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Choose to Refuse in New York

Posted on March 5, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

High Stakes testing is nothing new to the world of education, but the pressure on children has shifted greatly in recent years. Tears, anxiety, and lack of passion for learning is the new norm thanks to hours spent getting ready for these tests. As an educator, I never thought I would go against the powers that be, but I did last year. That’s right, last year I was one of the many parents across New York that decided to refuse the NYS Language Arts, Math, and Science test for my then fourth grade son.

It was a personal decision for us at the time to go against the grain and be one of very few in our area to do this. While the Opt-Out Movement was huge in Long Island and Buffalo region, the Capital District has been slow to grab hold. The reality is that high stakes testing is just part of the horror that is happening in our schools thanks to the shift to Common Core. TechyDad and I knew that the tests were not going to be a good experience for our son. He would likely do very well, but the stress from practice testing was causing uncalled for levels of anxiety. I was questioned by administration. I was told it would hurt the school (funding), his teacher (APPR), and beyond. Thank goodness I knew what to expect. I was ready to combat the propaganda that was tossed at districts from the New York State Department of Education.

On Friday, I sent my letter in to refuse the NYS Math and ELA exam and all field testing for my son. This was just about a month before the exams are to be given to children in grades 3-8. Once again, I am confident in our decision. The tests do not help teachers or parents to know academic growth or problem areas of children. Why? The answer is simple, we are not allowed to see the tests or analyze them to see spots that apparently caused the kids problems. Basically, they are secretive and made by a company that makes an obscene amount of money off of the world of education.

This year, many more families are expected to refuse the tests not only in New York, but throughout the United States. Thanks to the NYS Allies for Public Education the word is getting out that parents have the right to “Choose to Refuse” in New York. This video made by NYSAPE is a fantastic resource and must watch so you know the rights for your children.

For too many years, we have been taught to blindly trust those in charge of the world of education. Right now, families across the nation and New York are standing up and saying that enough is enough. We are not going to sit back and let this testing madness continue. Our children deserve a proper public school education like past generations. If we don’t stand up and fight, the victims will be our kids who have already suffered enough in recent years.

Categories:
Educational PSA school

Advocacy on the Go

Posted on October 28, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Last Thursday, I spent five hours at a local middle school for a Common Core Forum with many government officials and Commissioner John King from the New York State Department of Education. It was nerve wracking leading up to the event because the media had made it seem like it would be horrible with crowds, traffic, and police present. These statements may have kept some of the people away. Of course, many may not have been able to make it simply because NYSED made the forum at 4 in the afternoon when many would still be at work, barely getting kids from school, and beyond.

Thanks to my father getting the boys at school, I was able to go early. I met up with a friend who had made some signs in case we wanted to use them for silent protest in our seats. When heading out to the event, I focused on wearing warm enough items to wait outside and taking a smartphone that would keep up with updating and live Tweeting. I finally decided this even would be a great test for my Motorola Droid Mini that I received as a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers.

We were at the school an hour and a half before the event started. When we finally got into the building, we each took a number in case we wanted to talk. In addition to this, we were given the rules for the Common Core Forum. These rules were not out there before the event because so much happened quickly after Commissioner King canceled the Town Hall Meetings with the NYS PTA and scheduled this forum with Assemblyperson Patricia Fahy.

While waiting for the Forum to begin, I was checking into places on my phone. I was able to share these ruled via Instagram, and also post on Facebook groups to let others see what was coming from NYSED. Then, as the crowds were still filling in, I was able to Tweet out to people to please come if they could because it seems to be very calm outside. Finally, it was time to begin.

While I only took a few pictures, I was Tweeting as much as I could. I also shared photos from time to time in various places. Thank goodness my phone was able to keep up with me. With all of the heavy use, it was just down to 30% battery after almost three hours of non-stop social media use.

As you can see from my Tweets, it was a powerful experience. It was wonderful to see that I was among countless other parents and educators that were upset and worried about the future of public education for our children. Thanks to my phone and the battery life, I was able to keep in touch with TechyDad, the boys, and post information about the meeting in real time while hardly worrying during the five hours of constant use. I have no doubt that this will only the be the first of many meetings that Minnie will be heading to with me while I fight to be a voice for fixing the educational reform that has damaged so many children already.

Some previous posts about the educational world:

Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I received the Motorola Droid Mini to test out and share ways that I use it in my life. There was no other compensation. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.

Categories:
Educational PSA school Technology

I Do Not Love the New York State Department of Education

Posted on October 24, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

There are days that I love New York, as the corny old slogan goes. Of course, recently there are a lot of days that I am not a proud citizen. The politics of education have always been there, but the true colors are showing more and more each and every day. As a teacher and parent, I am disgusted to see what is happening in the classrooms throughout the state, including the school that my boys attend. The level of frustration in children, parents, teachers, administrators, and dare I say even districts is becoming more and more clear.

Children are confused with instruction, crying thanks to over testing, and not learning skills that will be essential later on in life. The tears at school frequently continue at home when it is time to tackle homework that often looks like a foreign language and is almost always developmentally inappropriate. Parents are starting to question what is happening and to doubt the propaganda that is handed to us from NYSED (New York State Department of Education). It literally makes me ill because nothing is based on studies and most items were written by people that are not educators.

I feel horrible for the teachers currently in the classrooms of New York State. They see the horrified looks on little faces and must do what they are told or fear losing their jobs. Their new task is being an actor and pretending to be happy while teaching from scripted modules (engageNY). Gone are the days when you are a trusted professional who knows the needs of your students. Now your every move is watched and scored. Teaching to the test is required because the scores count against your new state rating. Forget authentic lessons that actively engage children to think outside of the box. This can not happen when Common Core driven sheets require all kids to follow the same steps for all work.

In recent weeks, I have skipped a few blog posts here and there. A lot of this is because I have been reading up and working on my new mission of Public School Advocacy. This is not a work of fiction, this is the reality that is happening in pretty much all schools in the Empire State. Thanks to Commissioner John King canceling Town Hall meetings after what he perceived as rude special interest groups (you know concerned parents), more parents are seeing the light. They see that it is time to stand up for our children and question what is happening in our schools. Since the local districts are required to follow items from NYSED, families want answers from Commissioner King and the NYS Board of Regents members. OF course, it really goes higher than this. Governor Cuomo is someone that also needs to answer some questions. He is the one that signed the fate that our children are now experiencing. He is the one that has set a state moratorium on schools that fail. Why? Well it is all about the privatization of public schools. There is a lot of money to be made in this business and the educational needs of our children are being sold by our elected officials.

Parents are once again being offered the opportunity to attend forums with Commissioner King. I fear that this is simply going to be a “pony show” where he tries to fix the bad PR from the last few weeks. I cringe that it will be even more scripted than the engageNY modules. NYSED and Governor Cuomo need to realize that we can see what is happening in the schools and we need answers. We need solutions to fix the mess that they have gotten our children into. They need to listen and get that we are not just rude and angry for no reason. Our reasons are the children we see missing out on their public education who are crying that they hate school and want to quit. I cringe and try not to think about what will happen if we do not change the items that are clearly not working and hurting our next generation of citizens.

Today I will be attending the first of the Common Core forum meetings with Commissioner King in Albany. I look forward to respectfully listening to him and then watching the power of parents. New York State families, we have the ability to make a difference and do something historic right now. Our children deserve this and we must not back down or give into political pressure at the expense of our kids. I know my kids will know that I fought for them and hope that one day they will understand why it was so very important.

Some previous posts about the educational world:

Categories:
Educational PSA school

Lunch and Recess Time at School

Posted on September 20, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Schools are stressed for time. Every minute of every day is strategically used in one way or another. Of course, in my mind too much of the focus is spent on testing and more specifically teaching to the tests. I will not even get into that right now because it is too much of a hot topic with the Common Core State Standards being pushed into almost every classroom throughout the country. In New York State, my children are in the second year of this transition. It is not only rough on them, but also on the teachers and parents. Rather than focus on the negative (I could go on and on), I want to check in with parents from throughout New York and other states. What is the topic?

At a recent PTA meeting, an interesting topic came up and got me thinking. A parent asked about the lunch and recess time at our school. Our children have 30 minutes for a combined lunch and recess. Of course, young kids rush or do not bother to eat to get outside into the fresh air to run, play, and get energy out. Who can blame them really? The question came up as to whether there is a standard amount of time for lunch and recess in elementary schools. I honestly can not recall the time at our last school. When I was teaching, I believe our students (PreK-8) had 30 minutes for lunch and then recess after that.

So my question of the week is inspired by the PTA meeting:

How much time do your children have for lunch and/or recess at school? I would love to know grade levels and if you are comfortable what state you live in.

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this Friday fun. These days, Pamela at A Renaissance Woman is reviving the fun Friday Meme. Head over there to link up and join in the fun.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An Island Life

Aloha #254

Categories:
Aloha Friday school

Quantity vs. Quality When Reading

Posted on September 13, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It is no secret that I love to read. Of course, what some may not know is that I have not always been an avid reader. Growing up, I despised being forced to read items in school and being told that so many book reports were equivalent to an A, B,C, and so on. My mother saw that this was a quantity vs. quality dilemma. She never forced me to do more than seemed reasonable so long as I was reading. I still resent my fifth grade teacher to this day for forcing our class to read The Hobbit.

I believe I owe my mother a huge thank you for not pushing the issue and letting me figure out my own love of reading. When I was finally able to break free of required reading, I felt a weight lift off my back. I learned to love new and different genres and explored many new authors when I was studying to become a teacher. When I became a certified reading teacher, I knew that I would use my experience to help children. While many teachers may not have admitted how they felt as a child, I told my older students. Why not tell them the truth and use it to connect with them. I told them that I would be there to help them as they had to work through the books that I had selected for Language Arts that year. We changed things up, worked together, listened to audio books, and kept thinking outside of the box. I knew that not every student would adore the books I picked, but it was my role as the teacher to get them through them and learn from the titles.

So why am I mentioning this?

Two things have come up recently that have frustrated me as a parent and educator. This summer, our local library changed the summer reading problem. My boys have adored it for many years, but this year it did not click. Rather than focus on the time read and encouraging children to read, it was all about the number of books and completing games for prizes. While this was apparently quite popular with other children (their numbers were high), it was not with us. My oldest was reading Harry Potter books. He tuned out and never wanted to go back and once again my reluctant reader was back. In the past, the library program kept track of every fifteen minutes that children read. After so much time, they received a prize like a pencil, ice cream cone coupon, or something else. This spoke to my kids, especially my reluctant reader. He could read his books about facts during the day and more of Harry Potter at night. It was an amazing motivator and he was reading an hour or more each evening before bed during the summer.

The next thing that I do not understand is requiring a specific amount of books to be read during a school year. Sure, it may work for younger elementary age students who are learning to read and emerging with leveled reading and picture books. The reality is it blows up after second or third grade when kids have moved onto chapter books. This is once again pushing the quantity versus quality button in my brain. It also discourages children from pushing themselves further and trying more challenging books. Why would they want to if it is simply the number that counts and not titles, authors, or time actually spent reading. Why yes, this also can lead more children down the path to being a reluctant reader.

So my questions to you this week:

How do you encourage your children to read without stepping on toes and making them reluctant readers? Have you ever had a time when you did not like to read or perhaps your children? I would love to know what you did and how you helped to remedy this.

It's Me

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this Friday fun. These days, Pamela at A Renaissance Woman is reviving the fun Friday Meme. Head over there to link up and join in the fun.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An Island Life

Aloha #253