Transparency in Teaching (stuff)

 Happy 2022! Let's hope this year makes up for the last two! It's always good to be hopeful. And on that note, I hope public education survives. Last year brought educators and their curriculum under the microscope in a way I don't remember ever seeing. Much of the uproar seems to come from the usual media rabble-rousers and pot-stirrers. Today's episode delves into our side of this twisted narrative. Listen and see where you land.

For years, some politicians have claimed to be "education candidates." Their platforms promise money and better school facilities. Once they count the ballots and fill their campaign coffers, good intentions go to the bottom of the "to-do list." Today, these "education-loving" candidates are promising a different kind of help to schools, and it's getting them elected. Now officials win by going after the evil wizards of indoctrination, TEACHERS, and their textbooks of evil spells! They rally their pitchfork and torch-carrying followers with cries of "No CRT!" and "Don't hurt my child's feelings!" Frenzied crowds storm school board rooms and drown out meetings with cries of "Foul!" and other four-lettered words. It might be akin to Frankenstein's Monster or The Purge if this were a movie.

This thing plays like Twilight Zone's "Monsters on Maple Street." The main characters hear rumors of something evil that has come to live in their neighborhood. They spread the news, and like the telephone game, it gets more prominent and distorted as it passes. Before you know it, everyone believes it's true. And when they finally beat down the door and blow up the house, they find they were wrong all along. However, the damage is done. The city is burning, and innocent people have been disposed of. 

Today we talk about this scary movie; only the movie takes place in our schools. Some very vocal parents and politicians are claiming teachers are working to indoctrinate children, forcing them to bend to the will of CRT, and mind-meld with liberal ideologies. They want to ban particular curricula and regulate what teachers can and cannot say. It makes about as much sense as going to the dentist and telling my hygenist which tools to use and how to hold the mirror properly. Jen, Sharyn, and I share our in-the-trenches view of what is really going on, and I swear there are no monsters under your beds.

Teachers want parent involvement. They want politicians who genuinely care. We don't need people who are largely uninformed and get their misinformation from the Internet, Aunt Sally's Facebook page, and those with hidden agendas. Put down the pitchforks and get involved with your school. Get to know the teachers, join the committees, volunteer, go to the school and spend some REAL time in the classroom. There's power in seeing things for yourself. When you take an objective look, I'm pretty sure that you'll find the monster you think is hiding under your bed is just a big clump of dust bunnies you forgot to sweep up.

I'll be honest, in 35 years of teaching, this has been the hardest year so far. And that's not just because I'm old and kind of worn out. I think this whole Covid thing did way more damage to kids than just their academic abilities. 

A year and a half of unsupervised living and no responsibility to live up to any standards has ruined so many kids' abilities to cope with structure and navigate in a socially productive manner. Distance learners turned off their cameras and microphones and did God knows what for an entire year and a half. They could leave when they wanted, eat when they wanted, go to the bathroom when they wanted, and speak in whatever swear-word-laden way they wanted to whomever they wanted whenever they wanted. They are more addicted to social media than ever. Their phones have become a new appendage. And there were no consequences for any of this. 

As teachers weren't allowed to fail or hold students accountable for their schoolwork. 10 weeks into in-person learning, schools struggle with increased student fighting, depression, and other social-emotional-related issues. This has caused districts to implement mandatory social-emotional learning courses and interventions to help students re-learn how to navigate positive social interactions. Remember, our seventh graders were last in school at the end of 5th grade. They have lost a year and a half of the social Interactions and the learning that happens during those years. 

This isn't just happening at my school. This is a nationwide issue.  But it's not just the students who are casualties of this period. Teachers are struggling with their own social-emotional matters. This takes a toll on teachers' energy levels and ability to want to interact with kids. A daily barrage of students' bad language and berating is often directed toward teachers and other adults. Some students just up and walk out of classrooms, talk over lessons, refuse to work, and cry. Staff members risk injury when breaking up students' daily physical fights.  

But it's not only these in-school issues. Teachers and staff also lost family members and loved ones to Covid. Teachers spent a frustrating amount of time alone trying to teach to blank screens (Try talking to yourself for 5 hours a day for 180 days and see how you feel). And let's not forget about those teachers who have their young kids at home who are dealing with their emotional wellness. Teachers have Covid related social-emotional issues, too. But I haven't seen much talk about how to support those who support our kids.  Where's our emotional support? Where do we go when we need to take a break? 

Our students have a wellness center where they can go to relax, color, and play with fidget spinners. Teachers need a wellness center, too. Many would just take a mental-wellness day off, but there are not enough substitute teachers to cover classes, and writing substitute lesson plans is more trouble than it is often worth. Not to mention the "fires" to put out when you return. There are all kinds of parent phone calls to make and detentions to mete out as a consequence of sub-induced student bad behavior. It's hardly a mental break when one worries about what they will return to.  

In today's episode, Sharyn, Jen, and I give the lowdown on the new normal (Oh, please God, don't let this be normal). It's a lot of venting (and a lot of swearing, just saying) People must realize that it's not just the troubled students but the teachers who are trying their best to help their students recover and thrive again. More attention to the welfare of teachers must be given because otherwise, there will be more casualties in the classroom.

The very first episode we produced remains one of our most popular. Why teachers quit should be something every would-be teacher should ponder before taking out loans to pay for college. You don't want to be one of the 44% of newbies who quit within the first five years, because then what will you do with all that useless college loan debt you accrued?  

We contacted a teacher friend of ours who had recently fled the classroom to preserve her sanity. She gave up the wear and tear of teaching for a position helping teachers avoid the stress that caused her to leave in the first place. We've known Carolyn since her first days in the profession. Now as the middle school curriculum math specialist for her district she's able to share her experiences with new teachers and offer them the kind of support all new teachers should have. 

 So today we revisit the day-to-day issues teachers have to negotiate. Believe me, if it were just teaching we had to do, there wouldn't be the quitting issue  But teachers deal with so much more than delivering the curriculum. There are discipline issues, extra duties before and after school, lesson planning and grading that follow you home, parent phone calls, meetings... Those are just the physical issues. Let's not forget the emotional toll of caring for kids who come from all kinds of homes and deal with all kinds of unknowns. The teacher may be the only positive connection in a student's life. This job has no quitting time. 

We also give our two cents about what can be done to avoid the problems in the first place. Unfortunately, credentialing programs don't really do the best job of preparing virgin teachers for the classroom. You can listen to our other podcast on that topic here.

If you're thinking of becoming a teacher, this episode is required listening. Teaching is the toughest job you'll ever love. I know that's pretty cliche, but it's true. It's really THE most important job on the planet 

Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become the latest way to demonize public schools. I admit when I first heard CRT I thought it was some medical test for the heart. Now it has become the fear-raising focus of concern among many people inside and outside of education.

To better understand what CRT is I spent a lot of hours looking at where it came from in the first place. The research makes me believe that most people don’t really understand what CRT is or its purpose.

An article from The JournalistsResource.org  tries to help journalists learn how to better cover this controversy. The author quotes Dorinda Carter Andrews, chairperson for the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University She explains that

“Critical race theory is not an ideology or a political orientation that assumes white people are bad; it assumes white supremacy is bad in all of its forms. It’s a practice or approach that provides language and a lens for examining racism at institutional and structural levels, Underlying this is the premise that racism is endemic to American society and that white supremacist ideas and practices should be dismantled.”

Janel George. who teaches CRT as part of a graduate course called Racial Justice in K-12 Education Policy at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, says CRT is a theory devised by legal scholars in the 1970s. CRT initially was taught in law schools but eventually was adopted in other fields such as education and sociology.” She believes, and so do I after doing the research, "there is some mischaracterizing going on here.” George says, “Because critical race theory has the word ‘race’ in it, perhaps [people] are intentionally equating critical race theory with anything having to do with race or the teaching [about] racism.”

Some parents fear that CRT is increasing not decreasing the idea of racial inequity. David Ryst notes in an article in the Daily Bulletin that, "'These concepts are not unifying students, they are reinforcing negative division. They are not giving teachers proper training. A lot of teachers who are vocal with their liberal ideas are pushing those ideas on students. It’s a good theory to examine maybe at a college level,' he said. 'But, what they’re teaching here leads to guilt, shame and victimhood. And everything is viewed as oppressor versus the oppressed. I’m all for inclusion, but this is not it.'”

Now the fear for teachers is states are beginning to regulate what can and cannot be said about race, racism and slavery. But finding elementary, middle, and high schools that actually teach CRT has been near impossible. So where does that leave teachers now?  What is actually happening in the classroom? How can discussions that are bound to come up be dealt with? What history is allowed to be taught and what history must be skipped? Is there really a problem or is this just politics to gin up the 2022 elections?

Listen to our take on this controversial topic.

My husfriend and I just got back from a trip to Hawaii. It was his birthday gift to me. Nice huh! We had to jump through a few hoops to get there. Our vaccination cards made it possible to avoid a 10-day hotel quarantine. (Get vaccinated, already!!🙄). It was a quick 7-day trip. Too short, but it’s always too short when I visit the islands. On the plane ride home, the flight attendants, take advantage of people’s recent trip to paradise. They encourage passengers to sign up for the airline’s credit card. They tempt you with an ungodly amount of miles, enough for 2 roundtrips back to the islands. I took an application and started thinking of all the ways I could acquire miles. This brings me to this episode.

Today’s bonus episode, features teacher, travel-guru Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie. You may have heard her on a previous podcast published almost a year ago when people were still dreaming of the day when travel would again be possible.  I thought now that people are finally stepping out of their homes and starting to travel, that this episode replay may be especially helpful and deserves another listen. Jackie is famous for knowing how to travel almost cost-free and she shares her tips and tricks with us in today’s show. 

For more information about Jackie, her travel tips and to see her phenomenal photography of all the amazing places she has visited go to The GlobeTrotting Teacher.com 

 Has your district taken up arms for or against CRT? If so, how will your teaching be different? How will you approach those conversations that you know will inevitably come up in class? Let us know! Write or leave us a  voice comment here or go to TransparencyInTeaching.com and leave one there. While you're at it, we'd love it if you'd rate and review us on your favorite listening app. Your support means we can continue to bring these important discussions to you.

Stock media song used in introduction provided by: Twoword_recordings/ Pond5

What makes an effective teacher effective? That's a pretty subjective question, isn't it? I'm beginning to believe that so much of what people think makes education good is subjective. Like, who decides what kids need to know for state tests and how to decipher those scores? Or who decides what is important and should be taught in schools.  Not to mention, who comes up with the best way to prepare college students to become teachers? It's all someone's opinion. Somehow the "Powers the Be" (and whoever decides who they are) have to agree on what it means to be educated and who is best qualified to educate. So what does make a teacher effective?

In today's podcast, we delve into how districts decide who stays and who goes? We examine the various qualities an "effective" teacher should have and who sets those standards. We also discuss the board certification process! Ummm, did you know there was a board certification procedure for teachers? (pssst, I didn't until recently). Why aren't districts and universities doing more to help teachers along that path? But wait! Is certification even the ultimate sign of effectiveness?

Sharyn, Jen, and I get into what we think makes teachers effective. Surprise! Basically, it is a big mix of many factors that cannot truly be quantified in some objective way. There are too many variables. Too many moving parts contribute to a teacher's ability to make a difference in their students' lives. So what's a parent, an administrator, or district to do to be sure their students have the best teachers possible? Listen, and see if you agree with our take on what makes an effective teacher effective!

Leave us a voice message!

Visit TransparencyinTeaching.com to get all the resources used in today's episode

This school year is FINALLY ending (thank god for small favors) and we are packing up our minimally used classrooms. For many teachers, this will be their last time having to do this. Covid caused many to throw in the eraser this year and turned in keys. They will look forward to new challenges this coming fall that don't entail lesson plans and students.  But for others, who are holding newly minted diplomas and teaching credentials, this summer offers time to plan for a new classroom and get ready for the beginning of an exciting, rigorous, and rewarding profession.

With that in mind, today’s episode will be especially interesting and informative. We depart a bit from our usual back and forth banter to welcome a guest, Victoria Lucido! Vickie has recently retired after 33 years as a middle school History and Drama teacher.  Her teaching ability has been recognized by “Who’s Who of American Teachers” seven times, and she was awarded “Monterey Teacher of the Year” in 1999 by Monterey Rotary. Now, she has a new book out called, Classroom Confidential: How I survived 33 years in a public school classroom, and you can too! This book gives new teachers access to 33 years of experience in just 160 pages! 

Today Victoria joins Jen and Anne to share her best advice for beginners.  Even us old pros can pick up a new insight or two. So grab a notepad and pencil and get ready for the advice you wish you would have learned in all those fancy college credential classes, but didn’t! Stay tuned!

For more about Victoria:

You can find her book on Amazon

Her website, VictoriaLucidoBooks.com where you can find out about appearances and her many accomplishments.

YouTube interview here and

Read an article from the Monterey Herald

The National Center for Education Statistics reported that in the 2017-18 school year there were 3.3 million full and part-time traditional public school teachers. That is the most recent count available. That's a lot of college tuition and credentialing fees. So does all the investment in a piece of paper that supposedly certifies a person is a competent teacher really mean anything? What does a teaching credential really prove?

Every state requires public school teachers to jump through the hoops to earn a credential. This usually means earning a bachelor's degree, performing a few months of practice teaching, and passing a test or two. In my humble, 34 years of experience, opinion, the way colleges prepare teachers for life in a real classroom lacks enough real experience. Course work and student teaching hardly mimic what it is really like to be in charge of one's own group of pre-formed student minds. 

I remember my first year of teaching. I cried a lot. Like every day. My then-husband would pat me on the back and say, "You'll be Ok. We need the money," as he guided me out the door.  I was the first one on campus and the last one to leave. I brought home a box of work and papers to grade every night. More than the sheer weight of the responsibility of imbuing knowledge into middle school minds was the struggle with classroom discipline. That, more than anything else, was the biggest headache of my early career. I don't remember anything in my credential courses that prepared me for that!

Earning a credential does not a good teacher make! Jen, Sharyn, and I talk about what it takes to get a credential. We discuss what it means, and more importantly, what it doesn't mean. Of course, as always, we give our suggestions as to how to fix the credential process. 

If you're considering a teaching career, this is a definite "must listen." And if you've already gone through the gauntlet, I'm sure you'll be doing a lot of head nodding in agreement. If we can only pass on these brilliant suggestions to those credential gatekeepers, we might lower the number of new teachers who turn in their classroom keys when they figure out what it really means to be a teacher.

Here's how the school year progressed. It started as "We won't likely be returning to campus this year." Then it changed to  "I doubt it will happen." Which changed to, "Maybe it will happen." Then to, "It's happening," and finally... "It happened!" Last week we were back in our classroom with students! 

Well kind of... Families had the choice of returning to campus or continuing with the distance learning protocol we had been following since school started. We weren't sure how many would show up on Tuesday (Mondays are still virtual for all students). Turns out, not many!  The biggest class I had was 11 students, which considering each cohort has only 15, seemed large. It was all downhill from there. My other classes had 6, or 3, and in one class, one lonely student was forced to spend two and a half hours alone in a classroom as if it were after-school detention. (I sincerely hope he didn't feel that way😳) Can you say "Awkward?" 

Other teachers had even fewer, like zero. No students showed up.  So while it was amazing to see the students' faces (well half of their faces as they were all wearing masks) it was difficult to divide my attention adequately between those in person and those who were still on the computer. I found myself forgetting about those distance learners. I mean, when you have live people who you see react to your stupid teacher jokes versus those who are still hiding in the virtual void, silent behind their anime icons, who would you pay attention to? 

All I can say is it was exhausting. But hey, one week down and 9 to go!  In this quickie episode, Jen, Sharyn, and I (Anne 🙄) discuss how our first week back in the classroom went. The good, the bad, and the ugly of it.  How many kids showed up, how lesson planning went, and what we think would have worked better. 

Thanks for taking time out of your day to listen. Your patronage is greatly appreciated. I mean.... really, really, really appreciated. Please rate and review us! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! It helps others to find our podcast. Maybe you can pass the link along to your friends, and they can pass it along to their friends, and so on and so on (anyone else remember that shampoo commercial? 😜)

In 2005 then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to make changes to California's teacher tenure, increasing the time to achieve tenure from 2 to 5 years. He also proposed that teacher pay be based on merit, not length of tenure, and that continued employment be tied instead to performance, not, as he put it, “just showing up.”

He called the system, “an educational disaster”

“Our education system,” he said,  “is in desperate need of reform with the current tenure system locking problem teachers into our schools, and making it nearly impossible for principals to make employment decisions based on the needs of students,”

Proponents have their reasons for supporting tenure. Lily Eskelsen Garcia, MEd, President of the National Education Association (NEA) explains, “These policies don’t prevent bad teachers from being fired; they prevent good teachers from being fired for bad reasons.”

The topic of teacher tenure remains a contentious one, and In this episode we delve into its history, why it’s so hard to fire a bad teacher, and what are the benefits and problems associated with tenure. Of course, it’s not all seriousness. Not when Jen and Sharyn have opinions. So grab a seat at the table in the virtual teacher’s lounge and see if you agree with us about what to do about teacher tenure.