Homework and state requirements

I have a beef with our state’s math policies.   

Yesterday in a meeting with several other math and science teachers we talked about how we have a HUGE behavioral issue, refusal to do homework. This brought up a discussion about whether or not we really should assign homework. As a high school math teacher, I strongly believe that we should because students don’t have enough time in a 50 minute class to practice enough problems to become proficient.  I was asked, why don’t we just practice more tomorrow in class? The answer is because we have to move on to another concept tomorrow, one that builds on what we learned today. Then I was asked why don’t you just spend more time on each concept? Of course the reason we don’t is because the state has said we MUST cover certain concepts. Well, why not be a rebel and ignore the state? I would LOVE to. However, if I do then I am denying my students the ability to graduate from high school. If they don’t pass an end of course exam on this material, they don’t graduate, period. Yes, they have more options to take the exam, but they also have to take three years of math, so they really can only retake one course and they have to pass the end of course exams on two courses, Algebra 1 and Geometry.  I don’t feel I have the right to not teach some of that content, so the students must practice it at home.  I view this as a behavior issue for the simple reason that they are choosing to replace homework time with something else, usually TV, computer time, game time, or talking on the phone. None of these are important activities in the long run. No one will be deprived if they spend a minimal amount of time doing these activities for 4 years. They can sit in front of a screen for 8 hours a day for the next 80 years. But not learning high school concepts will hurt them for the rest of their life. Not everyone gets the opportunity to go back to school later to fix their mistakes, so they are stuck in a low wage job, or no job at all.

 I would love to "flip" my classroom, but how can I trust my students to prepare by watching videos each night, so we can spend most of our class time practicing and discussing what problems are causing difficulty, when I can't trust them to do problems that don't require the internet? But that's another discussion, for later.

Teachers work for free

Special thanks to Todd Miller for this information.

 "As you probably know the legislature cut  our pay by 1.9% This equates to just over 3.5 days. All other state workers whose salaries were cut are taking forced furlough days to make up for their pay cuts. No pay, no work. Sounds simple doesn't it. 

As we all know teachers are special so we are being held to higher standard. The state is still requiring us to work our normal 180 day school year. They have mandated, that unless we can negotiate time off from our individual districts within the regular school year, we will work 3.5 days for free. Did you catch that? Three and a half days for free. They  could have reduced  the school year to make up for the cut, but a bill to do that  failed to pass the legislature. Who would want to look bad to the voters when they can just look bad to teachers?

You might have heard the the State Board of Education can issue waivers for a shorter school year. Well, they can't, at least not for this contingency.  To quote an e-mail the WEA received from the SBE, "The issue isn't really whether the SBE would grant waivers; the question is whether the SBE is authorized to grant such waivers...The Board's authority authority does not include granting of waivers to school districts as a way to manage salary reductions..."

Thank you WA State for working "hard" to provide the best education for our kids!

Edu thoughts

A lot of talk is going around these days about how to improve education and cut spending. WA state has come up with the great idea of making teachers work three and a Half days a year for FREE! All other state employees get furlough days, but the legislature expressly forbids that for teachers, plus they refuse to give districts waivers for less than 180 days for budget related reasons (ie. Paying employees less)

Let's see, that is going to help kids how? These teachers already are paying for classroom supplies because of district budget cuts. Need to blow your nose? Sorry, we can't afford tissues or tp, use your sleeve. Need a scientific calculator to pass the state mandated test in order to graduate? Buy your own! Or steal one from the school, that's what everyone else does! Need a chair? Well, I can only fit 35 in the room, first come basis each day. (literally the case in one of my friends' classes, if every kid shows up, three have to sit on the floor, luckily, I haven't had to do that for many years now, but I can see it happening again.)

And working for free for three days will make the teacher more effective? Students more eager to learn in their crowded classrooms? Well, at least they run to class to get the best seat. The ones who care cram for those state tests, but do they really LEARN? Those who don't care drop out or head to prison and/or welfare.

I love teaching, and believe we need to provide the next generations with a strong education and the ability to compete in a global market. It's vital to our economy, health, social and political welfare, as well as national defense. But our leaders seem to disagree.