Reduction in Force...What it is to force reduced!

I have been an administrator and teacher for 24 years.  This spring is the first time I have experienced the "Pink Slip" that so many teachers fear.  Well administrators fear it just as much.  A teacher may be reduced but the teachers union and Master Contract provide opportunities for the individual to perhaps bump another less tenured person or if they are qualified they may take another position.

If you are an administrator ...not so many options.  I don't believe teachers or community know this fact.  If an administrator is reduced in force they don't get to bump a less tenured administrator unless the school board extends that option.  You are done and happy job hunting.

Now I do understand the need to 'reduce in force or RIF' staff , non-certified, certified, and administrative. I also understand all the angles and problems that happen when this procedure is used. (Lots!).
 

This is my concern...

 What is the force that is reduced?  

Often  the force reduced  is competent staff who have experience, creativity, and zeal and who ARE making a difference in children's lives and learning.  Reduction of force can also mean removing programs that help students learn in different ways or in a smaller student to teacher ratio (Title Math, At Risk Programs, Guidance, Art, Music etc.). Staff reduced often have to leave the community and find work elsewhere resulting in  loss of students if they have children in the district and homes being sold with loss of tax revenue for the community.

Usually the main reason for a 'Reduction in Force' is financial.  Now I know that you can't run a school or any business without the money.  Long term planning , not one year at a time knee jerk decisions are important. I would recommend  five and ten year planning and districts analyzing the needs of their students so any 'Reduction in Staff' notices sent out will not adversely affect student learning and graduation.  There are great step by step plans that school board members and superintendents can use offered by the state school board associations. Once a program is reduced or staff it is very difficult to get it back and if the program or staff position is added back it often will not have the same qualities as the previous.

So what to do?  
Start applying for jobs of course.
Are there other options?
Let me know...

Snow day...snow boarding day...any learning going on?

I will never deny that I love snow days, early outs, and late starts.  
As a professional educator I use the time to catch up on paper work, sort out cabinets and files, and of course go sledding or snow boarding with my son.  
The last is the first of my priorities....
My son and I try different hills, different sleds, different paths, and compete to see who can get to the bottom first.  
But you might say "No school means that testing is halted (yes it did put a dent in my Iowa Assessment schedule).  Great lessons are skipped or moved to another date.  Routines are interrupted.  
Well here is the learning that was had due to the snow day.

When the snow is real wet you go slower than when it is iced up.  
Two people on a sled go faster than one.
Snow board ribs make it easier to go around corners.
Plan a path before you push off.
Keep your hands and feet ready to steer and brake.
Watch out for trees before you get to them.
Know how to roll off a sled if you are heading the wrong way.
Racing someone down to the bottom makes it so much fun.
Racing is not fun if someone gets hurt.  There won't be anyone to race.
Going down a hill fast means walking all the way up to the top slow.
It is okay to take a rest and lay in the snow and enjoy the snow.
If you can't stand up on a snow board without falling on your face sit down on it and you will go a lot further and have more fun.
Having so much fun is hard work.

So do you see what I mean about learning on a snow day...

Christmas Break/Winter Break and Life Long Learning

"Life Long Learner"  great buzz word for education.
What does it mean and how to model it as an administrator/teacher/parent/community member?
It means that until I can no longer function I will take every opportunity to learn or relearn something every day of my life.
No breaks, days off, no vacation, no excuses.
How is this possible?
How is it not possible?

So this is what I have been working on with the few glorious days at home until school starts again on January 2nd, 2014.

Bible: Learn something new everyday I read it.
Voynick Manuscript: Really interesting mystery, great story, great images!
Facebook: Yeah rediscovering the potential as a social medium.
Pinterest:  I enjoy every minute being on the site but now trying to learn the educational value.
Blogger: Search titles and read such interesting items.
Rasputin: The Russian Revolution is so Interesting.
Duck Dynasty: Finding out what the show is about and why so many students like it.
Hummingbirds: They are truly amazing and want to know how to get ready for them when they come back.
Ipod Touch 5th Generation: What can they do and how can they be used in education.

I could group the above interest into tech and non-tech but really I do most of my learning through tech devices and sites lately.  I find that interesting and thought provoking.  What would I do if the tech were not available? What would I do if I had to learn the way I did 10 or 20 years ago.  What would I be missing, what would I not be missing?  What would my learning curve be like?

See what I mean when I say "How is it not possible to be a 'Life Long Learner'?

 "As our case is new, we must think and act anew."
"Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all."

Abraham Lincoln

The Educational Pumpkin Pie

I like pumpkin pie and have been making it for Thanksgiving dinner since I was 10 (a long time...). I always make the same kind; the recipe is found on the side of the pumpkin pie filling can (not a dedicated cook just like to feed people). This year the theme of my personal learning has been 'Technology'.  I have always used technology, like it, sometimes love it, support it, and encourage others to try it.
Soooo.... I have been incorporating tech in every aspect of my teaching and life, not just by having fancy devices  but rather as the a tool it is; to improve my learning and others (students, staff, administrators, community ... yeah our school had a site visit last year).
So Pinterest is a big theme for me as I find it relates to staff as a tool in their life outside school and can be branched very efficiently into a learning tool.  Pins and boards feature educational information, sites, and ideas with even AEA 8 having a board for all to use.  Think of it as TWITTER with pictures.
So I decide to find a pumpkin pie recipe on Pinterest and add it to my 'Got to Cook this' board (very original title need to rename it 'Somebody Cook This for me and Clean up the Mess'). Well I found a recipe that looked great (the picture was really good and I was hungry) . I tried to pin it but it would not load at that minute so I wrote down the ingredients and headed to the grocery store.  Well the ingredients must come from a large metropolitan area grocery store because they are not available in small town Iowa.  I asked women in the aisle to help, none knew what Biscoff spread was , then I asked a clerk (cute college girl with a cell phone in her pocket). She got her phone out and found the comparison using Google Search and it was Nutella (yeah they had that in the store).
So I went home to cook the pie.  Happy story right ?  NO!  Got on Pinterest and the recipe was gone, searched every idea, spelling, etc.  NOTHING.  Soooo. time to be creative... Looked at the list and tried to put it together.  Went like this...
Pumpkin Puree (means stick it in the blender?)
Almond Milk=canned milk (didn't know you could get milk from an almond)
Demerara Sugar (know idea am putting in brown sugar)
Ground cardamom (seriously ! = pumpkin pie spice)
Organic Eggs= what eggs I have in fridge
Pie Crust = why would I make it they come already done and in the pie tin.
Well I made the pie and believe it or not it was pretty good.  The problem ...I will never be able to do it again since I really didn't have a recipe. Luck is not a recipe.

So how does this relate to education and technology.  Technology is a tool that assists in learning. It is part of the recipe that helps teachers teach and students learn.  It is not the pumpkin pie.  Everyone has a different recipe for the different tastes that they enjoy, technology is the same, different devices and ways to use the tool to teach different types of individuals.  It is the job of the educator to find the ingredients  that are available and helpful to teach the students in the classroom.  It is a great idea to try new recipes, to be creative, to take a risk but remembering the goal is learning. Evaluation of the tool is key to learning (how did the pumpkin pie taste?) and must be done with fidelity.  

So start COOKING!

May 2nd Snow Day...

Well thought the snow day cancellations were over, would of bet on it...seriously? 

Yesterday had a faculty meeting; comments were made about possible weather scenarios for May 2nd. 

 I informed staff of the possibility of a two hour delay.

  Much fun was made of that comment even by myself. 

Well I did not know how powerful a suggestion was, or did I?

 I won't make that mistake again!

Only in Iowa... 

Smarter Balance Test Pilots...Crash or Fly?

Smarter Balance is a test type that is being piloted all over Iowa in both elementary and junior/senior high schools. 
So what do I know so far? 
It is done on computers in a two week time line. 
It has a manual that is 147 pages long.
All students need head phones and no part of the test can be read to the students.
It is not a timed test but recommendations say one week is the plan.
There are 4 types of questions that go from multiple choice to written responses.

Oh I could  go on ... I have 4 pages on notes so far. 

Hope the tech goes as planned.  That is always the issue lately. 

So after the question will be better or worse than Iowa Assessments? 

We will see....

Awesome staff!

I will admit some days I wonder if I will ever get all my work done.  Some days I wonder what I am doing. Some days I wonder what is coming next...
What makes my day awesome  are the staff members who are truly awesome.
Staff members who are flexible and will take on new tasks with a smile.
Staff members who jump in and help without being asked.
Staff members who show respect and give guidance.
Staff members who work past hours stated and don't even consider it a task.
Staff members who try to solve the problems first, seek resources, and then ask for assistance.
Staff members who help each other out all the time.
Staff members who love their job and show it  in so many ways.
And most of all...staff members who love children and put them first!

I can't give my staff members enough praise and thanks but I will try...