Viewpoint: School's out Wednesdays
If you’re parent of a District 65 student, there’s no need to panic. School will not be ending early every Wednesday, but yesterday was the first of seven Wednesdays this school year when students will be released by noon so that their teachers can participate in professional development training.
The good news is that there will no longer be the confusing hodgepodge of hour-early dismissals and half days for us to keep track of. But, the jury is still out on whether these now called “school improvement days” will mean a better education for our children.
Let’s start with the question of what District 65 students are doing when school gets out early. Those already enrolled in an after-school program will likely attend as usual assuming mom and dad can afford the extra fee.
So, while they won’t be in class, hopefully, they are engaging in enriching activities. The same is true for those who have an at-home parent who might take them to a museum or to play at a local park.
But, what about the children whose parents have arranged their work schedules around the typical school day so they can be there when the bus arrives? Or, what about those who are cared for after school by an older sibling - since ETHS is not on the same schedule as District 65 - or a college student who is only scheduled to work from 3 to 6 p.m.?
Well, some will be fortunate to find a friend whose parent can watch them for the afternoon, and I’ve heard several stories from stay-at-home moms about how they are caring for five or six extra kids on early release days (good in a pinch but not ideal especially in light of the recent legal troubles facing a Michigan mom just trying to help her neighbors juggle conflicting work and school schedules).
But, I also know for a fact that when school closes early, many District 65 students go home alone while others roam around town unsupervised, which is not conducive for either their safety or their education.
Then, there’s the whole issue of whether the Wednesday in-service model is really the way to go.
During years of deliberation on the District Calendar Committee, of which I’m a member, the consensus among those at the table was that the half-day approach was preferable since it would provide more scheduling consistency for families and more meaningful windows of training time for teachers.
Where we differed was on when would be the best time to deliver this training. From a working parents’ perspective, the ideal answer would be to find a way to do it so it wouldn’t interrupt the regular school schedule given that there are already enough holidays and days off to contend with.
But, short of that, we felt that having it on Fridays would be best since that day is often easier for parents to leave work early plus it would prevent mid-week disruptions for students.
Unfortunately, neither the District 65 administration or teachers’ union agreed, fearing poor attendance and that staff would be too tired to benefit from training at the end of the work week. Needless to say, that argument wasn’t well received by parents now left to wonder about the quality of education our children are getting on Friday afternoons.
I could go on but I’ll stop by saying that I believe the new "school improvement days" are definitely a marked improvement over the in-service schedule we’ve had in the past.
However, before we can draw any conclusions about the value of the training itself, we need concrete data on whether it actually translates to improved academic outcomes for students.
And, District 65 taxpayers would be remiss to not also consider whether the benefits of taking children out of school for seven afternoons outweigh the costs to them, their families, and our community.
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Why are people referring to
Why are people referring to professional development as "time off"? This is not time off, but time for teachers to improve curriculum, collaborate with other teachers (something they rarely have time to do), learn more about recent research, plan and evaluate lesson plans...the list could go on and on. What people don't understand or appreciate is the countless hours outside of the paid work day that teachers put in to educate our children. This is a thankless job, made very clear by a number of your comments on this blog.
Wednesdays off
I just wanted to add that there are 14 half or full days of no school on Wednesdays and only 5 Fridays off for the year. I am lucky enough to work a 4 day schedule, but of course, my off day is Friday. So 14 times in the next 9 months, I will ask for my employer to be flexible and allow me to switch my days, and they will let me. But I wonder what other people do to cover these days.
Let's ask -- what are the teachers doing?
You ask a good question -- what are students doing on that afternoon when they cannot be in their classrooms?
But I have a question -- what are the teachers doing on that afternoon when they don't have students in their classrooms? I question why other professions and working folks don't get to take six half-days away from work in a nine-month year to get continuing traineing.
But if District 65 insists on these half-days with students not learning, District 65 needs to post what "professional development" is taking place on these half-days.
For example:
Kindergarten teachers: meeting at the Hill Center to plan for/discuss/learn (etc.) After this session, teachers will be better able to (etc.)
Purpose of training and expected result of training -- pretty simple stuff when you plan training. And when the training session is done, we need to know what percentage of teachers attended (number of teachers who did attend divided by number of teachers who were supposed to attend).
Why can't parents know what the teachers are learning?
Here's why: I suspect that the District 65 planning that needs to be done for effective teacher training is not being done so information can't be posted on what the teachers are learning. I suspect that, at best, the teachers are getting together and talking about random topics. (At worst, it's just a half-day off.)
While informal chit-chats with co-workers can be mildly helpful for anyone who has a job, let's not close all of our schools to children to make it happen.
If I'm wrong about what is happening on these half-day "professional development days," let District 65 give proof of what's happening (in writing and posted on its web site) what training is happening and what it is to accomplish. Right now, when I see all of the teachers hop in their cars after the kids leave, I suspect that a large number of them are heading home.
Teachers in Cars?
Good Grief Charlie Brown,
Let's think about this for a minute. If, during a professional development day all of the District's music teachers are involved in a single meeting to discuss a district-wide curriculum and arts planning, this meeting would take place in one school and every other teacher would have to drive to the meeting.
If all the reading teachers were meeting together in another school's auditorium to be presented with new materials or to meet with the designers of certain curriculum materials, they would also be expected to drive from their home schools.
If all the middle school science teachers were meeting in one big lab to work through all the new curriculum for the new science textbooks, most of them would have to drive.
When thinking about our school district, you have to expand your mind enough to think of it as a whole. Art instruction is so important in our schools, that I think it would be valuable for all the art teachers, in 14 schools, to meet together a few times a year to share best practices. The same with math teachers.
And frankly, other than the school day, when else would this happen? You can't schedule a meeting on a Saturday, that's when they are all working their second jobs.
Every job I have ever worked has taken time out for professional development. I remember one manager who signed up the entire office for a one day seminar on forms design. It was one of the best presentations I ever had, and I learned things that I put to use to this day.
It is very dangerous to try to understand the whole world through the lens of your own personal experience.
However, I'm in full agreement with Rhonda, there must be better ways to schedule teachers, parents and students. A longer school day and a longer school year would allow school districts to schedule special events for the students, while also providing a time and place for professional development. I think both can happen in the same day. The only thing holding us back is money.
Yes, teachers will need to drive
But without any information on what teachers are learning on professional development days, you are assuming that they are learning.
The professional development calendar on the Board's web site is blank for October 7, 2009.
Based on those available facts, I might be right -- they are driving home.
You shouldn't make assumptions that aren't based on facts. We might as well assume that the teachers are driving shut ins to the doctor based on your reasoning. After all, they are going somewhere.
And again, yes, many working people engage in professional development. It is my opinion that 3.5 days in nine months for hundreds of teachers is excessive when to compare to other professions.
Development Hours
Yes other professions have professional development.
Though it has a dirty name currently, I'm refering to jobs in financial derivatives business.
Some of it like seminars were we may make up the time and/or take vacation time for conferences. However generally the work does not go away or is done by someone else---it waits for us when we return. Most of these seminars and conferences are a graduate school level---what you would study in a graduate course. Many times this requires reading a technical paper, beside keeping of your graduate school knowledge so you can understand presentations and that means week after week 10-20 hours of at home study.
Jobs usually require starting work at 7 AM or before and leaving at 5PM [if lucky] or 6 PM or later then more work at home.
Though different mixtures, lawyers, doctors, accountants and other professions would probably have similar stories.
Professional Development
Perhaps you've not looked at the District 65 website recently. The last item on the left-hand menu is Professional Development and by clicking on the Calendar tab one can see exactly what is offered on each day. Interestingly, there does not seem to be anything scheduled for Wednesday, October 7th, which was an Early Dismissal Day.
If you are interested in reading about Professional Development in District 65, you just need to follow district board meetings. An extensive report is available in the e-packet for the April 20, 2009 board meeting: http://district65.net/media/EDocs/42009_board_meeting_packet.pdf
It behooves anyone who is concerned about what goes on in the district to follow the board agendas, read board packets, attend board meetings and communicate with board members. If you want reports like this one put in a more prominent location on the district site, I suggest you contact the Communications Department or write to the board members.
Why do the students need to
Why do the students need to miss school during the teachers professional development time? The looming and much larger question for me isn't what the teachers training consists of or if they are actually in attendance and if they have to drive somewhere - it is why do our students need to miss school when the teachers are getting training? The salaries should include this training time - no different than any other profession. There are at least 10 weeks of summer time in which it seems to me should be available for training and should be mandatory during this time "off". This way, the students stay in school and on task without these continuous interruptions to their schedule. THAT is the issue. I understand why the students need a break over summer - but why do the teachers? Giving a week "back" towards their own professional development seems like a reasonable request by the school board. Why isn't the school board demanding this in their union negations? I suspect that it is because us parents and tax payers are not demanding it. Well, it certainly makes sense to this parent and tax payer!
Ms. Wallis, you made my point
I actually do follow the School Board meetings and look at those huge packets for almost every meeting.
As you note, the District's professional development schedule is allegedly on the Board's web site. Yet there was nothing scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, 2009.
Seems a bit odd, doesn't it? Hundreds of teachers are not with students for a half-day and the stated reason is professional development but there's nothing on the District 65 professional development schedule.
Here are the topics posted for teacher professional development:
Grant Writing
Promethean Inspire for Primary Classrooms
Promethean Inspire Student Response System
Promethean Migration: ActivStudio-Inspire
One course on how to write papers to get more money and three courses on how to use a single piece of technology. Not what I call a full or rigorous educational plan for the "lighthouse district" to train its teachers.
We, as parents, need much more information on what teachers are learning during these professional development days. District 65 needs to tell us: what is the return on investment of these development days when the cost to hundreds of students is being away from learning for seven half-days in a single school year?
And I see that a teacher has posted, questioning whether this training is worth the reduced time with students. For that teacher, it is not.
Don't Misunderstand Me. . .
I'm not suggesting that I think the excessive amount of time scheduled for professional development in D65 is worthwhile or is helping our students. I'm merely pointing out that there is information available (although you have to dig for it). Is it all the information we want or need, no. But there is information out there. (And don't forget, if you want to know more, you can file a Freedom of Information Act request.)
Nor do I believe that the professional development calendar is showing all the possible forms of professional development that are taking place on a particular day. There may be teacher teams meeting in schools or subject-area teams meeting across schools. Teachers may even be going to meetings outside of the district, for all we know.
I also think that D65 ought to be exploring options that keep kids in school and teachers in classrooms. There ought to be ways to stagger professional development so that schools can remain in session. I'd like to see D65 try and reconsider what days they have on and off. Does it really make sense to have school on Columbus Day and then have Wednesday, Oct. 21 off as a comp day for teachers because of evening conferences? Why not give them Columbus Day as a comp day? Does the comp day have to be immediately after the extended days they work for conferences?
I encourage anyone who cares about these issues to join the District 65 Calendar committee and not just leave it to people like Rhonda Present to work for the rest of us. There is a meeting this week, on Wednesday, October 14th at 4:30 p.m. in the Board room of the Joseph E. Hill Education Center, 1500 McDaniel Avenue, Evanston, IL. If you are interested in joining the Calendar committee or wish more information about it, call 847 859-8067. The District 65 calendar committee includes parents, teachers, and administrators who provide input to the development of the annual school calendar.
Believe me, as teachers, we
Believe me, as teachers, we are not heading home early. We have to stay until the end of the school day, 3:35 in most buildings. If we attend a district meeting, they also run until 3:35 those days. The more important question is the Professional Development that is taking place. I, as a D65 teacher, question the effectiveness and the purpose of some of these meetings. I would rather work w/children than attend some of the professional development meetings that sometimes offer no basis or application to my or many classrooms.
Let's ask....what are you doing here?
You are wrong to assert that other working professionals do not get time off for professional training.
I am an Industrial Designer and the company I work for routinely allows us time off for training and seminars/trade shows so that we are current on the latest trends. Not every vocation requires this.
Your assumption that teachers only work nine months is also somewhat flawed. While I cannot speak for all teachers, I know plenty that spend a good deal of their summer preparing for the fall start.
I think it is a positive step in the right direction to have the teaching staff of D65 given the opportunity to expand and refine their teaching skills. I'd like to know that my children are being taught by teachers skilled in the current teaching methods.
At least they are not spending their time 'trolling' the comment boards of local websites.
Trolling during working hours, Racer X?
My trolling of comment boards happens outside working hours. Interesting that your trolling comes during the business day. Wonder how the boss would feel about that?
You are writing on a comment board with your cool made-up name. Yet, you find it necessary to insult someone who also comments? That's rather peculiar and nonsensical.
Perhaps my original writing was a tad too difficult for you. I did not say that other professions do not allow for any professional development. Rather, it seems excessive to allow seven half-days in a nine-month school year -- on the math, that's 3.5 days in nine months -- for that training. And teachers are not expected to participate in training during the summer months.
I am happy to have well-qualified teachers. But my other point that you missed was: let's hear how District 65 makes those teachers well qualified through these professional development days. Let's see District 65 back up its claims that the teachers are actually engaged in professional development with web site postings of the purpose and goal of those sessions.
Please engage in a dialogue focusing on the substance of someone's comments, not insults based merely on the fact that they commented. Based on your logic, we should all devalue your postings as you apparently troll quite frequently and comment on many, many things.
Me thinks your skin is too
Me thinks your skin is too thin if you took my comments as insulting.
Your original writings were simpleton enough to understand. And even simpler to disagree with. Give the training time to work, then send out your complaints if you don't see any positive results.
In the meantime, envy me for being allowed to comment while at work on issues that I disagree with. It is a good life I lead.
Thin skin and simple comments
The absolute essence of all RacerX postings -- insults, thin skin and simple comments.
Your post was intended to be insulting. Thanks for confirming that it was.
Teacher training has gone on for years. District 67's current goofy format is not an improvement for students who will miss more school time because of it. Read the studies -- the more time in class with qualified teachers (which we certainly hire, right?) means more success for students.
A system that allows more and more time away from the classroom for students means failure for more and more students. There are other ways to provide continuing training to teachers that do not reduce classroom time for students.
Remember -- the focus should be the child, not the teacher's convenience.