Changing paradigms in the public schools.
Administrators as advocates
Monday, July 26, 2010
REM Sleep
I am experiencing the purification of REM sleep. I am not mystified by it anymore. The brain and the life force needs the release of tension; it is a psychically visual release of images and emotions stored up in the brain and entity. I can see now that the goal of purifying one's life before death is so crucial, so that the rest in between lives can be as pure and joyful and clear as possible. Chanting daimoku can create this purification.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Postscript and Mendo Vacation
So, summer school ended with great success. I have talent for this. I was able to connect and support disinfranchised students. We had a 91% pass rate for the students. I understand that this is un precedented. We also did not have a fight. My campus supervisor, Artis, said that this was the first time in his experience that there was not a fight in summer school. He said that he felt it was because I had connected with the students. For example, he said that he talked with this big football players who said that I made them apologize to their teachers. And for gosh sakes, they did and then they were able to stay and excel.
I can see that we can help these students if we develop more advocacy for them. You cannot take students who have already failed, put them in an overcrowded classroom with one teacher for 2.5 hours or 5 hours if they are making up a full year, and expect them to behave, be focused and do their work. There is so much more that needs to happen for them.
Carla sent me a link to what is going on in Emeryville schools and now proposed for Oakland schools. I will post it.
Anyhow, now at the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek in Mendo with Peter for vacation. Lovely place; relaxing with excellent amentities. Quiet cove, with ocean smells. A vacation can help one reflect, take stock of their life, go on pause and regenerate energy to advance. One must not succumb to negative thinking, but use this time to refuel for a new advance. Anyhow, that is how a Buddhist would look at time off, however brief.
I can see that we can help these students if we develop more advocacy for them. You cannot take students who have already failed, put them in an overcrowded classroom with one teacher for 2.5 hours or 5 hours if they are making up a full year, and expect them to behave, be focused and do their work. There is so much more that needs to happen for them.
Carla sent me a link to what is going on in Emeryville schools and now proposed for Oakland schools. I will post it.
Anyhow, now at the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek in Mendo with Peter for vacation. Lovely place; relaxing with excellent amentities. Quiet cove, with ocean smells. A vacation can help one reflect, take stock of their life, go on pause and regenerate energy to advance. One must not succumb to negative thinking, but use this time to refuel for a new advance. Anyhow, that is how a Buddhist would look at time off, however brief.
Friday, July 16, 2010
July 16, 2010; Tutor's Comments from Volunteer Center
Working with Algebra class. Most students don't want help; don't appreciate the opportunity. It would be better to set it up differently next year with an official tutor and the classroom was designed to work with this format, it may have been better.
Mostly behavior problems.
Mostly behavior problems.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
July 8, 2010
Spoke with AB, Math teacher today regarding the trouble she has had with this group this year. Many students are poor in math; having them in a large math class where many are behavior problems is like creating a torture chamber for them. They don'thave the maturity and work ethic to be here for 5 hours straight. Some students have already mastered the content, but are unmotivated to produce work.
In the future could we create a process where they could they test out of the class?
Also many of our students here have ADHD diagnosis; defiance towards authority, etc. We are ill equipped to deal with this. The summer school is set-up with an academic focus only. Behavioral and societal issues are the real culprit in most cases.
In the future could we create a process where they could they test out of the class?
Also many of our students here have ADHD diagnosis; defiance towards authority, etc. We are ill equipped to deal with this. The summer school is set-up with an academic focus only. Behavioral and societal issues are the real culprit in most cases.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
More summer school
Here’s another good candidate for DWPC: LS He’s 16, but a 9th grader: got held back in 3rd grade when he came to U.S from Mexico; he is now a 9.5 with almost no credits. He told me he struggles in reading and was told he was dyslexic. He said he wants to go to Mesa and “thinks” he applied. He is from EAHS.
He’s hanging on here at Summer School.
Another one is EE, 17 years old a cheerleader at SRHS. Afraid to leave the cheerleading squad because she said she would owe $600. Has only 45 credits.
talked with MD, math teacher extraordinaire: no referrals. He says he just trys to help make it work for students. Some teachers are just too controlling, too demanding for this type of student. They have troubled lives and need a calm, safe reasonable place. Some of us are just too crazy and the kids can't take it.
He’s hanging on here at Summer School.
Another one is EE, 17 years old a cheerleader at SRHS. Afraid to leave the cheerleading squad because she said she would owe $600. Has only 45 credits.
talked with MD, math teacher extraordinaire: no referrals. He says he just trys to help make it work for students. Some teachers are just too controlling, too demanding for this type of student. They have troubled lives and need a calm, safe reasonable place. Some of us are just too crazy and the kids can't take it.
Summer School Summary of drops
As of today, we are at 525 students, a drop of 8 since last week. Basically I believe the drops have occurred not so much due to the holiday, but due to students who received progress reports showing less than 50% of work completed. In some cases, we are able to council the student, talk with parents and send them back to class with a somewhat renewed determination to pull up their grades if the teacher thinks it possible. In the cases where students are coming and not working at all (20-30%), some have stopped showing up. I think we’ll see a few more of these before the week is out. We also had a couple of drops due to absences caused by illness: whooping cough (!), a stomach flu that made the rounds, etc.
On another note, we are all working to deal with some immature 9th grade behavior, primarily by boys: throwing things, blurting out inappropriate comments, confronting teachers, basically lack of impulse control and self-awareness. The challenge with the 9th grade classes is that many of the students have not yet matured enough since the end of school in May to handle succeeding in the classroom environment. I can see the wisdom of the smaller 9th grade classroom since we are at 30+, especially in English, and it can be quite a challenge to have so many at-risk students in an academically concentrated environment. However, for the most part, we are doing well in keeping these students in school. The teachers have been very cooperative in accepting students back in the class after I have worked with them and their parents, and I am really grateful for this. The key will be to see how many have passed.
On another note, we are all working to deal with some immature 9th grade behavior, primarily by boys: throwing things, blurting out inappropriate comments, confronting teachers, basically lack of impulse control and self-awareness. The challenge with the 9th grade classes is that many of the students have not yet matured enough since the end of school in May to handle succeeding in the classroom environment. I can see the wisdom of the smaller 9th grade classroom since we are at 30+, especially in English, and it can be quite a challenge to have so many at-risk students in an academically concentrated environment. However, for the most part, we are doing well in keeping these students in school. The teachers have been very cooperative in accepting students back in the class after I have worked with them and their parents, and I am really grateful for this. The key will be to see how many have passed.
Summer School Overall Data on Google Docs
I am trying to copy the data from my original memo regarding the summer school students.
However, I can't seem to do it. Therefore I will copy it onto google docs.
However, I can't seem to do it. Therefore I will copy it onto google docs.
Discussions today with 9th grade English teacher.
Classrooms are very production oriented: grade is determined by how much work a student produces. However, this teacher said she can tell, based on production, the skill level of the student; if a student is having difficulty producing, generally they have some kind of deficit. The deficit may not be in ability, but in management, motivation, etc.
Many of this year's group of 9th graders have many school based skills lacking. Much seems to be in the way of maturity: impulse control: blurting out immature comments, laughing if someone makes a mistake, etc.
Another 9th grade English teacher said that she many of the students who just failed in June haven't changed the fundamental cause of their failure: not producing work, paying attention, taking responsibility for their actions.
The referrals I am getting are mostly for 9th grade boys who are having impulse control issues. I will do an intervention group pull to see my referrals and how they stack up skill-wise.
Classrooms are very production oriented: grade is determined by how much work a student produces. However, this teacher said she can tell, based on production, the skill level of the student; if a student is having difficulty producing, generally they have some kind of deficit. The deficit may not be in ability, but in management, motivation, etc.
Many of this year's group of 9th graders have many school based skills lacking. Much seems to be in the way of maturity: impulse control: blurting out immature comments, laughing if someone makes a mistake, etc.
Another 9th grade English teacher said that she many of the students who just failed in June haven't changed the fundamental cause of their failure: not producing work, paying attention, taking responsibility for their actions.
The referrals I am getting are mostly for 9th grade boys who are having impulse control issues. I will do an intervention group pull to see my referrals and how they stack up skill-wise.
Monday, July 5, 2010
July 5, 2010
Just started this blog for me to write notes about my work in summer school.
The first three weeks are over now.
Week one was quite intense, dealing with over 700 applications in one way or another.
So to satisfy our new board policy, (what is the number?) we are filled with failed 9th, 2nd year 9th and 10th graders.
I asked teachers to do action research: what are the reasons that students are here? how are you dealing with it?
I have done the same type of research.
For many students, they just didn't do the work. If you look at my data report, you can see that the average reading and math CST scores are in the Basic range. Students for the most part have the ability. For various reasons, they are not able to pass their classes. We need to examine why.
The first three weeks are over now.
Week one was quite intense, dealing with over 700 applications in one way or another.
So to satisfy our new board policy, (what is the number?) we are filled with failed 9th, 2nd year 9th and 10th graders.
I asked teachers to do action research: what are the reasons that students are here? how are you dealing with it?
I have done the same type of research.
For many students, they just didn't do the work. If you look at my data report, you can see that the average reading and math CST scores are in the Basic range. Students for the most part have the ability. For various reasons, they are not able to pass their classes. We need to examine why.
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