GSU Blogger - Dr. J. Kahrs

This week has been pretty challenging with getting teachers to post grades in time for the calculation of honor roll, Val/Sal. Administration met with teachers a week ago and expressed the importance of posting grades as well as informing parents of senior failures. It makes me cringe that this task still did not meet the deadline. How can we hold students accountable and not model the way?

I have been overwhelmed this year and not handling it very well. I know I have not done my best in this program and am struggling to keep up at work. I was wondering what strategies some of you may do to help balance things,especially if you are going through something stressful at home (i.e. cancer, relationship, birth, etc)

Many teachers are behind on curriculum maps prior to students being tested for EOG and EOC. This has been and issue for several years in our county, especially since Common Core. Some teachers spend too much time re-teaching standards that they get so far behind on the pacing guides. We have implemented common planning time, benchmarks, and formative assessments. It is unfortunate that students are held accountable for mastering curriculum that they were not necessarily taught. Are teachers in your schools behind on pacing? What are some strategies that help keep teachers on pace?

I just recently found out that in order to become an assistant principal and principal you have to sign away your tenure. I find this shocking and a little troubling. Recently, I learned of a 1st year principal whose contract was not renewed. This particular individual did not have a clue his contract would not be renewed. I guess I thought if assistant principals and/or principals were struggling they would be put on a PDP, assigned a mentor, or something. Since I am trying to become an assistant principal this is a little scary.

For the past year, I have heard how overwhelmed teachers are and how demanding it is in the profession. I have only been out of the classroom for two years; however, I didn't experience the overwhelming feelings as a middle grades math teacher. Every year that new teachers come in, they have to be trained on our way of doing things and on the curriculum being implemented. We have offered sign-on bonuses for new teachers. High-need teaching area (math and world languages) teachers receive additional stipends. We have also increased the amount of professional development opportunities available to teachers. Unfortunately, we continue to lose a large amount of teachers each year. What are some of the reasons teachers are leaving the system or profession all together? What are some of the things people in your county are doing to retain teachers.

How do we get around the testing schedule we have currently in place? In my current high school we have some type of testing going on from today until finals in May. Milestones, SLO, Aspire, AP, and I am sure am missing others but this seems a bit too much. Are there any alternatives? Whatever happened to "old fashioned" schoolwork?  

I am a bit of an PBS junkie.  The News Hour is the fist thing I turn on when I get to my office, and I watch as I check my email accounts and plan my day.  And I usually have NPR on in the car.  Two recent reports caught my attention:  1.)  The lack of vocational training in our country that is causing shortages in jobs like plumbing 2.) The systematic way in which immigrants to this country are encouraged to start their own businesses. In our current American education system, college is the avenue that children are encouraged to pursue.   Law school is expensive and we are educating lawyers that the nation cannot use.  When Chatham County opened a vocational/technical school a few years back there was great excitement, and still there is a waiting list to get in.  In less than a decade Woodville Tompkins Technical and Career High School has become a U.S.New and World Report Bronze Medal winner and they are preparing kids to be part of the...

This is a make-up post because I couldn't help missing one while I was just on a 7-day Disney cruise with my family (not bragging...it's part of my post, really) to the Eastern Caribbean.  Anyway, I have a good friend that lives in St. Thomas (Virgin Islands), and the company he works for assists EDCs (Economically Developing Countries). On his way to drop us off at a pristine white sand beach with crystal clear blue water, he explained the state of the schools there.  Now, I've never really noticed or thought about how much we American educators complain and point out the injustices, inequities, flaws, problems, etc. with our school, system, state of educational affairs, or whatever, but after that 20 minute ride and conversation, it really struck me how fortunate and privileged we ALL are, even those of us in the most economically disadvantaged schools.  According to my friend, their average 10th grader reads at about the 3rd grade level. The island's school system is...

It's that time of year! Milestones testing begins for us on Wednesday. We are testing one grade level at a time, so this will take close to a month to complete. We will start with 5th grade, then 3rd, and then 4th. With every student testing online, the county thought it would be best to test one grade level (system wide) at a time. How is your system handling online testing. How are your teachers and students feeling about the upcoming state assessment. Many are stressed about the test beginning right after spring break. Truthfully, I think everyone will be glad when it is all said and done!

This year, our elementary school partnered with the high school to prepare our students for the future. It is never too early to prepare our young minds for careers. Since the district is moving toward the idea that "college begins in Kindergarten", this fell in perfectly this year. Each grade level aligned with an Academy at the high school. High school students from each of those academies have volunteered with the students in those grade levels all year. We recently had an academy night for our parents and students ,where the high school came out and students from each academy set up booths to provide information about each (school of business, school of  marketing) etc. to our parents. It was set up similar to a college fair! It was an awesome turnout and the parents were on board with our partnership.The students were also engaged and have began conversations about what they want to be when they grow up!

So I have decided to bite the bullet and apply for an assistant principal job out of the county I am currently in. This is a huge decision for me as I am established in the county I am currently in. Another thing is that it is in an elementary school. I have never worked in an elementary school except in a tutoring capacity. I believe this would be a good move for me and am excited about applying for it. I just hope that my student level experience is not a hinderance. One of the questions I have is-Is the salary posted my gross salary or is what the county pays for insurance included in this.

As testing season kicks off our principal would like to see that three AP's at our building working together on the testing calendar and building the testing matrix within our school.  The purpose of this is to ensure that if the testing coordinator is out there is a backup plan.  As our school's testing coordinator what is the best way to build a team atmosphere while knowing that my other AP's are already very busy with their own responsibilities?

There was a time I was against "School Choice" as an option for parents to educate their children. My concern for this movement was I believed first, it was a strategy to dismantle Unions, and then second, it would drain federal funds from public schools leaving only the most challenging students in public schools. I'm not so sure of this position anymore.  What are your thoughts?