Transparency in Teaching (stuff)

Remember to check out our website, TransparencyinTeaching.com for more in-depth analysis and resources related to this episode. Join us again as we continue to explore the complexities of teaching and the education system.

Be sure to visit ⁠TransparencyinTeaching.com⁠ to find all the other interesting and in-depth articles on the teaching topics you want to know about. You'll also find all the resources used to create this episode.

Be sure to visit TransparencyinTeaching.com to find all the other interesting and in-depth articles on the teaching topics you want to know about. You'll also find all the resources used to create this episode.

Jen and I, Anne, sat down for a Zoom interview with Christopher Nesi, the head of the Education Podcast Network. The EPN plays host to a terrific collection of education-related podcasts, which you should definitely check out.

Our interview was the first in a series called "Behind the Mic: Voices of the EPN." Christopher is interviewing the podcast hosts and creators of each of the shows you can find on the network. The episodes give listeners a great overview of what each podcast has to offer and can help you find new shows on topics that you can relate to.

I have to admit it was a bit disconcerting being on the other side of an interview. I hope you can't tell how nervous I was during this interview. Jen, of course, is her normal, jovial self. Thank goodness!

I hope you'll give it a listen and then jump over to the EPN to listen to all the other informative and entertaining shows.

Here are some of my favs (after ours, of course) to get you started:

Fresh Air at Five: Welcome to FreshAirAtFive, the Podcast. I’m your host, Bryon Carpenter. FreshAirAtFive is my regular attempt to exercise by walking about my neighborhood, taking in Podcast content or an audiobook, and then reflecting on an unedited video, which I finally post to my Twitter channel.

EduMagic: The New Educator Podcast: Are you an aspiring teacher? The EduMagic Future Teacher Podcast is a podcast designed for preservice teachers who are using EduMagic to rock their college careers. With each episode, you will learn about what it means to be an educator of excellence. Guests include current teachers, educational experts, and administrators who share their tips and stories to help YOU.

Teaching While Queer: Teaching While Queer is a space for 2SLGBTQIA+ educational professionals to share their stories working in academia. We dive into our experiences as students and how this informed our work in academia as adults.

Reimagine Schools: Hosted by Dr. Greg Goins, the Reimagine Schools Podcast features many of the nation's top educators, authors, and innovators in K-12 education with an emphasis on leadership development, scaling innovation, and transforming our public school system. Guests have included some of the world's most prolific thought leaders on education.

We appreciate you stopping by to listen to this critical topic. We'd love to hear your experiences and suggestions. Leave us a comment here and consider joining our new FaceBook group. Your words may be just what a struggling teacher needs to hear!

To get all the resources and research used to create this episode, head over to TransparencyinTeaching.com. There, you'll find all of our informative episodes and blog posts to give you the information you need to improve your teaching experience or at least find a place where people get what you're going through.

Find us on Instagram at @Transparency_in_Teaching or get in touch with Anne by visiting @L2tchr at Linkin and X.

A huge, warm, grateful teacher hug to all of our faithful listeners and a giant welcome to all of you new listeners who may have stumbled upon us through luck or recommendation. We are glad you are here. Pass along the welcoming atmosphere by sharing this episode with others. The more, the WAY more merrier!

In this episode of EdNews This Week, Anne announces that she and co-host Jen will be featured guests on another podcast called Behind the Mic, out September 1st on the Education Podcast Network. This week's three news stories from the education world share how New Hampshire teachers are getting paid to teach chess, with the state providing funding for training and equipment, how Rhode Island's realignment of graduation requirements created with input from the community ensures all students will graduate ready for careers or college, and a third story about how Kentucky's alternative path to a teaching credential doesn't require a bachelor's degree.

All the links to the resources used to create this episode can be found on our website, TransparencyinTeaching.com.

Please leave us your comments about this episode and what educational news you have to share.

We discuss the term "teachering." Anne found this term in a blog post on teachbetter.com’s site. The curriculum coordinator for 21st Century Teaching and Learning, Alexy Valencic’s discussed the term “teachering” in his post. 

[00:06:08] Teacher workload Teaching vs Teachering. 

[00:10:57] Duties and responsibilities. 

[00:25:57] Compensation for extracurricular activities. 

[00:29:27] Teacher overtime and FLSA labor laws. 

[00:32:48] Teachers' workload and overtime pay. 

[00:36:43] Teachers and overtime restrictions.

[00:46:14] Saying no and setting boundaries. 

According to Valencic's definitions, the teaching workload involves identifying what needs to be learned and guiding the learning process until achieving the desired goal. This encompasses state standards, curriculum instruction, teacher-student relationships, assessment, and progress monitoring. On the other hand, the teaching workload also includes “teachering,” made up of all the additional tasks and responsibilities that teachers are asked or expected to undertake, often without any extra compensation.

“Teachering" tasks can range from the many meetings teachers are expected to attend to everyday things like bus and dance duties. Expectations can also include giving up lunch and after-school time for detentions, clubs, professional development, IEP meetings, and parent phone calls. Overall, the episode sheds light on the additional responsibilities and tasks teachers must shoulder beyond their classroom teaching duties. 

Did you know that teachers cannot receive overtime payments? We didn’t until we learned about the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). If the word “teacher” is attached to your job description, you are not entitled to overtime, no matter how little money you may make.

New teachers are in the dark about the extent of the teacher workload. While new teachers may anticipate some meetings, the sheer number of meetings they must attend may surprise them. Teacher education programs fail to prepare teachers for the wide range of responsibilities they will encounter throughout their careers.

To address these challenges, we suggest that teachers engage in discussions to identify and evaluate the value of their extra tasks. By collectively determining which duties are essential and which are unnecessary, teachers can advocate for changes and potentially alleviate or reduce the burden of the teacher's workload on specific responsibilities. 

Additionally, we emphasize the importance of supporting new teachers and ensuring they can handle these additional duties. Experienced teachers must demonstrate to new teachers that it is acceptable to decline certain tasks, ultimately promoting a healthier work-life balance for educators.

This episode underscores the reality that teachers must often go beyond their primary teaching role and assume additional responsibilities. We emphasize the need for awareness, support, and advocacy to address the challenges associated with these extra tasks and to ensure fair compensation for teachers’ efforts. 

Summertime is the perfect time to start coordinating efforts to reform the expectations on a teacher’s time. Now is the time to get the conversation about all the unnecessary “teachering” at your school. Do this before the beginning of a new school year overwhelms your attention and you find out you’ve been signed up for more than you’ve bargained for!

Thanks for listening!

For a list of all the resources used to make this episode, visit https://transparencyinteaching.com/

How do you handle the workload at your school? Should teachers be entitled to overtime? Leave us your comments and suggestions.

For links to the sources used to put this episode together and to find other great content on other important education issues, please visit https://transparencyinteaching.com/

Please let us know what you think about this episode and any ideas you have for future shows. We'd love it if you could share our podcast with others who you think might enjoy it. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen! 🙏🏽❤️

Wanna read it instead? Visit TransparencyinTeaching.com "Maximizing Summer Vacation: How Planning Sets Teachers Up for Success"

To view the resources mentioned and used to put together this episode, visit TransparencyinTeaching.com

For a list of the resources used to produce this episode, visit our website at www.TransparencyinTeaching.com

A recent article in “The 74” caught my attention this week. It discussed how Tennessee and Michigan are currently debating removing the statute requiring third graders who are reading below grade level to be retained. With state testing starting, people are worried about holding back the potentially large number of these students who may not pass the test. You see, aside from the average number of students that struggle with reading at this grade level, this year's batch of third graders were in kindergarten when the pandemic hit. People worry that the two years of virtual learning and closed schools have potentially created a glut of below-level readers.

What would be the consequences of holding back so many students? For one, it is expensive. You will need more teachers and classrooms to manage the overflow. Could an exception be made for this group? The article states, “Parents, advocates, and educators say it’s unfair to base the decision on one assessment, especially for students who were in kindergarten when the pandemic hit. But state officials and Republican legislators argue it’s wrong to promote students who aren’t ready.” Gotta say I’m siding with the state officials on this one.

For a written version of today's episode, Click here.

For links to all the resources used in today's episode, go to https://transparencyinteaching.com/ and see "Third Grade Reading: The Key to Academic Everything

I don't think you'll find too many current student teachers who disagree that student teaching needs a revamp. Most teacher candidates spend at least 14 weeks student teaching consisting of 8 hours a day, teaching, lesson planning, and grading; Most teacher candidates attend staff meetings and parent conferences, too.

Wait that sounds like what a regular teacher does. Well, that’s the point, to give candidates an idea of what they are getting into. It allows them to hone their lesson-delivery skills and learn classroom management techniques.

At the same time, student teachers are also paying tuition to a university to access the practice teaching required for a credential. This means that beyond the daily teaching requirement, they also have weekly university supervisor meetings and fieldwork hours to track, plus four time-consuming progress checks to fill out every three weeks. Most also attend a university seminar class in the evenings.  And here in California, the ominous California Teaching Performance Assessment, better known as CalTPA, also weighs heavily on their shoulders. Without passing this exam, there is no credential awarded. I know this first hand, as I’m a university supervisor who ensures the teacher candidates turn in all this frivolous paperwork.

I’m sure most states have some sort of similar credentialing requirements. This is way beyond what a regular classroom teacher must endure. All of this is without pay. This puts a huge financial burden on candidates, especially those with established families who may pursue teaching as a second career. They have no time to hold down a job to help pay for school, let alone support themselves or their families. If schools want to attract the best to the profession, student teaching needs a revamp.

In today’s episode, we talk with Ben, a first-year teacher. Ben talks about his teacher preparation program and his student teaching experience (which was fabulous because his cooperating teacher was the one and only Jen!). Ben shares what was difficult and how his pre-teaching experiences benefitted or hindered his time during student teaching. Of course, Jen and Anne have to give their two cents worth as usual, and it’s a valuable two cents at that!

For more insight into teaching, check out our website at TransparencyinTeaching.com

Should student teachers be compensated for their work? Add your opinion in the comment section, or answer our poll question.

Again, thanks for taking the time to listen.

If you can read this, thank a teacher!... as they say…

For links to the resources used for this and all our episodes, check out our website TransparencyinTeaching.com. While you're there, spend a little time reading our new blog posts that discuss other educational issues that are bugging us or that need attention, (or that Anne just wants to blab about. )

As always, thank you for taking the time to listen. And if possible, we'd really appreciate it if you'd share the link to our show with other interested humans. 

According to Merriam-Webster, the word indoctrinate originated in the 17th century.  It meant "to teach," as it comes from docēre, the Latin word for teaching.  But by the 19th century, the meaning shifted to signify teaching someone to uncritically accept a particular group's ideas, beliefs, and opinions. The key word is "uncritically."  This is supposedly why public schools and their teachers are now called indoctrinators. They are accused of pushing a liberal agenda about race, gender, equality, and history but refusing to let students express opinions that may contradict what is being taught. People who have differing opinions about those topics accuse schools of indoctrination. For example, parent groups have demanded books whose subject matter they don't approve of be removed from libraries and have had schools closed over history lessons they found offensive. And for the most part, schools have complied with parents' demands. This then begs the question, "Who's indoctrinating whom?" If schools bend to the wishes of a few parents, can those parents be accused of trying to indoctrinate others by removing information they disagree with?

Aren't schools, by their very nature, indoctrination machines? That is how public schools were designed to be from their conception. (One could also say the same for private religious schools, too, right?) Horace Mann, the man behind the idea of public education,  was a lawyer and member of the House of Representatives in 1827. He felt very strongly that a successful nation needs a population educated in basic literacy and a common set of public ideals. Well, someone has to decide what basic literacy entails and what public ideals need to be taught. Today, as long as people feel comfortable with the decisions about what the common set of public ideals are (curriculum), there is no "indoctrination." But as soon as somebody takes issue with a topic or point of view that is contrary to their own, cries of "indoctrination" begin to fly at school board meetings or at political rallies where a candidate can grab votes by jumping on the "indoctrination wagon." 

Today many teachers cringe at topics that might be controversial and try to avoid or gloss over them to keep from potentially "stepping in it."  However, tough topics are at the heart of critical thinking. Being able to analyze multiple sides of an issue and form opinions is part of what schools should be helping students to do. These are skills that help students learn how to problem solve.  Students need to learn how to have cogent discussions on current relevant issues with people who may have opposing views. They must practice the art of compromise so that all sides have a seat at the table. However, if students feel they are being shut down or feel they cannot share their points of view, then there IS a problem, but the issue is with the instructor, not the entire system.

In today's episode, we discuss whether or not indoctrination really is an issue in today's classrooms, how to tell if there's a problem, and what can be done. You'll get to hear why Jen was accused of "indoctrination" 🙄 You can decide if she "stepped in it!."  Listen in and see if you think she deserved that title. 

Is Jen an indoctrinator? Have you been accused of indoctrination? Have you witnessed it? Who's indoctrinating whom? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think. 

If you liked today's show, please share it with others and rate and review us on your favorite listening platform. That's our favorite way to show your appreciation for what we do here. Thanks for listening!❤️

For those of us who gauge success as producing graduating students who are at least proficient in reading and math scores, there's not a lot of success here. The National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP), a congressionally mandated test, has been testing 4th, 8th, and 12th-grade students since 1969. The test routinely covers reading and math but has also tested history, science, and geography. It breaks down proficiency levels as advanced, proficient, basic, and below basic. (To see what skills each level encompasses, click here for reading and here for math. I'm not sure I'd test proficient in math! 😳) The last year the NAEP tested the 12th grade was 2019, before Covid.

The news reports talk about how test scores have fallen after Covid, but what they don't emphasize is the dismal levels they were at before Covid. The 2019 test found only 37% of 12th-grade students nationwide were either advanced or proficient in reading. For comparison, in 2015, 12th-graders were at this very same percentage. Nothing has changed. And what about the rest of the students? Why are we not talking about the other 63% who are not proficient? Look at it this way, would you buy a car from a company where only 37 % of its vehicles were considered reliable? If public education were a company, it would be out of business.

Math scores are even more devastating. In 2019, only 24% of high-school seniors tested proficient or advanced! Covid had nothing to do with those dismal scores!

So, OK, but should we use these scores as a snapshot of current trends? Perhaps with a grain of salt? For example, The NAEP does not test all 4th, 8th, and 12th graders. The test includes Special Education and Second Language students in the sample without accommodations. Across the nation, 1,640 high schools tested 25,200 senior students. The total number of high school seniors enrolled that year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, was 3,432,000. I'm not sure this .7% of high school seniors that took the test gives an accurate picture of the majority of seniors. The NAEP exam cautions users of this data from making assumptions based only on the numbers provided. They suggest, "The results are most useful when they are considered in combination with other knowledge about the student population and the educational system, such as trends in instruction, changes in the school-age population, and societal demands and expectations."

In this episode, we try to determine what kind of students our education system should produce. Listen and see if you agree with our assessment!

According to an article in the New York Times, "This year, for the first time since the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests began tracking student achievement in the 1970s, 9-year-olds lost ground in math, and scores in reading fell by the largest margin in more than 30 years. " This begs the question, What do we do now? Promote these kids to the next grade, or do we retain them to catch up? 

I don't think there's any one good answer. We just need to figure out what protocols will give students the most bang for the taxpayer's buck. Why do we look at 9-year-olds' scores so closely? Well, they are third graders. That is the year when education makes a massive shift, from learning to read to reading to learn. If students are not at grade level by the end of the third grade, they tend to struggle to catch up, if they catch up at all.

Listen and see where you stand on this issue. Then leave us a comment or answer the poll questions to give your opinion. We'd also love feedback on how were are doing and what you'd like to hear us discuss. This show is nothing without our listeners!!

Thanks again for taking the time to listen. We are appreciative of every set of ears that lends itself here. If I could ask a giant favor, can you please forward this episode (or any of our fantastic episodes) to at least one friend you feel might benefit? That is the best way to get our podcast out to a bigger audience. 

To read the show notes that originally accompanied this podcast, go back to your feed or visit TransparencyinTeaching.com. 

Hey, it’s Anne here to introduce today’s episode all about social promotion, you know, that practice where schools promote students to the next grade based on age instead of mastery. The idea is that keeping kids with their peer group is better for their self-esteem, not to mention promoting students with behavior problems provides some relief to the teacher, knowing that the student who made class crazy won’t be back in their class next year.

The alternative has been retention. The idea is that repeating a grade will let struggling students improve skills that weren’t at grade level. Research, however, doesn’t back this idea up. Instead, retention increased the dropout rate and lowered students’ self-esteem. And though initially, it did boost student performance, the gains didn’t continue over the long haul.

So what’s a teacher to do? In this episode, we discuss what Ed Code and district policies say about retention and promotion. We explore what research is saying and what’s happening in our classes. Then, of course, we explain our suggestions for how to fix this mess.

Oh, and a new voice joins us in this episode. Welcome, Yvonne, who shares her elementary school teacher perspective. Now we have voices from grades K through 12. Unfortunately, Yvonne’s audio isn’t as clear as it should be, and some of her insightful comments may be difficult to hear. AND Sharyn was mobile on headphones and left us when her phone died. However, she did get in her usual insightful comments in the beginning.

Again, as always, thank you, dear listeners, for tuning in and sharing our podcast with friends, family, teachers, and others interested in knowing what is really happening in our classrooms. Please rate and review us on your favorite platform, as it really does help listeners find us. Leave us a voice comment, and we just might use it on our next show!

My state, California, reports a shortage of 50,000 teachers going into the 2022-23 school year. It's not just teachers either. Madison, Wisconsin, says 199 teacher vacancies along with 124 non-teaching positions. This means districts are also short paraprofessionals, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and custodians. What gives? 

Desperate districts are trying all kinds of things to lure teachers back. Some are giving raises or retention pay. Others are trying four-day weeks or have resigned to hiring uncredentialed people to fill in the gaps. The reasons for the shortage are not surprising. The Pandemic and remote teaching exacerbated teacher burnout, which was already affected by low pay, lack of respect, and workload. 

In today's episode, we discuss in depth the extent of the current shortage and its causes. Then we give some pretty damn good ideas for bringing teachers happily back to the classroom and keeping them there. Someone needs to send this episode to the Department of Ed.  

Also, here are the links to the Key and Peele Teacher Draft video that Sharyn mentions. If you haven't seen it, you should 😂. It's funny as heck but also kind of sad when you really think about it.🙄 And Jen's reference to the Schweddy Balls video can be found here. Oh, and the actor whose name we couldn't think of was Alec Baldwin. I was right! It was the guy who played Trump! 

Listen to the podcast to find out how these two videos fit in.   Again, as always, Thank you for your support. Please leave a comment and rate and review the podcast so that others can find us. Also, I'd like to ask you to share this episode with one friend who you think would enjoy it. That would be such a nice thing to do for us! 

For those of you heading back to class, may your rosters be smaller, your duties few, and your paychecks bigger. Hands in. Three, two, one...Teachers ROCK! Now go get 'em!

For years, some politicians have claimed to be "education candidates." Their platforms promise money and better school facilities. Once they count the ballots and fill their campaign coffers, good intentions go to the bottom of the "to-do list." Today, these "education-loving" candidates are promising a different kind of help to schools, and it's getting them elected. Now officials win by going after the evil wizards of indoctrination, TEACHERS, and their textbooks of evil spells! They rally their pitchfork and torch-carrying followers with cries of "No CRT!" and "Don't hurt my child's feelings!" Frenzied crowds storm school board rooms and drown out meetings with cries of "Foul!" and other four-lettered words. It might be akin to Frankenstein's Monster or The Purge if this were a movie.

This thing plays like Twilight Zone's "Monsters on Maple Street." The main characters hear rumors of something evil that has come to live in their neighborhood. They spread the news, and like the telephone game, it gets more prominent and distorted as it passes. Before you know it, everyone believes it's true. And when they finally beat down the door and blow up the house, they find they were wrong all along. However, the damage is done. The city is burning, and innocent people have been disposed of. 

Today we talk about this scary movie; only the movie takes place in our schools. Some very vocal parents and politicians are claiming teachers are working to indoctrinate children, forcing them to bend to the will of CRT, and mind-meld with liberal ideologies. They want to ban particular curricula and regulate what teachers can and cannot say. It makes about as much sense as going to the dentist and telling my hygenist which tools to use and how to hold the mirror properly. Jen, Sharyn, and I share our in-the-trenches view of what is really going on, and I swear there are no monsters under your beds.

Teachers want parent involvement. They want politicians who genuinely care. We don't need people who are largely uninformed and get their misinformation from the Internet, Aunt Sally's Facebook page, and those with hidden agendas. Put down the pitchforks and get involved with your school. Get to know the teachers, join the committees, volunteer, go to the school and spend some REAL time in the classroom. There's power in seeing things for yourself. When you take an objective look, I'm pretty sure that you'll find the monster you think is hiding under your bed is just a big clump of dust bunnies you forgot to sweep up.

The very first episode we produced remains one of our most popular. Why teachers quit should be something every would-be teacher should ponder before taking out loans to pay for college. You don't want to be one of the 44% of newbies who quit within the first five years, because then what will you do with all that useless college loan debt you accrued?  

We contacted a teacher friend of ours who had recently fled the classroom to preserve her sanity. She gave up the wear and tear of teaching for a position helping teachers avoid the stress that caused her to leave in the first place. We've known Carolyn since her first days in the profession. Now as the middle school curriculum math specialist for her district she's able to share her experiences with new teachers and offer them the kind of support all new teachers should have. 

 So today we revisit the day-to-day issues teachers have to negotiate. Believe me, if it were just teaching we had to do, there wouldn't be the quitting issue  But teachers deal with so much more than delivering the curriculum. There are discipline issues, extra duties before and after school, lesson planning and grading that follow you home, parent phone calls, meetings... Those are just the physical issues. Let's not forget the emotional toll of caring for kids who come from all kinds of homes and deal with all kinds of unknowns. The teacher may be the only positive connection in a student's life. This job has no quitting time. 

We also give our two cents about what can be done to avoid the problems in the first place. Unfortunately, credentialing programs don't really do the best job of preparing virgin teachers for the classroom. You can listen to our other podcast on that topic here.

If you're thinking of becoming a teacher, this episode is required listening. Teaching is the toughest job you'll ever love. I know that's pretty cliche, but it's true. It's really THE most important job on the planet 

An article from The JournalistsResource.org  tries to help journalists learn how to better cover this controversy. The author quotes Dorinda Carter Andrews, chairperson for the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University She explains that

“Critical race theory is not an ideology or a political orientation that assumes white people are bad; it assumes white supremacy is bad in all of its forms. It’s a practice or approach that provides language and a lens for examining racism at institutional and structural levels, Underlying this is the premise that racism is endemic to American society and that white supremacist ideas and practices should be dismantled.”

Janel George. who teaches CRT as part of a graduate course called Racial Justice in K-12 Education Policy at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, says CRT is a theory devised by legal scholars in the 1970s. CRT initially was taught in law schools but eventually was adopted in other fields such as education and sociology.” She believes, and so do I after doing the research, "there is some mischaracterizing going on here.” George says, “Because critical race theory has the word ‘race’ in it, perhaps [people] are intentionally equating critical race theory with anything having to do with race or the teaching [about] racism.”

Some parents fear that CRT is increasing not decreasing the idea of racial inequity. David Ryst notes in an article in the Daily Bulletin that, "'These concepts are not unifying students, they are reinforcing negative division. They are not giving teachers proper training. A lot of teachers who are vocal with their liberal ideas are pushing those ideas on students. It’s a good theory to examine maybe at a college level,' he said. 'But, what they’re teaching here leads to guilt, shame and victimhood. And everything is viewed as oppressor versus the oppressed. I’m all for inclusion, but this is not it.'”

Now the fear for teachers is states are beginning to regulate what can and cannot be said about race, racism and slavery. But finding elementary, middle, and high schools that actually teach CRT has been near impossible. So where does that leave teachers now?  What is actually happening in the classroom? How can discussions that are bound to come up be dealt with? What history is allowed to be taught and what history must be skipped? Is there really a problem or is this just politics to gin up the 2022 elections?

Listen to our take on this controversial topic.

Today’s bonus episode, features teacher, travel-guru Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie. You may have heard her on a previous podcast published almost a year ago when people were still dreaming of the day when travel would again be possible.  I thought now that people are finally stepping out of their homes and starting to travel, that this episode replay may be especially helpful and deserves another listen. Jackie is famous for knowing how to travel almost cost-free and she shares her tips and tricks with us in today’s show. 

For more information about Jackie, her travel tips and to see her phenomenal photography of all the amazing places she has visited go to The GlobeTrotting Teacher.com 

 Has your district taken up arms for or against CRT? If so, how will your teaching be different? How will you approach those conversations that you know will inevitably come up in class? Let us know! Write or leave us a  voice comment here or go to TransparencyInTeaching.com and leave one there. While you're at it, we'd love it if you'd rate and review us on your favorite listening app. Your support means we can continue to bring these important discussions to you.

Stock media song used in introduction provided by: Twoword_recordings/ Pond5

Leave us a voice message!

Visit TransparencyinTeaching.com to get all the resources used in today's episode

You can find her book on Amazon

Her website, VictoriaLucidoBooks.com where you can find out about appearances and her many accomplishments.

YouTube interview here and

Read an article from the Monterey Herald

The National Center for Education Statistics reported that in the 2017-18 school year there were 3.3 million full and part-time traditional public school teachers. That is the most recent count available. That's a lot of college tuition and credentialing fees. So does all the investment in a piece of paper that supposedly certifies a person is a competent teacher really mean anything? What does a teaching credential really prove?

Every state requires public school teachers to jump through the hoops to earn a credential. This usually means earning a bachelor's degree, performing a few months of practice teaching, and passing a test or two. In my humble, 34 years of experience, opinion, the way colleges prepare teachers for life in a real classroom lacks enough real experience. Course work and student teaching hardly mimic what it is really like to be in charge of one's own group of pre-formed student minds. 

I remember my first year of teaching. I cried a lot. Like every day. My then-husband would pat me on the back and say, "You'll be Ok. We need the money," as he guided me out the door.  I was the first one on campus and the last one to leave. I brought home a box of work and papers to grade every night. More than the sheer weight of the responsibility of imbuing knowledge into middle school minds was the struggle with classroom discipline. That, more than anything else, was the biggest headache of my early career. I don't remember anything in my credential courses that prepared me for that!

Earning a credential does not a good teacher make! Jen, Sharyn, and I talk about what it takes to get a credential. We discuss what it means, and more importantly, what it doesn't mean. Of course, as always, we give our suggestions as to how to fix the credential process. 

If you're considering a teaching career, this is a definite "must listen." And if you've already gone through the gauntlet, I'm sure you'll be doing a lot of head nodding in agreement. If we can only pass on these brilliant suggestions to those credential gatekeepers, we might lower the number of new teachers who turn in their classroom keys when they figure out what it really means to be a teacher.

Thanks for listening! Don't forget to visit our website TransparencyinTeaching.com and leave us a comment. (Please, so I don't have to beg anymore? Listen to the beginning of the show!) We'd love to hear how your school Is planning to get kids back in class. You'll also be able to get the links to all the resources we used for this episode. As always, please rate and review us on any of your listening platforms. The more stars the better! 🙏🏽 👍🏼. Stay safe and take care of each other (Well at least the people in your "Covid bubble")

Check out all our episodes at TransparencyinTeaching.com.  There, you can also find links to all the resources we used in this episode. 

Rate and review us on your favorite listening platform. It helps others find our podcast and makes us happy, too (If that matters to you😜)

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Check out all our demented tales and thoughts on what is happening in classrooms today at www.TransparencyinTeaching.com. 

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Stay tuned as we finish this episode with an awesome interview with Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie, from The GlobeTrotting Teacher.com, whom we talked about in episode 10. (Go back and listen to Episode 10 if you missed it) She joins us to share her money-saving travel tips and tricks. For all the links to things discussed in this episode and to get the links Jackie shares for travel and her classes on how to master the credit card points system, be sure to visit our website www.TransparencyinTeaching.com.

This brings us to the end of Season 1! Thanks for getting on and going for a ride with us. As REAL classroom teachers, we are submerged in the preparations for this school year and drowning in new materials and technology to make this year a good one for our kids. As we prepare for Season 2, we'll be popping in with updates and conversations about all kinds of things that we're experiencing and making sure to keep you informed as to how this experiment in education is going. This is truly a rare opportunity to try something different, to attempt to really change the way our classrooms work, which really hasn't changed much in the last 100 or so years.  I hope we all embrace the challenge and venture out of our comfort zones. So all I can say is "CANNONBALL!"

We are a bit concerned about what August might entail as pediatricians and the president push to reopen schools, but at whose expense? We start the episode with a discussion of what the California state budget holds for education, plus a little history of how education is funded in our state. Then we get into the debate that surrounds what school might look like in the midst of the current rise in Covid cases.  There are so many factors to consider that it seems impossible to be truly prepared. Plus the fact that we will only have 3 weeks to create our lesson plans based on what our district decides to do.  So pull up a chair, plug in your headphones and get in on the conversation.  Be sure to check out our website at www.TransparencyinTeaching.com.  Leave your opinion on how schools should reopen. You can also use this link, to leave a voice message. Let us here the calm in your voice (or the rage of disbelief!)

For resources used in this episode and more stories about other teacher's substitute teaching experiences go to our website. www.TransparencyinTeaching.com. and subscribe!

Please share your own ideas and thoughts on this topic with us by leaving comments on our website, www.transparencyinteaching.com

Thanks to the listeners that have shared their relevant links:

VABB (Culturally Responsive)

Links to resources used in this episode:

My White Friend Asked Me on Facebook to Explain White Privilege; I Decided to be Honest

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Calls on Schools and Communities to Take Action to Address Institutional Racism and Educational Inequities

10 Examples that Prove White Privilege Exists in Every Aspect Imaginable 

Tony Thurmond Video

 Social Justice Books : Teaching for Change Project

        A list of young adult fiction.

Instagram accounts referenced.

@realrapwithreynolds

@callmeshivy

Instagram live:Teacher Talk Live (6/3/20)

Jen, Sharyn and I start the show by discussing the latest education news which in this case is what the proposed 10% budget cut might mean for schools (for me, it might mean retirement!) These could be the single biggest cuts to education in the history of California! Write your state representatives people and let them know we need to leave our schools out of this! I’ve included a letter  template you can use.I  feel a fight coming on.

Teaching is a tough profession. I’m thinking now that many parents have been attempting to keep their own offspring on track, they may have a more valid picture of what we do every day, but times 30!

Teaching from home has its own set of issues but today we focus on all the little and not so little things teachers deal with in the classroom, which those who haven’t spent much time in a classroom may not realize. Little things like, having time to go to the bathroom, or deciding to go to work sick because it’s easier than calling for a sub. Or perhaps it’s that duty free lunch we’re guaranteed, that sometimes isn’t so duty free (can you say, rainy day?)

This all started with a conversation about that lovely adage, “Those that can’t do, teach.” (stick a knife in my heart, ouch!) We hope this episode helps to show what we do, do and change that little phrase to something more like, “ Those that can’t teach, do something less important.” Ok, there are other jobs that are very important, but ummmm, I think they needed a teacher to get them to that job, right?

Don’t forget to comment and like us in Apple iTunes or your other listening platforms.  It helps more people find our show and listen to our calming dulcet vocal tones. If, after hearing today’s conversation, you have something to add to our list of things teachers do but no one thinks about, add it to the comments on our website. We’d also love it if you added your suggestions of topics you think are important for people to know about teaching.Thanks for listening!  

Please do write your legislators and ask them to consider cutting funds from other places besides education.  

Click on the link below to be taken to the Education Votes webpage. There you can fill out a form to have a letter sent to your federal congressperson asking for them to take action on the Federal Education Funding. 

https://educationvotes.nea.org/action/keep-students-learning-and-educators-working/

Here are links to the resources used in this week's episode:

Visit our Website http://transparencyinteaching.com/