School starts this week, and so, like many other parents, I have taken the requisite “school-supply-shopping-trip.”  For those who have never had the experience, I envy you. Armed with lists provided by my children’s school, I scoured the internet for the cheapest prices, best sales, most available downloadable coupons, and store most likely to not throw us out when boxes of paper clips and tacks are inadvertently spilled out by my 4 year old.

Since I have five children, I first pillaged the supplies from last year thinking that somewhere in the scores of folders and binders that still resided in their old backpacks, I would be able to recycle something.

But, this year, the teachers must have pooled their ideas and decided to get a bit more precise. Instead of 5 folders, now my son needed five specific folders. No paper, just plastic. Exact colors. None of the 26 folders I spread onto the living room floor were usable.

The search for supplies became even more daunting at the store. My eighth grader became convinced that while 5 subject notebooks came in many colors, purple (the color required for her science class) was not one of them. My third and fourth graders had to open each folder on the shelf to find the right ones:  some with pockets and prongs, some with only pockets, some with only prongs. My seventh grader, loaded down with four binders, rattled off the subjects they were for as she dropped each one onto our ever-growing pile: Math, English, Social Studies, Computers. Before I could question it, the binders were followed by a flurry of dividers, reinforcements, reams of paper, and a pencil case.

Four binders? I remember when school supply shopping consisted of begging my mom for the “Trapper Keeper” with the cool plastic sliding latch. That with a pack of dividers, pencils, erasers, and a case, and I was done.

“What five subjects could you possibly need in Math?” I asked.

To remain cutting-edge, teachers are hell-bent on providing their kids with so much enrichment that the students’ abilities to manage and organize their supplies become a lesson in small business administration. Each subject requires its own unique set of supplies beyond a simple section in a notebook. And while I drew the line at the two USB drives required per child, as I crossed off each item that was thrown in our cart, I found myself rethinking my mortgage and embracing homeschooling.

When we finally checked out, I assessed the damage and revisited everyone’s lists. My 8th grader settled on a blue five subject notebook that she will convince her teacher is really an off-shade of purple, the 7th grader practiced carrying all the binders and notebooks and decided that she would need a larger backpack to carry everything from class to class, and the supplies for the two in 3rd and 4th grades , the rainbow of colorful folders and notebooks, fit perfectly in the 5 inch binder and two 3 inch binders that they needed.

I didn’t even know they made 5 inch binders.

As for the child going into pre-k, we escaped from the store with only one box of erasers and paperclips spilled out in aisle 12.

I realize that the teachers who created these supply lists have the best intentions, and I am eager to discover what the different colors will represent for the year. However, perhaps it is time for teachers to remember that a complex organizational strategy is an oxymoron. The old adage “Less is More”, particularly in the current economic climate, is probably something they should consider when making supply lists that double as doorstoppers.

My son was excited about our shopping trip, though. Taking the receipt that easily could wrap around all five of my kids, he exclaimed, “Look! It’s a jump rope!”

But alas, it was too long.

Gardening in the Minefield: A Survival Guide for School Administrators   

by Laurel Schmidt

Gardening in the Minefield by Laurel Schmidt is one of the most widely-read books in the field of public school administration. Since its’ publication in 2002, the book has sold thousand of copies and has been added to required reading lists of numerous graduate schools. Schmidt has more than thirty years of experience in public education. During her career she has been a special education teacher, a principal, an educational consultant and currently serves as the Director for Pupil Services for the Santa Monica – Malibu School District in California. Her most significant contribution to the field of education, however, was the publication of Gardening in the Minefield.

Schmidt’s book consists of 16 chapters and comes as close to serving as a pre- administration game plan as possible. One of the strengths of Gardening in the Minefield is the practical and reader-friendly manner in which it is presented.  Schmidt offers insight on important aspects of school administration such as hiring procedures, evaluations, monitoring instructional practices and assessments, maintaining school grounds, as well as understanding the greater socio-political establishment and how it relates to the local power structure. In addition, the book offers several easy-to-use checklists and forms to help any administrator become more efficient. Although the entire book is interesting, there are several chapters that are exceptionally important.

Chapter 2: The Vision Thing

Chapter two of Gardening in the Minefield focuses on establishing a clear mission for the school. Schmidt maintains that the vision or mission of the school should originate from the administrator, but in collaboration with the entire faculty. She places great emphasis on the concepts of togetherness and buy-in among staff members as the catalysts for long-term success.

The school vision should permeate throughout the hallways and be as recognizable as the building itself. Students, teachers and parents should be able to both visibly see the vision statement on the wall, as well as see the vision coming through in school activities, parent meetings, and the general attitude with which the staff exhibits toward its students and guests.

Chapter 5: Hire the Best

Chapter five is arguably the essence of what being an administrator is all about: hiring the right people to succeed. Every hiring situation is unique; there are always different positions, different applicants, and different circumstances which affect the hiring process, but the bottom line remains unchanged: hire the best applicant. Schmidt offers tips on how to expedite the hiring process and increase the likelihood of making a quality hire. For starters, she recommends studying every resume and application as if they were the Rosetta Stone. A few extra minutes of reviewing a resume, could potentially save time in the long run. Schmidt also mentions the fact that she never hired alone. Although the final decision should be made by the school’s administrator, some level of input should be sought from other stakeholders. The act of using consultation of staff members before hiring only further supports the idea of team-building and involving multiple stakeholders. The one fact that school administrators must always remember is that they will be responsible for their employees’ actions and results. As John Maxwell noted, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”

Chapter 8: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Maintaining a pulse on the instructional and assessment occurring in the building is the single-most important activity that a school administrator can practice. Among the many responsibilities of a school administrator, the most important role is that of instructional leader. Schmidt emphasizes the fact that every decision that is made affects the instructional atmosphere of the school to some degree. All decisions made should be based on the essential question: What affect will my decision have on student achievement?

One of the crucial practices the author promotes is the organized and routine method of observing teachers. To give credence to the title of this particular chapter, what occurs in the classroom is truly where the “rubber meets the road.” Education is certainly a field that is result oriented. Parents, legislators, and school administrators examine test scores with a fine-toothed comb for two basic reasons. First, society understands the importance of improving student achievement and parents, for the most part, have an innate desire to see their children succeed. Secondly, there is an enormous amount of accountability placed on those who play key roles in the educational decision-making process.

There is a simple flow-chart like concept that best explains the educational accountability model. Legislators are responsible for creating policies and mandates that set the standards of achievement and the timetable in which these standards are to be met.  School administrators are responsible for interpreting these standards, communicating them to all stakeholders and organizing their staff and students in such a manner to meet the goals. Teachers, however, represent the only group that has the initial and most direct impact on student achievement.

Since teachers represent this powerful and initial effect, the instructional processes implemented in the classroom are of the utmost importance. Schmidt insists that since school administrators are ultimately responsible for their school’s performance, administrators must take time to visit classrooms on a daily basis. More specifically, she suggests that school administrators schedule a block of time each day to visit classrooms for the purpose of observing the teaching and assessment practices occurring. This observation of teaching practices goes to the heart of professional development and the overall improvement of student achievement. Giving teacher feedback about their performance and results is vital to facilitate change and foster the culture of on-going improvement.

Chapter 10: The In-Box Never Sleeps

The life of an educational decision maker is a hectic one. School leaders inevitably find themselves at the mercy of the interests of various stakeholders. Leaders must listen to and acknowledge the concerns of those with whom they are involved, but Schmidt argues that successful leaders have the ability to sift through this vast array of concerns and prioritize and ultimately address the most important issues.  This sounds like a fairly simplistic approach  

in dealing with the many issues that arise, but the fundamental  idea Schmidt attempts to establish is that school leaders must be protective of their time. The author used the analogy of an in-box that continuously keeps receiving e-mails; no matter the number of e-mails accumulating, there is just one recipient. Effective leaders have the ability to respond to the onslaught of demands that come across their desk in not only a timely manner, but also in an intelligent manner.

Chapter 15: Warpaint

The concept of war has often been used as means to explain philosophies of leadership within numerous industries. Schmidt utilizes the war analogy to describe the mindset that school administrators must use when making educational decisions in regards to the micro-political landscape. The author implies that effective decision makers understand that often times leaders can win battles, so to speak, with powering through mandates by intimidation, but lose the war. The act of dictating to employees can lead to an undesirable perception among staff members in regards to the leader’s true level of influence.

This particular chapter also highlights ten key areas that can be potential deathtraps for a school administrator. These areas include: school safety, discipline, reprimanding employees, special education, and most obviously test results. The decision-making process is never more crucial, than when dealing with these aforementioned issues. Prior to making decisions in these areas, Schmidt instructs school leaders to weigh the pros and cons of their potential decision and predict the subsequent ramifications. Proper documentation, attention to details, and maintaining a consistent personality are all characteristics of a quality leader.

To review, Gardening in the Minefield has become one of the most read books in the field of educational decision making. Laurel Schmidt exhibits the unique ability to articulate the anxieties experienced by school leadership and offers suggestions to logically and professional address them.  With the never-ending addition of so many federal and state mandates, the educational landscape is accurately described as a minefield, but Schmidt’s book does offer advice as how to best navigate this treacherous terrain.        



Reference

Schmidt., L. (2002). Gardening in the minefield: a survival guide for school administrators. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Dr. Karl Miller just added an excellent article titled “Parenting tips for special needs kids with math disabilities.” Please read it. 

But let me offer a caveat: math instruction in public schools turns almost EVERYONE into a special needs kid.

As Dr. Miller states: “Math is the most poorly taught subject in school, particularly in elementary school. Research has proven that elementary teachers are uncomfortable with math—not only with teaching math, but with using mathematical principles in their own lives. In fact, many elementary teachers suffer from math anxiety themselves. Therefore, most elementary teachers are not good influences on the mathematical learning and attitudes of their students.” Point is, the teachers themselves are in a way special needs people, made so by the math instruction they received just 10 or 15 years before.

------

 I’m glad to have this hook, as they say in the newspaper business. Dr. Miller’s views give context and credence for several things I’ve been working on recently.

I like cutting to the bottom line, so let me sum up my conclusions this way: math instruction is a failure, a scandal, and I suspect a con. I had thought that Whole Word (which keeps so many children from reading) was the paradigm for awfulness. But the gimmicks devised by our Education Establishment to teach arithmetic are a close second. 

The more I looked at New Math, which came and went around 1965, the more I felt it was just a pile of nonsense. More to the point now, I realized that it never went away. What the Education Establishment called Reform Math, circa 1990, was just a warmed-over version of New Math, and still just as awful. 

Reform Math, which is actually a dozen separate curricula, was based on the so-called Standards created by the National Council of Teachers of Math. The NCTM constantly badgers the states to make them adopt these Standards. Now the federal government has jumped in with its National Standards and Common Core Standards, which are more of the same. Think Sub-Standards.

Figuring out the bloodlines and distinctions is not that relevant. The main thing to realize is that New Math was based on the idea of teaching little children how to do arithmetic by teaching them about set theory, Boolean algebra, base-8, and  many other things not traditionally learned until high school or college. This is the lethal sophistry that the NCTM has tried-- with depressing success-- to insinuate into every classroom. I believe this sophistry is dangerous and should be stopped immediately.

Children should learn basic arithmetic, using every trick, game, song and digital technology you can throw at the problem. But kids shouldn’t go on to the more advanced stuff until they master the simple stuff.

Two years ago, I wrote “36: The Assault on Math (on Improve-education.org), where I noted an astonishing parallel: the Education Establishment had embraced unworkable methods to teach reading and as well to teach arithmetic. Maybe they weren’t acting in good faith. ( www.improve-education.org/id60.html )

Two months ago I tracked down two of the books written circa 1964 to explain to kids and parents the ins and outs of New Math. Both these books are grotesque to me. I simply can’t believe a sensible, sincere adult would use any of these methods in the first, second and third grades. In the middle grades, you might introduce a few of them. (But remember that 50 years ago, these topics were taught only in high school and college, and standards were much higher then. So our so-called experts have dumbed down the schools and then insisted on the preposterous idea that in a dumbed-down school, you should suddenly start teaching things that are 10 grades ahead of the children.) Anyway, I reviewed both these books on Amazon. Here is a link to the more provocative review. Especially read this one. (http://www.amazon.com/teachers-parents-elementary-school-children/product-reviews/B0007DO4K2/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 ) in

Last week I added another math article to my site “53: Education Establishment Hates Math,” which extends some of these points.

 Almost simultaneously, as a thought experiment, I wrote a piece for hubpages.com called “Price’s Easy Arithmetic For First Graders" (http://hubpages.com/hub/PricesEasyArithmetic ) I suggest you could teach all of first-grade arithmetic using only US coins. This was just to make the point that all the  bewildering complexity is in no way helpful or necessary.

Now I find myself working on a even bigger article which will be published in a week or two. You can see I became quite obsessed with the teaching of arithmetic. In examining this stuff, you are able to look into the heart of darkness. And math is hot now. There are a lot of stories in the daily press about the National Standards, and how the government is throwing money at the states to make them capitulate. Even worse, local newspapers (mine in Norfolk is particularly egregious) push for the wrong side. You can go on the internet (corestandards.org) and read some of the empty prose. Many states are fighting back; I urge you to encourage your governor to resist.

Here is just a single Standard from a single state for the FIRST GRADE. The thing to note is the hostility of the prose; and try to imagine the teachers Dr. Miller talked about explaining to anyone what they themselves are supposedly doing.

"Demonstrates conceptual understanding of rational numbers with respect to: whole numbers from 0 to 100 using place value, by applying the concepts of equivalency in composing or decomposing numbers; and in expanded notation using models, explanations, or other representations; and positive fractional numbers (benchmark fractions: a/2, a/3, or a/4, where a is a whole number greater than 0 and less than or equal to the denominator) as a part to whole relationship in area models where the denominator is equal to the number of parts in the whole using models, explanations, or other representations."

Cold. Very cold.

How do people know you are paying attention?  What do you look like when paying attention?  How do you feel when you pay attention?  All too often, students with ADD and ADHD can’t answer these questions.

In order to really get control of their ability to devote the right amount of attention to a task at the right time, students must understand how their body looks and feels when they pay attention.
The following role playing activity can encourage students’ insights by drawing their attention to the body language that illustrates strong listening.

Have your child play the role of the speaker, reading two or three paragraphs from a book or article.  The parent will take the role of the listener.  As you listen to what your child is reading, talk about the behaviors that show you are listening (see below for a list), and use a digital recorder to record your observations.

Play the recorder for your child and model each behavior again as it is mentioned on the recording.  Draw your child’s attention to each aspect of your behavior that illustrates you are paying attention.
Now it’s time to change roles.  You are the speaker and your child is the listener.  Play the recorder and ask your child to demonstrate the behaviors he hears on the recording.  Practice until your child shows he understands and can model the correct behaviors.

Make a list of attentive behaviors and post in your child’s room to refer to during homework and put a copy in the front of every notebook or binder.

How does attentive behavior look to others?

The following signs of good attention are easy to demonstrate and observe:

• Eyes focused on the speaker and/or the visual material (such as textbook, board, etc.)
• Sitting upright, feet on floor, hands on desk or in lap
• Head level or tilted slightly to one side
• Response or reaction is “on topic” and appropriate to the context (e.g., taking notes during note taking sessions)
• Physical activity (hands or body) assists understanding (many students with ADHD use note-taking or doodling to increase attentiveness rather than keeping their hands and body completely still)

Many ESL students study social studies it’s a vital subject because it teaches them to appreciate the increasingly complex world around them as they grow up. But ESL social studies at times often takes second place to that of science, biology and other subjects. This is because social offers fewer opportunities for practical work apart from looking  around a globe looking for their own country and places they would like to visit.

Social studies offers more subjects that are of an abstract nature and if the lessons are content based then this involves students having to participate in discussions, writing, grammar syntax and other activities which creates and develops their critical thinking. Students in southern Thailand studying colonialism, may have no previous knowledge of why there is such a British influence on certain African and other countries. But if one puts their mind to it there are some things you can do to enhance the lesson to make it more interesting.  

To help them study better ask them to read up about the subject in their own language first. This schema idea makes it far more easier for them to understand it in English when its your turn to teach it. By having an understanding of the subject they get the general idea and when you are teaching it, they can develop a sense of anticipation that you can exploit by asking them to answer your questions from what they have read and this breeds excitement and gives the teacher an opportunity to praise them for making the effort to speak.     

Recently I was teaching a 9th grade class about the scramble for Africa and why it has been so poor and underdeveloped. In-particular I was making references to the exploitation of its natural resources. I printed out a map of Africa and stapled candies around the edge of the map. I gave each candy a name. One was diamonds, one was gold, one was natural resources, one was slavery, one was wood and a few more just for effect. The students were grouped with each group representing a European country. With the map on a table in the centre of the room and the word ‘’GO’’ they had to scramble to the table and take as much of the natural resources as they wanted, of course the scramble was quite effective. It was a good way to teach them the word scramble and exploitation at the same time.

Child development and education are two of the most vulnerable yet most significant stages in life. It is during these stages that the child’s first identity is built based on how he first sees himself, how he thinks he should behave, and how he expects others to behave in relation to him. During these stages, also, the child will face different challenges as he goes through many transition points. These challenges include physical changes, social demands, academic pressures, and emotional needs. Some of these can be handled with just a little getting used to but others truly can place much stress and pressure on the child.

This is why parents play an integral role during child development and education. It is crucial that parents are there to provide particular understanding and guidance for the child. They must offer him support, understand what he is going through, and help him cope with these challenges.

Parents should be actively involved in the education of a child despite the fact that there are already several teachers, administrators and other school personnel to provide them the guidance they need through the school’s rules and regulations, the curriculum, and the learning.

Although it has been shown from studies that the children whose parents are involved in their education by helping them review lessons and study for exams exhibited higher scores in exams and performed better in the overall aspect, this is not how and why they should get involved. If being involved meant teaching and the reason for getting involved was for better grades, then all parents had to be well-educated and good at instruction. Furthermore, it such was the reasoning, then parents will fail to clearly express what the purpose of the education of a child is

As parents, you would want to provide only the best education for your child. This is why parents work so hard; they do not mind getting tired everyday as they look forward to that paycheck to provide for their children’s educational needs. In fact, a star stamped on the child’s hand for being “very good” in school today is enough to put a smile the parents’ faces and make them forget how stressful work can be.

Now, what if someone told you that there was a way to improve your child’s learning for free, would you not be interested to listen? You would, probably. And even if it does not come for free, perhaps you still would, as long as it will benefit your child’s education. Fortunately for parents like you, it does come for free!

So what is “it”? Well, it here means music. Singing, playing, and listening to music, all these activities have long been proven to produce positive effects on a child’s academic performance. In fact, even children as young as newborns benefit from music.

Like most parents, you are probably thinking that a decent school with high standards of teaching is enough to ensure the proper education for your child. This is not true. A good school may and most likely will provide your child sufficient “academic” knowledge, but education is not limited to subjects like history, language, math and the sciences alone. There is more to education than the ability to summarize the life of Julius Caesar, explain the symbolisms used by Shakespeare, calculate limits at infinity, and recite the names of all the constellations of the night sky. In fact, a background on these things is important but in the end, you and I both know that your child will not survive the real world if these were all he knows. Even if schools teach values education subjects, knowing what is “ideal” is not enough when he finally comes across what is “real”.

Learning achieved in school is not enough once your child’s out there in the real world. What one reads in books, no matter how much your child has memorized them, will not help him if he has not been there firsthand. Real education is achieved through experience. Life requires that a person learns and understands certain things—things that cannot be learned inside a classroom. One must experience something in order to understand it. Likewise, the education for your child if he is to become prepared for adulthood, must involve being exposed to what really happens once you are an adult.

The best real examples from whom he can learn are of course, his parents and immediate family, and the community. A child must observe, learn and understand how adults function in order to survive, how one should balance time and handle money responsibly, and how one should act and speak if somebody lost a loved one. He must also experience failure, so that he would know how to stand up if he fails again. He must know and experience how to apologize, express gratitude, forgive, solve problems, and make decisions. He must know how one should behave in parties, how spouses should give and take, how to raise a child well, and how to respect the opinions of other people. These are some examples of the things that make up the real education for your child.

==========================================
Home school your children with the best resources!