Hello All,
Please work with your grade level team members to respond to the requests below.
1. http://nky.cincinnati.com/usatoday/article/1914515 Please read the article at this link and respond with your thoughts.
Remember, no sub can take your place in the eyes of your students, no matter how good they are!
2. Please watch the videos and respond with evidence of the Big 4
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cifoeat5ucgys3x/2013-01-29%2009.27.35.mov Science Lesson - 4th
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpg7hls1ch7mt78/2013-01-29%2009.55.16.mov Poetry Transcription - 3rd
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s03xncnawyweo6q/2013-01-29%2009.54.11.mov
Have a wonderful weekend.
~Shawn
"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." Franklin Roosevelt
Our school is teeming with excitement and learning. The videos tell it all. The article about teacher absences and math achievement probably can be applied to all subjects. I can tell a difference when I do not get to pull my groups.
ReplyDeleteKindergarten team-Clary, Underwood, Rayburn response!
ReplyDeleteAbsences-We feel that in 180 days there are days in which an adult is sick or has family members sick or emergencies. A sick day is not a vacation day in which we choose to miss for fun. Usually a lot of our sick days are used because we get sick from our students at school. To cut the days or charge money for missing a sick day is unthinkable considering the time that is put in on all the days we are here and all the time we put in for school related things that we do not get paid for. We feel teachers are being taken advantage of and this article was not teacher friendly. We realize subs in the rooms are not as effective as the regular teacher, BUT how effective is a sick teacher in the room???????????
Videos-We observed small group, peer teaching, content knowledge was evident,no behavior problems were seen, explicit instruction, etc. Good job teachers!!!
I truly believe the most important thing to understand is that it is our responsibility to make consistent efforts to be at school and do our job. I think we as professionals realize the importance of being here and fulfilling the mission at hand- Realizing that as a priority, understand that missing school be only when deemed truly necessary. Family is most important and many of us have responsibilities as mothers etc...That sometimes requires us to be there for them. I can honestly say that my absences are only when it is not possible for me to come here and do my job effectively or if I have a responsibility as a mother or family member due to illness or death. Otherwise, we know we need to be here everyday that is possible. Commitment to our job will ensure our students get what they need and feel comfortable here at school to learn and grow.
ReplyDeleteChristie and Karen
Williams, Hargett, and Varney
ReplyDeleteWe think that as professionals we only take sick days when necessary. That being said the education profession as a whole should not be targeted. The ones who take advantage of sick days should be individually addressed. It sends a mixed message when we are given sick days and then told not to use sick days. We work long hours and are devoted to our profession. When we have sick children or elderly parents to care for we shouldn't feel guilty for taking a sick day for a family member dependent on us.
The videos just reinforced and evidenced what we know already exists in our school community - active student engagement, meeting all student needs and learning styles, peer teaching, and small group. Lots of learning lots of different ways taking place at Upper Tygart!
Williams, Varney, and Hargett
I try really hard not to miss work, as it is my responsibility to take care of my students. I don't like leaving my students with someone else because I want things to go the way I want them too and when I am not there I cannot make sure that happens. With that said, I also have the responsibility of taking care of my family. If sick days are given, there should not be punishment for using them. I also think we should not abuse sick days. Just because I have 10 sick days doesn't mean I should use 10 sick days just because I have them.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching the videos (just as much as I enjoyed observing last week). So many times I sit and listen during meetings and I have no clue what is being discussed. Getting to watch these videos and observing has allowed me to understand what some of that discussion was about. I like how the kids were working in small group and everyone was actively involved in the assignments. I is nice to see these activities taking place.
1st grade team---Zeigler and Young
ReplyDeleteWe believe as professionals that we only take our sick days when need. We do not take sick days just to take off from work. As a parent when my child, immediate family members, or myself are sick I take off. Peggy and I feel the same way as all the other responses to this article. If sick days are being abused, address the individuals abusing them.
Peggy and I always find ways to actively engage our students. We are always looking at their individual learning styles as well individual needs. We are able to have smaller reading, math, and starting this coming week to begin writing centers.
2nd Grade: Keri and Cym
ReplyDeleteAs for the teacher sick days, we agree with most everyone in saying that teachers do deserve and most often, NEED our sick days. We also agree with the point that was made about teachers being targeted--we are targets because money has to be spent to cover our replacements; in most other jobs, there doesn't need to be a replacement, so people don't get bent out of shape about those absences. The problem of too many absences at work is simply addressed on an individual basis, as it should be with teachers.
Getting to see other teachers at work is always nice, because teachers like to compare themselves to other teachers; sometimes it's to get new ideas, and sometimes just to make sure you're on the right track! The small groups and active student engagement is good to see, and seems to what we have going on at our school!
Our first response to the article was not in a positive way until after we decided upon the reason for such a reaction. As a UTES family we seem to only use our sick days when we are sick or during times of emergencies. We feel that our UTES co-workers seem to go above and beyond what is best for our students. We do realize that the teacher best facilitates instruction and can see where abuse or misuse of sick days could be detrimental to test scores. We are blessed to teach in a facility where we feel this is not an issue. Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Patton want to express their belief that the video’s were the best they had ever seen! :) Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Patton, and Mrs Nancy
ReplyDelete