Sunday, October 19, 2008

200th Post!

This makes my 200th post. Wow...to think I've tried writing 200 times now. I know that as an educator, reader, and writer, I am glad that I have ventured onto the blogging world. I've been able to look at the world with new eyes. I keep ideas in my head that I want to write about, that I want to remember, that I'm passionate about. And so begins a few thoughts...

Our corporation met a few days ago to go over basic requirements of our new adopted reading materials. In an effort to move our educators to a workshop style teaching reading, our corporation chose a certain program. When it came time to vote, I did not feel that this program would be as beneficial as the other that we were looking at...well, I'm going to try and let by-gones be by-gones. At our program training, the trainer said that we should teach the units in order the first year because that way we know how the program works...but we should also do what's best for our students.

Let me just say how frustrated I am! And without going into details, I am upset that those of us in the corporation that have spent time reading, time discussing, time planning and creating have to take 500 (okay, maybe not that much) steps back and use a basal cleverly designed as a workshop method.

How would my corporation like it if I made all of my higher students stay on course, because we need to all be on the same page and work together to move forward?

I'm going to do it, but at the same time, I am going to make sure I am still pouring in as much as I can of what I know is best for my students.

2 comments:

Ruth Ayres said...

kudos to you for writing and writing and writing. you are a better teacher, a better writer, a better person due to all 200 posts. looking forward to reading the next 200 too. :)
ruth

Sarah Amick said...

200! Woo Woo! You know we live in a time when we are not valued for the job that we do for our students. It is frustrating but we have to be better. We have to be the people that they can't talk about as being the cause for the reason why our students aren't achieving. You are bettering yourself by reading the books that you read, you are bettering yourself because of the writing you do both professionally and personally.
I am proud of who you are as an educator, and I am sure that there are some ways that you can work around what you are being faced with at school. Know what you believe, and be able to provide the research, data, and evidence needed to prove it! You will succeed, and your students will be better because of it.