Transparency in Teaching (stuff)

We are rapidly approaching the end of our 3rd quarter and it looks like a pretty done deal that after spring break, we will be going back to school for real this time!  So what does that really mean? We've been polling our students and so far it seems like most will be opting to stay right where they are, at home on Google Meet. So does that mean I'll have a class of three little people sitting at their desks staring at me through their plexiglass barriers and mumbling answers through their masks? No idea.🤷🏽‍♀️

We start the episode with a review of current education news. Well, actually not so current. In this episode, we report that Miguel Cardona was on his way to Senate confirmation after making it through committee, but actually, Cardona is now officially the new Secretary of Education. (Consider this an episode update 😜) We discuss the new updated CDC recommendations, and Jen shares her disappointment that it looks like the Biden administration won't be doing any major student loan forgiveness.  Sorry, Jen...

Sharyn, Jen, and I take apart what returning to school may look like, the pros and cons, and what we think would be the best options. How much learning time will be lost trying to get our returning students situated while still occupying our distance kids? As it stands right now, we are going to be doing both groups simultaneously. Will there be state testing? It looks like the answer is probably. Will teachers be vaccinated? Answer, our district's teachers were!

Although it will be great to see our students' faces, well the part that isn't covered with masks, the learning environment still won't be what kids really crave. They want the ability to socialize again. To eat with friends. To hang out in hallways and gossip. To play basketball and soccer at lunch. They want the ability to make connections with their teachers and be seen and heard. In-person learning cannot be what they want, not yet.  In any case, going back to school for real this time is still really full of many unknowns.

Thanks for listening! Don't forget to visit our website TransparencyinTeaching.com and leave us a comment. (Please, so I don't have to beg anymore? Listen to the beginning of the show!) We'd love to hear how your school Is planning to get kids back in class. You'll also be able to get the links to all the resources we used for this episode. As always, please rate and review us on any of your listening platforms. The more stars the better! 🙏🏽 👍🏼. Stay safe and take care of each other (Well at least the people in your "Covid bubble")

So it's Winter Break and we've had a little time to collect ourselves and get refreshed for round two of Online Learning.

 I wish.... 

I don't know about other teachers but, Sharyn, Jen, and I are feeling a little burned around the edges. Actually, I think a lot of teachers are feeling like toast.  

Covid is raging on. Here in California, it doesn't look like the end is anywhere in sight, vaccine, or no vaccine.  But, forget Covid.  A viral teacher depression pandemic is killing us.  Ok, maybe not literally. But it is killing our spirit, our enthusiasm, and our drive.  Many teachers are feeling like they are dying -- inside. This is not what we signed up for. 

It's not only teachers who are worn out. Parents, who were so full of praise and admiration for what we were trying to do back in the spring and summer, have lost their patience, too. They are fed up with Johnny being home. They are tired of monitoring their child's work and online behaviors. They've realized that teachers were lying when report cards said, "Pleasure to have in class." They are hungry for someone to blame. So that early praise and admiration for educators' work has morphed into "When are you going to stop your damn messing around online and get back to some real teaching?!"  I'm not making this up. A parent really did say this to one of our colleagues.

In today's episode, we reveal Biden's choice to replace Ms. DeVos, and what this candidate for Secretary of Education has to offer. Hopefully, bringing some light to the end of that dark tunnel. 

Later, we discuss how we are feeling and what can be done to help get us through the depression, frustration, or whatever "-tion" you want to label it.  Sharyn harps on "having balance," (listen for her guinea pigs agreeing in the background). Anne discusses how her home situation makes her feel obligated to do more, and Jen explains how "'therapy" walks help her cope.  

Feeling like you need a place to commiserate and have a "Me Too" moment? Then this is the episode for you!

Leave us a voice comment about what is really bugging you right now. Let it out! It's good for you! We promise to validate your feelings!  We may even use your comment in an upcoming episode.

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Check out all our episodes at TransparencyinTeaching.com.  There, you can also find links to all the resources we used in this episode. 

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So the election is over (or is at least supposed to be over...) and Biden has a lot of work to do to help put the country back together. Of course, being teachers, we're rather focused on Mrs. DeVos's replacement. In this episode, we discuss a few of the possible people who are on the radar to replace her. Sharyn shares a little history lesson on the Department of Education and Biden's education platform. 

Biden has pledged to choose a public education teacher to fill the Secretary of Education position. We discuss a few names of potential candidates. The top contenders are Randi Weingarten, a former high school history  teacher and now president of one of the biggest labor unions, the AFL-CIO, and  Lily Eskelsen Garcia (Who we have affectionately nicknamed L.E.G.). L.E.G, who actually started as the school lunch lady before becoming an elementary school teacher, is currently president of the National Education Association (NEA). Both are pro union, anti-voucher, and are big fans of public education. This is a big swing in the opposite direction as DeVos, a fan of vouchers, pushed to redirect federal monies to help fund charter and private schools. 

Of course a lot can change between now and January 20th, so we'll have to wait and see who ultimately gets the privilege of working to improve the education situation in the United States. There's a great deal of work to be done on so many education fronts. From helping to rebuild unsafe school buildings to working to avoid a teacher shortage, the Secretary of Education will surely have a long, uphill road to walk. Let's hope  that whomever fills Mrs. DeVos's shoes is not wearing some red-soled Louboutin heels but rather a good pair of sturdy work boots. Anything that will help to get a L.E.G. up, or a Weingarten or a Jahana Hayes or Denise Juneau or ...

Our guest co-host, fellow co-worker and single parent, Angel, joins us today to share her unique (or not so unique, depending on your family dynamic) situation of juggling two elementary school aged children during distance learning, while also wearing the seventh grade science teacher hat. She discusses how she often must excuse herself from teaching her junior high students, to help her daughters as they stand just off camera, staring at her, while quietly mouthing the word " Mom...Mom...." and how she must deal her first grader's melt down when things go south during an online session. Angel gets real about how today's current demands can bring feelings of inadequacy in both her roles as teacher and mother. 

The girls go off on blank assignments students turned in for credit and how students seem to think this level of work should count. They discuss the value of boredom and Angel and Jen share a game they played with their students that increased engagement and helped develop a better class dynamic. Anne also shares a lesson that reminded her why she loves teaching.

Finally, Anne gets on her pulpit to remind us that teaching is the most important profession of all. The sharing of knowledge, the passing down of wisdom, admitting our errors and helping others learn from our mistakes, is the basis for improving and developing a working society of intelligent, empathetic humans who have the common goal of making sure all people have the opportunity to succeed.  So, go proudly forth into yet another Google Meet and get after it. 

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I think distance learning is finally getting to us. We're tired.  We're punchy, We talk about alcohol more than usual. 

Today we get into how parents and students are coping with the situation from the teacher's point of view. We talk about how we are dealing with lesson planning and the myriad of emails and virtual meetings.

 The situation could be dire, but thankfully we still have a sense of humor.  Ever been in that situation where you start laughing so hard that you almost end up crying? Yeah? Well, that's where Jen took us with her imaginary field trip suggestion. (I think maybe she's closer to losing it than she lets on. )

 All I can say is during times like this it's a necessity to have a sense of humor if one wishes to hang on to some semblance of sanity. Thank goodness we have co-workers who double as best friends and support systems. May we all have people to lean on who are  dedicated, determined, and slightly demented to help get us through these strange times.

Check out all our demented tales and thoughts on what is happening in classrooms today at www.TransparencyinTeaching.com. 

Subscribe and support teachers, especially in these unusual times. Your support helps keep, Jen, out of rehab....😜

We are feeling swamped with back to school Covid Style. Planning lessons for 2 1/2 hour synchronous classes and 150 minutes of weekly asynchronous work is time consuming. So until we find our rhythm we are bringing you mini lunchroom conversations about topics that are on our minds now and updates on how teaching virtually is virtually killing us.

 Today we discussed what our first week back in front of our computer monitors was like. We talk about what is good, getting to interact with our students,  and what is bugging us , taking attendance and not being together. We talk about how the tech we are supposed to be using is not working properly, (Blocksi is a program we use to monitor student screens ) or how that tech is a pain in the backside. (C'mon Google Meets? What's up with no integrated breakout rooms???) We hope you enjoy our mini version. Don't worry, Sharyn still has time to drop a bunch of F-bombs!

There's no more waiting for it to arrive.  It's here! School has started and teachers are in a frenzy to get on board the Distance Learning Train!  In today’s episode, we try to stay optimistic as we talk about what we are thinking about as we get ready to start our own school year next week! What’s the latest with Covid? What are other teachers saying about returning to school? And what do parents wish we would consider when developing our protocols? 

Stay tuned as we finish this episode with an awesome interview with Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie, from The GlobeTrotting Teacher.com, whom we talked about in episode 10. (Go back and listen to Episode 10 if you missed it) She joins us to share her money-saving travel tips and tricks. For all the links to things discussed in this episode and to get the links Jackie shares for travel and her classes on how to master the credit card points system, be sure to visit our website www.TransparencyinTeaching.com.

This brings us to the end of Season 1! Thanks for getting on and going for a ride with us. As REAL classroom teachers, we are submerged in the preparations for this school year and drowning in new materials and technology to make this year a good one for our kids. As we prepare for Season 2, we'll be popping in with updates and conversations about all kinds of things that we're experiencing and making sure to keep you informed as to how this experiment in education is going. This is truly a rare opportunity to try something different, to attempt to really change the way our classrooms work, which really hasn't changed much in the last 100 or so years.  I hope we all embrace the challenge and venture out of our comfort zones. So all I can say is "CANNONBALL!"

Today we get into ways teachers can save money on travel (once travel is a "thing" again!) Never too soon to start planning! We discuss ideas for social distancing conscious travel and how to make your "safer at home" quarantine seem more vacation-like.  You'll also get an update on the HEALS Act education funding, which is still being debated. (I want to know who the person is who stays up all night thinking of these "catchy" acronyms!) And Anne and Jen share their own news that's awesome but could mean a lot more work...😳  

To get all the links to today's show visit www.TransparencyinTeaching.com. While you're there, leave us a comment about the show. How have you been spending your summer? How do you stretch your travel dollar?  Yeah, I know. Our travel budgets are going a lot farther these days because we're not going far at all.  Soon,  my friends, soon...  

Happy Back to School or back to your computer that's substituting for your classroom. 

Hang in there. Be safe. Stay sane!