Teachering in So Cal

Sunday, December 11, 2016

National Boards

So Saturday was score release day for National Boards. Some of you may - or may not - know that there is a NEW process for National Boards and it's being rolled out gradually over the course of a few years. New process means: No trailblazers, no history and no mentors or support group. ON.MY.OWN. It also means this new process - the new expectations - are like the old process on steroids! Last year I completed Component 3. I planned and taught and gathered and collected and grouped and reflected and wrote and wrote and video'd and edited and... struggled to hit "submit" on the very first day of the submission window last May. Confident in those owl pellet lessons and the unit on building a business community - and confident I had done my very best. Since then, the component - my teaching - has been assessed and reviewed with a fine tooth comb by multiple assessors. And, since then, I just tried to put the component out of my mind and plan for the LAST component - Component 4 this year (working on it right now, in fact). Wow! It's been 7 months since I hit that "submit" button! SEVEN! Score release day was Saturday but I started checking at 9pm Pacific Time on Friday. BOOM! 4.0! Toot, toot! That was my own horn. #bringitcomponent4 #almostNBCT In May I'll submit Component 4 and by this time next year I will learn that I achieved National Board Certification!

THOSE Parents

One of the last things a fellow teacher said to me before I left my Title 1 school to teach at a high performing public school was "Good luck with THOSE parents". I knew what she meant. And it angered me. It's the type of assumptive thinking many had about my students at that Title 1 and their parents. THOSE kids have no chance. THOSE parents don't care. How demeaning, biased and damaging. They were fantastic families - full of trust and heart and love. Let me tell y'all - parents want the best for their kids. Universally. I want that, too - which means parents and I - we are teammates. Don't you mess with my team! So let me tell you about THOSE parents I have this year. The ones people call demanding, Tiger, Helicopters... the ones who expect a lot from their kids and their kids' teachers. Well - they should have high expectations for their kids - and for us as educators. It's our job and duty to do our very best - to not get stale - to try new things - to stay abreast of educational research - to grow in the profession - to make learning fun and rigorous. They should ask questions that make us think - they SHOULD be involved. I welcome each and every one. You know what else my awesome parents - THOSE parents - are doing? They are raising kind and thoughtful children. Kids who donated a huge amount of socks during Socktober - kids who congratulate each other and root for each other. Kids who comfort each other when playground issues bring about tears. This week we did a Secret Snowflake exchange. Of course I heard a comment or two that's normal for 9-10 year old kids still learning how to be - they are human children after all. But, overwhelmingly, I heard the excitement in their voices and saw it in their faces. Eagerly waiting to give a note or trinket. Excited! NOT about what they would get, but about giving. My kids are good people, filled with gratitude for gestures and tokens - who think of giving over getting. These excellent humans were raised by THOSE parents. #MicDrop #DontMessWithMyTeam