Byron's Babbles

A few weeks ago there was an article that discussed the agriculture industry as not being a viable career choice for students. It seems to me that agriculture continues to be one of the least understood industries, with some of the most tremendous opportunities for our students. When starting the Agriculture Science program at Lebanon Community School Corporation eight years ago, I spoke of the fact that agriculture is more than Cows, Plows, and Sows. I now use the phrase that agriculture is our next “man on the moon” that Kennedy had. Think about it; as our population increases we will need food, clothing, shelter, sustainable fuel sources, cures for diseases, and the list goes on and on. Where will these come from? AGRICULTURE SCIENCE!

When people begin discussing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education and careers, I like to remind them that it really should be STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, AGRICULTURE, and Math. But don’t take my word for it, click here to take a look at the results of the 2011 Employment Summary Food, Agriculture, Life, and Natural Resources May Graduates – College of Agriculture, Purdue University.

As our next “moon shot” it is critical that we continue to support agriculture science as an important Career and Technical Education (CTE) component in our secondary schools. It is also critical that teachers, such as myself, take the integration of science very seriously into our curriculum. It is also critical that we continue to recruit the best students into agriculture to be the Neil Armstrong’s of the agricultural industry and take the giant leaps of solving world hunger, disease, fuel needs, and all other areas related to food, life, and natural resources.

As a followup to my post entitled Students Achieving Engagement (click here to read entire post) I would like to offer this visual of the Pillars of Student Engagement developed by the students at my school:

As a followup to my post on Achieving Student Achievement (click here to read entire post) I would like to offer the following visual of the Pillars of Teacher Effectiveness developed by my school:

Back on December 9, 2011 my post was about action research we are doing at my school on student engagement. I wrote about the four themes that our students developed about what great teachers needed to do to keep them engaged in the learning process. To read the post click here. Here are the themes from the student responses as to how students are best engaged: 1. Students learn best from Passionate and Energetic teachers; 2. Students learn best from teachers that are Prepared and Creative; Students learn best when the material is Relevant to them; and 4. Students learn best when they best when they believe the teacher genuinely Cares about them.

This past week we took two student LAB times (time each day I spend with the same group of students) to discuss the students’ role in being engaged learners. The discussion revolved around the answers the students gave to the question: What can students do to improve engagement?

Here are the themes and every related comment made by the students:

Proper Sleep

Come to class well rested, Decent amount of sleep, Get more sleep, Get enough sleep, Get more sleep at home not in class, Get more sleep, Sleep more – go to bed earlier, Get enough sleep, Get a good night’s sleep, Go to bed earlier, Get enough sleep, Get enough sleep, Get more sleep, Proper rest, Get plenty of sleep, More Sleep, More Sleep, Get proper amounts of sleep, More sleep (not in class), Get more sleep, Get more sleep – try to have a specific time by which to go to bed, Get more sleep by putting away electronic devices, managing time better, going to bed earlier, and cutting off sugar and caffeine at an earlier time, Get Enough Sleep (at “home”), Get more sleep, Get enough sleep, Get more sleep at home, Get sleep, Reasonable bedtime

Eat Breakfast

Eat a nutritious breakfast, Eat breakfast, Breakfast in the morning, Eat Breakfast, Eat a good breakfast, Eat breakfast – set up night before, eat the right foods, and bring a healthy snack, Eat healthy, especially breakfast, Eat breakfast, Eat breakfast, Eat a good breakfast, Eat breakfast, Eat breakfast, Breakfast, Eat breakfast, Follow proper diet (nutrition/meals), Eat breakfast, Eat Breakfast, Eat correct meals, Eat breakfast, Eat breakfast

Positive Attitude and Motivation

Positive outlook, and motivation and guidance, Be a more positive student, Have a positive attitude, Self motivation, Be self-motivated to reach your future goals, More self-motivation, Positive outlook, Motivate yourself, Have a more positive attitude, Students need to work towards having a positive attitude every day they come to school, Positive attitude, Be positive – care about yourself – care about your classmates – care about your education – maintain a positive outlook, Get motivated, Positive Attitude, Have a positive attitude towards classmates, teachers, and schoolwork, More Positive Attitude (This one was brought up the most), Have a positive outlook each day, Self Motivation, Motivate others by encouraging them, Care about your grades, Care about grades, Keep Motivated, Change your attitude about school: don’t be a “Debbie owner” and cooperate, Students should be setting clear-cut, obtainable goals

Respect

Students need to care and respect others students and teachers, Meet teachers halfway/show respect, Be less disruptive, Don’t join in on bullying or picking on others, Don’t derail lectures during class – cooperate more, Have respect/Less drama, Students need to have an equal amount of respect for themselves and their peers, Respect, Respect Students and Teachers/Don’t judge others, Students can be more cooperative (not disruptive, kind, courteous, respectful), Be more respectful to both fellow classmates as well as teachers, Teamwork – help classmates if they need help, Be willing to help others, Get to know your classmates (it helps your comfort level in classes.)

Responsibility and Work Ethic

Do not procrastinate, Be responsible, Don’t procrastinate, Don’t procrastinate, Use time wisely and apply yourself when in class, Be responsible for my actions – do assignments- get excited to learn – take notes – put homework in agenda book, Don’t procrastinate-Use student handbook – use class time wisely when teachers give homework time – set a schedule while doing homework (ex: after I do 10 problems THEN I can check Facebook) – make a too do list to check off, Take advantage of time/don’t procrastinate, Be responsible for actually doing the work, Students need to be proactive in class and avoid procrastination, Take responsibility, Stop procrastinating – set priorities, Don’t procrastinate, Don’t Procrastinate, Take more responsibility, Don’t procrastinate, Be responsible – be on time to class – be prepared – don’t procrastinate, Don’t procrastinate, Don’t procrastinate, Don’t Procrastinate, Don’t procrastinate, Don’t Procrastinate, Don’t Procrastinate, Be responsible for yourself: take notes – do assignments – pay attention in class

Commitment

Take notes, Do your homework completely, Be engaged in class activities; don’t work on homework for other classes, Be prepared for class (complete homework/reading, be well rested), Take good notes, Take Notes, Stay Focused and take “active” notes, Come to school prepared- supplies, Actually do homework at home not during other classes, Apply yourself/do your homework, Take good notes, Take good notes in class, Study to be prepared for homework, tests, and class discussions, Do the homework, Do the homework, Do The Work, Bring the necessary supplies (book, pencil, paper,etc), Take good notes, Do your homework, Do your homework, Learn how to take notes, Self-preparation,  Turn in all homework even if it is not completed – do all homework the night it is assigned and while it is fresh, Keep on top of my homework, Students can do homework/ come prepared for class, Make an effort – even if you don’t like it, suck it up and do it, Do Homework and use agendas to record assignments, Turning in homework – Studying for tests

Active Involvement

Ask questions in class and get help outside of class if necessary, Ask questions, Ask questions and participate in class and school activities, Asking questions – focus on listening and taking, notes, Ask questions, See more teachers and ask questions when needed-students should not be afraid to ask teachers questions – If they are shy or do not feel comfortable wait until after class or email their question to the teacher, Participate more in classroom activities, Ask questions, Ask for help, Apply Yourself More Often, Ask questions, Ask questions in class, Participate – ask questions – get help after school – take notes – don’t sleep in class, Be active participants in class (do homework/study, ask questions, focus, be prepared with supplies, use your class time wisely), Participate/ask questions in class, Pay attention – ask for help, Focus in Class, Students will be active participants in class by cooperating with teachers, avoiding procrastination and doing their work, asking questions, and taking notes, Students can participate in class/ ask questions, Pay attention in classes, Be more engaged in learning…ie.  Pay attention – Ask Questions – Be here, Ask more questions in class, Apply yourself to each subject to the best of your ability, Ask questions and support classmates when they ask questions, Participate by volunteering on a regular basis, Ask questions whether it be in class or outside of class if that is more comfortable. Don’t be scared to say something silly, Ask good questions when not understanding, Ask Questions

To complete this exercise the students wrote down three areas on an index card that they personally were going to commit to for improved engagement. We as teachers are committing to: 1. Students learn best from Passionate and Energetic teachers; 2. Students learn best from teachers that are Prepared and Creative; Students learn best when the material is Relevant to them; and 4. Students learn best when they best when they believe the teacher genuinely Cares about them. The students are also taking ownership by having identified their own areas of commitment.

Yesterday, I was asked to provide my thoughts on whether teacher salaries should be based on student achievement. The idea of teacher pay being linked to student achievement is certainly at the forefront of education reform. I am proud that Indiana has taken a lead in this arena with the legislative reforms of 2011. First of all I want to frame my thoughts through the lens of Brill (2011) who recognized that teaching is hard work, very hard work. Brill (2011) called it “grueling work” (p.2). He went on to say, “It required more talent, more preparation, more daily reevaluation and retooling, more hours in the class day, and just plain more perseverance than many teacher, and most teachers’ union contracts were willing or able to provide” (p. 2) Many took this statement as a dig toward teaching and unions. I took it as a huge compliment to my profession – teaching. Notice I said profession. To me Brill’s (2011) statement recognizes me as a highly effective professional who needs to be evaluated and compensated as such. Therefore I do believe in a compensation model that uses student achievement as part of the compensation metric.

Thank goodness most professions have not taken a “these kids” or “can’t do much approach.” Can you imagine if professionals in the medical field took the attitude: “not much we can do for this cancer” or “can’t do much for diabetes.” Many of our friends and relatives would not be with us today. I for one want my profession, teaching, to be thought of as the “can do” and “all kids can learn” profession. As a professional teacher I am glad that Indiana has new legislation that recognizes me such and evaluates me as a professional teacher leader. Call it what you want, merit pay, bonus pay, or whatever, but the bottom line it really comes down to what Pink (2009 ) described as “base-line rewards.” In Indiana a portion of the compensation will now be based on student achievement and performance. The system is still based on a base-line rewards system where I am truly paid as a professional. This was a crucial step in getting our profession where it needs to be. Many have pointed to whether this system becomes a “carrot-stick” type of compensation that some research says doesn’t work. I look to it as be the adequate and equitable reward that Pink (2009) subscribed to when he said, “If someone’s baseline rewards aren’t adequate or equitable, her focus will be on the unfairness of her situation and the anxiety of her circumstance. You’ll get neither the predictability of extrinsic motivation nor the weirdness of intrinsic motivation. You’ll get very little motivation at all” (p. 55). I am excited we are going to a model where I am paid to be a highly effective teacher leader.

This past week further evidence as to just how important the teacher really is was released. Lowry (2012) reported that Harvard researchers Chetty and Friedman and Columbia researcher Rockoff reported that an effective teacher has a high economic value. Lowry (2012) reported “Replacing a poor teacher with an average one would raise a single classroom’s lifetime earnings by about $266,000, the economists estimate. Multiply that by a career’s worth of classrooms.” To read the full article click here. To me this speaks volumes to my value as a professional.

Finally, my last thought on a compensation model that bases a portion of the salary on student achievement and performance – We cannot afford not to do it that way because it is what is in the best interest of our students. This should be how we frame every education decision – What is best for our students!

References

Brill, S. (2011). Class warfare: Inside the fight to fix America’s schools New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Lowry, A. (2012). Big study links good teachers to lasting gain. New York Times. Retrieved on January 6, 2012: from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01

/06/education/big-study-links-good-teachers-to-lasting-gain.html

Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.