Well, when I saw the blog topic, "What three "teacher skills" do you want practice and improve upon this summer at the MTC Summer School? What is one thing you do well as a teacher," I was somewhat offended. It not only suggests that I have at least three areas that need improvement, it also states that there is only one thing that I do well as a teacher. In the spirit of Sergie Leone, I am going to semi-buck the prompt and do a Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo of my classroom:
The Good:
My one marketable skill as a teacher one have to be the ability to stay level headed. A the teacher, you are the the leader of the classroom. If the leader is calm, the class will (hopefully) follow suit. On the other hand, I feel that if I was overly irritable or unsteady my classroom would deteriorate. I have no real suggestions on how to stay clam, except that you must realize that the students will follow your behavioral example, and if you want them to be quiet and polite, do likewise (however, every now and then I would recommend raising your voice a bit or using some other method to assert dominance).
The Bad:
Grading. I hate grading. However, grading is a valuable tool for classroom structure and for the students. For the student, getting papers back not only shows them where they need improvement, but it also shows the students who do shoddy work that a poor effort is rewarded with a poor grade. Next year I will be planned out for the year, so I should have more time to grade.
The Ugly:
Getting side-tracked. I like teaching math, but I love talking about economics. While the two subjects are similar, getting sidetracked for a half a class on an impromptu lesson over the international rise of food prices, or why oil is so expensive, may not be the best way to teach the quadratic formula. Hmmmm... I would recommend saving your off-beat lessons for days when you have to hold your class for five hours and have time to kill.
District Three
Introduction:
The basic idea of my school district is to create a district that is focused on either graduating students who will attend college, or preparing students for life without college. After the 9th grade, there will be tracking for the students, with the graduation bound students going to a prep school, and the non-graduation bound students attending a tech school where they can gain skills to survive without a college degree.
The goal of the district will to some extend nurture the students will great potential, and provide a realistic education for those who struggle. This stated, all students will be on the college track until 9th grade, and hopefully, most will stay on this track.
Teachers will be paid based on performance, which will be based on a mixture of observations and entrance/exit exam scores. In addition to performance based pay, all staff members are eligible for bonuses at the end of the year.
Contracts will be reviewed and renewed by a education specialty board, dubbed the oversight committee. Longer contracts will be offered to higher performing teachers.
Curriculum will be semi integrated until the 10th grade. Students will need to pass yearly exit exams. Schools will have study hall daily for students who struggle, the others will do sports, drama, or other activities.
Details:
First an assumption for how many students per grade:
2000 students in k - 12 creates roughly 154 students per grade.
Basic Structure:
Five schools:
K - 6th grade (cumulating with exit exams) (two grade schools total)
Then
7th - 9th grade (cumulating with exit exams)
Then
Finishing School (10th - 12th grade ) or Tech Prep School (2 year trade school)
Buildings:
We can use the current school buildings, perhaps retrofitted for the 21st century (i.e., smart boards, wi-fi and so on).
Technology in the classroom will be used, but not overly encouraged. For instance, students will not be allowed to use calculators until they reach the Algebra 1 level, and even then, teachers will be encouraged to avoid using calculators in the classroom.
All rooms will be equipped with a smart boards or an LCD projector, but teachers may use them at their own discretion.
Calendar:
The schools will all have slightly different schedules (more detail following), but the calendar year will be the same:
Three months on, one month off.
Term One: Mid September to mid December, then a month off.
Term Two: Mid January to Mid April, then a month off.
Term Three: Mid May to Mid August, then a month off.
For k - 6th grade:
Set up - Standard set up until the fifth grade, then math will be segmented.
Time: 8:00 am until 2:00 pm normal class
2:00 until 3:00 - Students will report to different classrooms where they will either receive advanced work or remedial work, depending on how they are doing in class.
The last hour of class is reserved for advanced or remedial work, students needing help with reading will meet with the reading specialization teachers. Reading will be approached as a mix of phonics and books, with the more advanced students doing 90% of their reading practice sans phonics.
Teachers will receive two 20 min breaks throughout the day where they will be relieved by the coverage teachers. The coverage teachers will also serve as security and remediation.
When students reach the 5th grade, they will switch classes for Math, segmented into accelerated and regular. Placement will be decided via an exam taken at the start of the year. Those struggling with regular math will be assigned to a small class for focused remediation, with the same standards as regular math.
Lower School Payroll
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Lower School Staff
Students 1076 total
100 teachers (10.75 students per teacher)
12 coverage teachers/support staff (six of which are math qualified)
Pay teachers on average 50,000 per year (30,000 - 70,000 depending on performance and experience)
Total: $5,500,000 (extra in case bonus run high)
Pay 6 reading specialized teachers on avg. 25,000 per year (20,000 to 30,000 depending on experience)
Total: $150,000
Pay 6 math qualified coverage teachers same as teachers
Total: $250,000
Pay Principal a flat rate of 70,000, position subject to yearly review.
Total: $ 140,000
Pay VP a flat rate of 50,000 per year, position subject to yearly review.
Total: $100,000
Allot a remaining $2,800,000 for support staff (office, councilors, and janitorial, and another $250,000 for resources
Total: $2,150,000
GRAND TOTAL FOR K - 6: 9,220,000
For 7th through 9th grade we can have two two story buildings. One is for math and science, the other for english and social studies. They are connected by a central cafeteria and common area.
Set up - Five 65 minute blocks per day. Same classes every day.
1st: 8:15 - 9:20
2nd: 9:25 - 10:30
3rd: 10:35 - 11:40
Eat: 11:45 - 12:20
4th: 12:25 - 1:30
5th: 1:35 - 2:40
Then mandatory after school activities from 2:50 until 4:00 (4:00 is minimum, student can stay longer if it's ok with their sponsor. Sponsors who stay longer get paid more (hourly wage) until 6:00). Each department must also have an open study hall during this time, this way students who are having trouble in their studies will be able to get extra help. Students failing more than two classes, or getting under a 50% in one class, must go to study hall for their activity time.
Options: Sports
Theater
Labor or Detention
Mandatory classes: Math, English, Science, History, and Art
Middle School Payroll:
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462 students
40 teachers (prep every 5th block makes) student teacher ratio of 14.43 to one.
Pay teachers on average 50,000 per year (30,000 - 70,000 depending on performance and experience)
Total 2,500,000 (extra 500k for bonus run overs)
Pay three principals a total of 60K each
280K Total
Hire 8 janitors at avg. of 35,000 each
280K Total
Hire three counselors at 40k each
120k total
Hire 20 after-school directors at a rate of $10,000 each
$200,000 Total
Hire two security guards at 35000
70k total
$250,000 dollars for teacher supplies
$350,000 dollars for office personnel
$500,000 for after school activities
With incidentals 4,000,000 dollars Total for Middle School
10th through 12th grade:
Tech School:
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If the student fails to receive above a 50% or elects to enter trade school, they may enter trade school, provided they made under a 85% on their exam (students scoring over 85% must enter finishing school, unless the receive a wavier)
Same bell schedule as middle school, just starts at 8:35 and ends at 2:55.
Periods 1 -2 are English and Math.
Then lunch at 11:00
Periods 3 -5 are tech prep, such as electrician, plumber, cosmetology, culinary and so on.
After school they either do sports and such or can work/be an apprentice. After school activities are optional.
Finishing School:
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Starts at 8:35
Periods 1 - 3 are classes
Then Lunch
Periods 4 and 5 are classes
65 min classes, just like middle school
Students will attended mandatory after school activities or study hall, just like middle school.
Laptop
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Every student entering High School, either finishing or prep, can "rent" a laptop at no cost. If the student graduates, they may keep their laptop. They will not be Macs.
Initial cost: $600,000
High School Payroll
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Upper school: Roughly 280 students (real ratio of one to 17.5)
Teachers
Pay teachers on average 50,000 per year (30,000 - 70,000 depending on performance and experience
Hire 26 teachers (some will be shared with the tech school for english and math)
$ 1,300,000 Total
We will hire four professors to teach lecture classes (each student must take one), teach advanced classes, and work with students on independent study projects
1 Principal (Pay 70k)
1 VP (pay 70k)
4 Janitors at 35k a year
3 Counselors at 45k per year
1 security guard at 35k per year
Shared office with tech school:
$350,000 dollars for teacher supplies and such
$550,000 dollars for office personnel
750,000 for after-school activities
About 2,250,000 Total
Tech Prep School (Two year Program)
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Roughly 150 students
6 standard teachers (shared with main school) and 10 vocational teachers
Pay teachers on average 50,000 per year (30,000 - 70,000 depending on performance and experience
500,000 dollars
2 VPs
120K
1 security guard
35k
2 Janitors
70k
2 Job placement personnel
100k
250,000 for supplies and materials
Roughly 1,100,000 total
Overview/School Board:
There will be a ten person team named the overview board that will monitor school performance and write curriculum frame works. They will be each paid on average 150,000 dollars per year and will consist of 5 tenure positions and 5 biyearly review positions.
The positions up for review will be reviewed by both the tenured members and the community elected school board. The school board will have relatively little to do with the school district, except to elect the members of the overview board and to be used as a community forum for discussions about the school district. Board members will not be paid. The principals of each school will have automatic seats on the board.
The board and oversight committee will have their own office, which will be connected (or at least in close proximity to) to the Finishing School.
Cost: 1.5 million
TOTAL COST OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT: rounding up for incidentals (.9 million), 19 million
plus health care and benefits, 23.75 million
Bonus System:
Up For Grabs are 4.25 million dollars in bonus money, which will be paid out to staff members who had great success, or coached a sport (more money to winning teams), or excellent work by any other member of the school. The money will be given out by the council, who will also be eligible for bonus, but never more than 7.8% of the total pot. Bonuses cannot exceed 35% of an employees base pay. This is to serve as an incentive to do good work. Bonus amounts may be lessened if teachers over-perform and receive more than the 50k per year average. Bonus money can also be used to keep good teachers at the school. If incidentals are less then expected, those funds are dumped into the bonus account.
The left over money (2 million) will be split 50/50, with half going into an endowment fund, and the other million going towards scholarships for the graduating students. The endowment will be a growing fund which can be used for rainy days, and as a slush fund as long as the total endowment does not decrease.
The scholarships will be given on a basis of achievement and need, and only will go to students who have been accepted into an accredited 4 year college.
Curriculum:
Until high school, there will be a focus on having uniform curriculum. While accelerated classes will be available, no remedial classes will be offered. if a student is having trouble, they will need to meet with an appropriate teacher during the after-school activity time. If a student fails their grade exit exams, which are yearly, they will remain in that grade until the second time around. If they fail again the second time, they will be pushed through.
All students will originally be on the same, somewhat advanced, track, but it is possible to start to fall off this track starting in the 7th grade.
There will be key objectives that the students will have to know by the end of their school year. Teachers can write their own final exams but they must be approved by the counsel.
Objectives will be created by the council and then be voted on by the teachers in that subject area (i.e. teachers will hold a sort of veto power).
Grades are based upon teachers input, but promotion to the next level is based on final exams. It is possible to fail a class and move to the next year.
Reading and Writing Improvement:
Students in the lower schools identified with reading problems will have to meet with teachers after-school during alloted time for one - on -one reading. The reading program will be a mixture of phonics and books.
During High School, all teachers must assign at least one 3 to five page papers. English and History/social studies teachers must assign at least 3 such papers.
Grading Scale:
Based on the grading scale used by the fairest college of them all...
93 & up: 4.00
90 to 93: 3.66
87 to 90: 3.33
83 to 87: 3.00
80 to 83: 2.66
77 to 80: 2.33
73 to 77: 2.00
70 to 73: 1.66
67 to 70: 1.33
60 to 67: 1.00
0 to 60: Failing
Graduating:
In order for students to graduate from the two year tech prep, they must complete 2 years of training inside of a 2.5 year span with at least a "C" average.
To graduate from finishing school, the student must complete all three years within a four year time frame, and graduate with at least a "C" average.
If students do not have the average necessary, they may use an additional half (tech) year or full (finishing) year to re-take classes. If they fail to raise their grades in this time-span, they will be asked to leave.
Discipline
In the lower grades (below 9th), expulsion will be reserved only for extreme cases.
They will go through discipline rungs, the first one or two decided by the teacher, then detention, then office referral with all the usual options (saturday school, ISS, OSS).
In the upper schools if it becomes overtly obvious that the student is worsening the learning environment, they will be given a warning, then a detention, and then a referral.
In the lower schools, three referrals will lead to a suspension, after which the fourth referral we be another suspension, and upon the fifth referral, the student will be suspended for the term.
In upper school, two referrals in a scholastic semester lead to a suspension, the third expulsion for the year. Upon return, the student will have three strikes again, with the third leading to permanent expulsion.
Professional Development:
All PD will be optional. If a teacher wants to attend a seminar, etc, they need to get it approved by the oversight committee, and it will come out of he bonus fund.
Community Involvement:
Local community members will be encouraged to help out with after school activities, and if qualified, can even help with running the after school study hall.
Teacher Shortage:
Teacher opening will be advertised nationally at a cost of up to $100,000 per year, taken out of the bonus fund, with a emphasis on performance based pay and the possibilities of bonuses. Hopefully more cash will draw more candidates, and thus more qualified candidates. All hirings will go through the oversight committee. Teachers can be fired after underperforming for four consecutive terms.
PR and Bond Campaign:
Floating a bond could be a major benefit for the school, especially for athletics. My bond issue would be to float 2 million dollars to go towards building a soccer/football field with a track around it, complete with some shoddy wooden bleachers. This would be good for the community also, since it will get the community behind the school, and the track/field will be useable by the community as well.
Another options would be to float a 4 million dollar bond to build a community aquatic center. This would be supported by the community for the same reasons, i.e., they could use it as well.
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