Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?
(Ah, what would we do without The Clash?)

This past week I've been wrestling with the question that every teacher faces - am I too sick to teach?

You'd think the answer to that would be easy enough: in other jobs I've had, staying home sick simply meant that work piled up on the desk until I returned. But with teaching there's a complicating factor - the class(es) of students who need to be taught something by someone.

So instead of it being a simple question, there's in fact a series of questions to be answered:

1) Am I contagious, or physically unable to keep upright or from involuntarily expelling various fluids? If yes, go home; if no, continue to the next question.

2) Am I feeling badly enough that I'm willing to write up a full day-plan and do photocopying for the substitute, and willing to reteach lessons when I get back?

3) Can my classes cooperate with a substitute teacher, or will they duct-tape the poor person to a chair and start swinging from the light fixtures?

4) Can I plan a day where the teaching is less intensive and I can lean against the nearest wall while the students work on their own?

Usually I can get to question 4, and answer yes. Then it's a matter of staggering through the day, heading home immediately after school and going straight to bed. But this week was different - the flu sent me home from school part way through the day on Tuesday (thanks to my colleagues who looked after me), and I've been muddling through ever since. It couldn't have gone any other way - although I'm sure some of my students would have found me vomiting on them to be quite fascinating - but I'm still feeling guilty and out of touch. It will take most of Monday to figure out where my students are, what needs to be reviewed, and what to move onto next.

Who's Who in the Zoo
It's exam time at the local high school, which means some of the grade 9s have been filtering back to visit their old haunts.

Which is fine - I did the same when I was in grade 9 - and I enjoy chatting with them and finding out how things are going. But the other day I had the most disconcerting experience.

My classroom, because of its central location, has two doors that each open on to a different hallway, and as a result it gets used as a shortcut by students (and staff). I happened to be walking into my room from one of the hallways when I noticed about five young women in the room just ahead of me. When they turned to look at me I realised that two of the five were in my homeroom last year, and at least two of the others I'd taught art to.

This was the weird part. Normally when I meet up with grade 9's, even the shyest students will say hello and will stay for a couple of minutes to let me ask them questions about what they're doing now. But these girls, even though they had been quite happy to talk with me last year, now didn't want to talk to me at all.

"We just wanted to say hi," one of them said, and then they turned away and started walking. My attempts to engage them in conversation caused them to stop and just look at me. Finally I gave up and said, "Um, well, enjoy your tour," and they continued on their way out my other door.

They walked by a few minutes later and looked in, and then again a few minutes later yet.

I had the distinct impression of being a display at the zoo or, perhaps more accurately, an historical exhibit. Frankly, it was kind of creepy.

Fortunately, when we took our current grade 8's on their tour of the local high school yesterday, at least three former students came over to say hi. They smiled, they made eye contact, they asked questions and responded to mine.

It feels so much better to be present than past.

The stream of cars honking as they drive past picketers on busy streets. The number of parents delivering food (one of our parents actually brought out his barbecue and made our staff hamburgers for lunch) to their school's staffs. This teachers' strike has definitely captured a large portion of public support.

Although recent newspaper editorials (Vancouver Sun, Globe and Mail) have basically read "although teachers have some good reasons to be disgruntled, they are breaking the law and should get back to work," their Letters to the Editor sections have been almost entirely filled with supportive and eloquent letters. Some, of course, have been from teachers. But many more have been from parents and grandparents who have been in the schools and noted the declining conditions. And yet others have been from members of other unions who have dealt with the provincial government in recent years, and whose contracts will be expiring within the next year.

A couple of things have made the difference this time around:

* the provincial government's recent history of handling union contracts. Legislating a continuation of our current contract (which was imposed on us in the first place) without being willing to negotiate was just a slap in the face. And it was a slap that couldn't help but stir up memories for the members of unions that have also dealt with the government in contract "negotiations" these past few years. So other unions are definitely on board.

* classroom conditions have become noticably worse (which I've already described in the previous entry) so many parents are on board, despite having to scramble for childcare (as I type this, As It Happens, on CBC Radio-One, is playing feedback from parents who are in favour of what teachers are doing).

Nobody likes being on strike, or the inconveniences that strikes occasion. But sometimes you've got to take a stand. And we teachers appreciate all those who are now standing with us.


Links of Interest
* Crawford Killian, an instructor at North Vancouver's Capilano College, has a good article in The Tyee about the history in the 1980's between schools and the government.
* Gabriel Yiu, also in The Tyee, writes a supportive article from a parent's point of view

Some Strike Background
It’s hard to know where to begin in describing the current stand-off between teachers and the BC provincial government, and maybe that’s why I’ve been stalling about writing about it. Let me start with some recent history.

A few years ago, the Liberal government stripped the teachers’ contract of important provisions, and there have been definite repercussions:

* No longer would there be a cap on class size per teacher. As a result, it is becoming more and more common to hear of classes of 35 students or more, particularly in the secondary schools where (I believe) the bulge of the current student population is. On a more personal note, in the last few years that I’ve taught grade 8, we’ve started September with at least 33 students in each of our classes. Maybe that doesn’t sound all that bad, until you consider…

* Support for special needs students has also been stripped away. It used to be that you could only have a maximum of two students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in a class, and for every IEP student you had your class size was reduced by two students. For instance, a grade seven class with no IEP students could have a maximum of 32 students, a class with one IEP student could have a maximum of 30, and a class with two IEP students could have a maximum of 28. Things are different now – one of our gr 6/7 teachers has 6 IEP students in one class. She’s a kind and giving person, and an experienced master teacher, but she’s not superwoman.

* Guaranteed ratios of students to teacher/librarians and students to student services teachers were also stripped. Adminstrators have to juggle their allotted full-time staff hours carefully if they want to keep their school libraries open with qualified staff. My school is lucky, others not so much; I hear of schools where the school library is simply closed a couple of days a week.

* Parent advisory councils have become charities, raising money for library books, gym equipment, things that are necessities, not luxuries.

When the government stripped the contract, of course teachers were furious. And they passed a law declaring us an essential service, meaning we could no longer strike. We went on job action which eventually culminated in a one-day province-side walkout. The government reacted quickly, and we were back to the classrooms.

While there was some public sympathy, the newspapers and radio phone-in shows were also filled with what I call “Those Damn Teachers” arguments. You’ve heard these before: “Those Damn Teachers. They work 9 to 3 and get all summer off. I was a student. I know what school is all about. Why are they complaining?”

The media focus shifted to other things, and we returned to our soon-to-be larger, more challenging classes.

Strike
I can't say I've ever wondered what it would be like to be on strike, but now I know. It's d-u-l-l.

(This won't be a commentary on the political issues going on between our provincial government and the teachers' union - maybe another day. For something on that in the meantime, maybe try www.cbc.ca or www.ctv.ca/canada)

The weather has been good. Parents, administrators, other staff, and students have been bringing us food and stopping by to chat. But our school is at the end of a cul-de-sac so there's no vehicle traffic (no honking horns; on the other hand, no one is yelling abuse at us either), and there's no line for us to actually walk. Instead we sit, chat a bit, stare into the distance, and try not to speculate too much about what could happen next.

On Friday (day one of the strike) there were animals to keep us amused. The morning shift reported seeing a mother bear and her cub, and then two coyotes. In the afternoon, we had two wild squirrels racing around, knocking branches off trees and generally enjoying themselves. We also had a couple students come by and show us their custom-built bikes.

Today was quieter. Some students dropped by and showed us some fish they bought at the local mall. The picketing staff at the near-by elementary school brought us a bunch of cookies. And we sat, chattedd a bit, stared into the distance, discussed the issues, and tried not to speculate too much about what could happen next.

Tomorrow? More of the same...

Beware the Dreaded Pro-D Handout
Lately, in preparation for the move to a new house, I've been sorting through my stuff and doing a lot of recycling. Particularly of teaching materials. And the item most likely to be dumped - handouts from professional development seminars.

It starts innocently enough. You go to these workshops and receive these handouts of the speaker's Powerpoint presentation. And you think to yourself, "Yeah, I should really hang onto this."

A few months later, you come across the handout at the bottom of a pile of paper stacked on a shelf somewhere, and you think, "What was that from? Oh right, I guess I should keep this."

Another few months later, you come across the same handout at the bottom of a different pile (because, after all, you shifted it over the last time you decided to keep it). And you think, "What is this? I have no idea what this is from." And into the blue box it goes.

(Unless you're like me, feel guilty, and rotate it through different piles for at least the next year)

At least the handouts that you get from colleagues (who've picked them up from the seminars that you weren't able go to) usually make their way to the recycling bin more directly, because you never had any idea what they were about to begin with.

The next pro-d day comes and the cycle begins anew. Let the shovelling begin...

* * * *

Having said all this, some school districts have moved in the right direction (in my opinion) by focussing their professional development opportunities. Sometimes you can work with a particular workshop faciltator all day. Or, in the case of after school workshops, you can work with that facilitator over a period of weeks or months. It makes sense - repeated exposure helps the concepts sink in, and you have a chance to try out new ideas in the classroom and bring the results back to the group for discussion. There are a few of us at my school who are hoping to do something like that this year with math topics and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.

As Long as They Don't Stick It Under Their Desks
Want a touchy issue to discuss at your next staff meeting? Bring up gum chewing and watch the fun - it's strange how the most trivial topic can trigger the most heated discussion.

Now here's an article that boosts the pro-gum side. According to a scientific study performed in the UK, adults who chewed gum during tests showed better short-term and long-term memory than adults who didn't. They also peformed better on spatial working memory tests.

Theories as to why include:
- gum chewing increases activity of the hippocampus;
- gum chewing triggers the release of insulin;
- the action of chewing increases the heart rate which increases blood flow to the brain.

This particular study is a few years old now, and I'd love to know what the latest research shows. Meanwhile, as you might expect, the National Association of Chewing Gum Manufacturers and Wrigley's are big gum boosters.

The brief disappearance of my blog
Okay, it's cliche, but Joni Mitchell probably wrote it best - don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got til it's gone?

Well, I'm not sure what happened. The other day I was uploading new files to my class website and I either inadvertently deleted/added something I shouldn't have, or the good people at Tripod.com decided to mess with my head, but the link to my blog was taken over by my website. It probably would have taken me weeks, maybe months, to notice this on my own, but coincidence is a funny thing. Friends Laura and Peter were revamping their own blog too and weren't able to find mine to create a link. (So thank you to Peter for e-mailing me to find out where my blog had gone!)

Coincidence #2 was that John Norton was testing the blog links on the Middleweb site that very day and, upon finding my blog was gone, delisted it. This is where the Joni Mitchell quote comes in: one of the reasons I hadn't written anything in the past month or so was that I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep the blog going.

I'd become very conscious of how public a form of writing blogging is, and how it lacks the semi-protection of editors that a regular publication affords. A friend in Winnipeg decided that he wasn't going to maintain a blog anymore and quit his. And there had been a conversation thread on the Middleweb listserv about how some people had been reprimanded by their school administrators for what they'd written in their blogs and how, in general, you need to be very careful of what exactly you post. All that had gotten me thinking.

It's not easy to write about teaching in an impersonal fashion and that can make blogging a bit tricky. And then there's the question, whom am I writing for anyway? Does anyone actually read this thing? Why am I doing this?

So my gut reaction, my sheer disappointment, when I realised that John had removed the link, surprised me. I didn't want to let it go after all.

Now it's back. Where to from here, who knows. I'll just see what happens...

No Wonder
No wonder some kids hate math.

Recently I witnessed what would be considered a typical math lesson and I'll admit right here that I've taught many like it. Here's how it goes:

1. Hand out worksheet;
2. Worksheet questions are meant to review concepts taught in previous lesson;
3. Students plough through worksheet;
4. Teacher stands up front and either presents answers to worksheet or solicits answers from students;
5. Further homework is assigned.

Goal of the students:
- to better understand the concepts?
No.

- to examine the big ideas surrounding the concepts?
No.

- to consider how the concepts apply to real life situations?
No.

- to get the worksheet out of the way so can then get the homework out of the way so that can then spend evening doing something more interesting and meaningful?
Yes.

What a shame, yet it goes on all the time. No wonder some kids hate math.

Teachers teaching math the same way they were taught all in the name of making sure the curriculum is "covered," and I include myself in this group. So what can be done to break the cycle?

Spring Rambling
Spring has sprung
The grass has riz
I wonder where the flowers is
- one of my dad's favourite poems

Last Friday our team went on a field trip and I chose to sit in the back of the bus instead of in the front with the other teachers. Why? Because my student teacher is taken on 80% of my teaching load (i.e. all the time with my core classes) and I was missing my students. And it was good to sit there and watch them poke each other, whisper together, play cards or Korean clapping games or looking-out-the-window games. My homeroom class is quite a diverse group, not quite a cohesive whole even now, yet each student has made at least one new friend this year and has somebody to belong to.

And I realised that this was actually true of me too, this being my second year at this school. It takes time to get to know people (I read somewhere recently that it takes 3 years to make a real friend. Now how researchers determined that particular number is a good question), especially if you don't get into the staff room that often. But one of the up sides of having a student teacher is being able to lunch in the staff room regularly and to arrange meetings with like-minded colleagues during other periods in order to talk about math/numeracy and share ideas and goals. What a luxury, and I'm trying to make the most of it while it lasts.

So, to sum up this ramble, I feel as though the grass has riz and the flowers will be along shortly.