Class size. My oh my, I’ve seen a lot of silly things said about class size. Now Stu Egan from Caffinated Rage brings to  light another silly thing said . Bloomberg said: “Double the class size, with a better teacher, is a good deal for the students.” Oh no. It just doesn’t work this way. Visit a classroom and find out the truth.  Large classes have to be managed. Managed as in crowd control. Sure it can be done by a master, but learning suffers terribly because management is the first priority. The focus is almost always on crowd control. Got a trouble maker? They have a much larger audience, and I can guarantee you that they’ll pull in a few others into their side show. Now instead of completing the scripted teaching/learning routine carefully planned by a teacher not to disrupt the delicate management balance, the teacher has to slip back into management mode. I don’t have time to know my students if I have 40 or 50 in a class. Even 30 can be problematic.  Small classe...

This has a few years on it now, but . . .

This gem came across my facebook feed. It's only an IOS app. BUT I've read several books already on my iPad that I don't have in my library. Some of the books have a read aloud feature and there is a timer on the books so kids can't go through them too quickly. I've mainly examined the picture books and have read some that I would not have otherwise. The only thing they ask in return is for you to let parents know about them. That can easily be done on our school webpages. If you have an apple device, give it a try! See my other recommendations on where to find books.

Intelligence Squared Debates is hosting Embrace the Common Core You can cast your vote for which side you support!

http://www.repmoore.com Or you might be called an idiot teacher. Here's a screen shot of the post. What does it cost our elected officials and staff to be nice to their constituents? Well, we know what happens when they aren't.

I was going to add this little tidbit to yesterday's post about the pay of NC teachers, but I didn't save it and couldn't find it! Thanks to my friend Johnny for posting it today! Why Teacher Pay Matters Guess who the largest employer is in most counties in NC? The school system. It is the largest employer in 64 counties. It is the second largest employer in 12 other counties. There is only one  (yes one) county in the state in which the school system is not in the top three employers. If you think of a raise as an economic stimulus, more money in the pay checks of 95,000 teachers (spread out from Manteo to Murphy) will mean more middle-class people buying groceries, going on vacations, etc. And that will have a real, immediate economic impact on the state as a whole.

We keep getting news of an "Average" 7% pay raise for teachers. Not knowing how many teachers are at each step, I can't do that math easily to know if that statement is true. What I do know is that when you look at the word "Average" over 36 steps, a ton of room is left for maneuvering and posturing. Everyone has access to our state pay scales which is why little images like this one can be made. Not sure that really shows what I want to highlight, so I'm using information taken from  2013-14 salary schedule  and the 2008-09 salary schedule . AND of course the now famous 2014-14 proposed schedule  (begins near bottom of page 50). I used year 17 for my compairson. It's right in the middle of the NEW 4th step.    The "raise" looks much better than last year's salaries, but look at the numbers compared to 2008-09. Not a lot of progress, but a little. Oh, and Masters National Boards will no longer be figured off of Master's pay, but off of ...

Run schools like a business? Flip that theory to see flaws - News-Record.com: Columnists . This is good, very good.  

Today, my goal is to complete the MS for this math book, then let it sit until Monday for another round of editing. I'd also love to finish with my vehicles and get the BB paper cleaned up out of the guest room! I can do mess for a short period, but there comes a point that it wears on my nerves. Cheryl Ristow posted a video this morning of a teacher decorating his room. It is not all practical, but I do love his enthusiasm. I have done some impractical things in my room (even knowing they were impractical) because I loved the way they looked and HOPE really does spring eternal donchano. I didn't do themes in my classrooms - well, I did, but the theme was Math. ;) I'm doing my second one in the library now and I love how the theme can tie things together. I love the filming theme he uses. Got to add that to my Pinterest board !   [youtube=http://youtu.be/7Wv-FwR8c4c]   Barb Kibler shared a Buzzfeed Link - 35 Money Saving DYIs for the Classroom  from 2013. I realize this kin...

Not quite 10%, but close. That's huge. Wondering what their notice period is. I've always had to give 30 days.  IPS board member: 'Exodus' of teachers

Vol.#37: The NC News Target | Teaching Speaks Volumes . So does Erica. I didn't start reading Erica for her NC political updates but I'm glad she writes it so I can read it. Wear red on Wednesdays for solidarity please.  

For those of you NOT in the know, NC adopted a teacher evaluation tool last year developed by McREL . We used to have one that was a few pages long in a 10-12 pt font. Teachers were marked on a five point scale from unsatisfactory to excellent. Most of it was things that could easily be observed in any lesson when the observer walked into your classroom - not all, but most. Enter the NEW evaluation tool. We have training . We have manuals . We have case studies . We have articles written about us. We have forms . We have artifacts . Because a great deal of what the instrument measures cannot be seen in any lesson. Some can, but not all. So now we have an instrument that is 11 pages in an 8 pt font. There are five standards with multiple sub standards which seem straight forward enough on the surface. To make things murky, however, the instrument has separated out things like Global Awareness, 21st Century learning, collaboration and technology. Those (in my poor feeble mind...

I'm always amazed when I read something like this - pay me a bonus and the kids will score higher. Financial incentives do seem to work in some professions. Increase sales incentives and with the right person, you'll get increased sales. But teaching isn't like sales. There are too many variables to count between the staff, students and their families to know exactly which variable on what day will make the greatest difference. The thing that bothers me the most about the assumption in the title is that somehow my educational talents and skills are  motivated by a bonus. Don't get me wrong. I like getting paid. I wish I made more. I probably would have chosen another profession had this one not come with a salary, but then again, I might still be here. It's not the pay that motivates me as much as I like getting paid. Did you hear me Governor, Purdue? Are you listening, Congress? I do want to get paid. I do want a fair salary. BUT what motivates me is seeing a stud...

This looks interesting. If I wasn't so busy I'm cross-eyed half the time, I'd look into it. Actually, I won't always be so busy, so maybe next year. Edudemic » How To Become A Certified Virtual Classroom Teacher .

I'd like to be here . . .