What Teachers Are Talking About This Week
July 28, 2016 | Sign up to receive The Teachers Edition.
More than 1 million homeless children and youths are enrolled in public schools, and that number continues to grow. Two-thirds of formerly homeless youths surveyed said that homelessness had a significant impact on their education, making it hard to stay and do well in school. Yesterday, ED released guidance that is intended to serve as a tool to help states and districts better serve homeless children and youth.
 VOICE FROM THE CLASSROOM
Connecticut teacher Matt Presser, who served as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow with the U.S. Department of Education this year, helped more than 30 teachers and principals raise their voices to share important perspectives on ED's blog. In this entry on our Homeroom blog, he reflects on what we have heard and why their voices matter.
|
 The most valuable player in the recent NBA Finals credits his schooling in part for making him who he is. Curry attended Montessori schools and says they "gave me a lot of confidence at a young age," says Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in a video released by the American Montessori Society. "Montessori has helped me become the person I am today." Curry's mom, Sonya, is the founder and director of a Montessori school in Charlotte, North Carolina.
|
 Atlanta eighth grader Royce Mann did pretty well for himself the first time he performed slam poetry. In fact, he's racked up almost 1 million views on YouTube in just a few weeks. His poem takes on the issue of white privilege and encourages his fellow "middle- or upper- class white boys" to take action. He says: "When I was born, I had a success story already written for me. You were given a pen with no paper. ... Everyone should have the privileges I have."
|
In an op-ed published in Education Week, Education Secretary John King registers his disappointment with the fact that "our society is increasing spending on locking people up faster than it is on educating them." He cites statistics about how people who are well-educated earn substantially more, pay more in taxes, are less likely to be unemployed, live longer, are healthier, and are more likely to vote to show how we ought to "invest in all our people and their capacity to contribute to society."
When teachers are stressed, so are their students, according to a new study, reported by Time.com. The study analyzed the cortisol levels of students and teachers and found that students had higher levels of cortisol if their teachers reported higher burnout levels. "It is possible that spending most of the school day in interaction with a stressed and burned-out teacher is taxing for students and can affect their physiological stress profile" (Sifferlin).
There are concrete steps we can take to retain more early-career teachers, according to a couple of recent articles in the education newsmagazine Hechinger Report. One suggests that other countries are on the right track when they require elementary teachers to specialize in content areas and focus on content knowledge to ensure they have a deep understanding of both content and learning. Structured professional learning communities and induction programs are also recommended, as is raising the selectivity standards for future educators.
 Why Is TV Picking On Teachers?
Earlier portrayals of teachers on television were respectful and caring. But things have gone downhill since, showing teachers in an unflattering light. Revisit a list of memorable shows and see what's playing now that tries to be funny but lands a disrespectful punch, showing teachers as burned out and immature (Butler, Washington Post).
|
 5. "I’m trying to instill a love of
learning and a sense of curiosity" (Teacher, Connecticut).
4. "The time we made the most space for teacher voice is the time we got closest to the right answer” (Administrator, Minnesota).
3. "Staff meetings are often where good ideas go to die" (Teacher, Minnesota).
2. "What professional development do teachers need? Access, time, and space to talk to each other" (Teacher, Maryland).
1. "You don't always have to have the right answers. Just the right heart” (Teacher, Minnesota).
|
|
