Blogging from school...
Okay, so my afterschool students are working on homework for 30 minutes, so I have a few minutes to update and check email. Living without internet access at home is like waking up at 4 am with no access to coffee. It spontaneously stopped working on Tuesday afternoon. I called the cable people, who tried to reset the modem to no avail, so I have an appointment to have it fixed on Saturday afternoon. I suspect the modem is the problem. It has had an odd rattle for a few months, ever since it fell off of my roommate's large drum!
Life has been crazy, as usual. My principal and I had a Discussion, during which I resolved to address issues with her as they come up, rather than letting them all accumulate and become emotional. I think she thinks I'm a perfectionist and a snob, and honestly, she's probably right. I don't want to be a snob, of course, but at least I get stuff done, and done well. The problem with our school is that we are all so deeply invested in our students and our school's success, that we take it all perhaps too seriously. It is hard to stay detached and not take everything personally.
If you're curious about school performance in NYC, take a look at this year's school report cards. I recommend clicking on a district in the Bronx, picking a school at random, and examining statistics like how long teachers have been teaching there, demographic data, test scores, and suspension rates. The report cards compare the school to similar schools and to the city as a whole. After that, pick a district in Manhattan, choose a school at random, and look at the same kinds of data. Then see what kinds of questions pop into your head, and continue your research! (Thanks to Middle School Science for the link). By the way, I really LIKE being able to compare data from one subgroup to the next. NCLB is not perfect, but it is important to know whether ALL students have an equal chance to succeed in our education system.
More to come on Saturday! My charges are getting restless.
Life has been crazy, as usual. My principal and I had a Discussion, during which I resolved to address issues with her as they come up, rather than letting them all accumulate and become emotional. I think she thinks I'm a perfectionist and a snob, and honestly, she's probably right. I don't want to be a snob, of course, but at least I get stuff done, and done well. The problem with our school is that we are all so deeply invested in our students and our school's success, that we take it all perhaps too seriously. It is hard to stay detached and not take everything personally.
If you're curious about school performance in NYC, take a look at this year's school report cards. I recommend clicking on a district in the Bronx, picking a school at random, and examining statistics like how long teachers have been teaching there, demographic data, test scores, and suspension rates. The report cards compare the school to similar schools and to the city as a whole. After that, pick a district in Manhattan, choose a school at random, and look at the same kinds of data. Then see what kinds of questions pop into your head, and continue your research! (Thanks to Middle School Science for the link). By the way, I really LIKE being able to compare data from one subgroup to the next. NCLB is not perfect, but it is important to know whether ALL students have an equal chance to succeed in our education system.
More to come on Saturday! My charges are getting restless.
posted by ms. v. at 3:33 PM
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