If someone tries to IM you saying that they know one of your friends, be suspicious. If someone suggests that you meet in person, be really suspicious. And if someone asks you not to tell your parents about something you're planning, be REALLY, REALLY SUSPICIOUS!

Want to learn more about Internet Safety? Then check out these sites. They're some of the most important websites you'll visit during the course of the next year:

Netsmartz
http://www.netsmartz.org/

This site was put together by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children----and it is the most valuable site included on this list. It includes resources for students across all grade levels. Most interesting are a collection of videos that talk about the dangers of unsafe Internet practices that are targeted for use with middle school and high school students. Each video comes along with a companion "activity card" that serves as a viewing guide and a reinforcement tool. Sections that include valuable information for parents and for teachers are also included.

Online Safety Guide from Get Net Wise
http://kids.getnetwise.org/safetyguide/

This guide--put together by a coalition of Internet service providers and computer companies such as Dell and Microsoft--is designed to break down Internet safety issues for parents, teachers and students. It includes separate sections and guides for children and parents of different age and grade levels. It also includes a list of the different kinds of Internet tools that kids are using (Social Networking Sites, Instant Messaging, Email) and the risks associated with each. Finally, it includes a searchable list of the kinds of tools available to parents and families interested in keeping their children safe at home.

A Crucial Conversation
http://www.blogsafety.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1100000013

This is the text of a conversation with a 14-year old girl about her Internet use that reveals how unsafe and unaware some children are about the importance of staying safe online. In it, she discusses her own personal social networking site and her online habits. Many of them are highly risky. Then, this child's mother is interviewed, revealing her unawareness of her daughter's online practices---and her struggles as a parent to juggle her child's growing independence and need for privacy with her responsibilities to protect her child. This is certainly a "must read" for any middle school parent that is interested in increasing online saftey in his/her home.

Think Before You Post Video

This TeacherTube video--produced by the Center for Missing and Exploited Children---challenges you to think about what happens when you post your own picture online. I hope you'll think about this video before posting images of yourself on social networking websites like My Space. That's a dangerous practice that many kids never think about.

Think Before You Post Website
http://tcs.cybertipline.com/knowthedangers8.htm

This website was designed by the Center for Missing and Exploited Children to accompany the video listed above. It includes a wide range of information on how to keep yourself safe in a variety of different digital locations. You can learn about safe email, IM, chat room and MySpace practices.

Posted by William Ferriter at 6:32 PM on September 8, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Who's Responsible?

Here's an interesting question that I've been wrestling with for a long while now:

Who is responsible for student learning?

Sure isn't an easy one to answer, is it?! Are teachers solely responsible for the success or failure of the students in their classrooms? After all, we regularly argue that we do professional work. If that's the case, shouldn't we accept the greatest burden for producing professional results?

How much responsibility to parents have to accept for the academic success or failure of their children? Do efforts at home to reinforce learning happening at school--and to send students to school prepared for learning--influence outcomes in a meaningful way?

Where does the support of the community fit into this conversation? Can schools possibly succeed without the financial support provided by tax dollars and the tangible contributions of social service agencies and businesses interested in seeing healthy schools, families and neighborhoods offered to every child?

Do students themselves bear any responsibility for their own learning? Is there a point where we can expect that children invest energies into their own studies? Should we ever hold children accountable for their work in schools?

Is there a difference between being responsible for student learning and being held accountable for student learning?

Can we ever hope to guarantee a high quality education for every child if this central question isn't addressed?

Posted by William Ferriter at 8:05 AM on September 2, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Paige Elliott: Catch Phrases and Buzz Words in Student Writing

Recently I read an article in Newsweek by Gregory Pence discussing his frustration with clichés in student writing, believing that students overuse clichés and underuse original language. Of course, I immediately applied the article to my own career and to my students' learning. When you think about it, it's no wonder our kids' thinking is not as sophisticated as we might like. Have you ever considered how crazy we must sound?

I hate to open up a can of worms, but maybe we should put on our thinking caps and think outside the box in terms of our language usage. We'll take this one step at a time, just enough to get your feet wet.

Let's begin with talking to our students about the real world. What world are they living in exactly? I'm sure some of you are coming up with great (and somewhat comical) answers to that question right now, but honestly, when we use that term, don't we really mean when students become self-reliant adults? How do you think they feel when someone implies that their world is not real; their problems not genuine, their emotions not valid?

We tell them to keep their noses to the grindstone, but do they even know what a grindstone is? And burning the midnight oil – do they envision racing a sports car to the corner market after watching Letterman? Speaking of cars, we tell our students not to put the cart before the horse. They dream of driving Hummers and BMWs; something tells me the most meaning some kids make out of this statement is pushing a grocery cart before they get put a quarter in a cute merry-go-round outside of the store.

Rome wasn't built in a day. Obviously the Department of Public Transportation received and understood this message, but do our students? And using transportation as a segue -- a student going a mile a minute generally means he's going "fast and nonstop", yet at that speed on I-40, he'd be going below the speed limit.

When life hands you lemons, it is suggested you make lemonade. This is a stretch for some of our students who still don't know that Gatorade flavored "Fierce" and "Xtremo" aren't actual fruits.

Younger audiences tell us things are the same difference. What does that mean? Either things are the same or they are different. I hear kids in the hall explaining they could care less. I want to tell them to do so! Another question: is "my bad" a sincere apology? For those of you who work with teenagers, I can't leave out the use of "like" and "I know, right?"

In conclusion, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. We're all guilty of using catch phrases, clichés and buzz words. They're convenient and sometimes they're exactly what we want to say. So at the end of the day, we should take a moment to stand in someone else's shoes or follow in his footsteps and think. Our students may misunderstand clichés and repeat their own. I wonder why?

Posted by Paige Elliott at 10:13 AM on August 31, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Websites to Explore

With school starting for so many students this week, I thought it might be a good idea to provide links to some great online resources that can be used to support student learning. Whether you are a parent or a teacher, you are likely to find something here that can help your kids during the upcoming school year:

iTunes Podcast Library
http://www.apple.com/itunes/

Yup--you read that right! iTunes is quite possibly one of the best instructional tools that teachers and parents can use to support the learning of their children. You see, iTunes has the fastest growing collection of podcast programs being created by and for teachers available online.

There are regular programs supporting developing writers (seek out Grammar Girl and the Princeton Vocabulary Review Minute), developing foreign language students (with courses covering German, Spanish, French and Latin), developing scientists (I like Dr. Carlson, the EcoGeeks and the National Geographic Video Shorts) and developing mathematicians (although I can't count, so I'd better not make any recommendations here :).

Many of these programs are audio recordings that can be downloaded to a computer and played time and again--or to your child's iPod for learning on the run. Several are also video recordings, adding a visual element to learning. Most podcast programs are episodic-- meaning that new recordings are available on a regular basis.

Oh yeah, and podcasts are almost always entirely free!

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

Who would have thought that Utah State University would have developed one of the most significant mathematics teaching tools available on the web?!

But that's exactly what you'll find when you visit their National Library of Virtual Manipulatives--a collection of applets that introduce students in grades K-12 to concepts ranging from Number and Operations to Data Analysis and Probability. The applets can be used for independent study by students at home or as a part of structured lessons designed by teachers.

And like iTunes, these resources are completely free!

Read-Write-Think
http://www.readwritethink.org/student_mat/index.asp

My wife is a bit upset at the Read-Write-Think people today because I stumbled upon it yesterday just as we were getting ready to sit down for dinner. "Yes, dear---I'll be down in a minute," I said. An hour later, I was still lost in digital reading teacher nirvana!

Read-Write-Think is a site that provides a collection of tools that students in grades K-12 can use to tackle a wide range of writing tasks. There are essay organizers, Venn diagram tools, outliners, character analysis supports and poetry starters---and I've only gotten through about half of the resources available on the site.

Something tells me that my dinner--as well as my wife--is going to be cold again tonight!

BBC Skillswise
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/

For some strange reason, I've always been a fan of those crazy Brits! Big Ben, Parliment, Tea and Biscuits, The Union Jack are all absolutely smashing----but it's the BBC Skillswise website that I find to be the most valuable!

Designed to support the development of basic literacy and numeracy skills in school-aged children, Skillswise contains entertaining tutorials on topics across the reading and math curriculum. This is a site that parents of upper elementary and middle school students are bound to find valuable in their efforts to "lay the foundation" for future success in their kids.

The Exploratorium
http://www.exploratorium.edu/index.html

I finished reading a biography of nuclear scientist Robert Oppenheimer recently and learned that his brother---also an accomplished physicist---ended up opening a museum called the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Being naturally curious, I tracked down the Exploratorium online and was completely blown away by what I found. The Exploratorium website is easily one of the most interesting science sites that I've come across in a long time. There are interactive cow eye dissections, live webcasts of classroom programs (check out the Iron Science Teacher broadcasts) and fun simulations teaching science concepts in a constructivist way.

They even have "Extremophiles." I'm not sure what they are, but I'll bet they'll catch the attention of your kids!

Anyway---hope you find these sites to be interesting. Maybe I'll post a new list each month or so. For now, though, I'm done. I've gotta finish exploring before dinner's ready or I'm a dead man!

Posted by William Ferriter at 2:38 PM on August 26, 2007 | Leave Feedback

2007 WCPSS Teacher of the Year Joins the Blog

Paige Elliott is the 2007 Wake County Teacher of the Year. We're glad that she's joining Bill Ferriter and other upcoming contributors to the Perspectives section of the Morning Announcements blog. -- Chip Sudderth

As a child I kept a journal ... religiously. How else would I deal with the emotional roller-coaster ride of adolescence? Unfortunately, as I grew older and my responsibilities increased, my personal writings decreased. I attempted to keep a journal throughout my student teaching and first year, but I was young, newly married, and could not bring myself to exert any additional effort before or after leaving school, sometimes as late as 9:00 at night. It's amazing the clarity with which I can look back on that first year and recall the fog of confusion through which I walked.

I read Ken Dobbins' (West Johnston High) journals published in The News and Observer and later Bill Ferriter's WCPSS blog entries and admired their dedication, not only to their students, but also to their professional community. They rang more true to me than the glamorized Hollywood versions of educators who stopped gang violence by bringing candy bars to class. However, those two local educators still did more than I could dream of doing.

A few years ago, at the beginning of my eighth year teaching, a first year teacher remarked that I had been teaching "so long." For those veterans out there, I know this is humorous. I felt so young and inexperienced; only eight years in education and I was considered "a veteran." I looked around and realized I wasn't the "baby" anymore.

I ran through the gauntlet of a master's degree and National Board Certification and came out the other side changed. Those two accomplishments certainly contributed to my change, but they mainly indicate a time span in which the change occurred. I don't know when exactly it happened. I doubt it was one pivotal moment; it was more of a metamorphosis from an insecure educator working so very hard to prove myself to others into a confident educator who constantly questions my strategies and techniques. And if I speculate how it happened, the list is endless, from individuals to workshops to experiences. I just came to a point when I realized that education is perpetual change and I needed to change with it.

So (huge sigh), here I am, working hard and continually growing as an educator, realizing that I have more to learn than I have already learned. I am an authentic educator. I know I'm authentic because I feel it and know it -- every time I help a student, every time I work with educators, every time I attend staff development, every time I take on a role of leadership, every time I stay late, or attend an athletic event, or PTA event. I know because I want to be there. I want to be here.

I have the greatest privilege of and honor of representing the outstanding teachers of Wake County Public School System as their 2007-2008 Teacher of the Year. I am constantly humbled by the amazing educators I meet and with whom I work. The sacrifices these individuals make regularly and their devotion to education is constantly evident in all that they do. Unfortunately, many of them will never know just how much they are appreciated and admired. I'm referring to you, the 2nd grade first year teacher, the 6th grade social studies/language arts teacher, the 23 year veteran, the career and technical education lateral entry teacher, the 2nd year high school principal, the 15th year kindergarten teacher, the 9th grade healthful living teachers, along with 12th grade AP environmental science teacher, the special education teacher who spent your summer working on files, the media specialist who agonizes over how to provide all of your teachers materials, the three-peat retiree who cannot bring yourself to leave "your kids," and all of you in between. You are my heroes. You give me inspiration and encouragement. You and our students make me ask myself everyday, "How can I improve?" You make me want to be better than I was yesterday and even better tomorrow.

I write this blog, my very first, realizing that I am doing more than I could ever dream of before. Thank you.

Posted by Paige Elliott at 5:28 PM on August 20, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Mr. G and AYP

One of my life's defining moments came at the hands of my sixth grade PE teacher, Mr. Gagliardi*. He was the prototypical gym teacher--strong, super athletic, jock times ten--and he was someone who I looked up to immensely. The problem was that Mr. G hardly even noticed kids like me.

You see, I was definitely no athlete in sixth grade. Like many middle schoolers, I was struggling with my body in nearly every way. I was wrapped in baby fat that refused to go away and completely uncoordinated. I couldn't hit a baseball to save my life, couldn't make a basket even on a 6-foot goal, and hadn't done more than three sit-ups in three years. I was, to say the least, a physical wreck.

But it was my dream to impress Mr. Gagliardi. I wanted him to praise me in the same ways that he praised the stars of our school's gym classes--the kids who were always picked first because they were kickball phenoms and middle school prodigies. They held every building record and won Gagliardi's coveted "participation ribbons" at the end of each week for "exemplary athletic performances that we could all admire." My sole goal was to rise to the ranks of the wanted before the end of sixth grade.

So I started to really focus in gym class for the first time in my life. I was the first kid out of the locker room every day, stretching and running and shooting and jumping--even if I did look a bit goofy. When we did our weekly mile run--a task that I typically dreaded--I worked harder than I ever had. At first, finishing one lap was challenging enough, but over time I saw real improvements. By the end of March, I could almost finish the entire mile without stopping--a huge accomplishment for a fat kid!

My timing couldn't have been any more perfect because each April, every child in our school participated in the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Program--a national effort to raise awareness about the importance of physical fitness where a series of tests are taken and children who reach predetermined targets are recognized for their performance. The week that we spent working through this fitness testing was a time of tension and celebration at our school because it was the most important thing to Mr. Gagliardi. Kids with potential were pushed to place in the top performance categories and recognized as "high achievers" on the intercom by our building principal.

For me, Presidential Fitness week had always been a nightmare because I knew that I didn't stand a chance of placing in anything but the "substandard" performance levels. I'd leave station after station feeling like a failure. Sixth grade was going to be different, I decided. I was ready to run the mile--and while I knew that I wouldn't meet the "gold standard," I was pretty certain that I'd fall into the average range for the first time ever.

Mr. Gagliardi would have to respect that, wouldn't he?

The day of our run was simply beautiful--a brisk spring morning with lots of sun and dew-stained grass that soaked my shoes on the way to the track. I felt alive for the first time in a long time, confident that I'd accomplish something great. After getting an inspirational talk from Mr. G about the importance of demonstrating our abilities and taking this training seriously, we lined up for what I was sure would be a remarkable moment.

Gagliardi blew his whistle and we were off. As usual, the class spread out into pretty typical patterns--the athletic kids way out in front chasing school records and the kids who were growing into bodies and driven by endeavors beyond sports falling quickly behind. The only difference was that I wasn't walking yet! Instead, I was holding my own several strides ahead of where I'd usually be!

I could hear Mr. Gagliardi constantly calling out times as we circled the track, convinced that he was pulling for me. I tried to catch his eye each time that I ran by, hoping he would notice that something exciting was happening here. I just knew that he was going to be blown away by the improvement that I was showing because to me, I was doing it all for him.

My dream died shortly thereafter, however, when Mr. G blew his whistle unexpectedly. "Time!" he shouted, "We're done."

"But I'm not finished yet," I pleaded.

Turning away, Gagliardi broke my heart. "It doesn't matter, Billy," he said, "We've already figured out who the exemplary performers are and we've got to get back inside before class ends."

I'm not sure that I've ever gotten past that painful lesson delivered by a man that I admired. Despite incredible efforts and real growth, I left the track that day feeling like a failure. My motivation died and my resentment of the "top performers" grew to new heights. As I sat in squad lines watching the same kids get the same awards that they'd always received--and draw the attention that I craved from a teacher whose opinion mattered to me--I cried.

Mr. Gagliardi comes to my mind at about this time every year as the schools that have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind legislation are announced. Looking through simple lists identifying schools that have "met" or "not met" standards makes me remember my own struggles to meet predetermined, all-or-nothing targets of exemplary performance and to compete against kids who had physical advantages I'd never possess.

The same pattern repeats itself time and again in our country. Schools serving students with every advantage reach AYP targets easily and are celebrated as exemplars while others make extraordinary gains only to come up short and be publicly castigated as failures. Few take the time to read beyond the numbers and look for faculties that have moved children great distances. Those schools and communities feel the same frustrations that I did so many years ago, left to wonder whether their remarkable efforts are worth it.

Don't get me wrong--I believe that the rigorous standards set by the No Child Left Behind legislation have introduced a much-needed measure of transparency to schools. Before AYP, schools could be considered successful even when individual groups of children continued to fail. Today, we're forced to work diligently to meet the needs of every child--a responsibility that we should embrace as educators. High standards have always encouraged unprecedented efforts in Americans, right? That's a part of the collective fabric of our nation.

But as citizens, we must become more sophisticated before labeling schools as failures. Instead of basing our judgments on one indicator of performance--a questionable statistical practice at best--we should look carefully at what schools have accomplished by pairing the rigid targets of AYP with evidence of growth in all student populations. Our state system of accountability--the ABCs of Public Education--identifies buildings that are making real strides with students and provides a valuable counterpoint to federal rankings based on predetermined performance standards. We can also look at dropout data, graduation rates, attendance patterns and community satisfaction surveys to evaluate our schools--broadening our definition of what "successful" looks like.

By doing so, we might just uncover unlikely success stories and find reasons to celebrate in unexpected places.

*Not his real name.

Posted by William Ferriter at 11:55 AM on August 19, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: My '95 Ford Taurus

I gotta tell ya, my car is nothing short of Superbad! It's a white 1995 Ford Taurus--nicknamed "Turk-182" after an '80s movie, of course--that I picked up when the '93 Escort that I called "The Red Rocker" caught on fire over near Crossroads a few years back. I had that flaming wreck towed to the nearest dealership, told the first salesman I could find to dig up the cheapest car on the lot, and was introduced to what has become my personal battleaxe!

The front seats--bench-style...worn gray fabric...broken springs--feel like the barcalounger that I've never owned. Heck, I've even been tempted to set my TV up in the yard on Superbowl Sunday so I can watch the twelve hours of pre-game in a state of absolute nirvana. As long as you don't mind the occassional unidentified food stain, I guarantee that you'll have the ride of your life sitting in my passenger seat.

You'll also admire the utilitarian flavor of the ol' Turk. I still use keys to open the doors and the only security system I have is the "Protected by Smith and Wesson" bumper sticker left by the previous owner. My AM/FM/Tape Deck is also quite impressive--even if the only tape that I have is The Eurythmics' Greatest Hits.

Push locks and hand crank windows complete this automotive beauty--which often throw my younger cousins for a loop. "Where are the power windows?" they'll ask. "Right there at the end of your arms," I'll proudly reply, "They're called hands."

And no matter how much friends make fun of my car, I resist the temptation to trade it in for something "new and improved." The Turk may not be whizz-bang compared to the leather-seat sporting, DVD playing, keyless entering, OnStar supported vehicles that surround me on the Parkway, but it's reliable times ten. It starts every morning, doesn't have any internal computer malfunctions (were there internal computers in the early '90s?), and is of absolutely no interest to car thieves.

Sweet dreams are definitely made of this!

As I was driving home the other day, I got to thinking that many experienced teachers are--in a lot of ways--just like my Ford Taurus. We're certainly just as reliable, working hard without much recognition. Teachers are "make-it-happen" kinda' folks, taking students from point A to point B without needing any "Tom-Tom" to point us in the right direction. Instead, we rely on an internal navigation system honed over years of experience.

The experienced teacher--just like the mighty Ford Taurus--has been an American workhorse for a long time now. We might not be terribly flashy, but we carry the nation on our backs each day. Pull us out of the fleet and millions will struggle to succeed.

That's admirable stuff for sure!

But in a world that's racing towards a poorly defined and rapidly changing future, our workhorses need some spit-and-polish in order to keep up! Experienced teachers can't ignore the reality that we're not preparing kids for a tape deck tomorrow any more. Instructional practices have to change--and they have to change fast--in order to ensure that students leave our schools with the skills necessary to succeed in a globally competitive world without boundaries.

No where is this need for a tune-up more necessary than in classroom uses of technology. While the web is increasingly becoming a tool for collaboration and communication, it remains an online encyclopedia in most classrooms. PowerPoint instead of streaming video dominates presentations and Word documents instead of wikis are the tool for "creation." Our students come to us connected and we pull the plug as soon as they walk through our doors.

This just isn't good enough---and I'm often left to wonder what will it take to drive meaningful change in our classrooms while respecting the reliable.

Do teachers need additional technology professional development or access to reliable classroom computers to invest efforts in innovation? Does the pressure of preparing children for high-stakes tests discourage teachers from delivering content digitally? Are fears about Internet safety and the reliability of online resources too great to encourage teachers to trade in trusted textbooks and worksheets?

Don't get me wrong---I love my Ford Taurus just as much as I love my favorite instructional practices. Both are incredibly comfortable and easy to get around with. In a strange sense, they're trusted friends. But someday, my Taurus is going to quit on me. And when I step into Turk 2.0--complete with standard features that I can only dream of right now--I'll probably kick myself for not replacing the ol' girl sooner!

The same regret fills me each day that I see teachers turning away from powerful classroom uses of technology.

Posted by William Ferriter at 2:49 PM on August 11, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: My Assessment Nightmare!

Are you ready to be shocked?

I'm willing to openly admit that until I started to work with my learning team at Salem Middle School, I hadn't even really looked at the standards for the subjects that I was expected to teach! Instead, I taught topics that I knew other teachers in my subject area had been teaching---or that were listed in my set of classroom textbooks. Over the course of 11 years, I'd developed a pretty comfortable pattern of instruction based on a strong understanding of what I'd done in previous years and a remarkably weak understanding of the standards set by the state.

And I'm supposedly an "accomplished teacher?!"

That all changed for me when I began working with my professional learning team. You see, one of the only requirements that our first principal had for our teams was one found in DuFour's first book on Professional Learning Communities: We had to develop common assessments that would be delivered in each of our classrooms. That simple requirement forced us to have conversations that we'd never been forced to have before.

Together we began by wrestling with what content was essential to teach---standardizing the implemented curriculum across our hallway (often for the first time) and pushing our team to really think about what it is that students were supposed to be learning. For our group, that led us to look carefully at the state standards for our subjects in ways we'd never done before!

It was almost amazing (Read: Embarrassing) to find out that the lessons and units we'd been teaching for so long didn't directly fit the standards expected by our state. What we found early on was that units we'd spent months delivering were only a small part of the state's intended curriculum while concepts that we breezed over were emphasized.

Take Ancient Greece and Rome, for example. The only thing more certain than death and taxes is that sixth graders love mythology. There's something about dudes with lightening bolts and rivers of fire that captures their imagination in a way that few subjects can. Another truism is that teachers love any subject that kids love---so our unit on Ancient Greece and Rome ran for almost 10 weeks! We made temples, ran mock debates, practiced Socratic seminars, read myths---Heck, I'm pretty sure that I even threw on a toga once or twice.

It was a great unit that the kids enjoyed----and I'm sure they learned tons of essential standards and skills both in language arts and social studies----but spending so much time on Greece and Rome meant we never got to study much of South America before the end of the school year, even though it is a part of our standard course of study. What's more, we over-emphasized the history standards of our social studies curriculum---of which there are 2---and under-emphasized geographical objectives like the movement of people and ideas and the links between economic resources and quality of life---of which there are 41!

These "discoveries"---which many wrongly assume are a fundamental part of the fabric of any teacher's preparation or professional experiences---came only when we started to develop common formative assessments. For the first time in over a decade, my work with students was focused and efficient.

Oh yeah, and I was teaching the intended curriculum set out by the state for sixth graders too!

Common formative assessments also pushed our team into meaningful conversations about what mastery looked like----which, strangely enough---is something that teachers never have to consider while working in isolation. Instead, "mastery" for us is often defined by the standards of individual classroom teachers rather than by an external set of expectations informed by multiple perspectives.

I guess our team really was no different than most schools where teachers work in isolation, though. There has always been an incredible variance between what mastery looks like across the classrooms of any building where I've ever worked. My personal favorite was always the "easy A" teacher that students loved to get because they knew that they could do little while making the honor roll. While those students were satisfied with their scores, they were being fooled into believing that they'd mastered essential skills.

And even though I felt strongly that those teachers were failing students as much as they were fooling them, I never started a conversation about what mastery looked like with anyone. That's kind of a taboo subject in schools steeped in isolation. Teachers rarely question the professional judgment of other teachers----and take great offense when it happens to them! As a result, the best interest of kids is often overlooked.

How's that for scary?

Now, conversations about what mastery looks like happen all the time on my learning team---and while they are challenging and time consuming discussions that we don't always look forward to, they're incredibly important. Essentially, we're "forced" to come up with common definitions of mastery----increasing our own "assessment capacity" and introducing some measure of standardization across our hallway. I am a more reliable judge of student performance now than ever before because I've carefully considered what excellence looks like through the multiple lenses of my peers.

Now don't get me wrong-----our team still struggles to develop assessments that we think are reliable measures of student performance. That is a very real---and very disconcerting---capacity gap that must be addressed before the full benefits of common assessments and professional learning between peers are realized on our team. Like most educators, we've had little training in how to develop assessments that are tied to state standards and that are appropriate for the skills that we are attempting to measure.

We know we're supposed to deconstruct standards---but we don't know how or have the time built into our day to learn. We know that certain skills and behaviors are best measured by performance tasks---but we don't know which ones they are. We know that there are certain processes for identifying trends and drawing conclusions from collected data---but we don't have the tools to sort through the mountains of data that we have available or the training to know where to begin.

We remain, in many ways, an assessment nightmare!

But the process of developing common formative assessments has benefited our students immensely because the instruction that we're delivering today is directly connected to state standards. What's more, we continue to have regular conversations about what students should know and be able to do----and about how we will know when those skills have been mastered.

In the end, those conversations are the "value added" product of teacher teams collaborating around common assessments. While it may seem difficult to quantify the impact of "conversations," just stop by my room someday and I'll show you the standards that I'm addressing in the lesson that I'm teaching----which is something I couldn't have done five years ago!

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:56 PM on July 27, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: No Place I'd Rather Be!

Things are in full swing over at the Salem Middle School right now. We're one of Wake County's newest year round schools, so teachers have been in the building since July 2nd and students on tracks 1, 2 and 3 arrived on July 9th. I'm supposedly one of the "lucky ones" who was assigned to track 4--highly desired because it closely matches the traditional school calendar--but I sure don't feel lucky!

In fact, I'm feeling a bit left out because everyone else has already begun the school year. My friends think I'm crazy because I just plain can't wait for my "summer" to end this week. Day one for me can't come soon enough!

You see, there's something special about the beginning of a school year, no matter when it arrives. In the workroom, mental energy surrounds the initial efforts of teachers working together to plan out a year's worth of learning. New materials fill classrooms as supply orders for different subjects arrive each day. Neighborhoods wait in anticipation of letters from the school revealing team assignments--and phone lines come alive with calls between friends as soon as the mailman leaves.

The scene at school during the "first week' is always the same. Sixth graders with freshly cut hair and brand new clothes walk through the door struggling to carry backpacks overflowing with supplies. Nervous and excited all at once, they search the hallways for familiar faces, run frantically at the fear of being late, and follow every rule for the last time all year. Classrooms are silent as students look their schedules over and over again to be sure that they're in the right place! Innocent smiles and honesty define our youngest students.

Seventh graders stroll around during week one, reveling in the fact that they're not sixth graders anymore! Full of brash confidence, they spread harmless and humorous rumors on the bus about "the sixth graders who were stuffed in lockers last year" or "the thousand-pound backpacks they were forced to lug by the mean and evil teachers who lurk in every classroom on the sixth grade hallway." Everything about seventh graders--from their mannerisms to their music--shouts, "LOOK AT ME...DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M BECOMING!" A growing independence and developing sense of self envelops them, binding them with a spirit that is simply fun to watch--a reminder of what it means to be young.

My favorite group, however, are our eighth graders. Having grown into themselves, they seem at ease with one another and self-assured for the first time in years. They seek out favorite teachers quickly--not because they need our approval or because they're trying to impress us, but because they enjoy being mentally challenged and having conversations with adults who care. They're curious about the world and introspective all at once. They understand that school is serious business--but enjoy learning because it reaffirms their faith in their own abilities.

My own feelings race during week one. I'm excited to get to know new students and families, exhausted from the daily demands of a difficult job, sad to learn about students who've moved away, frustrated by combination locks, energized by peers who are brilliant, and completely jazzed when I cross paths with former students who I love. "How are your new teachers?" I'll ask.

"Not as good as you were, Mr. Ferriter!" they'll say, selfishly making me smile.

Days are often a whirlwind where I have to remind myself to breathe. There are papers to pass out and procedures to introduce. I've got to establish classroom rules and routines without boring my students--no easy feat when thirty eleven year olds are staring back at you! Kids will cry and need comfort. Others will worry themselves over homework that hasn't been given and panic out of fear of new situations. Some will miss the bus. Some will be late to class. Some will forget their lunch. Some will fail a quiz.

But through it all, I'll beam because I'm back to school--and there's really no place I'd rather be!

Posted by William Ferriter at 7:18 AM on July 24, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: "School Choice" in Denmark

In response to my recent journal entry about Danish day care and preschool, a reader left the following comment:

"You left out the fact that Danes have competition in schools and school choice as a contributing factor in their school success (outperforming US children.)"

And he/she is right: School choice is a core element of Danish culture! In fact, that's something that I admire greatly about Denmark's system of education. Parents can choose to send their child to any school that they want.

Period.

The only exception kicks in when a school already has more than 24 students per classroom at a particular grade level. At that point, administrators have the right to turn students away. Another interesting difference is that most Danish students are assigned to schools within five miles of their homes. As a result, most families are happy with their "neighborhood" school.

It would be inaccurate at best, however, to argue that school choice is a "contributing factor" in the Danish system's ability to "outperform" US children. Instead, Danish students seem to "outperform" US children only because international comparisons are often statistically skewed.

You see, Danish children---with the guidance of their parents and teachers---make a pretty important life decision in the ninth grade. They essentially select a track for their continuing education. About 50% of Danish students move on to a "classical" high school education that mirrors the high school education given to every student here in the States. Children who select this track are essentially stating their intention to move on to university studies after high school is complete.

The other 50% choose between basic and advanced technical education tracks---and Denmark offers a wide range of technical education choices to students who decide that college isn't in their future. Danes can choose to pursue careers in fields ranging from hair care and food service to mechanics and advanced computer support. There are something like 20 different technical tracks offered to students who aren't motivated by "higher education."

Now don't get me wrong---I'm really impressed by Denmark's commitment to offering vocational education to students. In fact, I think it is one of the major gaps in our system of education. Because of the Danish commitment to vocational education, almost 98% of Danish students "graduate" with some form of training that they can use to make a living.

Compare that to American high schools, where a little over 60% of our students "graduate."

But it also means that international comparisons of "high school students" are impossible between America and Denmark because of our nation's commitment to sending every child through the classical high school experience that only 50% of Danish children complete. International tests measure students of all ability levels here, yet only measure the top 50% of Danish students---a mismatch that we'll statistically "lose" every time!

School choice is definitely a part of the Danish education system that I think we could learn lessons from----but it doesn't explain why Danes "outperform" Americans on international measures of student success.

Statistical sampling is the reason for that gap!

So I guess the central question we're left with is are our efforts to provide every child with a traditional high school education noble? Should we expect nothing less in a world that is becoming increasingly "knowledge" driven, drifting away from the day when vocations were worthy pursuits that could support families?

Or are our efforts to provide every child with a traditional high school education a gross mistake and a grave injustice to children who are not inclined to pursue "higher education?" Are we leaving children behind by not offering options to those who are uninterested in our definition of a "worthwhile" career?"

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:56 PM on July 14, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Those Happy Danes!

As many of you know, I just returned from a week long visit to Denmark where I had the opportunity to explore a country and culture that varies greatly from our own. Perhaps the signature difference is that Denmark is a social welfare state. Residents--committed to the idea that everyone should have access to services like healthcare and preschool--pay almost 50% of their salaries in taxes that are then used by the state to fund a full complement of social benefits for all Danes.

Many of the most interesting benefits impacted the lives of Danish children---and they begin at birth, when mothers are allowed a full year of leave from their work at 90% of their salaries to care for infants. Fathers also have impressive leave benefits, including two full months that can be taken over the span of a child's first six years. As a result, the city streets are full of young families spending critical time together as their babies begin to grow.

When children turn one, most are enrolled in state run preschools as mothers return to work. (There are very few 'stay-at-home' moms in Denmark.) Parents pay little for these services---the wealthiest families are charged $200 per month---yet the quality of care remains impressive. Preschool teachers are trained and certified much like classroom teachers and a defined curriculum is delivered to all age groups.

Clearly these benefits have economic motivations---Denmark has to encourage child-birth in order to continue to fund its system of social welfare. New tax payers are essential to a society that is so dependent on the government for services.

But I wonder if these benefits are bettering the lives of Danes at the same time. Do you think that young married couples worry less about starting families, knowing that child care costs won't consume their personal incomes? What impact would this have on the quality of life in Denmark? Do you think that relationships between parents and children are stronger because moms and dads can spend significant time bonding with newborns?

Would providing a structured preschool experience delivered by trained professionals to all children have positive benefits on the future success of Danish citizens? How do you think such services impact a child's readiness for elementary school? Could this universal access to a service that many can't afford in America explain why Danish students often outperform children in our classrooms?

Could support for new families and structured preschool experiences explain why Denmark is regularly ranked as one of the "Happiest Places on Earth?"

Interesting questions, huh?

Posted by William Ferriter at 7:40 AM on July 8, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Jazzed to Call Wake County Home

In a 5-4 decision that is sure to change the face of public schools in America for years to come, the Supreme Court ruled this week that race cannot be used as a factor in student assignment decisions made by districts in Seattle and Louisville. The move---supported by Chief Justice John Roberts as a "way to stop discrimination on the basis of race"---is sure to drive conversations in hundreds of municipalities about what we value most in education.

Many will argue in favor of neighborhood schools where assignment is determined by geography---and few would deny that neighborhood schools have distinct advantages: Families can build a long term relationship with a school and its teachers that can translate into happy children and a valuable sense of continuity that is somewhat lost when students attend schools far from their homes. Having grown up in a neighborhood school that I loved in Western New York, I know just how valuable that sense of belonging can be!

From my perspective as a classroom teacher, however, neighborhood schools have distinct disadvantages as well. The biggest weakness is that not all neighborhoods can provide the same level of support for their schools. In communities wracked by poverty, students and teachers regularly go without the additional resources and attention generously provided by parents in wealthier suburbs despite facing almost overwhelming social and economic challenges.

This makes teaching and learning far more challenging in some neighborhoods than others---and only exacerbates the teaching quality gap that sees poor children taught by inexperienced or underprepared teachers far more frequently than students of wealth. Simply stated, schools serving large numbers of children living in poverty rarely have strong cores of highly adept teachers---and have little capacity to attract them.

This is why Wake County's longstanding policy of using socioeconomic factors to assign students and diversify schools has drawn national attention and regard. As a community, we have sent the strong public message that every child deserves access to highly accomplished teachers regardless of personal circumstances. We've chosen to set aside personal interests to ensure that healthy schools exist in every neighborhood across our county. While at times we question our commitment to a practice that can seem disruptive, we've held true to a core principle that we should be proud of.

And the results have been nothing short of extraordinary. Despite ranking in the bottom third in per pupil spending in our state, we are constantly one of the top performing districts academically. Few of our schools struggle to serve students even at a time when external accountability measures see districts statewide coming under criticism and rebuke for leaving students behind. Nationally, we are one of the top performing large districts in the country year after year.

The credit for this success is shared by committed families who extend learning for their children beyond the classroom and a committed electorate that continues to support educational policies that place the needs of the entire community in front of the needs of the individual.

For all of those reasons, I'm jazzed to call Wake County my home.

Posted by William Ferriter at 8:08 AM on July 1, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Denmark's Brilliant Idea?

So I'm scrambling around this morning trying to pack for what promises to be one of the most interesting weeks in recent memory for me: As of 7:00 tomorrow morning, I'll be travelling to Denmark as a part of a teacher travel experience sponsored by a great organization here in North Carolina called the Center for International Understanding. I'll be spending my time in Copenhagen exploring the education system, economy and government----and sampling food from every local restaurant that I can find!

In preparation for the trip, I've studied Denmark pretty extensively. One of the most interesting features of their education system (besides free college education for everyone---intrigued yet?) is that students spend their first six years in school with the same teacher and classmates. It's the ultimate "looping" program and is designed to build a sense of community and continuity in classrooms that can be used as leverage for learning.

So what do you think? Is this something that you'd be motivated by as an educator? What barriers would you have to tackle in order to effectively work in such a setting? What barriers that exist in your current work would be removed?

If you're a parent, does this kind of continuity resonate with you? Would you be jazzed that your child had the chance to stay with the same classmates and teacher for an extended period of time, or do you value the opportunities that our schools provide for children to work with new people each year? Would remaining with one group of peers build long lasting and irreplaceable relationships---or would they limit the social growth of children in a world that is already too isolated to begin with?

If you're a student----and some of mine have grown in the habit of reading these entries!---would you enjoy being with the same teacher or students for YEARS?! How would that time make your school work easier? Would it make life less interesting? Do you enjoy getting to know tons of new people or does changing classes each year just make you work harder to "figure out the routine?"

While I won't be able to reply anytime soon----I'm planning to spend the entire week exploring---I'm interested in hearing what you have to say and will be sharing your thoughts with my travelling partners.

Adios----because I haven't learned goodbye in Danish yet.....

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:40 AM on June 15, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Learning from Dobyns

Over the past five years, I've enjoyed reading the somewhat regular columns written by West Johnston High School Kenneth Dobyns that have appeared in the Q section of the News and Observer. This week's column was no different, celebrating the completion of Dobyns' fifth year in the classroom.

While it may seem strange to celebrate five years in a profession, teaching is different because reaching five years in the classroom is a rare occurrence. Here in North Carolina, the percentage of teachers who successfully complete their first five years sits at just over 45%.

Those numbers are even more alarming in schools serving high percentages of students living in poverty---and they greatly impact the ability of a community to deliver a consistent program to the children in their care. After all, teaching is dependent on human capital. When teachers walk out the door, so does hard-won know-how developed only through experience.

Particularly interesting in Dobyns' piece was his description of the challenges that drive educators from the classroom. He writes:

"I still work three jobs to make ends meet, alternating my nonteaching hours between grading SAT essays and doing forest entomology research at N.C. State. I still watch as unmotivated teachers who are simply going through the motions get their checks as regularly as I do. I still encounter testy parents...[and] groan as well-meaning administrators ignore teacher input and institute ill-fated reforms."

While I have experienced each of these challenges during my fourteen-year career, the issue of teaching salaries was what resonated the strongest with me this morning. You see, even after earning a Master's degree and National Board Certification, I too work two or three part time jobs to make ends meet---and those efforts leave me personally and professionally exhausted.

Dobyn's second sentence---I still watch as unmotivated teachers who are simply going through the motions get their checks as regularly as I do.---highlights a central challenge that education must address in order to raise the likelihood that accomplished educators remain in the classroom. Current salary structures provide no incentive for teachers to excel. While determination and commitment leads to tangible monetary gains in other professions, our best teachers are not rewarded regardless of how effective they are or how hard they work.

Part of solving this challenge rests in defining what "accomplished teaching" looks like. How important are tangible results like standardized test scores in teacher evaluation? Are they more important than intangible results like developing a child's confidence or character? Can we tease out the impact of a range of educators on one child's growth? Do social factors like poverty and parental support outweigh contributions of committed educators?

Difficult questions, huh?

And questions that we've avoided answering for too long. Instead of wrestling with the traits that define accomplishment, we reward everyone equally. This simplistic solution ignores something that we all inherently know---that some educators are more effective than others.

Perhaps the Milken Foundation---a group that advocates for alternative forms of teacher compensation---says it best. One of their repeated taglines is, "Teachers are fairly compensated. It's just that poor teachers are overcompensated and good teachers are undercompensated." Retaining our best educators will require that we make a committed effort to redefining teacher compensation.

Posted by William Ferriter at 8:35 AM on June 10, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Moments Filled with Memories

I've spent the better part of the past 8 months growing to know and to love my students. Like thousands before them, this year's group has inspired me time and again with their wit, their humor and their desire to know more. Watching their efforts always reminds me that our world is a wonderful place and it rests in the hands of some pretty remarkable people.

But with end of grade tests over and the school year winding down, things are a bit strange around my classroom. We're busy packing up materials, collecting books, and cleaning corners long left forgotten. There is a real sense of ending...and I don't know how that makes me feel.

What I do know is that I'm not very good at endings. Saying goodbye has never been something I've looked forward to and this year is no different. When the bell rings closing school on Thursday, I'll start wondering what will become of the 90 kids who were in my care---and worrying about whether I've done enough to prepare them for a future that is poorly defined and rapidly changing.

That sense of wonder and worry is what I think defines the best educators across our county. We're wholly invested in the lives of your children and want nothing but to serve them well. We recognize and accept the responsibility that comes along with the title of "teacher," humbled by the opportunity that walks through our doors each day, month and year.

While our work can sometimes leave us wanting, the relationships that we share with students are at once more than we could have ever imagined and impossible to forget. When we find time to sit still and silent, our thoughts drift and we simply remember.

As an educator, moments filled with memories are what I value the most.

Posted by William Ferriter at 6:48 PM on June 3, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Powering Down for School

I was doing a little searching over at TeacherTube today---looking for resources to post in a new website that Wake County's Department of 21st Century Learning is creating as a warehouse of resources for teachers interested in using digital tools with students---when I came across a presentation that argued in favor of introducing digital elements into classroom instruction that included the following interesting facts:

1. Only 28% of 12 grade students who graduate believe that school is meaningful.

2. Only 21% of 12 grade students report that their courses are interesting.

3. Only 39% of 12 grade students believe that what they learn in school will have any bearing on their success in life.

Those facts should serve as a wake-up call to any educator that hasn't changed their instruction to meet the interests of students who have grown up connected. So should this quote from a high school student cited in the presentation:

"When I go to school, I have to 'power-down'."

Are we holding our students back by resisting change and refusing to become more "tech-savvy?" What barriers prevent us from becoming the digital educators that our students need (and want) us to be? How many students will we fail to reach before we recognize that it is time for us to change the way that we "do school?" Do students of poverty suffer the most because they have fewer opportunities to learn using technology beyond the schoolhouse?

Interesting questions, huh?

Posted by William Ferriter at 12:04 PM on May 26, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Thoughts on Testing

It certainly is a big week in classroom across Wake County where students in most elementary and middle schools are taking the North Carolina End of Grade exams. Few would argue that standardized testing has taken on a new meaning in today's schools as decision makers are increasingly interested in seeing test results used as a measure of student success and teacher evaluation. "High Stakes" is almost an understatement when describing end of grade exams considering that students can be retained---and schools can be punished---based on final results.

I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Unlike many teachers, I can see several positives in our state's standardized testing program. Most importantly, EOGs have brought a measure of transparency to the work of schools. Our state spends billions of dollars on education and has the right to hold schools and teachers accountable for results. EOG scores are a tangible product that can be used to judge outcomes and to make comparisons.

Standardized tests have also brought some measure of "standardization" to the curriculum that students are exposed to in classrooms across North Carolina. "Teaching to the test" is a very real phenomenon as teachers tailor their instruction to align with the content most likely to be covered by end of grade exams. This consistency allows us to ensure that the intended curriculum---that which has been crafted by our State Board of Education---is actually implemented in classrooms. Before testing, topics covered from room to room varied greatly depending on a child's teacher.

My fears about testing, however, are many.

First, I often wonder whether the content that we are testing is the knowledge that our children will need to know in order to be successful in a rapidly changing future. End of grade exams are limited in scope, tending to test discrete facts and knowledge that can be easily assessed in a multiple choice format. In a time when new content is being created at an almost blinding pace, how can we be sure that what we are asking kids to learn today will not be obsolete tomorrow?

I also worry that testing has narrowed the curriculum for our children. In just the short time that I have been teaching, I've seen class periods in social studies, science and the arts cut dramatically as schools work to make more time for language arts and math---subjects that draw the majority of testing attention in North Carolina. What's more, teachers tend to narrow their work with students, focusing on direct instruction of tested skills. The inventive thinking that has defined our nation is being drilled out of students who are being prepared for the rigid structures of standardized tests.

What's most alarming, however, is that society as a whole has put great stock in the validity of standardized tests as an assessment tool. Insted of recognizing that student learning is a complex and nuanced "product" requiring multiple measures over longer periods of time, we rely on one exam given on one day in one month to tell us whether or not our students have "learned" and our schools were "successful." We make the sophisticated simple without even considering that our assessment tools may be flawed.

Don't get me wrong: I understand---and appreciate---the role that testing plays in education. In many ways, I'm even ashamed that testing is necessary. Had educators accepted the responsibility for ensuring that every child left school with the knowledge and skills to be successful, perhaps the "accountability" movement wouldn't have been necessary at all. In a sense, our profession has failed to police itself and the quality of our work has been called into question.

But testing has its limits---60 multiple choice questions given in a timed, high stakes setting cannot meaningfully measure the sum total of a child's "growth" over the course of an entire school year---and those limits are being overlooked in our rush to quantify the work of schools.

Posted by William Ferriter at 9:27 AM on May 22, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Relationships Matter

A friend who works in a profession outside of education dropped me an email the other day somewhat exacerbated by the continuing "failure" of public schools to compete on the international stage. "What will it take," he asked, "For American schools to get something right?"

My first reaction was to go on the attack. After all, I think American schools are getting a lot of things right and that millions of educators are working diligently for the children in their care. Often working long hours with limited resources, we change lives. To imply otherwise is misguided at best.

But as I sat and thought about my reply, I realized that there is far too much "attack" in education already. We're never far from a heated debate, and controversy swirls around every corner. Consensus is rare and critics rarely take the time to build partnerships with one another. Casting stones has become the new order of reform---whoever shouts the loudest wins, it seems---and that limits our ability to effectively serve students.

Turns out I'm not alone in my frustration with the negative tone of educational debate. Noted expert Roland Barth has been writing about the importance of relationships between adults in education for over a decade. Perhaps my favorite Barth quote comes from his book Leading from the Heart:

The relationship among the adults in the schoolhouse has more impact on the quality and the character of the school--and on the accomplishment of youngsters--than any other factor... Among adult relationships in schools, that between teacher and principal is decisive. I have found no characteristic of a good school more pervasive than healthy teacher-principal relationships.

In much of his subsequent work--including this interview with the Journal for Staff Development--Barth goes on to argue that every relationship between adults interested in the success of children is vital to academic success. Interactions between well-intentioned adults must be open and based on a commitment to conversations:

"Conversations have the capacity to promote reflection, to create and exchange craft knowledge, and to help improve the organization. Schools, I'm afraid, deal more in meetings--in talking at and being talked at--than in conversation...

By conversations I mean a dialogue characterized by mutual respect, time to really talk and reflect, active and nonjudgmental listening, the development of shared meaning. But the work of people in schools doesn't lend itself to such conversations."

Barth goes on to argue that the single greatest skill necessary for school change is the ability to listen. He writes:

"One precondition for a good conversation, of course, is having something to say. But a big part of conversation is listening, and I don't think we have very sophisticated listening skills in schools. When someone talks, we are too often waiting for him or her to run out of gas so that we can jump in and get our airtime. It's important that we be respectful of what each individual has to say...

Conversation is much more equitable and satisfying when people talk and listen in roughly equal amounts and there is little posturing regarding who is the superordinate and who is the subordinate.

Thinking back over my own career in the classroom, I realized that Barth was right. Having strong opinions and a loud voice, I've tried to drown out competitors more than once when advocating in favor of a particular position or idea. I'm almost a pro at waiting patiently for others to "run out of gas" so I can get my "airtime." While I may have won more than my share of arguments, the victories were phyrric, often causing more damage than benefit.

But I also tend to take an extremely logical approach to life. Realizing that my influence was limited by my inability to develop positive working partnerships with "opponents," I've started to look for shared ground when facing a school-based conflict. While working towards resolution tends to take longer--and while my competitive desire to "win" still gets in the way every now and then--I've been a part of several exciting changes that started from dissent.

I think the work that I've done as a member of a professional learning team has taught me that differing viewpoints aren't something to be feared. Instead, the collective wisdom of the group of teachers that I meet with regularly is far more valuable than the individual ideas that any one of us brings to the decison making table. Conflict is inevitable, but through commitment to one another--and to our mission to ensure that every child succeeds--our conflicts are embraced as levers for positive change.

So I chose to take a different tone in my reply to my friend's criticism. "Schools in America will finally get something right," I said, "When all of its stakeholders realize that relationships matter more than ideas."

Posted by William Ferriter at 11:54 AM on May 13, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Relying on Altruism

In response to my recent entry on why teachers quit, one of my readers left the following feedback comment:

I'm tired. As a high school principal, I tell teachers who sing this sob story that no one held a gun to your head when YOU applied for a teaching job. I teach teachers that our jobs are lonely, thankless, and always criticized, and that thick skin is necessary to do this job. If it were easy, everybody who quit our profession would still be a teacher.

Another reader wrote:

In my eyes, you are paid to inspire. What this means is that you are to make kids want to learn, and you are also to show kids the beauty of life. You would do it for free, if you could. If not, then you shouldn't be in education. I tell teachers this all the time. I am a principal at an elementary school, former 6th grade teacher, and I know that you feel the same.

I've heard people make these kinds of comments often over the course of my career and each time I feel a sense of great shame and embarrassment for voicing concern about my work. "They're right," I'll think, "I did choose this job and I should love it completely. After all, I get to work with children and change lives."

And in many ways, our work IS incredibly rewarding. The children that I make lifelong connections with continue to inspire me and keep me coming back year after year. Few who have served in classrooms would ever deny that teaching is truly something meaningful that is worth holding on to.

But turnover rates that remain staggeringly high indicate that education is--in some way--a flawed profession. We continue to lose almost 50% of all new teachers before their fifth year despite years of attention to the issue. The costs of this turnover---especially for students in our most challenging schools---are many: Lack of consistency in instructional programs, lack of hard-won experience based on an understanding of unique student populations, and repeated exposure to underprepared educators top the list.

The good news is that the solutions are becoming increasingly clear: Reducing class sizes, providing more time on the clock to fulfil professional responsibilities, investing in the most accomplished administrators, and empowering teachers to be more involved in school level decisions have all been noted as essential factors by teachers surveyed here in North Carolina and nationally.

My worry is that society over relies on altruism when staffing our schools. By dismissing the concerns of teachers as "sob stories," we ignore barriers that must be addressed if we ever hope to see schools succeed. Esoteric phrases like "You would do it for free...and if not, you shouldn't be in education," weaken our ability to respond to realities that chase teachers away.

In the end, it is essential to remember that this conversation isn't really about teachers at all. Instead, it is about the success of children. Until we can create the kind of profession that attracts and retains the brightest to our classrooms, we will fail in our efforts to ensure that every child has access to a highly accomplished teacher.

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:59 AM on May 7, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Career and Technical Education

Typing, Shop, Home Economics, and Industrial Arts are relics of the past. Those classes served us well during the Industrial Age, but we are in a different age now, and the curriculum has changed drastically in an attempt to keep up with the ever-changing world in which we live.

The old Vocational Education program taught manual skills primarily for entry-level jobs in an industrial job market. The current Career and Technical Education (CTE) program prepares students for highly-skilled 21st Century careers, and promotes life-long learning, emphasizing the need for continuous upgrading of knowledge and skills for an evolving world economy.

CTE serves all students, regardless of their post high school plans; four-year college, community college, technical school, military service or direct to the workforce. Many CTE courses earn honors credit, and many earn advanced placement college credit. Students can earn professional certifications in areas such as computer programming, network administration, automotive service, nursing, and CPR while still in high school.

CTE is biotechnology, digital communication systems, network administration, strategic marketing, entrepreneurship, interior design, biomedical technology, e-commerce, computer network engineering, scientific and technical visualization, pre-engineering, and so much more.

If you are still envisioning students building birdhouses and baking cookies, then you need to see the ever-evolving Career and Technical Education programs that we have in Wake County. We are preparing all students for life in the 21st Century.

Call the Career Development Coordinator (CDC) at your nearest middle or high school and arrange for a visit. You'll be glad you did.

School-to-Career of Wake County is preparing every student to make knowledgeable career choices.

Posted by Chris Droessler at 11:17 AM on May 4, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Construction Career Day 2007

Almost 300 students from many of the Wake County high schools participated in the 2007 Construction Career Day at the NC State Fairgrounds on May 1.

Students from across central North Carolina met with construction personnel to discuss careers and participate in hands-on learning experiences.

Students rode on personnel lifts (like a mini elevator), papered and shingled a roof, learned the complexities of climbing harnesses, wired electrical outlets, and tried their hand at welding. The outdoor exhibit area was a large field of heavy equipment typical to a construction site. Students operated bulldozers, backhoes, front-end loaders, and a giant construction crane.

"It's a great opportunity for our students to talk to construction personnel about careers and discuss the education pathway for those careers." said Craig Pendergraft, Senior Administrator for Career and Technical Education. "This event gave students hands-on experiences in real-world situations that they can't get in a classroom."

Over 50 businesses participated in Construction Career Day. This included several community colleges as well as Habitat for Humanity. The construction businesses benefit by interacting with their future employees.

More information about Construction Career Day.

Pictures from Construction Career Day 2007

• Indoor exhibits
• Personnel lifts
• Construction
• Roofing
• Welding
• Wiring
• Heavy Equipment - part 1
• Heavy Equipment - part 2
• Heavy Equipment - part 3
• Heavy Equipment - part 4
• Heavy Equipment - part 5

School-to-Career of Wake County is preparing every student to make knowledgeable career choices.

Posted by Chris Droessler at 10:17 AM on May 3, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Learning to Figure Skate...

I've been thinking a lot lately about how to best stimulate student thinking. The passionate educator in me wants to believe that open-ended learning experiences where students explore topics and wrestle with interesting questions are the best way to encourage inventive thinking. I often chafe at the restrictions that standardized testing have introduced to my classroom, simultaneously defining and limiting the content that we can study and preventing the detours that inevitably occur before students make independent discoveries.

But I've also grown frustrated with gaps in knowledge that I would consider to be common. Basic facts that I assume children will bring to my classroom are rarely understood by all. Questions testing essentials such as the parts of a sentence, the date that the Declaration of Independence was signed, the three branches of government, and the multiples of 5 are often greeted with blank stares or nervous giggles.

Hoping to find some answers to the cognitive dissonance that stood between what I wanted education to be versus what I knew was essential for success, I asked my digital friends in the Teacher Leaders Network the following question:

Do you think that we should restrict student thinking to ensure that there really are some "basics" that we know that every child will be able to parrot easily? Does an overemphasis on encouraging inventive thinking lead to a range of "knowledge-bases" in classrooms, making instruction inefficient because teachers are constantly forced to back track before they can address their own curriculums?

An even better question: Is the kind of inventive thought that we all hope students will engage in even possible without a solid understanding of foundational knowledge that might be best learned through drill and practice? Does every subject have a collection of "basics" that are essential for simple fluency with the topic that can be taught in a "formulaic" way? What role does forumlaic thinking play in being able to refine and revise new ideas?

Susan Graham---a friend teaching middle schoolers in Virginia---gave me permission to share her genuinely brilliant answer with you:

When answering this question, I always look at figure skating as an analogy. We all like to watch the really good skaters but no one enjoys watching bad figure skating---just like no one enjoys reading bad Haiku poems!

Sometimes in a rush to get the free skate expressive program we forget that:

1. We build on basics: Figure skaters start with skating figures, not triple jumps. We often set expectations for creative thinking without providing sufficient knowledge on which to build. The results are likely to be poor quality, the skater is likely to become frustrated, and improvement is likely to be pure change.

2. Practice is necessary: Good skaters hone their skills to the level of automaticity so they don't have to think "Now which foot should I take off on and which one do I land on?" Skaters quickly learn to simplify their program when they are struggling.

When we push kids to apply skills before they have some level of mastery of "the basics," we just frustrate them. When we don't take time to go back and reteach for mastery, we increase the risk of failure.

3. Creativity involves a lot of failure: Skating looks so nice that it is a shock to watch a skater take a bad fall. We forget that we only watch the most skilled who are performing at their best. It takes a tough coach and a detached parent to watch a skater hit the ice and the wall time after time and say, "Get up. Get over it. Try again."

We may be unwilling to ask this of students and even it we are, parents may not support it. We want happy well rounded kids and may not really want them to pay the price of creativity.

4. Creativity comes after proficiency and requires focus and commitment: Even the most proficient skater may lack the passion and focus to put their skating first and the coach or parent ought to honor the skater's decision about how far he or she choses to go. It may be unrealistic to expect every child to care about being creative and expressive.

We have an obligation to equip our students with the skills to discover their own passion and creative outlet. We need to provide the tools, to show our students the possibilities, to leave the door open and to encourage them to go through it.

But we frustrate them and ourselves if we insist that everyone ought to attempt a free skate program when some of them just want to get to the other side of the ice to pursue their own goals. They may see something on the other side that we missed. Maybe their passion is to drive the Zamboni with skill and accuracy.

We ought to honor that direction rather than try to push every child out on the ice in a costume.

Posted by William Ferriter at 7:29 PM on April 21, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Paying Teachers Differently

Maria, a colleague of mine who is considering a career change, unintentionally hit me with some pretty stinging words the other day. After I asked her why she wanted to leave teaching she said, "Honestly Bill, I don't want to end up like you. You work incredibly hard and yet you get nothing in return for it. I'm not sure that I can ever match your motivation when it goes unrecognized and unrewarded. I just don't know how you do it."

It was then that I realized how drastically expectations of younger generations of educators are changing. No longer is unparalleled job security, a defined benefits pension plan, and guaranteed incremental salary increases a "selling point" for our profession. Instead, these traditions--hard won and often intended to provide protection in what was once a profession dominated by women--are seen as roadblocks to genuine satisfaction.

We've entered an era where employees are willing to change jobs frequently. Few young professionals enter the job market with the intention of finishing their careers with the same companies that they start with. This flexibility is essential for success in a world where the jobs of today are often gone tomorrow.

Today's workforce expects something more out of professional compensation plans. Differentiation based on individual achievement has become commonplace in professions beyond education, rewarding top performers and serving as a motivator for employees who are driven to excel, who are willing to accept additional responsibilities, or who are willing to tackle challenging assignments. Private industry appeals to our most accomplished individuals because it makes a conscious effort to recognize excellence.

As a result, education struggles to hold on to talented teachers who understand the value of their work and who recognize that they are being undercompensated for contributions simply because they don't have years of experience or additional degrees. This disparity stands out and grows frustrating to millions of Marias working in today's classrooms. Simply stated, they want teacher pay to be based on performance.

But defining accomplishment in education remains a barrier to developing reliable alternative compensation plans resulting in a litany of failed "merit pay" programs over the past 100 years. Most are simplistic--rewarding teachers for results on standardized tests or for filling a limited number of predetermined leadership positions--struggling to earn the respect of educators.

That's why I was so excited to have been selected as a co-author of a recent report titled Performance Pay for Teachers: Designing a System that Students Deserve. Joining 17 other incredibly accomplished educators, I spent almost a year engaged in reflective conversations led by experts in the field like Dan Goldhaber, Bradd Jupp, Mark Simon, Ted Hershberg and Art Wise.

Our work reflected the complexity of our conversations. Informed by years of diverse experiences, we offer suggestions for designing professional compensation systems that respect the reality of the work that teachers do each day. Strategies for rewarding teachers in four broad categories are explored:

1. Rewarding teachers who help students learn more.
2. Rewarding teachers who develop and use new knowledge and skills.
3. Rewarding teachers who fulfill special needs in the local labor market.
4. Rewarding teachers who provide school and community leadership for student success.

In the end, I'm proud of what we've created and expect that it will stimulate important conversations about professional compensation in communities across America. Only when we have created new systems for rewarding teachers can we effectively meet our responsibility for ensuring that all children have access to accomplished educators.

Posted by William Ferriter at 4:16 PM on April 15, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal: Bit of the Morosini in Me

Being the ultra-responsible, rule-following wonder-geek that I was as a child, I never struggled with grades in elementary school. My work was always completed with care and neatly stored in my binder to be turned in the next morning. Much of it was wrong (I've never been the world's smartest fella), but it sure looked good sitting on the teacher's paper pile.

You see, I learned early on that teachers loved a neat and colorful piece of paper almost as much as they loved a quiet kid who liked to raise his hand and read quietly. I rolled through first through fourth grade, racking up gold stars and candy bars at every turn by following two simple rules: 1. Add glitter to your paper whenever possible and 2. Be quiet and smile a lot when the teacher is talking. I had every teacher hoodwinked, that's for sure. "Billy is a model student," my weekly memos would say. "If only every child were like him."

My bubble of perfection was popped by Mrs. Morosini, my fifth grade teacher, who was a legend in our building, having made students cry for generations. Being assigned to Morosini's room was a curse you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy because she was quick with the criticism and brutal with the marking pen. You were almost always guaranteed to end up with your first D or F on an assignment, project or report card no matter how hard you worked---or colorful your papers were.

The woman seemed purely "glitter-resistant." Time and again, I'd pretty up my papers real good and they'd still come back covered with corrections. Morosini had this uncanny knack for finding errors, and took a great measure of satisfaction in pointing them out to me!

"Billy, your sentence structure is unacceptable in this paragraph. Please redo it and submit it again," she'd write. "Billy, please correct all nineteen words circled in red, writing them ten times each and turning them in by Friday." The most painful barb: "Billy, this paper is beautiful, but it is horribly written. It must be redone."

By the end of the first quarter, I realized that passing Morosini's class wasn't going to be easy. Rather than run and hide from the challenge, the rebel in me somehow found its way to the surface. I started spending dozens and dozens of hours working on homework, thriving on the challenge of turning in error free papers. Something registered in the back of my mind that perfect schoolwork was Morosini's worst nightmare, and that's what I aimed to give her.

I'd like to play the role of conquering hero and say that I made straight As by the end of the year...but I didn't. I always seemed to be tottering on the line between Bs and Cs. "This work is average," Mrs. Morosini would say to me time and again, "and average is a C." The few papers that did earn me an A in fifth grade remain in my "cherished things" box stored under my bed. My wife thinks I'm crazy because I read one of my essays over every now and then, remembering the day that it was passed back mark-less!

For probably twenty years, I cursed Morosini at every turn. "Meanest woman who ever walked the planet," I would tell people. The only good part of that year in purgatory was the hero status that went to survivors of her classroom in our town. "That guy had Morosini," people would say when they introduced me to new friends in middle school.

Looking back, however, Mrs. Morosini was probably the only teacher during my entire school career brave enough to tell me (and more importantly my parents) exactly what my strengths and weaknesses were. That feedback, however callously delivered, allowed me to focus on areas for improvement. At no point did I have to wonder what I needed to work on, that's for sure!

And while there were moments of discouragement for me during my year in her classroom, there was also a real sense of accomplishment each time that I met her incredible expectations. Self esteem in Morosini's room didn't come from an artifically inflated grade given to me because of who I was. It came from knowing that I was learning new skills and getting smarter as a person.

As a classroom teacher, I've got a bit of Morosini in me. My students know that As require superior work and often earn their first Bs or Cs in my room. I'm quick to point out where they can improve and refuse to let crayons replace content while assessing ability. The grades that I deliver cause a few tears and a bit of heartache each year, but I stand by them as accurate reflections of a child's true ability compared to their peers.

Isn't that what "grading" should be all about?

Posted by William Ferriter at 4:12 PM on March 29, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Writing on the Job!

Daniels Middle School just hosted their Writers' Symposium, an event that showcases careers that students would not normally associate with writing.

The Writers' Symposium included two assemblies featuring a moderator and a panel of adults discussing their careers, specifically addressing how they use writing in their job. Ed Crump, a reporter with WTVD, served as the moderator. He did an outstanding job keeping the students engaged. The panelists included a veterinarian (Dr. Page Wages, Oberlin Animal Hospital), a fitness pro (Paul Baron, Director of Fitness at Carolina Country Club and owned a personal fitness company known as 'The Firm' that has gone on to become a national chain of fitness centers), a former NCSU & NBA basketball player (Chris Corchiani, Owner of DNJ Mortgage company), and a legislator (Ty Harrell, NC House Representative District 14). Ed Crump started the assembly by questioning the students about philosophers and writers. He then read the students two poems written by an author that nobody seemed to recognize. He later informed the students that the poet was the entertainer Snoop Dog, which surprised the students.

Sharing how writing is used day-to-day in a job was a real eye opener for the students. The last 15 minutes of each assembly was spent with Ed Crump in the audience letting the students ask questions. One student asked what each had originally wanted to be when they were in middle school. The panelists revealed that none of them were doing what they thought they would be doing when they were in middle school.

Feedback from the teachers and students was very positive. Teachers felt that there were a good variety of professions that interested the students, and the point was made clear that writing is extremely important in their jobs. The fitness pro said that his business would not be as large as it is today without grant writing. He is now writing a book and working on his doctorate.

For more information, please contact:

Susan Cherry
Career Development Coordinator (CDC)
Daniels Middle School
919/881-4876

School-to-Career of Wake County is preparing every student to make knowledgeable career choices.

Posted by Chris Droessler at 9:47 AM on March 28, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Wake High School Senior Meeting Online Mentor in Person to Job Shadow

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2007

Raleigh, NC-March 21, 2007 - Middle Creek High School senior April Ruble and Elizabeth Rochin, Clinical Manager for Rex Healthcare's Mother/Baby unit, will meet for the first time on Monday, March 26th after striking up a conversation on a Futures for Kids (F4K) online discussion board about nursing. The meeting will take place at 9:00 am inside the main entrance to Rex Hospital, after which Ruble will have the opportunity to shadow some of the hospital's nursing staff.

Last year Ruble, who is interested in a nursing career, posted some insightful questions on the career board at f4k.org and Rochin responded with her experiences in the nursing profession. Connections like this are the reason for F4K, which was created to bridge the gap between students' career goals and North Carolina's workforce development needs.

"It's a good program but also a lot of fun!" says Rochin about being a Career Coach. But she notes the benefits are a two way street, "Let's face it, we're looking at a nursing shortage of great magnitude. If we can even get one student to become a nurse, it's a success."

For schools, F4K tackles the 68% 4-year graduation rate in North Carolina by helping students understand the relevance of education to their future. Students with a plan are more successful and F4K not only provides them with resources and information about careers, but most importantly, access to real people and companies to help them create a plan for success that fits their unique interests and passions.

Currently, 44,000 students across North Carolina are using F4K, including 12,000 here in Wake County. More than 100 businesses are involved as well, including Rex Healthcare, which sees F4K as a way to reach the next generation of workers and make them aware of the opportunities available to them. For example, North Carolina is facing a severe labor shortage in the nursing field as the boomer generation retires. As of today, F4K has identified 505 students here in Wake County in 6th - 12th grade who have selected "Nurse" as a favorite career. Through F4K businesses can identify students who are interested in certain areas and encourage, inform and motivate them towards success.

Futures for Kids is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was created to bridge the gap between the hopes and dreams of our students and the workforce development needs of our communities. F4K is currently in 22 school systems across North Carolina, including every middle and high school in Wake County, and hopes to move statewide this year with the help of the General Assembly and businesses in North Carolina. For more information or to volunteer, please visit: www.f4k.org.

For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Cooper
Communications Manager
Futures for Kids
(919) 875-8885 ext200
rebeccac @ f4k.org

Gloria Lopez
Community Relations Coordinator
Rex Healthcare
(919) 784-4520 office
(919) 215-9828 mobile
gloria.lopez @ rexhealth.com

Betty Jo Wimmer, Ed.D., NCC
Career Development Coordinator
Middle Creek High School
(919) 773-3870
bwimmer @ wcpss.net

School-to-Career of Wake County is preparing every student to make knowledgeable career choices.

Posted by Chris Droessler at 3:18 PM on March 23, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Free Dogs and Climbing Octopi

Imagine a place where your dog can run free forever, living a stress free life and taking in cool ocean breezes while meeting new friends and frolicking all day. Supervised by trained "dogologists," your best friend will join almost 2,500 others who are learning to live again.

Does this sound too good to be true?

That's because it is! Dog Island (in the words of the website creator recorded in a disclaimer hidden in the fine print at the bottom of an otherwise impressive looking page), "was made in jest, for fun for love of dogs and for love of life....The only point for you on this website is to enjoy yourself. And if you don't enjoy yourself, you absolutely can NOT blame us for this lack of enjoyment - it is completely your fault."

Being convinced that the single greatest skill that today's student needs to learn is the ability to identify unreliable information online, I've started to share hoax websites like Dog Island with my students lately. We discuss ways that readers of online information can judge the sites that they are using as resources.

Our favorite has been an effort to save the endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Plagued by natural predators like domesticated house cats, bald eagles and Sasquatch, these loveable creatures are forced to pull themselves along "in a form of locomotion called tentaculation" to remain safe in their natural habitat: The evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest.

Sounds ridiculous, right? No middle schooler could possibly believe that octopi lived in trees, could they?

That's what I thought too until I read this study completed by the University of Connecticut. Apparently, they sat down with a group of 25 seventh graders identified as some of the "most proficient online readers" in their schools to see if they could spot the spoof in the "Save the Octopus" efforts.

Their results were alarming. "All 25 students fell for the Internet hoax; All but one of the 25 rated the site as very credible; Most struggled when asked to produce proof...or even clues..that the web site was false, even after the UConn researchers told them it was; and Some of the students still insisted vehemently that the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus really exists."

What implications does this have for parents and educators? What are we doing in our homes and our classrooms to help students swim through the digital soup that they are increasingly relying on for information?

Have we taken the practical steps necessary to teach children about how to use the Internet reliably?

If not, when will we start?

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:23 PM on March 15, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Free College Classes for WCPSS students!

Our Wake County Public School System students can take almost any course they wish at Wake Tech Community College for free, and that's just one way to earn college credit while in high school. Select from the following links to learn more about these exciting college programs.

Wake Tech has created some classes that are open only to our Wake County students. These are part of a Cooperative Program Agreement between Wake County Public School System and Wake Tech Community College. These classes may be held at one of our public schools or may occur at a Wake Tech location, or some another location. These courses earn both high school credit as well as community college credit.

Students may also take almost any course offered at Wake Tech. This is called Concurrent Enrollment. These courses earn both high school credit as well as community college credit. Students may not take a community college course that is offered at their high school.

There are over 60 courses offered in our high schools that can earn advanced placement credit at any community college in North Carolina. This is part of the North Carolina High School To Community College Articulation Agreement, which we usually refer to as the Articulation Agreement. Students must earn a certain final grade and use the credit at a community college within two years of high school graduation.

The Wake Early College of Health and Sciences is a small WCPSS high school located on the Health Sciences campus of Wake Tech Community College. This unique school allows students the opportunity to earn their high school diploma as well as an Associate degree in five years. This school is a personalized, rigorous, innovative high school themed around health and sciences.

These are some great ways to get part of your college education paid for, and a great way to accelerate your education, thereby jumping into your career earlier than your peers.

These community college credits may also be transferred to a four-year college or university. This would be a cost-effective way to start a Bachelor degree program, and maybe end up with a one- or two-year degree or certificate along the way.

For more information about our programs with Wake Tech, please see our Wake Tech Connections web page.

School-to-Career of Wake County is preparing every student to make knowledgeable career choices.

Posted by Chris Droessler at 8:51 AM on March 8, 2007 | Leave Feedback

The Importance of Deadlines?

A bunch of digital colleagues and I had an interesting conversation about one of education's greatest debates---Grading and the importance of holding students accountable for meeting deadlines---on The Teacher Leaders Network this week.

For many teachers, establishing rigid deadlines and applying stern consequences when those deadlines are missed is a part of teaching students responsibility. For others, teaching students about deadlines is important, but a measure of flexibility has to apply when working with students who are still learning to juggle multiple tasks and to meet expectations set by multiple "bosses."

Personally, I've wrestled with this issue for my entire career. Often, I'm accused of being too flexible with my grading practices and assignment deadlines. I've always seen the assignment as more important than the deadline, extending due dates in order to get quality work from students who have missing tasks.

And I've taken plenty of abuse for my position! "You're failing your students," colleagues will say, "because they aren't learning life lessons. There's no second chances in the real world!" Parents are often even more critical. "Your policy of accepting late work is unfair to my child, who never misses a deadline."

That's why I was so relieved when Rick Wormeli, author, educational consultant and fellow TLNer, shared the following thoughts on why flexibility is essential when working with students. I hope they will spark conversations between and among teachers and parents in your school or neighborhood:

"We are not teaching adults, we're teaching youth. The morphing humans we teach do not have adult-level competencies yet. To expect them to have their entire lives so together as to make everything work out in a timely manner is inappropriate. Students are messy as they grow, often taking 3 steps forward for every two steps backward.

The examples given for adults meeting deadlines such as working 12 or more hours in a day to meet a contract deadline, etc., are possible because these workers are adults. They have control over their lives, they know their bodies, they can re-arrange other things in their lives, and they can set aside some recovery time after the task is completed.

Our students have none of these options. They really can't re-arrange everything else in their lives, they can't stay until 10:00 at night at their school to work on things, skip out on taking care of their younger siblings if the parents are working evenings, or argue with the football coach to skip the state championship because they need to finish their essay on how cuneiform writing dramatically impacted the Fertile Crescent.

Students' physiology is changing which makes it hard for students to "read" their bodies. They can't go without sleep, and take time afterwards to recover from the long days. They are so egocentric in the now of the moment that they can rarely task analyze so well as to plan appropriately for how long something will take to complete, especially if there are many somethings.

Also, when we are late with things in the real world, there usually isn't a dire penalty. We're allowed to be late with taxes, appointments, and even proposals from time to time. Sure, it's a competitive world and in many situations if we are late we lose business...but again, that's an adult-level competency and situation. We're talking about students just learning how to organize their lives and complete tasks.

When students are late with something and we extend the deadline for them, we're not making things any easier -- we're making sure they learn the material. They have to handle the new, daily work while shouldering the burden of the late work. This isn't something they consider easy or good, and it's not going soft on the students. It's really holding them accountable: "You now have to do this week's tasks AND last week's tasks all within the same week."

The concern that other students who do their work on time will find this extended deadline unfair isn't really justified. They do not see doing double (and sometimes triple) the work as preferable. It's something to avoid. They're glad they don't have to make such sacrifices in their own lives, relieved at getting the work done on time. These students also appreciate that teachers are looking out for them, not just trying to catch them making mistakes, as some may view teachers doing.

Our students are imperfect beings, constantly mixing priorities, dealing with temptations, and often making the wrong decisions. If we arbitrarily declared that everything not completed by the identified date is an automatic F a lot of learning would go undone. Our commission is to teach so that students learn, not just present curriculum and blindly hold students accountable for it.

We teach in whatever way students best learn the material. The idea that each of our students learns at the same pace as everyone else goes against all we know about human psychology and the way the mind learns. We learn at different rates, and we become proficient at different rates. A lock-step factory model in which all students are timely with their tasks and learning is pretty close to malpractice, and it does not prepare students for the world beyond school.

We do a lot more for students by extending to them a compassionate ladder with which to climb from the hole they've dug themselves than we do by yelling at them from the hole's rim, "Just sit down there and try to become a better person while the rest of the world passes you by."

Posted by William Ferriter at 6:30 PM on March 3, 2007 | Leave Feedback

WCPSS School-to-Career Initiative Traveled North to Wisconsin

Megan Kirkpatrick, Business Alliance Coordinator, and Chris Droessler, School-to-Career Coordinator, recently did three different presentations at the 21st Annual National Careers Conference: Building Futures That Work in Madison, Wisconsin, on January 29, 2007. This conference is the "premier national conference focusing on all aspects of career development and education for work." Wake County's standing-room only presentations were well received by the other conference attendees.

The Wake County topics were:

• The Invaluable Partnership of Business & Education: Preparing the Next Generation of Productive Citizens
  
• Your Future is Your Decision: Teaching Students the Direct Connection Between the Law and Future Opportunities
  
• Using Current Career Data to Help Students Prepare for Careers that Will Be in Demand
  

Not only did Megan and Chris present, they also went to many marvelous sessions that were conducted by educators and other professionals from around the country.

Megan and Chris agree that this conference was the most fruitful of any they have attended. The information gathered at this conference will surely improve the quality of our world-renowned School-to-Career program.

Posted by Chris Droessler at 9:06 AM on February 27, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Technology's Saddest Condition

Ever had a desire to "live a bit dangerously?" Try voicing support for Wikipedia in a teacher workroom or library near you. You'll spark a passionate conversation about that won't be easy to settle!

The vast majority of educators don't trust what is quickly becoming one of the "go to" information resources for millions of Americans because it is the collaborative work of thousands of volunteer "experts" sharing their knowledge on topics of personal interest. Literally anyone can add to or edit a wiki.

This lack of trust--fueled by well publicized incidents of inaccuracies--has led some schools to ban the use of Wikipedia by student researchers. It has even led to the creation of Citizendium, which is being billed as "a more authoritative source of information" by its founder, Larry Sanger.

That's why I draw lots of strange looks when I present on how valuable wikis have been in my classroom instruction. You see, my sixth graders have generated nearly eighty pages of content covering topics ranging from conduction to Communism over the past few months. These pages have been collectively edited over 500 times by nearly every single one of my students.

This work has been remarkable in many ways. Perhaps most importantly, it has given my students the opportunity to be engaged as creators--rather than simply consumers--of online content. In a digital tomorrow, children will need to be comfortable with the collaborative power of the Internet.

As Nicholas Negroponte of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab recently wrote, "In fact, one of the saddest but most common conditions in elementary school computer labs (when they exist in the developing world), is the children are being trained to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint. I consider that criminal, because children should be making things, communicating, exploring, sharing, not running office automation tools."

And our classroom wiki has been incredibly rewarding for the children in my classroom. In a recent survey, 100% of my students reported enjoying wiki work and feeling a sense of pride in what we are creating and 91% agree that our wiki has made them more interested in current events and classroom content. As one of my students wrote, “I like the wiki the best because everyone can participate in it at home and no one is left out…Wikis provide instant access to great information--- and the info you are looking for is always there!”

Does our wiki suffer from inaccuracies like those found on Wikipedia?

Sure. (I did mention that my students are sixth graders, right?)

But that creates built-in teachable moments about the reliability of online information. "Can you trust everything that you find online?" I'll ask. "What do you do when you come across information that isn't supported by links to reliable sources? How do we decide what sources we can trust?"

My students understand that we all have a responsibility for contributing new information, checking what is posted and making corrections whenever necessary. Not only does this engage my children in practical reflections about what we're learning in class, but they also have the opportunity to reinforce writing skills in a meaningful way.

Perhaps the greatest testament to the power of our wiki came the other day when my students realized that the school year was coming to an end. "What are you going to do with the wiki in July, Mr. Ferriter?" they asked.

"I'm not sure," I responded. "What do think I should do with it?"

"Leave it open for us! Let's see what it looks like at the end of eighth grade," they answered.

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:58 PM on February 25, 2007 | Leave Feedback

Define Effective...

Here's an interesting question for you: How would you define the characteristics of an "effective teacher?"

That's a question I've spent the better part of 15 years trying to answer. Determined from the first day that I walked into a classroom to be a difference-maker, I've spent countless hours trying to "perfect my craft." While that has included a careful study of instructional practices, it has also included a careful study of children and an emphasis on relationships.

You see, I want to inspire as much as I want to teach. I want my children to see their abilities and to believe that they can accomplish mighty tasks. I want them to leave my room as good students, but more importantly...as good people.

And by many standards, I've been "effective." Parents and students constantly remind me that I have been important in their lives. Just yesterday, a dad dropped me a note to thank me for being a part of his son's life. "As always, we're thankful," he wrote, "that our son had the opportunity to know you."

But is that enough?

Am I paid to be an "inspiration?"

Is it possible to be memorable and unsuccessful all at once?

The reason that I wonder is because conversations around teaching quality are trending towards an overt emphasis on one's ability to produce results on standardized tests. In Houston, for example, teachers whose students scored well on last year's end of grade exams were called "the cream of the crop" last week---and awarded bonuses of up to $6,000. Also, a widely respected commission studying No Child Left Behind recently advocated for the use of standardized test scores to judge both principals and teachers.

So what if I changed lives in deep and meaningful ways, yet couldn't produce top-tier results on mandated exams? Would that cheapen who I was as an educator in your eyes?

Another thought: Would your decision depend on your role in the educational process? Do parents define effective differently than taxpayers, principals or community leaders? Do these differing definitions have an impact on our ability to "educate" children?

Interesting questions, huh?

I'm looking forward to hearing your answers.....

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:16 PM on February 15, 2007 | Leave Feedback

How "Net Smart" is Your Child?

One of the things that I often worry about as a teacher who is driven by technology is how to best introduce my students to the tools of tomorrow like blogging and podcasting while keeping them safe from the troubles that can be encountered online.

While there can be no doubt that the Internet is an incredibly powerful tool that students must learn to master in order to be literate citizens of the 21st Century, it can also be a dangerous place for unprepared children. That's why I was so excited when I came across Netsmartz, a website put together by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Netsmartz includes resources and information for parents and students across all grade levels. Most interesting to my classes have been a collection of videos targeted for use with middle school and high school students that talk about the dangers of unsafe Internet practices. Each video comes along with a companion "activity card" that serves as a viewing guide and a reinforcement tool.

Check it out--you'll learn valuable lessons regardless of how old you are!

Posted by William Ferriter at 2:49 PM on February 12, 2007 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 48: Thank You for Listening!

I've been putting this journal off for hours this weekend because it's the last that I'll write as the Wake County Teacher of the Year.

Isn't that amazing?

It seems like only yesterday that I wrote my first entry, beginning a weekly routine that I have honestly enjoyed. On a personal level, writing here has been a source of great pleasure for me. I've used my time behind the keyboard to reflect on my beliefs and to refine and revise my own thinking. It has been a quiet, creative process, feeding me and helping me to grow as both a teacher and as a leader.

Professionally, this forum has allowed me to spark the minds and hearts of all of education's stakeholders. It became clear early on that I was touching nerves as parents, teachers, business leaders and community activists left messages of support and criticism time and again. I checked my feedback comments every day to see how others had reacted to my thinking. Creating work that resonated with others was my single motivation and my greatest reward.

Having my ideas picked up by local newspapers and discussed on radio stations left me jazzed time and again. As a passionate advocate for educators whose email auto-reply has often been "Hear our Voices, Honor What We Know," lending a teacher's understandings to conversations defining our profession has been an opportunity that has given me great satisfaction.

Now, it is an opportunity that is ending and I'm feeling a strange sense of sadness. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with two extra hours I'll have now that I don't have a weekly column to create. I'll miss modeling writing for my sixth grade students and the chance to share their successes with you. I'll miss celebrating teaching and documenting what it is that we do each day. I'll miss the chance to speak out about challenges facing our district and to shape our direction in some small way.

What I am sure of, however, is that like every ending, my last entry marks a new beginning!

In the upcoming months, we'll have the chance to hear from other Wake County teachers, looking into their classrooms and learning from their experiences. I look forward to watching "A Teacher's Journal" continue to grow over the next few years and hope it will be joined by "A Principal's Journal," and "A Parent's Journal." Adding additional viewpoints can provide new perspectives, helping each of us to make informed decisions that are in the best interests of our children and our schools.

For me, all that is left to say is, "Thank you for listening!"

Posted by William Ferriter at 11:21 AM on May 8, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 47: Every Child Deserves Our Best

When I was growing up, I loved my neighborhood school. Northwoods Elementary in Western New York was a place where I felt safe, where my classmates were the same year after year, and where parents were actively involved as tutors and PTA volunteers. It was a place that neighbors could rally around and come together for events, building a sense of unity that spread across subdivisions and throughout our community.

The teachers at Northwoods were nothing short of outstanding. I remember being involved in creative activities designed by Mr. Nowak and Mr. Tribula. Mr. Earl, who was my band teacher, challenged me time and again. Our school was consistently recognized for academic success because of the commitment of our teachers to continual growth, to one another, and to their students.

There was a feeling of belonging at Northwoods, and no one --teachers, parents, or students -- ever wanted to leave. I wouldn't have traded my time there for anything and I still drive by it when I'm home simply to remember. Every time I smile and get chills --sometimes I cry because my memories are so powerful.

What I couldn't have known as a child was that not all schools were like mine. I couldn't have known that there were schools on the other side of town where families struggled with poverty, and where those struggles bled into classrooms in the form of almost insurmountable personal and academic challenges for children.

As a child, I never knew that there were homeless children or families that couldn't provide basic supplies like books and calculators for their sons and daughters. No one came to my school cold or hungry. No one had moms and dads who couldn't help with homework at night because they were busy with their second (or third) jobs. I would never have guessed that there were children who had never been to a museum or who didn't visit the library every week.

And you know, I'm not sure anyone in my neighborhood knew how hard it was for teachers working in these other schools. Their days were demanding. Not only did they bear responsibility for teaching basic skills like reading and mathematics, they struggled to help students facing a myriad of disadvantages in buildings that were crumbling and in communities that didn't have the social power or financial resources to support them. There were fewer Mr. Nowaks, Mr. Tribulas or Mr. Earls in these schools -- and all but the most self-sacrificing left after a few years, looking for jobs in communities like mine.

What I know now is that these same challenges face teachers in many North Carolina schools today. Students of poverty need significant amounts of individual time and attention in order to master skills. To do this job well takes long hours and incredible personal sacrifice. As one of my colleagues working in a North Carolina high-needs school recently wrote, "We constantly all stay late and go home exhausted from strategizing and planning for our students. Even small changes can collapse our fragile house of cards some days."

As a result, high-poverty schools struggle to attract and retain accomplished educators. Despite what we know about the impact that quality teaching has on student achievement, students of poverty are still less likely to be taught by our best educators than students of wealth. Often, even when teachers feel strongly called to these schools, they cannot find the critical mass of like-minded professionals they need to build a community committed to excellence. Working in high-poverty schools often proves to be too demanding for all but the most committed members of the teaching profession.

How can we bring change to high needs schools? How can we ensure that an accomplished teacher works with every child in North Carolina?

The answer is both obvious and elusive -- By making schools of poverty places where accomplished teachers want to teach.

We need to begin by ensuring that our highest needs schools are led by our most accomplished administrators. When principals work to develop a positive relationship with their faculties, the entire school benefits from the sense of collegiality. As researcher Linda Darling-Hammond has written, effective school leadership has a "magnetic" effect, attracting accomplished teachers who are searching for environments that will allow them to reach their peak performance level. Data from the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Survey supports Darling-Hammond's assertions -- fully 30% of our state's teachers cite school leadership as a significant factor in their decision to stay or to leave their current buildings.

We can also provide accomplished teachers with the professional flexibility to do what it is that they do best: identify needs and then design instruction tailored for the students in their classrooms. Rigid attempts to control the work of teachers in high-needs schools chase away motivated educators who thrive on the mental creativity of the act of teaching. As another colleague recently wrote, "If I'm allowed to utilize my teaching expertise -- to draw from what it is that I know will engage and stimulate my students -- then students will achieve at levels that no one could dream of. It is only when I'm hampered that I can't do what it is that I do best."

We can provide additional time and training to teachers in our highest needs schools and communities. Meeting the academic and social demands of children living in poverty requires a set of skills that few educators -- regardless of level of experience -- are prepared for. Opportunities to engage in high quality, teacher-driven professional development during the course of the school day and year will help to ensure that teachers in high needs communities experience success with economically and culturally diverse student populations.

We can restructure high needs schools as learning communities where collaboration is valued and encouraged. Our most accomplished practitioners are dynamic and thoughtful, driven by a desire to examine and perfect their craft. Fear of stagnation is great, causing especially proficient teachers to seek out settings where professional growth is valued and where teachers have ample time to work together with a shared sense of purpose and commitment. Schools with poor working conditions rarely have a strong core of highly adept teachers and have little capacity to attract them.

Finally, we can reconsider the use of external accountability models that result in schools of poverty being labeled "failures" in the eyes of the community. We do little to emotionally reward teachers who work in high-needs buildings and our current bonus system is loaded in favor of teachers in less demanding schools. Such systems only serve to demoralize teachers and to discourage them from accepting difficult assignments.

Looking back, I'm challenged by my neighborhood school experience. Sometimes I wonder, "Was I successful only because my parents were able to move into the right home in the right neighborhood with the right school?"

Neighborhood schools worked for my family but who did they fail? Wouldn't every parent -- if they could -- have chosen to move into my neighborhood? I don't know the answers to these haunting questions, but I do know that we have a responsibility to all children.

Meeting that responsibility will require that students of poverty attend outstanding schools with accomplished teachers -- just like I did. Meeting that responsibility will require creative thinking and additional support for high priority buildings and communities. Finally, meeting that responsibility will also require that education's stakeholders -- parents, teachers, policymakers and community leaders alike -- commit our best energies to an effort that is too important to overlook.

Posted by William Ferriter at 1:17 PM on May 3, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 46: Political Arithmetic

My students are intrigued by Evo Morales, Bolivia's recently elected leader and self-proclaimed "nightmare for the US." We've tracked Evo's rise to power over the past several months, fascinated by his unpredictability and his disdain for wearing suits when meeting world leaders!

Also interesting to my students was the fact that Mr. Morales was the first indigenous candidate to ever be elected leader of a modern South American nation. We talked about the vast differences in the economic standing of the native people in Bolivia and the descendents of European settlers. We compared the lifestyles of native Bolivians to Native Americans, and imagined a day when a Sioux, Iroquois or Lumbee Indian would rise to the top of the political world in America.

While somewhat frightened by the links developing between Morales and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela (who has turned us off with his unrelenting criticism of the United States), the majority of my children thought that it was neat that a native Bolivian had become president. They truly believed that Evo would do great things for the indigenous tribes of his nation and that representation for the poor was not only fair but also essential.

That belief led to one of the most interesting lessons I've taught all year. During one of our classroom current events, I introduced students to an article titled "Bolivian President Halves his own Salary." (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4652940.stm) As we read through the story, we learned that during his campaign, Morales had promised to cut his salary -- if elected -- in half to symbolically "share the burden of the poor." What's more, he had promised to use the savings to increase the number of doctors and teachers in his nation. True to his word, Evo had cut his salary by 57% -- to $1,800 a month.

My students were enamored with the decision, instantly convinced that Morales had a depth of character unmatched by the world leaders of other nations and were ready to start a letter writing campaign to President Bush, Governor Easley and Senator Dole calling for cuts in the salaries of America's elected officials in order to pay for more teachers and doctors here! "See, he really is a good guy Mr. Ferriter," they argued.

On the surface, my students were right. Morales had certainly made what appeared to be a courageous decision in the interest of helping the people of his nation. My children were making a critical mistake, though. They were accepting a statistic as convincing evidence without digging below the surface. and that was a mistake that I wasn't about to allow them to make! We've worked hard this year to look critically at news articles and to ask challenging questions before making decisions.

"Guys, before we can truly know if Morales is truly interested in 'sharing the burden of the poor,' what else would we need to know?" I asked. "I mean, Evo's claims sound really good, but should we just believe everything he's saying without question?"

Ideas started to fly immediately. "We'd need to know how much the poor really make in Bolivia," James* answered.

With a little online research and some simple math we learned that even after cutting his salary, Evo Morales would be making almost 23 times as much money per year as the average Bolivian -- who makes $960 dollars annually. "Wow Mr. Ferriter, he's making twice as much every month as most people make every year. That's not sharing the burden of the poor," one child noted.

"Yeah, but I'll bet that George Bush makes tons more than the average American does too. Can we look that up now, Mr. Ferriter?" asked Anthony*

What we found destroyed the warm feelings that my students had developed for Mr. Morales. You see, while President Bush's annual salary of $400,000 sounds relatively impressive compared to Evo's, it is still only 10 times as much as the $42,000 that the average American earns annually. Annah* summarized the thoughts of the group when she said, "He's ripping his people off but looking really good while doing it! That's not sharing the burden of the poor!"

This discovery was almost electric to my students! They were completely jazzed to learn that people could use statistics to paint tarnished pictures of reality. It was a lesson that I'm sure they will remember for years to come and it was a significant step towards becoming a critical consumer of information that I'm glad that I was able to facilitate.

What I worry about is that far too many Americans have yet to make this discovery. Our tendency is to read a statistic and to accept it without question. We have an almost dangerous level of blind faith that a numerical representation of reality holds an undeniable level of truth. As a result, our ability to make informed decisions is greatly compromised by the differences between what we believe to be true and what is reality.

I see evidence of this all-too human weakness in the misuse of education statistics nearly every week. Consider the recent conversation that one of my colleagues had with a neighbor who passionately argued that Wake County didn't need any additional funds to build schools because of the new education lottery in our state. "You got your lottery," she stated, "So you won't get another dime from me. I'll never vote in favor of a bond. Period!"

What she failed to understand was that the lottery in North Carolina is likely to generate a total of $400 million dollars statewide this year. Of that $400 million, Wake County is likely to get $9.2 million dollars. While $9 million dollars is not an insignificant amount of money, it is less than half of the costs of building one elementary school ($23 million) and in a county that adds over 6,000 students a year, it is woefully insufficient!

National education statistics are no less immune to misinterpretation. A good example is the growing wave of panic building (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2006/01/04/16engineer.h25.html?querystring=engineering%20graduates) behind the idea that the United States is losing its competitive edge in engineering to China and India. While numbers vary depending on how you define "graduates," fair comparisons have the US trailing China by over 200,000 engineers annually -- 137,400 to 351,500.

Looking only at these numbers would give anyone a reason to pause. But when you take total population into account -- China has over 1.3 billion citizens while the US has slightly fewer than 300 million -- is there any surprise that China leads in the number of engineering graduates? Using simple totals for comparison, it's likely that China leads in every category of graduates -- and probably in dropouts too!

I'm also constantly frustrated by the overuse of rankings as a common form of statistical comparison. They are quick and easy numbers that people immediately accept as true -- and they make for great headlines! Take SAT scores for example. Would a headline reading "North Carolina ranks 41st in the Nation on the SAT college entrance exam" get your attention?

Technically, that statistic is accurate (http://www.midwestsites.com/stellent2/groups/public/documents/pub/mws_am_ed_000924.hcsp). In 2005, our state's 1010 SAT score was only better than that of nine other states. Should we begin ratchet up the pressure on our high schools? Many would argue yes!

When you look closer though, you'll notice that out of the top twenty-five ranked states, only two tested more than 30% of their high school seniors. In Iowa (the top ranked state with a 1204 score), only 5% of seniors took the exam. How would that affect comparisons with North Carolina, where almost 75% of our high school seniors took the exam?

Gerald Bracey traces the origins of the term statistic in his new book Reading Educational Research (http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00858.aspx). What he found was fascinating to me: "In seventeenth-century England and France, some people took to collecting numbers that they thought reflected the health of the state....They came to be called statists and the numbers they collected were first called political arithmetic and then statistics."

Political arithmetic seems to be a painfully appropriate description of the way that statistics are being used in today's world! Regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum, writers are resorting to the careless use of numbers to influence people's opinions. Partial truths that support a particular viewpoint have become the norm, muddying the quality of conversations that communities can have about essential issues.

We have an obligation to work through this bias to determine the truth before rushing to critical decisions -- especially when considering the performance and the needs of our schools!

Posted by William Ferriter at 8:35 AM on April 24, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 45: The Power of Professional Conversations

I am an outstanding teacher. Period. End of conversation. My college professors told me that I was, my students over the past 12 years have told me that I was, and my administrators have told me that I was. Who am I to argue?

And if you haven't already figured it out, I struggle with humility. I like being good at what I do and I feel that I've earned the right to be confident -- all right, confident times ten -- because of the time and energy that I have invested in my own professional growth. The countless hours of reading and reflecting have given me the unique ability to be right about 99 percent of the time when it comes to professional decisions.

But I was wrong the other day -- incredibly wrong. What's worse is that I was wrong about something that I was pretty sure that I was right about! Confused yet? Let me explain.

For the first time in my career, I am working in a school that is functioning as a professional learning community. We are committed to looking carefully at our instructional practices with the goal of pinpointing what works with our students. When we identify the best of what we are doing, we try to amplify that knowledge by sharing it.

A current focus for my professional learning team (which consists of 4 other sixth grade language arts and social studies teachers) has been on the best ways to engage children in challenging classroom conversations. We have decided that we want our students to be active creators, rather than passive recipients, of new understandings.

In the course of our planning meetings, my colleagues had proposed that we begin to use Paideia seminars with our students. I almost choked when I heard the idea proposed and switched almost immediately into attack mode!

You see, over the years I've grown to see Paideia as an educational buzzword. I'd heard about this wonderful "innovation" nearly ten years ago. After sitting through some terrifically ineffective staff development sessions and watching some even more ineffective seminars carried out by well-intentioned colleagues, I'd made up my mind that Paideia was something that my students could live without.

As we planned, I threw every objection that I could think of out immediately. "Students can't effectively moderate their own conversations," I argued. "The students in the outer circle are completely disengaged during seminars. What's more, the size of the inner circle allows students to sit and do nothing." My teammates, however, didn't budge.

"If the teacher has to sit on the sidelines during the conversation, who is going to challenge the students' thinking?" I continued. "What's more, who is going to challenge their incorrect statements? What are we supposed to do...allow kids to talk about incorrect information for 50 minutes? What damage will that do to their understanding of content? I just don't buy this Paideia stuff," I said at the end of a very difficult planning meeting.

That's when the women that I work with went into a full court Paideia press that would have made Mortimer Adler and Socrates himself proud! For a week, I found copies of articles about the value of seminars in my box. I got email from colleagues in other departments about how successful seminars could be. My principal dropped a copy of The Paideia Proposal in my box, and most incredibly, my assistant principal's mom (a staff developer in another county that uses Paideia regularly) contacted me to offer support.

When my team continued to stand against my position, the real truth came out: "Besides," I said, "I have a better way of doing classroom conversations." My stand against Paideia had little to do with any real understanding of the practice. My stand was based on my belief that the classroom conversations that I had been conducting for years were effective and on my unwillingness to change something that I was comfortable with.

I was stuck at an important crossroads. I really enjoy the collaborative work that we have been doing in our building this year. I believe in the power of sharing best practices and know that if we are to succeed as a learning team, each of us has to reexamine what it is that we have done for years -- including me. We have to trust one another and be willing to take risks.

And that is what I decided to do. I took an instructional risk. I read as much as I could about Paideia (although I still refuse to use the term...to me, Socratic Seminars are less "buzz-wordy"). I listened to how my colleagues implemented seminars and looked at the materials they used with their classes. I asked countless questions from teachers that had finished their seminars. "Did it work?" I wondered. "Were the kids in the outer circle bored? Were the kids in the inner circle able to carry the conversation? What about your low-performers?" I probably spent 20 hours thinking about that one lesson.

When the day of my first seminar came, I was still doubtful. I knew that I had prepared my students for the format of the lesson and had done as much as I could to prepare myself. I had all kinds of contingency plans in place. I knew what I would do if the kids weren't able to moderate their own conversation. I knew what I would do if the outer circle looked bored and I knew what I would do if kids started to argue or share information that was inaccurate.

But none of those things happened! My students greatly enjoyed our seminar and were able to do all of the things that I was convinced that they wouldn't be able to do. They engaged each other in meaningful ways, questioned their peers and worked together to examine content and create knowledge without me! In the past month, we've done two additional seminars with even more success, and I'm officially a self-professed Paideia convert!

I've taken some friendly abuse from my co-teachers lately. They love to remind me of my ardent anti-Paideia position any chance they get. And I'll admit, I've been humbled. I'm not used to being wrong, you know. But what I'm most amazed by is the realization that if I had not come to my current school, Paideia would never have become a part of my instructional practice.

In the traditional schools where I spent the first 11 years of my career, teachers were isolated. While they might occasionally share ideas and talk about what they are doing in their classrooms, there is no formalized expectation that teachers will work together to identify and amplify best practices. Each individual makes decisions, over time falling into predictable patterns using strategies that they are comfortable with.

Professional learning communities are different. Teachers agree to work together to examine and to reflect, collaborating in ways that are often foreign in our profession. The focus of teacher learning teams is on identifying what works for students. Shared knowledge is valued above all, and teachers have to be willing to open their practice to review and revision. This collaboration leads to growth and to change -- even in those of us who know that we're right -- and holds great power to reform what happens in our schools.

If PLC's have the power to improve the instructional practice of our most accomplished and experienced teachers, hasn't the time come for all schools to begin functioning as professional learning communities?

Posted by William Ferriter at 11:31 AM on April 17, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 44: One Teacher's Point of View on Year-Round Schooling

I got an interesting phone call this week. A reporter got me on the line and asked, "So I've been following your blog and haven't seen you write anything about year-round schools. How do you think most teachers will respond to the possibility of a large-scale conversion to year-round education in Wake County?"

Talk about a challenging question, huh?!

Even though I've worked on a traditional calendar for my entire career, I wasn't sure I even knew where to begin. After all, I'm only one teacher with one point of view that is heavily influenced by my life-circumstances. I'm not a parent yet, I'm deeply committed to teaching as a profession, and I've got 17 years until I can retire! Each of those factors shape the way that I look at all issues. I'm certainly not capable of speaking for teachers who find themselves at different points in their lives or careers, but personally, I see many advantages in the year-round schedule.

First and foremost, I believe that year-round calendars provide a built in opportunity to offer remediation experiences for students struggling to master basic skills or enrichment opportunities that extend learning for high-achievers. In many ways, I wonder if we've limited our capacity by holding to a 180-day school schedule designed for an earlier time. Whether offered by the school system or companies interested in capitalizing on a new market, intersession academic programs hold real promise. They may also create new opportunities for teachers to supplement their incomes, addressing a major concern that many young teachers have with a year-round schedule.

I also know that by the end of each school year, I'm mentally and physically spent from the grind! Believe it or not, teaching is demanding work. We are constantly "on," working with roomfuls of children who each bring their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Finding ways to individually tailor instruction to each child is our most important -- and difficult -- task. As one of my colleagues recently wrote, "We constantly stay late and leave exhausted from strategizing and planning for our students. Even small changes can collapse our fragile house of cards some days." As a result, I think the built in breaks provided by a year-round schedule would extend my career in the classroom.

When I look at three-week intersession periods from a teacher's perspective, I see other opportunities as well. What if interested teachers could choose to work 11-month contracts and spend time engaged in meaningful professional development over the course of these "breaks"? Could we build the intellectual capacity and human capital of our system in this way? I know that I'd jump at the chance to examine and perfect my craft throughout the course of a school year and add a month's pay to my salary at the same time!

Are there weaknesses in a year-round schedule for teachers who are used to a traditional calendar?

Sure.

We need to consider the needs of specialists and physical education teachers who often automatically become twelve-month employees when schools are converted. Teachers in these positions don't enjoy the same opportunities for time off as core area teachers and serve increased student populations as well. Burnout and increased turnover rates for these experts are a very real threat that cannot be underestimated.

We also need to ensure that there are ample opportunities for faculties to work together to build a shared sense of purpose and commitment. Without a unified vision and direction, schools will struggle to produce the kinds of gains that we have grown to expect in our community. Because there are few times that all staff members in a year-round school can work as one, extra attention will have to be paid by administrators to developing a strong core of faculty leaders that can bring continuity to the teachers of different tracks.

Other details are also essential to address. Teachers must be guaranteed the opportunity to work on the same track as their children or spouses. While this may pose initial challenges because of the number of teachers involved, to do otherwise would be a significant issue. Colleges must adapt too, developing continuing learning opportunities tailored to the changing schedules of educational professionals. A change that will affect thousands of school employees is bound to have other "ripple effects" that will require flexibility and creative thinking to resolve as they arise.

All in all, though, I'm convinced that Wake County's traditional-calendar teaching force will approach any changes in scheduling with a sense of optimism. Collectively, we will adjust and continue to provide the high-quality instruction that has drawn national attention to our system over the past decade.

Now how will parents or taxpayers respond to a large-scale conversion to a year-round schedule?

That's a blog for someone else to write!

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:10 PM on April 10, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 43: Marty Berry

I was a pretty typical 15-year-old boy, I think. On the outside, I was a hard-working, studious well-mannered kid. I did my homework, participated in class and followed the rules of my teachers and my principal. I was involved in several out of school activities, had supportive parents and a small group of friends that I valued greatly.

But below the surface, I was something else completely. I was an insecure kid looking for a place to belong in the social nightmare that was high school! I never felt quite comfortable in the halls and would have given anything to have a place to "hang out" in between classes, looking cool and feeling as if I were a part of something bigger than myself. Between classes, I would walk past groups of athletes, preps, hoods and cheerleaders, envying the "togetherness" that they seemed to share. I would have traded most anything for their popularity and friendships.

That's why I was totally jazzed when Marty Berry*, one of the biggest freakers in the school, warmed up to me in English class one day. "Hey Billy Bob," he said as he sat down on my desk, "What's shakin'?" Trying to play it cool, I shot the breeze with him for ten minutes before class started. By the time Mr. Marong showed up and told us to dig out our textbooks, he'd offered me a spot at his lunch table.

The next week was a blur. I found myself following Marty and his pals wherever I could, but I never quite felt comfortable. It would have been easy for anyone to figure out that I didn't belong in the freaker crowd -- they were fighters, drug users, and poor students while I was neatly dressed, wouldn't think of using drugs and had never been late for a class. To me though, even an awkward peer group was better than none. At least I finally had a place to "be" in the hallways between classes.

What I couldn't see was that Marty and the boys were only using me for entertainment. What could be more fun than having a geek hanging around! It's even more fun when the geek has no clue that you're laughing at him each time he walks away, right?

The fun for me ended quicker than I had planned. Marty came to English class one day with a can of "body odor" spray he'd picked up at a gag store hidden under his shirt. Twenty minutes into class, I was soaked with the foulest odor imaginable and the class was in stitches. I'd gone from being on the fringes of popularity to being a laughingstock in front of an entire room of my peers. It was nothing short of humiliating.

But my pain didn't end there. Word spread through the ninth grade as fast as the stink. Girls turned up their noses, pretending to be completely offended by my hygiene habits and guys celebrated what they thought was one of the best pranks of the year. The worst was walking past Marty and his gang in the hallway. They were merciless and I had never felt more alone.

It would be easy to argue that the pain of that event hasn't ever ended for me. After all, Marty is still on my mind nearly twenty years later. While physically I was never threatened by his actions, the sense of betrayal was equally damaging and has never been forgotten. His is a story that I share with my students every year. I want them to realize that the moments of meanness that happen between students in schools every day are hurtful and that they have a responsibility to stand up to the Martys of the world.

As parents and teachers, we share that responsibility. By working to raise awareness of bullying and to support safe schools, we can ensure that fewer children experience the meanness that in many ways shaped my high school experience.

*Name has been changed by the author.

Posted by William Ferriter at 8:56 AM on April 3, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 42: Paying Teachers Differently

One of the great debates that remain in public education revolves around teacher compensation. Ask anyone about teacher pay, and they'll have a passionate opinion ranging from "teachers are woefully underpaid," to "teachers aren't earning their keep!"

Florida jumped head first into the debate recently passing a controversial new teacher compensation program called E-Comp. Under E-Comp, all Florida school districts must "identify the top 10 percent of each variety of teacher and award them a 5 percent salary supplement." Student growth scores on Florida's end of grade tests will determine the top educators in tested subjects, and new standardized measures will be developed for subjects not yet tested. Designed to introduce "competitive pressures" to education, the plan is seen as a "landmark in the efforts to restructure American schools."

So how do I feel about Florida's plan?

I think we've been lulled again into believing that standardized testing is the quick-fix solution for all of education's ills.

Like anything that seems "too good to be true," assessing teacher performance solely through standardized testing results is on oversimplified approach to an incredibly complex task. A reliance on testing overlooks other forms of "achievement" that parents and communities expect from their children. How do we measure intangibles like increased motivation or creativity that teachers impart to students each day? What about artistic growth? Character development? Do these traits get pushed even further aside when standardized testing becomes an important part of teacher compensation decisions?

What's more, I worry about the damage that will be done to the culture and climate of schools where teachers are competing with one another for bonuses. Some of the most significant growth opportunities that I have had in my twelve-year career have come from the collaborative work that I do with the teachers on my hallway. We regularly introduce one another to new instructional practices and work in tandem to improve on what it is that we do with students. We share data, look at new strategies, and push one another daily. In fact, my peers shared two of my most effective instructional strategies --Socratic seminars and digital current event instruction -- with me in the past two years.

I question whether or not any of these positive behaviors would continue under Florida's plan. Instead, teachers would tend to keep successes with students to themselves in order to protect their place in "the top ten." Amplifying instructional accomplishments across entire grade levels or schools -- something that happens regularly in my building -- wouldn't make sense in a competitive workforce. While high-flyers would be rewarded, their impact on colleagues would be diminished significantly. Schools will become more isolated and teachers would see one another as adversaries rather than peers.

Finally, standardized test results simply are not "fool-proof." Ask anyone who has been wrapped up in the recent SAT struggles! No fewer than 5,000 student scores were incorrectly reported in the last administration of the exam with errors ranging from 10-450 points. If an exam that is often described as the "Cadillac of standardized testing," can be flawed, then we must be cautious when using test scores as the only source of data to make any high-stakes decision.

Don't get me wrong: The time has come for revising the way that we compensate teachers. The single salary schedule, where raises are predetermined and based solely on years of experience and college courses taken, isn't serving anyone -- taxpayers, teachers or students -- anymore.

And I believe that teachers must be willing to accept accountability for student achievement. For too long, we have resisted the idea that we bear responsibility for the academic success of our students. We are quick to point out that children come to us from different backgrounds and with different sets of skills, claiming that these variables trump any kind of impact that we may be able to have as teachers. "It's my job to present information," some teachers say. "It's not my job to guarantee that students learn."

Such arguments against using student achievement as a component of teacher evaluation and compensation cheapen our profession. They are admissions that we aren't sure of our abilities to shape students in positive ways regardless of personal circumstances and they overlook one of the single greatest variables influencing student success-- the quality of a child's classroom teacher.

I just want to see new plans for paying teachers developed that reward collaboration and promote positive practices in schools. By doing so, we're more likely to benefit all students -- rather than just those served by the top ten percent of our profession.

Posted by William Ferriter at 1:15 PM on March 27, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 41: Teacher Working Conditions Survey

Fill in the blank:

One of the single most important factors to a child's success in schools is _______________.

Did you answer "the quality of his/her classroom teacher?"

If so, does it shock you that North Carolina has to replace nearly 12,000 teachers every single year due to turnover?

The magnitude of this number is amplified by the fact that North Carolina's teacher preparation programs supply only about 60% of our teachers. We are in the unenviable position of having to hire almost 40% of our teachers from out of state. What's more, turnover rates for teachers in the first five years of their careers hover slightly above 50%. Needless to say, staffing our classrooms with highly accomplished educators is becoming an issue that we can no longer ignore.

So why do teachers leave the profession?

Many would argue that low salaries drive teachers from our classrooms, and in many ways I would agree. Teachers do professional work and deserve professional compensation. Increasing salaries would likely attract more candidates to education and keep motivated young educators in our classrooms. Despite great success in my career, I still struggle to make ends meet and that is incredibly frustrating.

But national level research on teacher attrition has discovered that poor salaries are only one source of dissatisfaction listed by teachers who leave the profession. Factors such as poor administrative support, lack of faculty influence, constant classroom intrusions, and inadequate facilities and resources are often cited by educators as equally frustrating. Improving these working conditions could help to staunch the flow of teachers out of our classrooms.

These findings were supported eloquently by one of my colleagues in the Teacher Leaders Network who said:

"While I'd love to be paid more, no amount of money could make me teach if these conditions (effective school leaders, professional flexibility and a culture of collaboration) are not present in the schools where I work."

Thankfully, our state's leaders have created a tool to address these conditions! Since 2001, teachers and principals have had the opportunity to complete a biannual "Teacher Working Conditions" survey designed to identify the workplace factors that most affect a teacher's decision to stay or to leave. 68 questions cover teacher perceptions in five general domains critical to workplace satisfaction: time available to complete essential tasks, teacher empowerment, school leadership, professional development, and school facilities and resources. Scores are collected on a five point scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Then, responses are averaged by question and domain for analysis and reporting.

The findings from the survey have been incredibly convincing. Perhaps most importantly, direct correlations have been found between teacher working conditions and student achievement. Specific examples include:

1. For every 1 point increase in the average for the questions covering professional development, middle schools were 12.4 times more likely to move up one growth category (not meeting expected growth to meeting expected growth, or meeting expected growth to exceeding expected growth) in the North Carolina ABC accountability program.

2. For every 1 point increase in the average for questions covering school leadership, high schools were 48 times as likely to be in one of the top designation categories (Schools of Distinction, Schools of Excellence) under the North Carolina ABC accountability program.

3. For every 1 point increase in the average for questions covering facilities and resources, all schools were 2.8 times as likely to make adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind accountability program.

To me, these findings make perfect sense because schools with the best working conditions are less likely to lose the "resource" that has the greatest impact on student achievement: accomplished educators.

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of North Carolina's Teacher Working Conditions survey is that data is collected at the school, district and state level. This level of customization allows individual communities to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each and every school serving their students. Business alliances, PTAs, school improvement teams and district level leadership can then work with the resources available in their communities to set priorities for improvement that are targeted and specific.

What's more, an online toolkit, funded by the Bellsouth Foundation, has been created to provide access to recommendations and resources that all of education's stakeholders can use to improve working conditions in each of the five domains. Using school level reports in conjunction with this toolkit, real change can happen with creative thinking and a willingness to work.

The next 2006 Teacher Working Conditions Survey will be completed between March 27th and May 1st. Teachers and school level administrators will receive access codes from their building's NCAE representative or Teacher of the Year. Additional information about the survey -- including school, district and state level reports from the 2004 survey -- is also available online.

What can you do to help?

If you are a teacher...

If you are a teacher, it is incredibly important that you complete the survey! In 2004, almost 34,000 teachers took advantage of this opportunity to speak out about the kinds of working conditions that currently exist in our schools. Without our voices, real change is impossible. It is also incredibly important for teachers to visit the Working Conditions Toolkit to learn about steps that you can take to improve working conditions on your own.

Critical details for teachers:

• The survey takes approximately 17 minutes to fill out.

• Your answers will remain completely confidential. The access code that you will receive is only designed to ensure that each person takes the survey one time. You can literally trade codes with another teacher before completing the survey if it makes you feel more confident!

• If you need more information about the survey, you can email the Governor's office directly at governor.education.policy@ncmail.net.

If you are a principal...

If you are a principal, it is incredibly important that you encourage your teachers to complete the Teacher Working Conditions survey. Schools with less than a 40% response rate will not receive a customized school level report. Consider taking time during a faculty meeting to complete the survey together. Also, visit the teacher working conditions website daily to monitor the percentage of your teachers that have completed the survey.

Critical details for principals:

• Teacher working conditions are the responsibility of all of a school's stakeholders! Engage parents, teachers and community leaders in the effort to improve the working conditions in your building. Strategies for each group are available online.

• Your school level report will be available online by the end of May. Consider making teacher working conditions a part of your next school improvement plan.

If you are a community member...

If you are a community member, it is incredibly important that you make yourself aware of the many roles that parents and businesses can play in improving teacher working conditions in your communities. Across America, PTAs and business alliances are working creatively to address the challenge of teacher turnover. Educate yourself about the survey and offer your time and energy to ensure that your local school can offer students capable and confident teachers!

Critical details for community members:

• A school will not receive a customized working conditions report unless at least 40% of its faculty members respond to the survey. Be sure to encourage the educators that you know to complete the survey. Let them know how important teacher working conditions are to you and your organization.

• Be an active participant in efforts to improve teacher working conditions in your town. Creative alliances in other communities have resulted in volunteer substitute programs providing release time for teachers, "Teacher in Residence" programs offering opportunities for educators to engage in real-world professional development, and professional mentoring programs supporting new principals. Find ways to support your schools -- students will be the ultimate beneficiaries!

Posted by William Ferriter at 11:42 AM on March 20, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 40: What I Learned from Anthony

I lost my patience with a former student named Anthony* more than once. He was an intelligent kid who frustrated me by failing to do most of his homework and many of his major projects day after day. I spent a lot of time scolding him for being careless and had thought of him as lazy more than once.

So I wasn't surprised when he came to class one Monday without the writing assignment that we'd been working on for weeks. I sent him to the room across the hall to complete the work, fussing again. On the way out the door, he mumbled something under his breath. I stopped him in the hallway, intent on "having a warm conversation" with this irresponsible young man.

What I found in hallway surprised me. Through tears, Anthony told me that he struggled to get his homework done because he cared for his little brother each day after school while his mother was at work. He also helped with cleaning and other chores. With all of these other responsibilities, he just couldn't get his homework assignments finished. As he put it, "There's just too much to do."

I was ashamed that it took me so long to learn about Anthony's home life. I never took the time to ask why he wasn't doing his work, and took his failure to produce personally. His missing work often made me mad. I simply couldn't understand why a child wouldn't do ANY homework or projects despite my constant prodding. I even questioned his mother's interest and intent. After all, how could a parent fail to take action when her child had so much missing work?

Teachers have long taken this willful stance towards children like Anthony. We expect students and their parents to get things done regardless of life's challenges. We selfishly believe that there is nothing more important than our assignments. We preach perfection, saying things like, "There are no excuses for forgetting your homework," and, "Missing work is unacceptable in the real world!"

What we often forget is that the real world can be a challenging place for parents and students. Families are stretched. Parents work long hours to provide basic needs and children are often left to raise themselves. The "real world" is far from perfect, and succeeding in it is not easy for many.

Teachers must begin to truly listen to children, rather than making unfair assumptions. We must help children to find ways to succeed regardless of life circumstances. We must rethink the way that we grade our students, separating work behaviors from academics. We must recognize that every child (including those who seem the most uninterested) has a desire to do well and that no child wants to fail.

I learned a valuable lesson from Anthony. I learned to replace my willfulness with a willing, open approach to my classroom and my students -- to do otherwise would be to fail the students who need me the most.

*Student's name has been changed by the author.

Posted by William Ferriter at 9:57 AM on March 13, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 39: Limiting Our Understandings

During the course of the sixth grade year, students learn to look at written works with a critical eye. We identify an author's position on topics and recognize elements of bias in pieces. We also practice making inferences -- drawing reasonable conclusions based on evidence in texts and our own background knowledge.

All of these skills are essential for developing readers, especially in a world where bias is everywhere! Commercials, advertisements, political speeches, and even news articles all seem to be heavily slanted at times. Without an awareness of how bias is used to influence an audience, children would be woefully unprepared to effectively participate in society.

To teach these objectives, I have begun sharing political cartoons with my students on topics related to the current events that we study each day. We've looked at cartoons related to the recent outbreaks of the avian flu in Europe, the struggles that the world community is currently having with Iran, and the continuing conflict between Hugo Chavez and the United States.

Besides providing unique opportunities for my students to identify attempts to influence others through the use of bias, political cartoons have proven to be incredibly motivating to my students. This excitement was probably best captured by one of my students who recently wrote, "Current events is, to me, addictive…I read the back of the News and Observer every day now (or at least the days the newspaper dude comes.) I have been going home and wasting ALL my computer time on political cartoons and trying to make inferences."

What my students seem to enjoy the most is seeing the different perspectives held by artists around the world on the same issue! I intentionally show students cartoons that express viewpoints on opposite sides of the same issue. "I like how every day we look at political cartoons," said one student, "because it shows how other countries feel about events that are happening in the world."

On Friday, we looked at a cartoon that my students found particularly engaging. In it, George Bush was portrayed as a mechanic trying to fix a car that was painted in a stars and stripes pattern. Unfortunately, the tool that the president had chosen to fix the car was a hammer and his efforts were doing more damage than good. A door labeled "deficits" had fallen off, the engine labeled "Iraq" hung by a thin cord and a tire labeled "floods" was cast aside.

Immediately my students broke into smaller groups to infer the artist's bias and to identify the ways that he was conveying his message to the viewers. Animated conversations happened in nearly every corner of my room and hands shot up quickly. The resulting conversation was nothing short of remarkable for a group of twelve year olds. It began when I asked, "Jim*, what did your group come up with?"

"Well, we think the artist is being critical of the way that America is trying to solve problems."

"How do you know? What in the illustration tells you that?" I pressed.

"George Bush is using the wrong 'tool' to fix the car in the picture," Jim replied. "We think that means that the artist believes he's using the wrong 'tool' to fix problems in Iraq too -- like he could have used compromise instead of war."

"And the engine is hanging by just a thin cord," added Paul. "Do you think that means that the artist thinks the situation in Iraq is about to totally fall apart?"

"Yeah!" said Rich, "and the sun is setting in the background. That probably means that something is coming to an end too. Maybe Bush's popularity?"

Then I pushed my students further. "Hey guys, what if this artist wanted to praise America's efforts in the world -- what would he have drawn then?"

Answers came immediately from every direction, "Oh, I know! He would have drawn a super nice looking car with a picture of the whole earth on it."

"And George Bush would look strong and brave and proud, too!"

"Or George Bush could have been drawn protecting the earth with a big USA shield and all of the problems could have been like missiles blasting into the shield."

For a teacher, moments like these are electric. Watching my students unpack a difficult topic with ease is exciting. More importantly, I was convinced that my students could identify bias, recognize how authors use analogies to share a viewpoint, and understand that pieces -- both written and drawn -- are often designed to persuade and influence, rather than objectively share facts.

What frustrates me, however, is that these same students have yet to "demonstrate mastery" on these objectives on the multiple-choice assessments that we regularly use to gauge progress over the course of the school year. In fact, looking only at the results of these practice assessments you could reasonably conclude that my instruction of these objectives has been faulty as our classroom average on such questions hovers at just above 50%!

How does this happen?

How can children who engage in deep and meaningful classroom conversations about bias and the use of analogies to express a viewpoint struggle to answer similar questions on multiple choice reading quizzes?

There are probably a variety of reasons including:

1. The level of background knowledge that students have about a particular topic: My students are deeply aware of current events because it is a significant part of my classroom instruction. This level of awareness helps them to "tease out" the underlying messages that authors are trying to share. Students rarely possess this same level of background knowledge about reading selections presented in standardized assessments designed beyond individual classrooms.

2. The level of motivation that students have for a particular activity: I never have to worry about the level of motivation that my students have when working with political cartoons. In fact, in a recent classroom survey 100% of my students agreed with the statement, "I enjoy looking at political cartoons about current events." Students rarely possess this same level of motivation about reading selections presented in standardized assessments designed beyond individual classrooms.

3. The "shades of gray" answers presented by standardized reading assessments: Have you ever taken a multiple-choice exam and struggled to choose "the best answer" from the options given? Inevitably, there will be two possible answers that seem to make sense, right? Determining which of these two selections is the correct answer is incredibly challenging for twelve-year olds!

I sometimes worry that we limit our understanding of what knowledge and skills a child has mastered when we place a disproportionate emphasis on standardized assessments as a measure of achievement.

And I often wish that others could see what I do nearly every day -- because there is little doubt that my students are learning regardless of what "the tests" say!

* Editor's note: Students' names have been changed.

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:31 AM on March 7, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 38: Are We Failing Our Boys?

I received an email earlier this week from a parent drawing my attention to an article that ran in the News and Observer about an experiment in a local district to separate boys and girls in core area classes. The thinking behind the plan was that boys and girls might actually perform better in single gender classrooms.

As I read the article, I was deeply engaged. Over the years, I've read extensively about the brain-based differences between boys and girls and been intrigued by the possibility of serving students separately. I decided that I would do some research and write my journal entry on the topic this week.

Later in the article, however, my mind changed after reading a quote that bothered me as an educator who also happens to be a man! In response to the separate gender classroom experiment, Anna Worthen, the president of the North Carolina chapter of the National Organization for Women, said, "I really feel this is dangerous. What if you're a little girl that doesn't learn the 'girl way'?"

That's a fair question, isn't it? Clearly you can't say that instructional approaches that work for the majority will work for all girls, can you? If you pigeonhole all girls into classrooms delivering instruction in the same ways, you will be failing someone, right?

And we've worked hard for decades to draw attention to the needs of the girls in our classrooms with promising results. More girls take advanced placement courses than ever before. More girls take challenging science and math courses than ever before. More girls are attending prestigious universities than ever before. No one wants to see that progress wasted.

But what about our boys?

Are our efforts in education meeting their needs as well?

I would argue that they aren't. In fact, the majority of classrooms in our country are structured to reward students who learn "the little girl way." Skills and behaviors like compassion and empathy are celebrated. Verbal ability and collaboration are valued. Many of these skills and behaviors develop quickly and naturally for girls. Others are socially reinforced as positives for young ladies from an early age.

Many boys, on the other hand, are naturally competitive from an early age. My parents used this trait against me at dinnertime. "I'll bet you can't clean your whole plate in ten minutes," they'd say, "And don't forget the green beans!" I'd happily race the clock, unknowingly being tricked into eating a food that I despised! My brain simply couldn't resist a good challenge.

Boys are also more tactile and active than girls from an early age. Movement is essential. Watch your sons -- they can't sit still, can they? They stand at the dinner table or while watching television, right? They bounce on their beds, they wrestle, they run and they roll in the grass, don't they? Have you ever seen two boys sprinting to the front door of the church (or their sister's dance recital or cotillion class) after having been dragged out of bed by their moms and dads?

In schools, their bodies are constantly moving too. Boys in my classroom play drums with their pencils, whistle, lean back in their chairs, take trips to the bathroom, stand up, and sit down in a yearlong game of musical bodies. Paper wads, dinner rolls and Gatorade bottles become basketballs and the trashcan becomes the hoop. Impromptu games of pig happen all the time!

Because verbal ability doesn't develop as quickly in boys, this competitiveness and activity is often expressed through aggressive actions shunned in classrooms. My boys race to see who will be first in the lunch line. They shout out answers. They push when someone takes something that belongs to them. They grab anything set in front of them -- whether it is snacks or dictionaries -- and they are completely unable to describe their feelings when made angry or sad.

What's more, society sends messages to boys that compassion, empathy and collaboration are not traits to be valued in men. Men are supposed to be decisive. They are supposed to be risk takers -- "Make it happen" guys. Think about how many times you've heard the following statements made to -- or about -- the boys and men in your life:

"I never saw my father cry."
"Bullying is just a part of life. Deal with it."
"That's just boys being boys."
"Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing."
"Winners never quit and quitters never win."
"Come on Johnny, tough it out now. You'll be fine."
"No excuses, son. Just get it done."

Or my personal favorite:

"My son is just a little sensitive. He'll get over it."

In reality, all boys are "a little sensitive." They're just taught to mask their sensitivity from an early age. To live up to society's expectations -- and the expectations of their peers -- boys have to work in ways that are not recognized or valued in most classrooms.

And as a result, boys are struggling in nearly every statistical category. Fewer boys make the honor roll than girls. More boys fail core academic classes than girls. Fewer boys are admitted to four-year universities than girls. More boys get in fights than girls. More boys are suspended from school than girls. Boys drop out of school at a higher rate than girls. Boys commit suicide at a higher rate than girls and commit most acts of school-based violence as well.

Let's continue to advocate for instructional practices that meet the needs of our girls, but let's not close our eyes to the very real challenges of raising our boys.

To do so would be just as dangerous.

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:21 AM on February 27, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 37: A Great Day for Wake

Almost three months ago to the day, I sat here almost in shock over the announcement that Bill McNeal had decided to retire. As I wrote, a sense of sadness surrounded me because I knew that we were losing a man greatly respected and admired by the teachers of our school system. It was a sad day for the Wake County Public School System.

And almost immediately, conversation started in our workrooms and our meeting places over who would be chosen as his replacement. From the beginning, there was a nervous tension among teachers, knowing that the tone of a system and the very nature of our work is set by the man or woman who holds that "top spot." Many of us remember working for other superintendents and feeling "overlooked" or "underappreciated." We've all heard horror stories from colleagues across the nation about superintendents who have failed miserably, damaging systems beyond repair.

Perhaps most frightening for us, this transition was coming at a critical time in the development of our schools. We've experienced great success during the tenure of Superintendent McNeal, seeing our system recognized on the national level and seeing our students succeed at almost unheard of rates. Few urban districts even dream of having over 90 percent of their students perform at or above grade level. In fewer still would reaching 90 percent be falling short of stated goals, yet that is the reality here in Wake County. Ambition and determination have characterized our work for the past six years.

But in some ways, we're struggling. While all recognize the positive impact that the success of our schools has had on our regional economy, success is proving to be a double-edged sword as we strain to keep up with the rapid growth bringing thousands of new students to our classrooms each year. Simply building enough new schools to house every child -- and then designing plans to populate those schools -- is a constant battle. Tension in the community over solutions is worrisome.

On top of that, the actions of a few deceitful employees have tarnished our district's reputation in the eyes of some within our community. Despite repeated audits over several years that laud the fiscal responsibility of our system, letters to the editor and vocal public critics still question the ability of our district to properly manage the billion-dollar budget that we are entrusted with. Moving out from under this cloud of suspicion has proven to be a significant challenge.

Recognizing these realities, teachers were nervous from the beginning. We understood that there was a very real chance that the tone and direction of our system could change dramatically depending on the criteria set by the school board when interviewing applicants. "Do you think they'll pick someone from outside education?" many wondered. "Do you think they'll try to find someone to change who we are and what we've done?"

And from the beginning, long time teachers were talking about Del Burns as a favored choice. It was amazing to me how many times his name came up in conversations with the people that I spoke with. "Is Dr. Burns being considered?" they'd ask. "Do you know if Dr. Burns has a chance?" It was clear that many fingers were crossed for him.

You see, much like Bill McNeal, Dr. Burns inspires teachers. His commitment to education and to our county over the course of his career as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and deputy superintendent speaks volumes to those of us who are in classrooms every day. He understands our work because he as walked in our shoes. Following him is natural for us because he leads with an understanding of what it means to do our work.

Needless to say, the announcement of his selection has been celebrated within our ranks! We honestly believe in what our county has achieved, and see in Dr. Burns the opportunity to continue to move forward with confidence. Our children will experience success because our new superintendent has the support of the 7,000 teachers who are asked to make a difference each day. The power of that support to bring positive change cannot be underestimated.

From our eyes, February 16 was truly a great day for Wake!

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:10 AM on February 20, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 36: The Next Great Crisis

I'm tired.

Does that surprise you? Do you find it hard to believe that a guy who works "only 180 days a year" can be wiped out after only 100? Is it hard to believe that teaching is a profession that can be described as exhausting?

It shouldn't.

On top of the daily challenge of planning, instructing, assessing, remediating, and enriching to meet the individual needs of the 50-plus children that roll through my classroom each day, I wrestle with the constant mental pressure applied by a country caught in the grips of a "crisis mentality."

Each new week seems to bring headlines highlighting a major flaw that needs to be addressed by teachers immediately. In the past month alone, I've read articles about how schools are overlooking boys, flunking in math and science instruction, neglecting to teach healthy living habits to an increasingly obese America, and failing to close the achievement gap between rich and poor students.

My favorite recent crisis: a passionate plea from an Atlanta author for schools to begin emphasizing the basics of bathroom hygiene with our students. To do so, he argued, would be a simple and logical task for teachers who already have access to and influence over America's youth.

The constant state of panic over education has just plain worn me out!

And that surprises me because I work in an incredibly accomplished school in one of the top urban districts in America. Wake County's SAT scores are well above the state and national average, the number of students in advanced placement classes has risen consistently year after year, and over 90 percent of our students demonstrate mastery on their end of grade exams.

Clearly, good things are happening in our system. Because of our proven success, teachers in our system should be able to move forward in confidence.

Yet warning bells are constantly sounding across our country. Activists demand a "renewed focus" on the part of educators and administrators. Elected officials campaign on promises to "reform education" and "restore America's competitive edge again." And parents fret over the fear that their child is being academically neglected.

And where does the responsibility for addressing each of these issues inevitably seem to end up falling? In the true spirit of the trickle-down theory, right on the shoulders of classroom teachers!

Now don't get me wrong. I can see the value in each of the areas of focus listed above. Who would argue against closing the achievement gap or teaching healthy living habits? Even I would love to see conscientious students with an awareness of the importance of restroom hygiene!

What I am saying is that bearing up under the weight of each new national crisis is becoming more and more difficult for me each year. As a close friend once said, we're being asked to work towards goals that are "simultaneously important and impossible to reach."

Subtly, the message is being sent that if teachers would work harder, America's "educational crisis" could be solved. If only all teachers were "highly qualified," we'd lead the world again. If only all teachers held "advanced degrees in the subjects they were teaching," we wouldn't fall behind China, Japan and India in engineers and scientists. If only we could recruit "our best and our brightest" to our nation's classrooms, no child would be left behind.

I think successfully educating all children in America requires something more than sounding warning bells and asking teachers to "pull up their boot straps" time and again. I wonder if we will ever be willing to significantly rethink how "school" is done in our country?

What if we extended the school day or year to take into account the ever expanding curriculum that we expect students to master? What if we experimented with electronic learning to extend opportunities or to provide remediation? What if we emphasized critical thinking rather than standardized testing in our assessment programs? What if we lowered class sizes and increased access to technology for all students?

What if we provided more time for teachers to collaborate with one another or to master new instructional strategies and skills? What if we raised teaching salaries to compete with the private sector jobs that lure accomplished educators away from our classrooms? What if we created a menu of compensation packages that appealed to teachers at different points in their careers or stratified the profession, providing opportunities to advance?

What if we renewed America's war on poverty and guaranteed economic opportunity for all of our citizens?

As a teacher and a citizen, I believe in our public schools and their mission.

I just can't handle the next great crisis alone!

Posted by William Ferriter at 2:42 PM on February 13, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 35: Cutting Back on the "Extras"!

Now that all my W2 and 1099 forms have finally arrived, I sat down yesterday to complete the yearly chore that we all know and love: doing taxes! What better way to spend a dreary Saturday afternoon than figuring out exactly how much I still have yet to pay to my favorite Uncle Sam, right?

Without a doubt, the most interesting part of tax time for me is totaling up the amount of money that I spend on my profession over the course of a year. As the pile of purchases grows, I save every receipt so that I can get some portion of those expenses back come April.

And every year, I'm blown away by how much I really spend. This year's grand total: $3,058.

So where did all of that money go?

1. To my classroom: I think many people would be surprised at how much money teachers spend on general materials for their classrooms. While schools and systems do a great job providing basic materials to teachers and students, there is generally little money available to reimburse teachers for the "extras" that they purchase -- and those extras can add up quickly!

   Magazine subscriptions and books for classroom library shelves are common expenses for me, as are office supplies that help me to stay organized. This year, I've bought low tech items like a heavy duty three hole punch, bins to store student writing folders, fine liners for a classroom project, and dry erase markers in various colors. Mechanical pencils and Post-it notes are always on my shopping list, as are magnets, markers and grading pens.

   I've also purchased high-tech items like a wireless remote allowing me to move around the room while delivering PowerPoint presentations, speakers for my classroom laptop, and a jump drive to move files between my school and home computer. All totaled, I spent over $700 on these kinds of classroom supplies this year.

2. Directly to my students and my athletes: Like most teachers, I have always had a soft spot for the students of my classes and the athletes on my teams -- and I have always worked to recognize their achievements in special ways. As a result, I spend a significant amount of money on awards and celebrations. Certificate holders, picture developing, photo frames, special gifts are yearly expenses for me. Combine those purchases with the pizzas, cakes, chips and Cokes that I inevitably buy and the costs of recognizing my students exceeds $250.

3. To my own professional growth: Without exception, I spend more on my own professional growth each year than any other category of school related spending. The largest single expense that I had this year was the $1,150 that it cost me to apply to renew my certificate from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. While this is a one-time fee that I have to pay every 10 years, it certainly isn't something I looked forward to! Add on another $225 of non-reimbursed expenses to attend the Board's annual conference in July, and certification alone cost me almost $1,400 this year.

   I also spend almost $500 annually on memberships to professional organizations that help me to stay current. As a member of groups like the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the National Council of Teachers of English and the North Carolina Association of Educators, my thinking is constantly challenged and my teaching improves.

   Finally, I've spent close to $200 on professional books that have improved my understanding of teaching and learning. I've purchased titles on topics ranging from integrating reading into the content areas, differentiating instruction for learners of all ability levels, and developing classroom assessments that accurately measure student ability. Ideas from each title have changed who I am as an educator and impacted my students in positive ways.

Is my spending unique?

To some degree. Because I haven't had children of my own yet, I have more disposable income to invest in my profession and my classroom. What's more, I truly want to be the best at what I do and like highly accomplished professionals in any field, I am willing to make the investments necessary to get there.

Is my spending necessary?

Not to provide a basic education to my students or to keep my skills at a minimal level. But going beyond the "bare necessities" does require some measure of additional investment on my part. I'm not sure what my room would look like without the books or supplies that I provide on a regular basis or how effective my teaching would be without the professional development that I pay for on my own.

I just have to start cutting back on those "extras!"

Posted by William Ferriter at 1:43 PM on February 6, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 34: A Memoir You Can Trust

It sure has been an interesting week in the writing world, hasn't it? I mean, every time that I turn around, a hot new memoirist is being torn apart for "inaccuracies" in his/her work. Discoveries about convicts who never spent time in prison and Native Americans who weren't Native American have literally destroyed confidence in an entire genre over the past month. Oprah's offended, Larry King is embarrassed, and millions of readers feel duped.

Who would have thought that writing a story about one's life -- and getting it right -- could be so difficult!

I'll have to admit that I'm not a big fan of memoirs. I tend to spend my time too wrapped up in biographies or historical accounts of military battles to pick up confessionals about the lives of others. While I've read a few memoirs, it is generally a genre that I avoid.

What's more, I never read memoirs written by teachers -- never! I just can't stand them. You see, books about teachers never seem to be accurate portrayals of our work. While they are often inspirational, sharing stories about the deep influence that educators have on students and communities, they also tend to overlook the incredible complexities of our profession.

Now don't get me wrong -- teaching is inspirational. That is why so many of us wake up each morning excited to get to school and see our students. We make lifelong connections that are significant and meaningful, changing lives and shaping futures.

Teaching is also energizing. There is nothing like the feeling that I get when I know that my instruction is reaching my students. Watching children construct knowledge and make sense of the world because of my actions is simply remarkable. Creating those moments leaves me mentally charged and professionally challenged.

And teaching is humbling. Sometimes when my students are silently reading, I'll look out over my classroom and "get wet in the eyes," (I won't admit to crying in front anyone) both in awe of and thankful for the incredible responsibility that I've been entrusted with.

But teaching is also frustrating. We struggle each day doing the best that we can to meet goals that are simultaneously important and impossible to reach. Despite investing our whole selves into finding ways for every child -- regardless of personal circumstance -- to succeed, there are often students that are left behind. Those failures weigh heavily on our hearts and minds.

Believe it or not, teaching can be demeaning. I can't tell you the number of times that I've been spoken down to by well intentioned others who don't consider me to be their intellectual or social equal because of my chosen career. "Hey, Bill," they'll say, "Why don't you go back to school to be a principal? You seem like a smart guy. You're not lazy, are you?" Or one of my all time favorite comments: "Why would you choose to waste your life away as a teacher when you could be so much more?"

And teaching is lonely. While others believe they know what our profession is like based on their experiences as students, few truly understand the daily challenges -- both personal and professional -- that teachers wrestle with throughout their careers. It would be easy to argue that no profession in America requires the mental stamina and commitment of education, yet no one knows that except for those of us who walk through the doors of classrooms each morning.

Needless to say, I was a skeptic when I picked up Frank McCourt's new work Teacher Man last month. Convinced that I would find yet another one-dimensional "feel-good" story that painted a warm, but inaccurate view of my work, I read only because I had been asked to introduce McCourt to an audience at a local book signing. "How am I going to say something positive about a work that I'm going to despise?" I thought.

It wasn't long, however, until I realized that McCourt's work was different. His ability to touch on every emotion -- both positive and negative -- that I have felt during the course of my teaching career was remarkably validating. I finally felt as if someone was writing about what it is that I do each day.

Like a well-worn friend, my copy bears evidence of the connections that I felt while reading. Dog-eared pages and annotations are everywhere, as are intensely personal reflections scrawled in margins. I nodded when he spoke of giving up his love of Shakespeare and Chaucer because he was too busy with the work of the up and coming authors -- and students -- like Susan and Jonathan. I laughed out loud as he tried to figure out the right course of action after a bologna sandwich flew across the front of his classroom – an event they don't prepare you for in "teacher school." And I felt the chill of emotion when he left the classroom for the last time, knowing that someday that moment would come for me as well.

Now, can I vouch for Teacher Man as an accurate reflection of McCourt's life?

No. I don't know the man at all.

But there is no doubt that Teacher Man is an accurate reflection of what it means to teach. The events included will resonate with educators and give outsiders an intimate look into the hearts and minds of those who choose to spend their lives in our classrooms.

Posted by William Ferriter at 9:38 AM on January 30, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 33: Stay Current with Your Kids

I had an almost "out of body" experience earlier this school year when a news crew came to my classroom to see how I integrate technology into instruction. The activity observed was a reading skills lesson using an international current event found online that we do first thing every class period.

As the lesson was wrapping up, the reporter casually asked if she could interview a few of my students for a separate "What's your Beef?" segment that her station airs during the course of each week. The concept is that viewers share concerns with local, state, national or world events in a brief statement.

Now, I'll admit openly that I was anxious. "Will my students sound intelligent?" I worried. After all, their ability is a direct reflection on my work. If they couldn't express themselves in an articulate way, I would have been somewhat embarrassed. "Do I really want them to do this?" I wondered.

It was too late to change my mind, however, because several children volunteered immediately and the camera was rolling. With no real preparation time, several of my twelve year olds stepped up and expressed "beefs" that blew me away:

"My beef is that the government of Venezuela is criticizing the United States unfairly."

"My beef is that the majority of citizens in South America live in extreme poverty."

"My beef is that Muslim citizens in Paris are being discriminated against because of their race and religion."

"You've got to be kidding?" I thought, "My students have been paying attention?!"

I think it was that moment that convinced me of the importance and value in daily current events as a part of classroom instruction. You see, Mike Hutchinson, a colleague and a friend, had been pressuring me to incorporate current events in my classroom for years. "It's one of my favorite activities," he's always said.

It took some time for me to warm up to the idea, though. "Kids aren't interested in world events," I argued. "Besides, I have too many other things to do!"

The thing is, kids are interested -- incredibly interested! Every day, my students dart to the world map hanging in the back of my room to see what our current event is going to be. Interesting titles start them talking long before the morning bell rings. "Vampire bats attack," "Camel farm planned for Norway," and "Brazilian town passes ban on dying," sparked interesting conversations. We've even got our favorite world leaders -- Evo Morales of Bolivia and Hugo Chavez of Venezula -- because of their unpredictability…and interesting choice of clothing!

Better yet, every time that I teach a current event, I'm directly teaching one of our social studies objectives! My students have begun to understand how various countries choose their governments and how natural resources have made the world increasingly interdependent. They've learned how wars have caused people to migrate and how newcomers shape cultures. Most importantly, they've learned that in many ways people living thousands of miles away really aren't that different from the people who live just down the street.

So how can parents learn from my discovery?

Make current events a regular part of your family's life. Pick up a newspaper on the way home from work each day and choose an article to share with your child. Find a website that provides current event coverage and let your child select the headline that is most interesting to them -- we get our articles from the BBC and CBBC Newsround (which provides a children's version of world events). Visit the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's website and review the social studies goals that have been set for your child's grade level to help shape the conversations that you have.

I think you'll find -- like I did -- that staying current with your kids will become one of the best parts of your daily routine!

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:57 AM on January 23, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 32: John Stossel's "Stupid in America"

When I got home from school on Friday night, my wife told me that 20/20 was going to do a special on the failures of the public school system in America. "Do you want to watch it?" she asked.

"Nope," I replied, "I'm sure I've heard it all before."

Isn't that true for all of us? Think about it: When was the last time that you heard a positive story from a major newspaper or television program about public schools in America? It seems like every week, a new report comes out pointing out the "glaring weaknesses" in our educational system -- and they are all incredibly discouraging to me as an educator. It's difficult to overcome the prevailing sense of gloom that blankets my chosen career.

But I have to admit that curiosity got the best of me this morning. I popped a few blood pressure pills (negative education stories tend to get my heart racing) and tracked the story down online to see exactly what the mainstream media is saying about teaching. After all, you can't engage in an effective dialogue about something as important as education without studying all sides of the issue, right?

I was immediately jarred by title of the piece -- "Stupid in America: How We are Cheating our Kids." While derogatory headlines seem to be increasingly common in news coverage about education (shock value does sell, after all), this title seemed like an emotionally loaded phrase, elevating the level of criticism to an entirely new level.

And this piece lived up to its headline! In one segment, host John Stossel administered a test to two classes of high school students -- one in Belgium and one in the United States. As expected on a program titled "Stupid in America," the Belgian students easily outperformed the American students.

To everyone interviewed by Stossel, this was proof positive that American schools are failing students. "I'm shocked, because it just shows how advanced they are compared to us," said one American high school student. A Belgian student was more abrupt: "If the kids in America couldn't do this, then they must be really stupid." And a choir of parents chimed in with "It's a joke…It's insane…they're not learning anything."

The piece was oddly fascinating to me. You see, I'm a pretty open minded guy who is incredibly interested in finding ways to improve our schools, so I scoured Stossel's piece looking for conclusions that we could draw from his experiment. "What," I wondered, "did he learn about education in Belgium that we could borrow? How can we best improve our schools?"

His conclusion: America's public school system is a failure because it is a monopoly. Lack of school choice breeds mediocrity, and that mediocrity is what is failing our students. In Belgium, he explained, parents act more like "clients," carefully selecting schools for their children. Principals work diligently to impress parents and to improve their program -- otherwise their schools close.

Stossel's solution was simple: Break the government monopoly on schools by allowing families to choose the schools that they send their students to. The resulting competition will lead to an improvement in performance for every child.

Now, I've been around long enough to be leery of anyone who proposes one "quick fix" solution to any problem as complex as educating the 54 million children from diverse backgrounds and personal circumstances who attend public schools in our country each day. While it is comforting to believe that there is a "silver bullet" just waiting to be discovered, most countries that successfully educate their children take a series of interrelated actions addressing variety of factors influencing student achievement.

So besides school choice, what else does Belgium do to make its schools successful?

Stossel didn't say, so I went looking. What I found in several papers on schooling in Belgium released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and Ministry of the Flemish Community's Education Department was rather interesting. Perhaps these four school-related factors also influence student success rates in Belgium -- and hold promise for America:

1. Students entering high school can choose from four different secondary school curriculums: School choice in Belgium means far more than simply guaranteeing that children can attend any public school within a reasonable distance of their home. Families can also choose from four different secondary school curriculums when their children turn 13, helping to shape their future career paths.

   The course of study that seemed most similar to a traditional US high school curriculum is known as a General Secondary Education. This curriculum prepares students for a university education by examining subjects at a theoretical level. Unlike American high schools, less than half (39%)of Belgian students enroll in these programs -- which may explain why the students in Stossel's experiment were so successful.

   The other 60% of Belgian secondary school students -- who may or may not be motivated by pursuing a university degree -- attend schools that offer technical, vocational and artistic courses of study. Students can study a variety of subjects from electronics and mechanics to accounting, construction, agronomics, food sciences and tourism.

   When students complete technical, vocational or artistic programs, they receive a diploma that certifies them for employment in their field of study. Some enter the workforce immediately, while others choose to move on to higher levels of theoretical study in their chosen field. By providing these options for high school students, Belgians are allowing children to pursue education and training that appeals to their interests and abilities.

   Perhaps developing a variety of high school curriculums would allow us to better serve groups of students that are struggling with the traditional high school programs offered in America.

2. Students who have "learning difficulties due to their social background and situation" receive support from Pupil Guidance Centers: There is little doubt that a family's economic background can influence student success. Quite simply, children of poverty face a set of educational barriers that children of wealth do not.

   To address these inequities, Belgium has created Pupil Guidance Centers that are free of charge and available to any student upon request by parents. These centers teach students important study skills and focus on the social and emotional development of children. They also assist families with preventative health care issues that may otherwise be neglected, positively impacting student attendance and achievement.

   Perhaps developing a similar system of guidance centers would help American schools to better meet the needs of children who struggle because of family circumstance and poverty.

3. Student/teacher ratios in secondary schools are small: Most teachers will tell you that smaller class sizes are critical to meeting the needs of all students. In Belgian secondary schools, the average is one teacher for every 9.8 students. This ratio is even lower than the student/teacher ratio in Belgian primary schools (1:20) -- and, interestingly enough, wasn't mentioned in the 20/20 segment Friday night.

   The Belgians have decided to invest significant resources into ensuring that secondary students attempting to master difficult concepts have the attention and support that they deserve. Perhaps we should rethink student/teacher ratios in American high schools as well.

4. Teacher/student contact hours are low: One way to measure demands on teachers is to analyze the number of hours spent in front of students. In the United States, the average primary school teacher spends 958 hours teaching during the course of a year. In Belgium, primary school teachers spend 832 hours a year with students. Secondary school teachers, responsible for 680 hours of instruction each year, have an even lighter workload.

   Reducing contact hours serves two purposes. First, it makes the teaching profession more appealing to college graduates. Second, it provides teachers with time built into their workday to accomplish school related tasks and to pursue professional growth, improving their effectiveness. Perhaps reducing the number of hours that American teachers spend with students would help our schools attract and retain more accomplished candidates to our classrooms.

In the end, I'm glad I watched Stossel's piece. It motivated me to spend some time looking carefully at a country that is succeeding with students. What worries me, however, is that wasn't the original intent of his work. Instead, his goal was to appeal to viewers with a shocking title and a message of fear and failure that has become all too common in reporting on education in America.

I wonder what impact this kind of emotionally charged reporting has on our efforts to improve schooling in America? Are accomplished college graduates chased away from education as a career because of the constant criticism? Do existing teachers leave classrooms out of frustration with negativity?

Have parents and communities lost faith in the purpose and plan of public education?

Are people saturated in stories like "Stupid in America" starting to believe that our schools are simply beyond repair?

How can we change their minds?

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:03 PM on January 17, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 31: Ode to the Band Director

Yesterday was an interesting day for me. At 5:30 in the morning, I found myself driving a school bus full of excited Salem Middle School band students to their all district auditions outside of High Point. During the course of the day, I made several "discoveries" that reinforced beliefs that I had long held about a subject that I technically know very little about. Those discoveries include:

1. That no amount of money could be sufficient compensation for the work that Band Directors do each day! As I sat talking with Bobby Hinson, the band director at our school, I realized how incredibly complicated his teaching position is. During any given class period, he can have upwards of 40 students in his room -- all playing different instruments with different levels of proficiency!

   As a language arts teacher, if you were to place over 40 students in my room who were speaking several different languages and expect me to provide competent instruction to each of them, I'd quit. Who am I kidding -- I sometimes struggle to meet the needs of the 25 students who come to my room looking to master their own native tongue!

   What's more, having once been a sixth grade clarinet player myself, I can attest to the challenge of spending any length of time in a confined space with a novice musician. Patiently teaching a twelve-year-old how to use complicated combinations of finger placements over dozens of buttons and holes to convert spit and wind into beautiful sound ought to guarantee anyone a free ticket to paradise.

   Doing it day after day for an entire career with hundreds of children playing dozens of instruments ought to guarantee a room with a view!

2. That Band Directors develop incredible connections with their students: For years, I have had my students write letters of thanks to their favorite teachers during the holidays. We fill the letters with words of kindness, something teachers thrive on. And for some strange reason, regardless of school the band teacher has always gotten the largest stack of letters. Students pour out praise, expressing appreciation for everything from help mastering new skills to acts of compassion and humor that seem to be a regular part of band classes across our county.

   Yesterday's experience provided visual evidence of these connections. Band directors had the rapt attention of their students whenever they spoke and seemed genuinely excited to spend their Saturday with their students. Children told me stories about why their band directors were so incredible and parents expressed positive feelings about their children's teachers time and again. In fact, one parent abruptly cut me off in mid-sentence when he saw his daughter's band teacher arriving. "I've just got to go and say hello," he explained, "I'm sure you'll understand."

3. That Art, Music and Band programs play a vital role in the education of our children: In today's educational climate, it is easy to overlook the impact that elective programs have on the lives of students. With the federal No Child Left Behind legislation requiring that all students meet expected levels of academic progress in mathematics and reading each year, it is tempting for schools, districts, and states to focus only on those subjects.

   In fact, communities across the nation facing tight budgets and strict monitoring of performance in core academic classes have been eliminating or scaling back arts programs for years even when the Department of Education has made strong statements in support of arts education as essential for our students.

   What I saw yesterday would suggest that we as a country should be providing more opportunities for all students to share in artistic and interpretive experiences rather than eliminating them from our curriculums. Literally hundreds of students jazzed by their study of music were engaged in the process of creation. Entire gyms were filled with groups of young musicians riffing short tunes and playing original compositions with one another. That kind of inventive thinking and motivation can -- and does -- translate into success in every classroom.

Let's make a commitment to protect -- and to celebrate -- arts education at all costs here in Wake County!

Posted by William Ferriter at 12:16 PM on January 9, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 30: We Hereby Resolve...

So, you want to know how teachers celebrate New Year's Day?

Well, thanks to my ever-so-dependable internal alarm clock that wakes me up -- regardless of what the calendar says -- at 5 AM to prepare for the wave of 12-year olds that rolls into my classroom at 7 every morning, I'm sitting here half-awake at the local McDonalds eating a "Big Breakfast" and considering my personal resolutions for 2006. I like the tradition of setting personal resolutions on New Year's Day because I see it as a way to center my efforts for the upcoming year.

And my list is getting longer by the minute. Like many, I'm resolving to lose a little weight. Teaching doesn't leave a lot of free time and I struggled to get to the gym on a regular basis in 2005. I'm also resolving to find more time for myself. I get so wrapped up in the day-to-day demands of a busy schedule that I often forget that life is more than what gets done within the walls of my classroom. While I'm proud of what I've accomplished as a teacher, I want to be proud of what I accomplish as a person too. The most unique resolution on my list is to drink less Diet Coke. My 13-can a day habit is starting to become a drain on my wallet -- and I can't imagine it's doing much for my stomach lining either!

I often wonder if New Year's Day resolution setting would work for our community? Could we collectively benefit from choosing a few specific goals to examine with open minds, honest effort and genuine resolve?

We'd definitely need experts from many areas -- and many differing viewpoints -- involved in the resolution-setting process. After all, the scope of tasks that a community wrestles with is immense. We'd need resolutions for managing growth and building new infrastructure. We'd need resolutions for improving mental health, police and fire services. We'd need resolutions for protecting our environment, balancing our budget and growing our economy.

We'd need resolutions for public education as well. Few would argue that a strong system of free education is essential for protecting our place in the world and providing all Americans with a quality of life unparalleled around the globe. There is also little doubt that education is even more essential in 2006 than ever before. While we may remain the world's lone military power, we are no longer the world's lone intellectual power. As the globe becomes increasingly interconnected economically, countries once overlooked are becoming competitors.

So what New Year's resolutions could we set for our public schools? Here are a few that I would recommend:

As a community interested in the well being of our citizens, we hereby resolve to:

1. Ensure that all children have access to highly accomplished teachers: Perhaps one of the greatest disappointments in public education is the unequal distribution of our best educators. The schools that serve our highest-need populations struggle to recruit and retain experienced, talented teachers because challenges in these schools are immense and often overwhelming. We must redesign education to make positions in all schools -- especially those serving high-needs populations -- more attractive. Models for increasing compensation, improving working conditions, and implementing high-quality professional development exist hold potential for bringing highly qualified teachers to all classrooms.

2. Look at education through a new lens: It's amazing how much our world has changed in the past several decades. There are less manufacturing jobs and a greater reliance on technology for everything from communication to production. Corporations are global and expect employees to be efficient and innovative.

   Despite these changes, schools look much like they did when I was a student. Students still attend classes for 6 hours a day, 180 days a year. Teachers still spend the majority of their day in front of classes with limited time built in for planning, reflection or professional development. Standardized tests still dominate student assessment and evaluation.

   To keep up with our "new and improved" world, we must rethink how we educate our children, questioning the traditional structures that -- while serving us well -- may need revising. Innovation relies on creative thinking and a willingness to change.

3. See opponents as equals -- not adversaries: I'm often blown away by the animosity that enters educational debate within our community. Even in the feedback that I've received in response to my writings, an unhealthy hate can pervade. Some of my favorites: "This guy should be fired immediately," "This article shows the author's complete detachment from reality," "The dribble that you spew is misguided and inappropriate," "You are a disgrace to the teaching profession," "This is proof of why the whole Wake County Public School System should be blown up." There is no doubt that conversations about education evoke passion from nearly everyone.

   The problem is that people allow that passion to interfere with open dialogue. We must commit ourselves to a spirit of cooperation in order to move forward, and that requires a respect for the thoughts of others that is often missing. As Roland Barth, noted educational expert, once wrote, "The relationship among the adults in the schoolhouse [parents, teachers, administrators, community leaders] has more impact on the quality and the character of the schoolhouse -- and on the accomplishments of youngsters -- than any other factor."

In the end, everyone with an interest in America has an interest in seeing our public school system succeed, and everyone -- regardless of viewpoint -- wants "what's best for children." With focus, we can start walking in that direction over the next 365 days, making 2006 a truly "Happy New Year!"

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:33 PM on January 1, 2006 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 29: Striking Pedagogical Pay Dirt

I'm reading Frank McCourt's new book Teacher Man right now and find myself nodding in agreement every time that he talks about his thirty-year career in New York City's classrooms. While the student populations in the inner city vocational high schools where McCourt taught English are far different from my own, he accurately describes many of the daily challenges and rewards of teaching.

In one anecdote, McCourt described a lesson that he taught on sentence structure. His students, a group less than interested in traditional diagramming or worksheets, were struggling to stay interested in this essential concept. Realizing that his lesson was failing, he changed direction and used the mechanical construction of a ballpoint pen as a metaphor for the essential elements of a properly constructed sentence. The shell of the pen became the subject of the sentence and the spring became the predicate. Like a sentence missing a subject or a predicate, a pen is useless when it is missing one of its mechanical parts. His students caught on quickly and mastered content that they could not originally understand.

During another lesson, McCourt noticed that his high school writers excelled in one particular genre: forged absent notes. While they often ignored more meaningful pieces, their efforts to craft false excuses after skipping school were nothing less than masterful. Imaginative scenarios, advanced vocabulary and mature sentence structures appeared in the writings of students generally uninterested in language arts. McCourt capitalized on this discovery by having his classes write excuse notes for major figures in literature and history known for their mistakes. His students, challenged by the assignment, carefully analyzed the intentions and decisions made by these "villains" learning lessons about point of view and persuasion without even realizing it!

Neither of these activities were initially planned by McCourt -- and neither match the instructional approaches in more traditional classrooms -- but both were incredibly effective and appropriate for reaching the group of students that he was responsible for teaching. One of McCourt's assistant principals called these moments "striking pedagogical pay dirt."

I call them evidence of accomplished teaching.

You see, McCourt could have stuck to his original plans, insisting that students learn material his way. He could have argued that it is a student's responsibility to learn material regardless of the way it is presented or explained. Instead, he recognized that his students needed something more to succeed and accepted responsibility for creating new opportunities to approach the same content. Working from an understanding of his student population, he revised his instruction and created material that was exciting and motivating to the children of his classroom.

Our best teachers adjust, refine and revise their lessons in this way every day based on their observations and knowledge of students. They recognize that instruction must be flexible -- what worked in the past may not work today. They are innovative and creative. Their classrooms don't always look like the classrooms that we sat in as children because children have changed -- and so has our world. They ensure student achievement for all with a persistent refusal to allow any child to be overlooked. They strike pedagogical pay dirt often because they are constantly digging!

Posted by William Ferriter at 8:52 AM on December 19, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 28: Grading Gone Bad?

I read a poem in class with my students on Wednesday called "Whatifs" by Shel Silverstein. The narrator of the poem is a young boy who struggles to sleep because a collection of "what if" worries dance inside his head each night. Silverstein manages to highlight a nearly complete collection of typical teenage fears in just over twenty lines.

When we were finished reading I asked what I thought would be a quickly answered question, "So can anyone relate to this poem? Do you have 'what if' worries in your life?" I figured we would briefly discuss how poets tried to convey emotions that readers could relate to and then move on to a test I was planning to give. My classroom instantly exploded into animated conversation, though! "That's me ALL THE TIME," said one boy. Every child seemed to have something strong to share.

Now, I've been around awhile and one thing that I've learned is that anytime you find a topic that is incredibly motivational to eleven and twelve year olds, you run with it regardless of what you were planning to do next! I asked my students to share their biggest 'what if' worries, figuring that we could write a poem of our own modeled on Silverstein's work.

The list my students created seemed pretty typical for middle school kids:

• What if I don't get my homework done?
• What if I don't give the right answer in class?
• What if I don't make an A on my next test?
• What if I don't pass the EOGs?
• What if I don't do my project the right way?

But the pressure and the tension that they expressed were very real and very powerful -- and that worried me. I've always worked hard to make my classroom a safe and inviting place where risk taking is valued above simply completing tasks and where "Always Wonder" is a slogan to live by. I try to teach my students that school isn't just about giving teachers the answer they are looking for, making As and moving on -- it's about discovering, questioning, refining and revising thoughts and ideas.

I scratched my head a bit on my way home questioning if “doing school” meant something different than I thought it did. Surfing the net after dinner, I read an article about class rankings in high schools that got me wondering even more. In it, students shared stories of giving up lunch in favor of taking more advanced placement courses to raise their GPAs and class rankings. At one area high school, a 3.6 GPA (which is better than I ever made at West Seneca West Senior High) earns you a spot in the bottom half of the class and at another, straight As doesn’t even place you in the top 250 graduating seniors. With class rankings being used as a factor in college admissions, the consequences of classroom performance are clear.

Perhaps less clear, however, are the consequences that these somewhat incredible levels of academic expectation are having on children. I know that the most driven students in my classrooms have always been less interested in discovering something new than in discovering what they thought I wanted to hear. To them, original thinking is often less important than "getting the right answer." At times, this intense drive is obviously a good trait in children -- it allows them to focus on the key elements of my instruction, learn that material thoroughly, and complete related assignments accurately.

But sometimes these same students seem to be academically handcuffed by the pressure that they operate under. They seem to lack the intellectual curiosity and willingness to risk that leads to creativity and inspiration. They are "high performers" in the numerical sense, but will that make them successful?

How is it that we -- as parents, teachers and community leaders -- define success? Is it a GPA above 5.0? Making a 1400 on the SAT? Straight As? A class rank in the top 50? Top 15?

Is it making the honor roll? Joining the honor society? Graduating with honors?

What if these traditional measures of success are failing our students? What if we are unintentionally creating a generation of children who value grades, but not learning? What if the students who graduate know information, but can't create it? What if we're preparing students to succeed in school, but not in life?

Now it seems like I've got my own set of worries!

Posted by William Ferriter at 1:26 PM on December 12, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 27: A Vow of Poverty?

Not long ago, a reporter called to ask for my help. He was working on an article related to the Governor's decision to increase teacher pay and wanted to interview teachers who were working second jobs because their school salaries weren't enough to make ends meet. "Do you know anyone who works a part time job?" he asked.

I had to stifle a laugh! You see, almost every teacher on our hallway works a part time job -- both during the year and over summer break. One works for a temp agency, filling in on nights and weekends at various businesses across the Triangle. Recently she spent several hours at a cultural festival staffing a carnival amusement ride. Another works three nights a week and once on the weekend at a home decorating retailer. Two are waitresses. One drives school buses for an after-school program. One tutors students.

Yes, I certainly know teachers who work part time jobs. Even I do. In fact, much of my "free time" is consumed with work that supplements my income. Some of my work is professional in nature -- I moderate online groups of educators, write articles for professional journals, and do some consulting work for an instructional technology company.

But much of it isn't. I coach as many seasons as I can for our school. Each season demands long hours, but pays a small stipend. I spend three weekends a month supervising our school building for a local Parks and Recreation department's basketball program and drive school buses for as many organizations as I can. (Bus driving is easy work…and it pays well! I usually make $100 for a day trip). I am literally always looking for opportunities to add to my income, regardless of the task.

I often worry about the impact that all of this extra work is having on my ability to teach my students well. I have less time and energy to commit to planning or collaborating with my colleagues or to research effective instructional practices. I'm especially ashamed to admit that I often find myself rushing through the stacks of papers that I have to grade, and wonder how much better I would know the strengths and weaknesses of my students if I wasn't tackling assessment responsibilities late at night after working other jobs.

What's worse is that despite all of these efforts, I still don't make enough money to "feel comfortable." Even though my wife and I live modestly in a small two-bedroom house, drive older model cars, and have no children, we are often "pressed" for cash. I am constantly worried about unexpected expenses that could break our budget because I know that my income cannot cover much more than our basic needs.

And I'm at the top of my profession -- National Board Certified, Master's Degree, Wake County Teacher of the Year, Semi-Finalist for the North Central Teacher of the Year. No wonder we have trouble filling vacancies in our state's classrooms!

Now, don't get me wrong -- I love what I do. I get to change lives every day. Knowing that hundreds of children have been influenced by my work is incredibly rewarding in ways that go far beyond a paycheck. I also have job security and a pension that many corporate positions don't offer. There aren't many who can say that about their careers.

It's just that I'm starting to wonder, like many other teachers, how much longer I can afford to teach.

I hesitated to share these thoughts because every time that I talk about my salary, I end up being shamed by someone. Inevitably, a critic will say, "You knew what you were getting into when you chose teaching as a profession." Sometimes other teachers get into the act with, "If you're in it for the money, you're in it for the wrong reason." Even my brother can be quick to judge. His favorite line: "Do I have to pull out the summer vacation trump card on you?"

The funny part is I'm not looking for anyone's sympathy. I am a highly accomplished and driven individual who could easily find a higher paying job. Over the years, I've been offered positions with various companies in educational publishing, educational policy, and technical writing. All of these positions would have paid starting salaries between $15,000 and $30,000 more per year than I am currently being paid.

My only goal is to raise awareness about the impact that low wages have on our schools -- and our children. There is little doubt that the quality of our teachers is a significant determinant in the success or failure of our schools. Teachers are also often the heartbeat of the community, recognized and valued by parents and students for the contributions that they make both inside and outside the classroom.

And yet accomplished teachers walk away from our schools every year because of salaries that don't allow for the quality of life that professionals with extensive education and training -- not to mention incredible responsibilities and demanding positions -- deserve. Almost 50% of all new teachers leave within the first five years, the point where professionals in other fields are beginning to see their incomes increase significantly and where many are beginning to raise a family -- something difficult to do on a teacher's salary.

What impact does this "revolving door" have on schools? On students? On communities? What kind of talent are we losing each year? What kind of skills and training are we constantly trying to replace?

If we are sincere about the important role that education plays in our society, then we must be sincere about addressing the challenges of teacher compensation. All stakeholders -- taxpayers, elected officials, school representatives, professional organizations, and educators themselves -- must be willing to reexamine the way that teachers are paid.

Without change, we can never hope to retain our best and our brightest.

Without change, we can never hope to provide all of our children with something that they deserve -- a highly accomplished teacher.

Posted by William Ferriter at 11:00 AM on December 5, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 26: Thanks-Giving

As a member of an online group of accomplished teachers who engage in daily electronic conversations about teaching and learning, I have a unique opportunity to "talk to" some of the best educators in our nation. Our members have all experienced great success in their communities and have been recognized for their achievements time and again.

During this holiday week, I asked my colleagues to share what they were thankful for in their schools. Here were some of their answers.

1. I am thankful for my 6th grade students who amuse, baffle, inspire, frustrate, enlighten, challenge, delight and, most of all, teach me every day. Those relationships are what it's all about for me and make me wonder, "How could anyone NOT want to be a teacher?"

2. I am thankful for supportive administrators who promote teacher leadership, innovative teaching, and professional growth.

3. I am thankful for the students who have become friends and the ties that we continue to have with each other. I feel rewarded every time they consider me an important enough part of their past to keep me informed with emails and notes about their latest milestones.

4. I'm thankful for a highly motivated group of colleagues on my professional learning team. Each challenges my thinking regularly and has influenced my instructional practices significantly. My classroom today looks far different than it did two years ago because of my exposure to them.

5. I am thankful for MY family whose love and support enable me to freely offer love and support to others.

6. I am, of course, thankful for my students but I am also thankful for my students' parents. As a teacher of young children I am constantly reminded that I am my students' second teacher even if I am their "first" teacher.

7. I am thankful that no one in the realm of "powers that be" has yet realized we have the greatest job of all, where we get to learn, have fun, and tell kid jokes all day FOR PAY! We get to watch children's faces as they reach "ahah!" We get to bring communities together by cheering for our kids at ballgames and meeting parents in grocery store parking lots for a little 1:1 conference time. We get to make Goop, draw spewing volcanoes, and write silly poetry, all in a days' work.

8. I am thankful for finger-painted pictures, snaggletooth grins, and kindergarten hugs that carry the aroma of peanut butter and playground mulch. Is there a better existence in this world? I think not!!

Reading these responses reminded me of hundreds of teachers that I have gotten to know throughout my career. Most are deeply committed to their profession and deeply aware of the difference that they are making in the lives of others. They willingly give of themselves each day, supporting, guiding, and loving -- and are openly thankful for the opportunity to do such powerful work.

As a community, let's be sure to "give thanks" for them!

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:27 AM on November 28, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 25: Sad Day for Wake

The e-mail's subject line caught my attention almost immediately -- "A Sad Day for Wake." Coming from a friend that stays connected with the happenings in our school system, I knew something important had happened. Inside, I found a link to an online article announcing the decision of Superintendent McNeal to retire.

I sat shocked for a few minutes, reading and rereading the article. Colleagues started pouring through my classroom door asking me if I'd "heard the bad news." We called our principal to see what he knew. Then, we spoke -- almost with sorrow -- about what our system would do without "Bill."

Our reaction is a testament to the qualities of the man who has so freely given of himself to our schools for the past 34 years.

You see, we believe in Bill McNeal. We trust him because he is an educator first, spending his career in the very classrooms where we continue to work and with the families who we continue to serve. His genuine concern for our needs and his constant commitment to equally praising and improving our efforts make him something much more than just "the Superintendent" of the Wake County Public School System. Those who work closely with him leave inspired and empowered -- believing in our ability to bring positive change to our communities.

This ability to inspire has allowed Bill McNeal to push our system to new levels by setting ambitious goals. Goal 2005 and Goal 2008 -- designed to bring 95 percent of all students to grade level -- have refocused our work and made us an academic leader among urban school districts in America. Student assignment plans designed to ensure that every school has accomplished teachers demonstrate a genuine commitment to segments of the population that often go overlooked. Teachers and principals recognize our responsibility to the success of every child and walk confidently, modeling the poise and assurance of "the Sup."

So what comes next for our schools?

In many ways, I'm certain that we'll continue to improve! The core beliefs that Superintendent McNeal has introduced to our system have become a part of who we are. Those who have benefited from his guidance and leadership will ensure that we move forward toward a goal of excellence for all children. His legacy will be seen in the faces of each new student who, regardless of personal challenges, excels in a strong school supported by our strong community.

Come July, we'll just have to do these things without a remarkable man that we have come to respect and admire very much.

It truly is a sad day for Wake!

Posted by William Ferriter at 9:15 AM on November 21, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 24: The Digital Generation!

I'll never forget the moment that I realized that schools had changed drastically since I was a child. It happened late one evening in the media center at Davis Drive Middle. The eighth grade students had earned the chance to be involved in an interactive project with NASA and were spending the evening sending photo requests via email to a special camera aboard one of the Space Shuttles.

The project was truly incredible! It required the students to understand the orbit patterns of the Shuttle in order to learn what locations to request photos of. They also had to use the Internet to research the weather patterns in different countries -- after all, what good would a satellite photo of China do if a layer of thunderstorms obscured the Great Wall!

While trying to send a carefully prepared request for a photo of the Italian peninsula, a boy named Dan grew quickly frustrated. "This connection is so slow!" he cried. "I'll never get this request sent in time. Why can't we have a better Internet connection?!"

"Dan," I said, "Relax -- you're sending an email to the Space Shuttle! Do you realize how incredibly cool that is?"

When he looked at me like I had three heads, I realized that Dan had no clue how cool this opportunity was because he had grown up "plugged in." As child of a digital world, Dan was hard to impress. Accessing information immediately, communicating instantly, and being entertained constantly by the Web had been a part of his life for as long as he had been old enough to "log on."

Isn't that amazing?

I mean, when I was in middle school, school projects meant flipping through the card catalog at the local public library looking for books with really cool pictures. There was no such thing as the Internet. Who am I kidding? There was no such thing as the "personal computer" or the "Space Shuttle" either!

The advent of the Internet and high-speed connections has literally changed our children. My students have an incredibly broad base of knowledge about a variety of subjects built on interactive streaming video and tutorials found in cyberspace! What's more, they have a level of digital literacy that enables them to access information quickly and easily. The running joke around schools is that students know their way around the Web far better than most teachers and parents!

These skills lend children a sense of academic confidence that I never had! No assignment intimidates my students because they know that finding interesting and approachable information on any topic is possible. Anytime we talk about something new someone is bound to say, "Can we Google it, Mr. Ferriter?"

At the same time, electronic exploration requires very little concentrated effort. Children find millions of resources instantly and often flit through a research cycle that was unimaginable when I was 12: Select a resource -- read a few lines -- don't like it -- select another -- look for a video clip -- can't find one -- click on a picture -- click on a link -- find a neat game -- play it -- find a new site.

Focusing for extended periods of time is almost overwhelming for many students because the Internet simply doesn't require it! As a result, children today often lack the level of "mental stamina" necessary for success in demanding classes or situations.

We can all agree that the Web is a powerful tool for exploring the world and expanding the thinking of children. Without guidance, however, it has the potential to weaken minds. One of our greatest opportunities -- and responsibilities -- as parents and teachers rests in introducing children of the digital generation to the Internet.

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:30 AM on November 15, 2005 | Leave Feedback

The Computer Ate His Blog-Work

WCPSS Teacher of the Year Bill Ferriter's regular Monday journal entry will be posted tomorrow due to technical difficulties.

Posted by Chip Sudderth at 1:54 PM on November 14, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 23: The Grading Battle

I have occasionally found myself in the unenviable position of "giving" a student a grade that they -- or their parents -- were not happy with. In each of these situations, the results were painful and damaging for everyone involved. Tears were shed, angry phone calls and emails were exchanged, long parent conferences were held, and relationships were lost -- all over a sixth grade language arts average!

Looking objectively from the outside, these conflicts make perfect sense. After all, teachers are completely invested in their work. We give long hours to preparing lessons and evaluating results. We believe in our ability to accurately "rate" students, and when challenged we often take it personally!

Parents are equally invested in their children. Their aspirations and desires for their sons and daughters are intensely personal. Every parent wants to see their child succeed in every situation and when results don't match expectations, disappointment and frustration is inevitable.

I would argue, however, that conflicts over student grades are not inevitable. Steps can be taken by both groups to ease the seemingly never-ending struggle over student grades.

Suggestions for teachers:

1. Keep parents informed about student progress: While I've never been on "the other side" of a struggle over student grades, I suspect that a major reason that parents are angered by low report card averages is that they are caught off guard by their child's performance. In fact, anger may not even be the best word to describe parental emotions in these situations. Perhaps surprise and disappointment -- maybe even embarrassment -- better explain their feelings.

   A simple step that teachers can take to minimize these negative feelings is to go beyond expectations to keep parents informed about student progress. Consider sending home weekly or bi-weekly grade reports. Consider making phone calls or sending email to parents of struggling students on a regular basis. Operate from the assumption that all parents are interested in seeing their children succeed and would want to know -- before report cards come home -- if they weren't!

2. Be specific about student weaknesses: Did you ever stop to consider how weak traditional letter and number grading systems really are? Think about it: When a student earns a "D," what does that mean? Is he struggling with specific content area skills that can be improved with drill and practice? Is he struggling to process information being shared in class? Is he struggling to turn in quality work or to come to class prepared?

   Teachers should take the time to spell out for parents what specific strengths and weaknesses their children have. Create checklists that document the knowledge and skills that have been mastered -- and that are still developing. Offer "Parent University" sessions designed to give parents the tools necessary to effectively work with children at home. Without this level of detail, parents can feel helpless and uninformed.

Suggestions for parents:

1. Stay informed about your child's progress: Many parents believe that they can "pull back" on school related responsibilities as their children get older. The thinking is that older children are able to monitor their own progress and succeed with little support from mom or dad.

   While this may be the case for some children (and should be the eventual goal for all), most will need attention and support for longer than many parents expect! Parents who stay up-to-date on school happenings, class work and curriculum are far more likely to have successful children -- and fewer report card day surprises.

   Don't wait until the end of a quarter to get an update on your student's progress. Take the time to get to know all of your child's teachers. Look at assignments before and after they are turned in. Ask frequent questions about progress and growth. Remember that success is a result of the constant interest and efforts of everyone involved -- parents too!

2. Trust the professional knowledge of your child's teacher: One of the advantages that teachers have when assigning grades is that we have seen hundreds -- if not thousands -- of assignments over the course of our careers. We are able to draw from this experience when evaluating students. The grades that children earn in our classrooms are generally accurate representations of their skill and ability.

   Trust -- rather than challenge -- this knowledge at report card time! While it may be difficult to hear that your child is not performing at the level that you had hoped, it is likely that there are real issues that need to be addressed. Build a positive working partnership with your child's teacher to tease out weaknesses. Together, you can develop strategies to overcome them.

As a community, let's make a commitment to work as partners -- rather than adversaries -- for student success this year.

Especially when first quarter report cards come out next week!

Posted by William Ferriter at 9:13 AM on November 7, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 22: Our Forgotten Heroes

I've been a little creeped out lately, and it's not because of Halloween. Strange things happen at our school all the time -- things that, at first glance, seem to have no explanation.

For example, our supply room is always stocked. Whenever I need paper clips or overhead pens, they're there. Whenever I need construction paper or computer discs for a classroom project, they're there. It's almost like the supplies order themselves in just the right quantities at just the right times.

Here's another oddity: I never make a single photocopy and yet I always have the copies that I need for my lessons. All I do is put my original in a file cabinet and within a day, the copies somehow end up back in my mailbox. It's totally bizarre.

Still more curious: Our building is always clean, our classrooms are never too hot or too cold, broken railings get fixed, burnt-out light bulbs get replaced, my paycheck is always right, phone messages are automatically placed my mailbox, records are accurate and up-to-date, student meals are carefully prepared and buses run safely all the time. Someone is even cleaning the bathrooms -- and boy do they deserve to be paid more money!

So who's doing all of this mysterious work in my building and in our school system?

Dozens of dedicated men and women whose work often goes overlooked: School secretaries and receptionists, data managers, teacher's assistants, custodians, craftsmen, media assistants, audiology technicians, facilities supervisors, cafeteria managers, mechanics, cooks, cashiers, and bus drivers.

These professionals deserve the admiration and respect of our community because they are essential to our district's success. In fact, it is more than fair to say that the people who are completing these tasks are the backbone of our system and the rock on which student achievement and teacher satisfaction are built.

Think about it: Could children possibly learn in a building that wasn't clean or well maintained? Could they concentrate on an empty stomach or focus if they arrived late every morning? Could teachers possibly teach if materials were never available? Would we be able to tutor struggling students or lead after-school activities if we were responsible for copying and cleaning too? How much time could we spend planning or grading or meeting with parents if all of these other tasks weren't competently completed by others?

What is even more amazing is that these same tasks happen in over one hundred schools across our county with little recognition every single day. While the work of teachers and principals is often celebrated, little public praise is given to the people who make that work possible.

Take a few moments in the upcoming days to celebrate the supporting staff in our schools -- they are the forgotten heroes of the Wake County Public School System!

Posted by William Ferriter at 9:08 AM on October 31, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 21: Nanny 911 to the Rescue!

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I've started watching Nanny 911 on television lately. The show has a strange draw for me as a teacher -- watching it reminds me of just how hard my job really is!

Take this week's episode for example: A father of three was struggling to keep his boys entertained during a one-hour period of afternoon playtime. Despite having the expert advice of a childcare professional who came to the rescue and an engaging game of baseball on a beautiful summer afternoon, their time together quickly broke down as the boys fought over whose turn it was to bat. After only twenty minutes, the well-intentioned dad surrendered.

Final Score: Three kids, twenty minutes, game over.

I suspect that many parents can relate to the stories presented on Nanny 911. Perhaps you've had a "rainy day" nightmare where your children were almost impossible to keep motivated. Maybe you've hosted a birthday party for your child and his best friends that turned into a grueling two hours where everything that you thought your energetic guests would love went drastically awry. I'll bet you were mentally and physically exhausted by the end of the afternoon, wondering how something that seemed so right could possibly turn out so wrong.

Now imagine those same kinds of situations -- only with dozens and dozens of children -- every day for the next 10 months, and you'll begin to understand the challenges of my job!

Every morning at 7:00, 27 students with different interests and abilities step into my world. From 7:00 until 9:40, it is my responsibility to keep all of them motivated, interested -- and learning! Sometimes the lessons that I've planned are a great hit, keeping everyone engaged for 30 or 40 minutes straight. Of course that means I still have two more hours to fill, but anytime one activity "works," I feel pretty successful because I know that my students are enjoying themselves and exploring the world at the same time.

Sometimes the lessons that I plan flop miserably and I have to make changes on the fly to keep chaos at bay. It's an uncomfortable feeling when this happens, that's for sure. I draw from twelve years of hard-earned experience to make it through these moments. Sometimes I can make small changes to the existing activity to make it more meaningful and entertaining. Other times, I have to scrap the entire task and design something new on the spot that might -- or might not -- work. Either way, there are 27 sets of eyes staring at me during this "rain delay" and if I don't work quickly, my classroom can spiral out of control.

I get a five-minute break at 9:40 as classes are changing. Generally, I use that time to sprint to the bathroom and to grab a Coke. Then, it's back to my classroom -- and a second group of students complete with different interests, abilities and needs that are my responsibility until 12:35!

Any teacher will tell you that working with students is the best part of our jobs. We love the connections that we develop with our students, we love the creativity that goes into our daily work, and we love the content that we teach. Watching children discover and grow is almost magical, and knowing that we are a part of that magic is humbling.

But it can also be overwhelming and exhausting too! Teachers work alone, knowing that they are responsible for everything that happens during their class period. They make thousands of split-second decisions and handle hundreds of different challenges every single day. Meeting the individual academic and social needs of incredibly diverse young people for hours on end takes a measure of patience, skill and workplace stamina that few other professions require.

There is no surrendering for classroom teachers -- and no Nanny 911 coming to the rescue!

Posted by William Ferriter at 9:00 AM on October 24, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 20: Education's Glass Ceiling

I had a reunion the other day with one of my favorite students. Joel was only 10 when I met him as a fifth grader in my first class as a teacher. He was someone that I hit it off with instantly, and I grew to know him and his family quite well over the past 11 years. Joel is now on the edge of graduating from college himself, and we got together to catch up.

As our conversation drifted towards careers, Joel surprised me by asking, "When are you moving out of middle school? You could teach somewhere else easily. Maybe you could go to a high school or college?"

"I'm not," I said. "I really love my sixth graders."

"But is that what you want to be doing when you're 50?" he pressed, "Don't you think it would be weird to still be just a teacher when you're 50?"

And for the first time in my career, I struggled to answer. "Teaching is what I do," was my first reaction. "I love my students, and knowing that I'm making a difference in their lives drives me."

I've even taken steps to make staying in the classroom a better financial decision. Several years ago, I earned National Board Certification, which carries a significant pay raise in our state. I then added a Masters degree, further increasing my pay. Combined, National Board Certification and a Masters degree has almost made staying in the classroom affordable.

But is being "just a teacher" enough? Is it what I want to be doing when I'm 50?

Honestly, the answer is, "I'm just not sure anymore," and that saddens me.

It's not that I'm "burned out," tired by the daily demands of meeting the needs of middle schoolers. In fact, I still thrive on my interactions with my students. It's also not that I feel "disrespected" by society as a whole. While the criticisms of public schooling can be frustrating, I know that I have been successful within my school and community.

What has me doubting my decision to finish my career in the classroom is that despite great successes, I've recognized that I am still "just a teacher" in the eyes of most people. My day-to-day responsibilities haven't changed in 12 years, and are no different than the responsibilities of the first year teachers in my building. While I am currently working for an administrative team that believes in empowering teachers, I still find myself wanting more input over school and system-level decisions.

Teaching is truly a "flat profession." There are no real opportunities for teachers to "advance" and remain classroom teachers at the same time. To get the additional influence that I want, I'm going to have to leave my classroom and lose my connection with my students -- that is incredibly frustrating.

It is time to break education's "glass ceiling" and to stratify teaching. If we hope to retain our most accomplished teachers, we must work to create school-level leadership positions for teachers who want to stay in the classroom and advance as well. There are successful stratification models being tried across the country, and each has the potential to help retain teachers looking for opportunities to grow professionally.

But these initial efforts are slow to develop and to be embraced by a society that largely still views teaching as something slightly less than professional work. Until these perceptions change, teachers will continue to be forced to make the difficult decision to remain "just a teacher" or leave the part of the profession that they love the most.

As for me, what will I be doing when I'm 50?

I don't know. I haven't decided yet.

Posted by William Ferriter at 4:51 PM on October 17, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 19: My Advice -- Ground 'em!

As the Wake County Teacher of the Year, parents are constantly asking me for advice. It's one of the best parts of my job because it reaffirms my belief that all parents care deeply about the success of their children. "How can I best help my child?" they'll say. "What is the single most important thing for me to do to guarantee that my child has a productive life?"

My answer: Ground 'em for a couple of months. And if you want to make sure that they're wildly successful, replace their computers, televisions, Game Gears and PlayStations with a big stack of books right before the punishment begins!

How do I know that this rather "unorthodox" approach to student success will work?

Because it happened to me when I was twelve. One Sunday evening, my father asked me to take the garbage to the curb. I (being the nearly adolescent rebel that I was) said no. Dad's response: "Fine -- you're grounded for a week."

"How 'bout two?" I said.

"Sure," Dad laughed, "Let's make it three!" Before I knew what had hit me, I had a six-week sentence in something akin to solitary confinement: A child's bedroom in the early 1980's!

Some of you can relate, right? My room was as simple as they came. iPods, instant messaging and the Internet were years away -- heck, who am I kidding -- cable TV had just become available (no remote controls, though) and we were only about five years removed from eight-tracks! I had a pillow, a bed, a dresser, a loaded bookshelf and a light to keep myself busy for 40 days and 40 nights -- nothing else -- not even a working stereo to play my favorite Bay City Rollers records! (Remember the Bay City Rollers? Better yet, do you remember records?!)

So what did I do?

Read -- a lot! I read books about World War II and the Holocaust. I read science fiction stories about traveling through different dimensions -- A Wrinkle in Time was my favorite. I read My Side of the Mountain, Treasure Island and Old Yeller. (It made me cry.) I read at least fifteen "Choose-Your-Own-Ending" stories -- both endings -- twice! I remember reading Blubber, and Rascal, and every Stephen King novel I could get my hands on.

When times got really slow, I hit the Guinness Book of World Records and the Almanac. (How many kids do you know who are reading the Almanac at 12?) I had a book about the Olympics and another about the Great Depression. I read about gangsters and gnomes and soldiers and nuns. I voluntarily cracked open my text books more than once. I even read Little Women in a moment of desperation -- and was surprised to find that it wasn't all that bad!

I learned two incredibly important lessons during that span of childhood incarceration:

First, take out the trash when you're told -- it's easier than the alternative!

But more importantly, I learned that reading could be rewarding. I learned that books introduce you to entirely different worlds and that your imagination is more interesting than you might think. I learned to let my thinking be challenged by stories and had the chance to explore life and history through the written word.

Those lessons have paid dividends time and time again. Because I'm a strong reader, I aced my high school and college coursework. I've also become an excellent writer and public speaker, which has helped me to advance in my career time and again. I am a strong communicator -- and communicators succeed. The foundations of all of these skills were initially developed during six wonderfully long weeks in my bedroom with my books!

How do you instill this love of reading in your child besides long-term grounding?

Try reading aloud together each night. You'd be surprised how much even middle grades students will enjoy time together with you. As your child grows older, engage them in conversations about provocative articles from the newspaper or current events magazines. You probably won't be surprised by how much they'll enjoy arguing with you!

Let your children see you reading for a variety of purposes. Tell your children about the reasons that you read. Show them examples of how reading is a part of your job and how strong readers succeed in your profession. Make reading a part of your family's evening routine. Turn the TV off every now and then!

Whatever you do, never underestimate the importance of encouraging your children to read. It is the single most important step that you can take to ensure their futures.

I'm living proof!

Posted by William Ferriter at 10:40 AM on October 10, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 18: The Myth of Laziness?

All right, parents and teachers -- this entry is meant to challenge your thinking on children who fail.

Recently, a teacher told me, "If a child fails, it's not because of me. I teach. That's it. It's their responsibility to learn."

I've heard many colleagues say similar things. "Every child has the opportunity to learn," they'll say. "It's what they do with that opportunity that determines who will be successful. After all, I can't make them do their homework or study for their tests."

I've heard defeated parents in conferences echo these sentiments. "Oh, I don't know what to do with him. He just doesn't care. If he'd do his work, he'd be fine, but he's too lazy to do his work."

And I'll admit, I've said these kinds of things before too. Usually they come out in moments of great frustration with an individual student who I think I've tried everything with and yet I still don't seem to be able to reach. In those moments, I almost take the student's struggles or misbehavior as a personal affront. I've invested myself completely into my work -- I've given what I believe to be my best -- so it must just be that the child "just doesn't care," right?

I took great comfort in these kinds of thoughts until I read a powerful book called The Myth of Laziness by Mel Levine. In it, Levine makes the argument that no one ever wants to fail. I mean, think about it -- who would willingly wake up day after day and put themselves through the negative feelings and experiences that go along with failing. Everyone would prefer to be successful in every situation if they could.

Wouldn't you?

Levine goes on to argue that the adults who surround struggling students -- both parents and teachers -- may be the ones who are failing. We take the easy way out when we say, "You just have to work harder," or "You're just lazy," to children.

Instead, he believes we should be working diligently to identify the reasons for a child's struggles. Failure, in Levine's experience, is the result of a variety of neuro-developmental dysfunctions, learning disabilities and personal challenges that can be identified and addressed in very specific ways. To him, no one is ever lazy -- they just struggle to produce.

That one, simple thought has had a profound impact on how I go about my work. Whenever I see a child acting out in class, refusing to do work, or constantly earning failing grades, I have to remind myself that I have a responsibility to figure out why. Calling it laziness and moving on is a failure on my part. It is evidence of an unwillingness to do the hard work necessary to identify weaknesses and to help my struggling students succeed.

Since reading The Myth of Laziness, I'm far more persistent than ever before, and I'm finding that Levine just might be right. Children that I would have labeled lazy are willing to work incredibly hard when I reach out to them. Sometimes, I have to present material in a different way or design an alternative activity. Sometimes, I have to offer additional time or individual attention. Sometimes I have to get help from specialists in our school trained to address student learning disabilities.

But every time, my struggling students have shown a real desire to succeed. One boy almost brought me to tears when he started signing his assignments with, "A boy who is trying to produce."

These experiences have gotten me thinking....

Where does our responsibility to failing children -- as parents and as teachers -- start and end? Can all children be successful if we are willing to make extra efforts on their behalf?

More importantly, is labeling students "lazy" taking the easy way out?

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:08 PM on October 3, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 17: Disputing Teacher Bonuses

Did you read the front-page article in the News and Observer on Friday about the performance bonuses being given to teachers in 37 failing schools across North Carolina? Despite passing rates that are less than ideal, our state will be spending 3.2 million dollars under the existing ABCs of Public Education school accountability program to provide $750 stipends to 3,262 teachers in each of these schools because their students "made expected growth."

Many people are indignant about this decision. "Parents of children who are failing have nothing to celebrate," said the founder of People United for Education, a group critical of the decision. "I don't think anyone should be rewarded in these schools or others."

"It does beg the question of whether we should relook at how we hand out the bonuses," added Howard Lee, the chairman of the State Board of Education.

So where do I stand?

Like many, I think we need to significantly alter the way we hand out bonuses to teachers. Unlike many, I think the annual bonuses for teachers working in high-needs schools should be raised to at least $5,000.

Each year at this time, I feel a great sense of guilt because I have chosen to work in a suburban school with less than 10% of my students living in poverty -- my classes are full of children who are fortunate in nearly every way. They tend to come to school well prepared because they have been exposed to extensive enrichment opportunities for their entire lives. They have access to the best medical care and the latest technologies. Their parents are supportive and engaged, and they provide for their children in ways that many of our poorest families can only dream of -- and each year, I receive a $1,500 bonus because my students "make high growth" in the ABCs program.

While I firmly believe that every child, including those from middle and upper class families, deserves a highly accomplished teacher, I often wonder, "Would my students 'make high-growth' without me? Don't children of poverty need me more?"

Then I wonder, "What are we, as a state, doing to recruit our most accomplished teachers to our hardest-to-staff schools?"

Children living in poverty face a set of challenges that must be addressed in unique ways, and yet high-needs schools generally function just like "schools always have." Class sizes remain high, needed resources are in short supply, the social challenges of poverty like chronic absenteeism and lack of enrichment experiences remain, and little additional time or training is made available to support teachers or staff members. Quite simply, working in high-needs schools is far more demanding than working in high-wealth schools.

Despite these realities, hard-to-staff schools often end up labeled as "failures" in the eyes of the community and teachers rarely earn top-level achievement bonuses -- it would be difficult to imagine a more adverse set of circumstances in which to choose to work.

Few would argue that more high quality teachers are needed if we are going to guarantee every child the "sound basic education" promised in our state's constitution. Even fewer would argue that our highest-need schools struggle to attract and retain large numbers of our most accomplished educators. As Terry Belk, father of two children at a high school in another North Carolina district, said, "My daughter told me that she hardly ever saw a regular teacher. They were mostly substitutes."

To attract teachers to high-needs schools, I believe that we must do more than simply criticize and ridicule. We must start by offering significant market-based incentives to accomplished teachers working in challenging assignments.

While many of my colleagues may disagree (rightfully arguing that teacher pay is too low regardless of which school one chooses), I believe that offering significant "bonuses" to teachers working in our lowest performing schools would have a significant impact on student achievement.

As it currently stands, we simply expect teachers to work in challenging circumstances with no additional compensation -- and then subject them to constant pressure and scrutiny. This seems shortsighted when other, "easier" opportunities are readily available. Let's financially reward teachers for working with the students who need them the most.

Restructuring teacher pay may not be enough, however. While increased bonuses may attract more teachers to our hardest-to-staff schools, they will not be enough to keep them there. To ensure that high-needs schools retain our best teachers, we must also:

1. Restructure the workday in our most challenging schools: Teaching in high-needs schools is tough work. Not only do teachers have to know their content, they must understand how to help children overcome the almost overwhelming challenges of poverty. Let's restructure the workday in these schools, allowing for significant on-the-job professional development and reflection. Providing more embedded time and training to teachers who have to address more challenges seems only logical.
2. Recruit our most accomplished administrators to, and grow teams of accomplished educators in, our most challenging schools: Accomplished administrators serve as magnets for good teachers. They energize and inspire in ways that "ring true" to our best educators. We must also develop teams of accomplished teachers working together who thrive on one another's energy and ideas. Passionate teachers are constantly motivated to reflect and grow. Equally motivated colleagues and administrators must be present to nurture this professional creativity.

So what do you think? Does "having it easy" make my work less significant or worthwhile than that of teachers working in our hardest-to-staff schools? Should I feel guilty about taking my $1,500 bonus this month?

I'm not sure -- that is a question I continue to struggle with.

But I do think that critics who demand success without supporting meaningful change and who continue to look for "quick-fix" solutions to incredibly complex problems should be ashamed.

Attracting teachers to high-needs schools -- and keeping them there -- will require more than an occasional $750 bonus and a reliance on my own feelings of guilt and shame. It will take a willingness to commit significant new resources to an effort that is long overdue.

Posted by William Ferriter at 3:00 PM on September 26, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 16: Lesson Learned on the Couch

I couldn't sleep the other night. I don't know why, but it was about 3:30 in the morning and my mind wouldn't settle enough for me to fall into the bliss of another dream before the day began.

So I grabbed a Coke, crawled to the couch and snapped on the television. After flipping through infomercial after infomercial, I settled on an interview with an expert in DNA who was discussing the advances in technology that have changed crime scene investigations over the course of the past 20 years.

And let me tell you, this guy was passionate about his field. He was animated and excited -- his eyes were gleaming, his voice would rise as he made key points, he sat forward in his chair -- and yet I was bored to tears! You see, he was so passionate that he forgot who his audience was and began talking at a level that was far beyond my ability to understand. I was lost in five minutes, and fast asleep in 10.

So what does this have to do with education?

One of the great debates in schooling today is what qualifications teachers should possess before being certified to teach. Many argue that teachers in our classrooms are woefully unprepared because they do not have four-year degrees in their subject areas. Often, professionals who transfer to education after their first career are seen as more "competent" than teachers who come to the classroom through traditional preparation programs simply because they are masters of their content areas.

I would argue (as would anyone who was watching the DNA guy on Wednesday) that knowledge of content isn't enough to make someone a "highly qualified" teacher. To be successful, a teacher also needs:

1. A knowledge of content-specific instructional techniques: Our classrooms are incredibly diverse communities. Students demonstrate a wide-range of background experiences, interests, abilities, and learning styles. Meeting the needs of all of these children is quite possibly the single-greatest challenge for teachers.

   To meet this challenge, teachers must have a strong understanding of how to make their content approachable for various groups of students. Instructional techniques must not only be age-appropriate, they must be ability-appropriate as well. Teachers must also be able to refine their instruction when first-attempts to reach students fail.

2. A knowledge of the children that they are teaching: Think about the teacher who you had the strongest connection to as a child. What was it that made you admire and respect them? Listen to them? Learn from them? I'll bet that it wasn't their deep and passionate knowledge of content! It was more likely the rapport that they worked to develop with you and their ability to make you feel valued and respected.

   Our best teachers understand that relationships matter in education. They work to know their students -- not simply their content. They recognize that students learn best from the people that they respect and admire (why do you think peer pressure is so powerful?), and they work to be one of those people. Passion about content must be combined with passion for people.

I'm about to say something that may surprise you: I don't consider myself to be an expert in my content areas (Social Studies and Science). I mean, I understand the curriculum enough to present accurate information to my students, but I don't have a degree in either subject and I'll readily admit that I don't have the complex understandings of content that experts from these fields possess.

I can almost hear the groans of the education community from here! "What is he doing," they'll wonder. "How can the Wake County Teacher of the Year admit that he's not an expert in his content area? He'll only reinforce people's negative impressions of what teachers know and can do!"

But I do have a deep understanding of my students. I recognize the importance of building a strong and trusting relationship with them. I realize that they have different strengths, weaknesses and needs. I am skilled with a variety of instructional techniques and am able to refine my lessons when my first attempts haven't been successful. I am able to share my passion for my content in ways that are approachable and interesting for all of my students.

Don't get me wrong -- I appreciate the importance of content knowledge in teacher training and certification. I believe that, especially for high school teachers, a firm grasp of -- and passion for -- content knowledge is essential.

But passion for content is not enough to keep our students motivated and learning. It may not even be enough to keep them awake -- I learned that lesson just before dozing off on the couch the other night!

Posted by William Ferriter at 8:54 AM on September 19, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 15: Education Myth -- Teachers Work 6 Hours a Day

I'm reading a new book right now called Education Myths. Jay Greene, who is a researcher for a group that is generally critical of public schools, has written it to expose what he claims are commonly held misperceptions about public education. What frightens me is that Mr. Greene seems to be spreading myths of his own by drawing conclusions that seem far removed from the reality of my experiences over the past 12 years in the classroom.

For example, Greene claims that teachers work 7.3 hours a day for a total of 36.5 hours a week. This includes about 6 hours of direct instruction and 1-2 hours of planning daily, and it is, he argues, an ample amount of time to complete all tasks expected of teachers. To assert that teachers only work 7.3 hours and have 1-2 hours of planning each day is simply not an accurate reflection of my work!

First, I am required by my administration to be at school from at least 7:00-2:45. What's more, to realistically complete the rest of the tasks necessary to teach takes far longer than 7.75 hours a day.

Here was my work schedule last week:

Sunday:	4:00 PM - 7:30 PM	3.5 hours
Monday:	6:00 AM - 7:30 PM	13.5 hours
Tuesday:	6:00 AM - 7:00 PM	13 hours
Wednesday:	6:00 AM - 7:45 PM	13.75 hours
Thursday:	6:00 AM - 6:45 PM	12.75 hours
Friday:	6:00 AM - 7:15 PM	13.25 hours
Saturday:	12:00 PM - 4:00 PM	4 hours

Grand total: 73.75 hours.

So what was I doing during all of those hours? Things that teachers do every single day: Grading papers, planning lessons, responding to parent questions via email, meeting with my grade level team, meeting with my department, meeting with my administration, meeting with guidance counselors about struggling students....

Helping to maintain our school's website, helping to enroll students in classroom websites, developing my own classroom website, reading professional literature, preparing my National Board Renewal portfolio, studying how to use digital moviemaking in my instruction, preparing for this week's open house....

Acquiring materials for our upcoming lessons, tiding up my classroom, returning lab supplies, writing parent newsletters, cleaning boards, wiping desks, picking up spent tissues from the floor, coaching basketball, setting up intramurals, mentoring new colleagues, giving -- and getting -- advice on students or instruction....

The list of responsibilities that classroom teachers must manage in a typical week is almost endless! For me, all of this work (except my weekend hours) is done at school. Without children, I can arrive early and stay long into the night. For many of my colleagues, this work is done at home after the kids have gone to bed and in between loads of laundry.

Is my work schedule unusual?

Perhaps a bit, but not as unusual as you may think. The most recent study of teacher working conditions in North Carolina shows that more than half of the teachers in North Carolina spend between 3-5 hours outside of the school day each week involved in activities like coaching, tutoring, chaperoning field trips and sponsoring clubs.

Furthermore, almost 60 percent of the teachers in North Carolina (and 70 percent of the teachers in Wake County) spend between 5 and 10 hours outside of the school day each week preparing lessons, grading, holding parent conferences and attending meetings. Finally, almost 85 percent of teachers in North Carolina report having less than one hour of planning time built into their schedules each day to complete these tasks.

Using these statistics, we can conservatively estimate that more than half of our teachers in North Carolina are working 51.5 hours a week -- far more than the 35 hours that Jay Greene writes of. Maybe the long-held belief that teachers are only "working" when they are in front of students explains the "teachers only work 6 hours a day" myth.

Ask any teacher and they will tell you that the 6 hours that we spend teaching is the best part of our day. It's the long hours preparing for that instruction that can be overwhelming -- chasing thousands of teachers from the classroom each year -- and it is those hours that go overlooked by many under-informed critics of education.

Posted by William Ferriter at 2:59 PM on September 12, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 14: Looking for a Few Good Men

One of the prizes that I won for being Wake County's Teacher of the Year is the free use of a Saturn Relay for a year -- and I have to tell you, it is a beautiful car. It's completely loaded with features that I've never had before. I'm having the most fun with the power windows and the CD player -- my '95 Ford Taurus has the old-school crank models and a tape deck! Getting used to the heated leather seats, DVD player, keyless entry, XM satellite radio and On Star has been a truly interesting experience.

Getting used to the "2005 Wake County Teacher of the Year" sticker sprawled across the rear window has also been interesting. I get the occasional honk and I'll often see people staring at me while driving around. I'm constantly paranoid about cutting people off and I never roll through yellow lights because I'm pretty sure that the intersection cameras will have no troubles finding me. I've even gotten to the point where I feel like I have to shave if I'm planning to drive the Relay because you never know whom you'll meet on a trip to the Quickie-Mart!

But the most interesting by-product of the sticker happened this week when a stranger approached me in a Food Lion parking lot and said, "Please tell your wife thank you -- She must be great at what she does, and I really respect and admire teachers."

Now don't get me wrong -- my wife, who works for the YMCA, is great at what she does, but I'm the Wake County Teacher of the Year!

This incident got me thinking about the lack of men in our schools. When working at the elementary level, I was one of only two men in classrooms. At the middle school level, men make up about 10% of most faculties. On our sixth grade hallway, we started last year with just one male teacher but are lucky enough to have 3 now -- out of 12!

Why is it that men aren't drawn to teaching as a profession? Is it, as those who ascribe to stereotypes would have you believe, that "men just aren't the nurturing type?" Is it that teaching continues to be seen as "woman's work?" Is it that men feel a burden to be providers for their families (another changing stereotype in today's world), and the typically low salaries paid to teachers makes this impossible?

But more importantly, what impact does the absence of male teachers in our classrooms have on children -- especially our boys? Who are their "learning role models?" How can we convince them that "guys read too" when there are no "guy reading teachers?" Are we inadvertently sending the message that "men don't bother with school?"

What's more, this imbalance between the role of men and women in education often seems to carry over into families, too. Who is it that attends Open House? Who schedules parent conferences or makes phone calls with important questions? Who helps with homework at night and makes lunches in the morning? Who chaperones field trips or volunteers with the PTA? In my experience, moms take on the majority of those responsibilities -- and while they do a terrific job, it seems like men should do more to be involved.

In the 1970's, the academic success of girls in our classrooms (particularly in the fields of math and science) was at risk. We made a concerted effort to encourage girls to pursue rigorous coursework and to see themselves as the academic equals that they are. Those efforts are paying off. More girls take Advanced Placement courses than ever before. SAT scores for girls have raised, and more young women pursue degrees in engineering and science.

But during that same time period, our boys have struggled. In fact, many researchers think that boys could be facing an equally critical crisis. Studies show that there is a growing achievement gap between boys and girls in the area of literacy. There are also higher percentages of boys dropping out of school and expressing dissatisfaction with classroom experiences. Boys often feel little or no connection with their teachers or their work.

One simple solution that we can apply at the local level is to work to attract more men to our classrooms. There is little doubt that our teachers influence us -- I'll bet you can name at least one that changed your life -- and I believe that male teachers are more likely to have this kind of significant influence on the boys in our classrooms.

Another simple solution is for dads to get more involved with school experiences. Be seen by your child as a reader or a writer. Help with homework and projects. Attend an Open House or a school function.

Let's show our children that men value learning too.

Posted by William Ferriter at 11:31 AM on September 8, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 13: Principals Matter

I was talking to my principal the other day and he asked me what my future plans are. "Where are you going to be in five years, Bill? Clearly you could do most anything that you wanted to," he said.

My instant reply was, "That depends on where you're going to be in five years. I'll be teaching sixth graders in room 2415 at least until you leave."

If you were to ask the majority of teachers in our school, I suspect that their replies would be pretty similar. We've discovered a simple truth that often goes overlooked in conversations about school reform: Good Principals Matter.

So what makes our principal so remarkable? For starters, he empowers teachers to make critical decisions about teaching and learning. There is no decision that teachers aren't centrally involved in. In today's accountability culture where a school administrator's reputation -- and sometimes career -- is dependent on producing results, there is a great temptation to make all decisions from the principal's office. Control becomes important because the professional risks of releasing control are too great.

Empowering teachers, however, produces results in our school that centralized decision-making could never produce. Most significantly, our teachers feel a sense of professionalism and engagement that many teachers don't feel. There is an atmosphere of collective curiosity at Salem. We see ourselves as problem-solvers because that is what our principal expects us to be, and we are incredibly motivated to identify the instructional approaches that work best for our students. Our principal has unleashed an often-untapped resource in schools -- the intellectual energies of our teaching staff.

Teachers are not the only beneficiaries of our principal's efforts to create a professional culture within our building. Our students benefit because our school has become a magnet for highly accomplished teachers. I stand in awe of the skill and ability of my colleagues -- there are several who I believe are far better teachers than I am -- and many of them sought positions at Salem because of the reputation of our principal. What's more, our teachers are constantly learning and growing from one another because our principal encourages constant professional growth. His efforts bring some of the best and the brightest to our classrooms -- and make them better!

Is our principal "one-of-a-kind?"

No -- Wake County has many likeminded school leaders who are making a difference.

But not unlike teachers, it is becoming harder and harder to keep our most accomplished administrators in the schoolhouse.

School leadership demands long hours, constant scrutiny (from parents, from teachers, from district level supervisors, from the community at large), and almost overwhelming attention to detail. School leaders must manage complicated budgets, understand federal, state and local legislation, recognize changing trends in education, set direction, monitor progress, manipulate data, interact effectively with the community and develop the human capacity of staff members.

Our best administrators possess skills that are greatly valued -- and compensated for -- in the private sector. As a result, it is becoming more and more difficult for our schools to fill leadership positions with principals like mine.

As a community, let's recognize the importance of school leadership and make a concerted effort to identify, develop and reward our best principals. Keeping them in the profession is a reform strategy that will impact teacher retention and student achievement in positive ways.

My principal is living proof!

Posted by William Ferriter at 12:01 PM on August 30, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 12: Parents are from Mars, Teachers are from Venus

I had a great idea the other day -- I figure that if someone can make millions by writing a book attempting to explain the complex inner workings of the relationship between men and women that I can make a mint trying to explain the equally complex relationship between parents and teachers, right?

So I wandered over to the Self-Help section of the bookstore and spent a few minutes browsing through Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus looking for ideas. The first thing I noticed was the book's subtitle:

"A practical guide for improving communication and getting what you want in your relationships."

How perfect is that?! Teachers and parents across America will flock to the shelves if I can somehow help them to "get what they want" out of one another, right? And isn't communication the hardest part of the relationship that we share?

I've never met a teacher who hasn't been mystified by the actions of a parent at least once a year, and I'm pretty sure that parents can say the same about teachers. Let's face it; we're two of the most complicated groups of people to understand -- and for $29.95, I'm willing to be your guide!

After browsing witty chapter titles like "Men are like Rubberbands," and "Women are like Waves," I found what is going to be the title of the first chapter in my book: "Scoring Points with the Opposite Group."

My publisher (the guy down the hall with the working printer in his room) tells me that I should share some of my ideas here to "prime the marketplace." It seems that he believes that my book will spread like wildfire through a word-of-mouth, grass roots buying campaign after y'all get a taste of what I've got to offer. So here's an early draft of the key ideas in my first chapter:

Scoring Points with Parents: (Target Audience: Teachers)
Parents rarely intend to be the red-eyed, flame-breathing creatures that you see in your nightmares. There are several things that you can do as a teacher if you are hoping to have a wonderful experience during the upcoming school year. To score points with the parents of your students, try:

1. Recognizing that parents are valuable partners: Do you realize how much collective knowledge parents have about their children? They have spent years nurturing and supporting the students that you have just met! Yet teachers often overlook parents during the course of the school year. Make an attempt to involve parents in meaningful ways in the education of their children. Ask for their thoughts and advice. Empower them to help make important decisions. Recognize them as experts and treat them as respected equals. Not only will you score points, you'll learn valuable information that will help you to do your job better.

2. Communicate early and often: All parents are passionate about their children. They want to know what their strengths and weaknesses are. They want to know what is being learned in class and what assignments need to be completed. They want to know how to extend and enrich learning at home, yet often the only source of information is a cryptic conversation with a distracted twelve-year old -- or worse yet, picking through the pile of papers in the bottom of a backpack! Work diligently this year to communicate with the parents of your students in meaningful ways. Send emails, create websites, and host parent nights. Make phone calls -- to express concerns AND celebrate successes -- and you'll surely score points with parents.

3. Admit your mistakes: Teachers make thousands of split-second decisions every single day. Who was pushing in the lunch line? Was that child being honest? Did students have enough time to complete their tests? Were the directions for the class work assignment clear? Was I too harsh? There will be times when you make the wrong decision this year -- after all, you're human and this job is hard! There is nothing more damaging to your relationship with parents than to deny this reality. When you make a mistake, apologize and move on. You'll retain the trust of your parents and your own integrity at the same time.

Scoring Points with Teachers: (Target Audience: Parents)
Teachers are rarely the incompetent, bumbling scatterbrains that you see in your nightmares. There are several things that you can do as a parent if you are hoping to have a wonderful experience during the upcoming school year. To score points with the teachers of your children, try:

1. Recognizing that teachers are professionals: The old adage, "Those who can, do and those who can't, teach," is not only insulting -- it is inaccurate. Teachers are generally highly trained professionals with a deep understanding of the content that they teach and the instructional methods to make that content approachable for students of different ability levels. While you may not always understand the decisions made by teachers, trust their training and experience. You'll score points with your child's teacher by providing him/her the professional respect that you expect to be given in your workplace.

2. Giving your child's teacher the benefit of the doubt: There are going to be times this year that your child comes home distraught over the actions of a teacher. In any setting where human beings are together for six hours a day, there are bound to be disagreements. When this happens, begin by giving your child's teacher the benefit of the doubt! Make an appointment to hear what happened from the teacher's perspective. You'll sometimes find that your child's version of events was not a "complete disclosure" of the situation, and together you can work out a set of next-steps to keep future misunderstandings from happening.

3. Saying "Thank you": Teaching is demanding. Imagine spending hour after hour alone in a room with 20-30 children who all have different academic, social and emotional needs. And then imagine working in those conditions year after year with little recognition or praise. Like any profession, the critics of education are often louder than the supporters -- and teachers take these criticisms to heart. It can be terribly discouraging to work long hours with little pay in difficult conditions and then to hear only about our failures. Take a few minutes each month to thank your child's teacher for something that he or she has done. Your kindness will remind teachers that their efforts are appreciated -- and score you serious points!

So, what do you think? Does my book have potential? I kind of think that "Dr. Bill" has a good ring to it! Watch out Oprah, here I come!

But you know something, even if I don't make it big I hope some of my ideas make sense to you. Anything that I can do to improve the parent/teacher relationship is worthwhile, I figure. After all, we're counting on each other, aren't we?

Actually, I'm wrong -- it's the children in our schools who are counting on us!

Posted by William Ferriter at 12:00 PM on August 22, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 11: Keeping Teachers

This will be a big week for thousands of new teachers across our state as they begin what has the potential to be an amazing career. They will head into their new schools with a sense of enthusiasm that will be tough for us "old timers" to match!

I always love watching new teachers because despite having to work far harder than expected, they are typically one big smile. They'll proudly wear school colors and meet parents and co-workers for the first time. They'll carefully write their names on their boards and change their desk arrangements time and time again. They'll plan out their first week -- but only after asking seventeen million questions. They won't sleep for days due to the excitement, but welcoming students for the first time will make it all worthwhile.

Schools and districts have worked hard to find these instant-energizers. Job fairs started in the early spring and interviews have been held all summer long. Recruitment incentives have been offered as communities have begun to recognize the importance -- and the challenge -- of drawing qualified candidates to our classrooms.

Yet despite all of this effort and energy, statistics show that more than 30 percent of these new teachers will be gone within three years and 50 percent will be gone within five.

Those numbers are shocking to some. It's hard to imagine the same excited, energetic, new faces losing their smiles so quickly. But those of us who have made it past those first five years are not surprised because we understand how incredibly demanding this profession really is -- and we've seen new teachers leave over and over again.

What should be shocking to everyone are the costs attached to such significant turnover rates. America's schools spend $2.6 billion every single year to address teacher attrition. Using estimates based on a comprehensive Texas study, teacher attrition costs North Carolina more than $140 million annually.

But the costs are more than just economic. Teaching is not a profession that most can master while in college, and knowledge of content is not enough to make one highly qualified. Teachers have to have a deep understanding of the ways that students learn content and an ability to present knowledge to students using varied approaches. No one instructional approach will be successful with an entire classroom of students, and developing this "craft knowledge" takes significant time and experience.

Every year that teachers can "put under their belt" is critical. Over time, they will become more adept and efficient at addressing learning disabilities and tailoring instruction to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse student population. Over time, they will become more confident and comfortable with their own strengths and weaknesses. Over time, they will move beyond the walls of their own classrooms and influence instruction across their schools and districts.

Over time.

So what should we do to make sure that teachers stay in the classroom long enough to develop the "craft knowledge" that is so important to student achievement? Among other things, we can:

Focus more of our efforts on teacher retention than teacher recruitment: If we continue to recruit people to a profession that they are dissatisfied with, we will continue to struggle to staff our classrooms. Our state, under the leadership of Governor Easley, has begun collecting data through a bi-annual Teacher Working Conditions survey that has the potential to identify key factors to reducing attrition. Let's continue those efforts and use the evidence collected to make teaching more appealing as a career.

Provide new teachers with significant time to meet with highly trained mentors: There are many mentoring programs being used across America to support new teachers with varying degrees of success. One of the most effective programs, developed by the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz, pairs a small group of new teachers with full time mentors. With the help of Duke University, the Durham Public Schools recently became the first district in our state to adopt this model of new teacher induction. This is a program that should be expanded statewide.

Structure schools to function as professional learning communities: It is amazing how isolated schools can really be. Teachers typically work behind closed doors, doing the best that they know how for their students, rarely connecting with other teachers at their grade level or in their schools. Time should be provided within the school day to allow teachers to meet in learning teams with one another. These teams can then support one another -- and new teachers -- as they work to identify and amplify instructional practices that work. Without significant time during the school day, however, these kinds of learning teams are impossible.

Will these suggestions require additional investment in education?

Yes.

Are they worth it?

Ask the nearly 11,000 teachers who will be new to our state's classrooms this year -- or check the exit surveys of the thousands who won't be coming back.

Posted by William Ferriter at 4:43 PM on August 16, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 10: A Beautiful Ending...

Last week was miserable for me as a teacher. I know we all have them regardless of our profession, but that doesn't make it any easier! Maybe I take things too personally, but every time I turned around, it seemed like someone doubted my efforts.

I learned that sixth graders and high achieving students (both groups that I serve) didn't make expected growth. I read letters to the editor and quotes in the paper where detractors described their "disgust" with our school system and their "joy" after leaving. I had an interview on a television news program turn south as the host questioned my abilities and called my certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards nothing but a bunch of nice little "theories."

I don't know about other teachers, but I take all of these criticisms to heart. I know how hard I work for children and when people are dissatisfied to the point of "disgust," the impact is like a Mike Tyson uppercut. After a week's worth of damaging body blows, I was starting to wonder why I choose to stay in the classroom year after year.

That question was answered loud and clear at Knightdale High School on Friday evening. I was invited to speak at the Summer School Graduation Ceremony, and it was an experience that I will never forget.

Initially, there was a lot of nervous laughter and tension in the air. The graduates seemed timid - almost embarrassed to be there. "I'm only here because I failed one class," one boy said to me with a great sense of disappointment and shame.

"No you're not," I had to remind him, "You're here because you've passed all of your classes - I'm incredibly proud of you!"

As the ceremony continued, I was overcome with emotion time and again. Parents had the opportunity to see their children walk across a stage with a diploma in hand. Teachers and principals had the opportunity to see students who had struggled succeed. Pictures were taken, gowns were worn, and caps were thrown as men and women who could have easily given up on school in the face of great adversity felt the "triumph of great achievement!"

It is moments like these that fuel me. Every day, teachers in our county are shaping lives. We often make great personal sacrifices in order to influence others, and seeing the results is a much-needed reminder of why our profession is incredibly meaningful and worthwhile—regardless of what our critics may say.

I had tears in my eyes while driving home. It was truly a beautiful ending to a difficult week.

Posted by William Ferriter at 9:02 AM on August 7, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 9: This Vacation is Killing Me!

Honestly, I really struggle my way through June, July and August. Now, that may sound like an interesting comment from someone who supposedly "has the entire summer off." I can almost hear the groans of my friends who work in the business world, carefully using their two weeks of vacation time each year. "Right, Ferriter," they say, "We feel horrible for you. After all, you only get two straight months off!"

But like every summer in my twelve-year teaching career, I haven't taken much "time off" at all. First, I work 20-30 hours a week at a part-time job to supplement my income. This summer, I'm doing consulting work for a company that provides training in the use of instructional technology. Without my summer employment, I couldn't afford to remain in the classroom.

I've also spent extensive time engaged in professional development activities. I've gone to conferences, read three or four books on education, written for blogs and journals, given speeches and met with my colleagues several times. I've helped to conduct interviews for new staff members and am working to develop training documents to support teachers within our own building.

I'm also involved in planning for a state-level summit that will bring National Board Certified Teachers together later in the fall, and have begun work on a portfolio documenting the "best practices" that I have used in the classroom over the past eight years. While time consuming, all of these activities help to keep me knowledgeable about teaching and learning -- and once school starts, there will be little time for me to grow in these ways.

But it's not my summer employment or my professional development that makes summer so difficult. It's waiting for my empty classroom to be filled! I won't lie -- I miss my students because teaching is what I love to do. Each new year is like a story yet to be read -- full of conflicts, adventures, struggles and successes.

Who will wander through my door on August 25, I wonder, and how will I change their lives? How will they change mine? What have my former students been up to? How will I continue to influence them? What can I do to help the children of our school and community? What difference will I make?

Make no mistake about it -- this vacation is killing me!

Posted by William Ferriter at 2:20 PM on July 28, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 8: Leaving No Child Behind

As a teacher, the No Child Left Behind act has defined my work for the past several years. This piece of federal legislation sets incredibly ambitious goals for public schools, hands out sanctions for schools that fail to make "adequate yearly progress," and greatly influences instruction in our classrooms.

While definitely flawed, NCLB has been positive because it has forced schools to pay careful attention to groups of students who have often been overlooked. Children with disabilities, children with limited English proficiency, and children living in poverty have often struggled to succeed and yet little had been done to address their needs within the classroom. Communities were once content to look only at the composite performance of their schools, but now must focus on the performance of every student population that they serve, targeting instruction designed specifically to "close the achievement gap."

But I worry that our nation sometimes expects too much out of NCLB. Children living in poverty are being left behind in so many ways that schools cannot possibly address alone. In my own career, I've had students who missed school constantly because their families could not afford treatments for basic medical conditions like asthma or ear infections. I've had students who had no access to technology critical for learning and who had never participated in any kind of after school or summer enrichment programs because their families couldn't afford them. I've had students who were homeless or who were living in conditions that most of us would find appalling.

All of these factors greatly affect a child's ability to succeed, and yet we've done little as a country to close these glaring "opportunity gaps." Richard Rothstein, who has done extensive research on the impact of non-school factors on student achievement, once wrote, "No society can realistically expect schools alone to abolish inequality. If students come to schools in unequal circumstances, they will largely, though not entirely, leave school with unequal skills and abilities."

If we truly are committed to the idea of "leaving no child behind," it will take more than just holding schools accountable to be successful. We must begin to hold our policymakers -- and ourselves -- accountable for actively addressing all of the "unequal circumstances" that children experience.

Posted by William Ferriter at 3:14 PM on July 21, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 7: More Than Testing

I made myself pause today. I was talking with a colleague when I said, "Did you see our end-of-grade test scores? I guess we did a great job with our kids this year!"

I caught myself and was immediately embarrassed. After all, in my own classroom, I spend hundreds of hours collecting evidence of student abilities in formal and informal ways. I watch children reason and write every day. I see progress from assignment to assignment and from month to month. I diagnose weaknesses and target instruction that is appropriate and timely...

...and I'm waiting for end-of-grade test scores to see if I'm "doing a great job with my kids!"

Don't get me wrong -- North Carolina's system of standardized testing is critical to our efforts to improve education because it provides concrete data that can be compared. In fact, I believe that some of the most important data that we collect come from standardized tests. Over time, a clear picture of strengths and weaknesses can be developed, on both students and schools, by looking at EOG results. These results can then help districts to first identify and then amplify instructional practices that work.

We use that exact cycle of reflection at our school and on our grade level. By looking at EOG data (broken down by race, gender, age, and ability level) we are able to see which groups of students we served successfully and which groups of students we struggled to serve. As teachers, we will research what is being done to successfully reach similar groups of students in other places across North Carolina and we will try new approaches next year. Without EOG test data, none of this targeted improvement would be possible.

But that being said, I believe that it can be tempting for teachers and parents alike to fall into the trap of looking only at EOG scores when evaluating individual students. After all, our standardized tests only measure reading and math performance. "Doing a great job" with children should mean many different things.

I saw my students grow in amazing ways this year. They learned to ask one another challenging questions and to engage in thoughtful discourse with one another. They learned to try new things: some got involved in athletics, some got involved in musicals, some got involved in student government. They learned to show empathy and compassion for others and to be aware of world events. They learned to respect others and to have confidence in themselves. They learned about justice, fairness, kindness, curiosity, determination, perseverance, and responsibility.

While standardized tests are critical for evaluating the growth of our system and our students, parents and teachers should not use them as the only indicator of "growth" for individual students.

To do so would be to overlook some of the most incredible changes that children make every year!

Posted by William Ferriter at 4:53 PM on July 15, 2005 | Leave Feedback

A Teacher's Journal 6: We're a 'Bottom Spending State?'

I have a confession to make -- I'm a Yankee. I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and there was no shortage of drama in my family when I announced my decision to move to North Carolina twelve years ago to accept a teaching position