How about the parents just look after them for a change? Oh–what a silly concept–sorry.

The poor over worked kids and teachers. How do they handle it? It’s been a whopping three weeks since their last day off from school. Oh the horror.

Im surprised we arent down to a 4 day school week by now.

Im surprised we arent down to a 4 day school week by now.

I take none of you criticizing teachers have any idea of their jobs and you folks where most likely a teachers nightmare.

Teachers are under constant scrutiny, the kid’s are not. No report card’s and no failing.

On that day, I will be working on the following: looking at issues around poverty and how to help those students who are caught in this trap, creating more engaging lessons for courses *which sadly, is not really all that interesting for students), and working with other teachers to increase student engagement and student learning. All of these activities are designed to benefit your kids. Its not a day off, its a day where teachers can work together to find ways to help your kids be successful. As for no report cards-teachers are not reporting to administrators, but they are reporting to parents. Parents who have not heard from teachers should contact the teacher directly.

“Parents who have not heard from teachers should contact the teacher directly.”

???????? Okay here it goes, ye olde “do you remember when?” response.

Do you remember when children were given report cards which they got to see, then take home to their parents, their parents signed it as having seen them and make any comments or take action to see the teacher or the reverse request, then give them to their children to take back to the teacher.

The interesting thing about this is that the onus is on the teacher, who, after all, is the leader in the process of schooling, and thus is the single control person.

1. issue the report
2. record that the report has been issued
3. receive the signed report
4. record that the signed report has been returned.
5. take any action required as a result of the above activity.

Simple. No PhD required.

BTW, if this simple process no longer works, then this is an indicator that we are not educating our children, our teachers, our administrators and our parents well enough.

The big picture coming from this? We are brokering too many of the responsibilities we should accept as ours. That is true not only in the education system.

“looking at issues around poverty and how to help those students who are caught in this trap”

A very interesting and important issue. However:

1. How long has poverty been around?
2. What is the Ministry doing about it?
3. Is this not an issue throughout the province?
4. Is there a special provincial task force looking into this at this time?
5. When was this last reported on provincially and an action plan created?
6. What other agencies are involved?
7. Who is funding this effort?
8. Why is an important issue such as this relegated to a Pro-D day here or there rather than a special task force working at other times of the year?

My students receive regular updates (every week or so) and the marks are posted online as well. I have signatures from every parent of every student that they know how to access the marks. I also email the marks to parents on a regular basis. As for getting report cards signed by parernts and returned, that is still my regular routine-but not this year due to job action. Then I phone every parent of every student who did not bring back a signed report card. So, how is it I am not “brokering many of the responsibilities that we should accept as ours”? I am sorry, but I honestly don’t get your point. Who are you directing your comments towards? Parents? Students? Teachers? I’m not trying to criticize, but you responded to my post and I am unclear of your objective.

I don’t really care about ministry task forces on poverty. I have to look kids in the eye every day-kids who need my help because they are poor. I want to know what I can do every day to help them be successful. I hope you can understand that this is an issue for a pro-d day. These days are to find ways to help kids.

“creating more engaging lessons for courses *which sadly, is not really all that interesting for students), and working with other teachers to increase student engagement and student learning”

So who created this course material that is not all that interesting to students? I realize that a certain amount of course material can be customized locally and individually by teachers. But it seems to me that the base information should be some of the best, not some of the worst.

In other words, those who are getting paid to create such materials should be making the work easier for the teachers in the classrooms throughout the province rather than requiring them to replace material which is already developed and has been paid for.

Who is responsible for streamlining the process?

I envisage a course framework with learning objectives, core content to be used to deliver much of the course material, along with appropriate gaps to be customized by local teachers for local interest and appropriate integration with the culture of the students and community of parents expectations.

I am responding to the following two sentences you wrote. At that time that is what you communicated to the readers of this blog.

“As for no report cards-teachers are not reporting to administrators, but they are reporting to parents. Parents who have not heard from teachers should contact the teacher directly.”

So, reading carefully with a few assumptions, teachers are initiating the contact with parents. The teacher is in charge. As such you should know which parents have not heard from teachers.

To be completely dumb about it, when I phone someone, or e-mail them, or whatever system was used to initiate the contact, I tend to know when I have made contact. If I do not know, then I find another way to contact them, or repeat the process. So I am failing to understand the circumstance under which there is a parent that has not heard from a teacher and the teacher is not aware of that.

Thanks for you explanation.

You seem a bit defensive and angry.

“I want to know what I can do every day to help them be successful. I hope you can understand that this is an issue for a pro-d day. These days are to find ways to help kids.”

I most certainly understand that it is an issue fro Pro-D day. I am just wondering whether you are doing your own explorattion, whether it is a school specific effort that day, whether it is local School Board effort, a provincial effort? Are you left to your onw devices or is there a sharing of solutions which have been relatively successful in the past?

“These days are to find ways to help kids.”

Actually, not meaning to be snarky about it, but I am sure that every day that you are with your kids would be days that you are finding ways to help the kids. As I know, teaching is not a 9 to 3:30 “job”.

Hi Gus

Sorry if I sound angry-that was certainly not the intention. Just wanted a little clarification. I was really uncertain about your post, and wanted to ensure my response was appropriate. Also, there is a huge disconnect in the public about pro-d days and how they are used. I tend to get defensive, I’m afraid. But pro-d days are incredibly helpful, and they are all about kids. Its one of the really rare times when teachers can work with teachers to find ways to help students. We spend so much time in our own classrooms that we rarely get to meet as a group to discuss student learning.

As for the curriculum being not that interesting to students, it does happen. So anything that can be done to increase student engagement means getting students to actually participate in their own learning. The ministry issues resource guides, but I prefer to find resources that I know my students would like to work with.

Enjoy the sunny day

“Also, there is a huge disconnect in the public about pro-d days and how they are used.”

That is for sure. I mean, we do not hear that the GIS group at Canfor have gone for a 3 day data mapping program in Vegas, or a trade show in Denver, or that the HR group is having a day long educational teleconference with licensee companies in the NorthWest.

Nor do we hear when the nurses at the hospital are taking CE courses, and they are in the public eye, but not to the same extent as teachers are.