You can only milk a cow so long, then you're left holding the pail (Hank Aaron)

Photo by Mathias Reding on Unsplash

If I were to apply this quote by the famous baseball player, Hank Aaron, to an educational context it would be - you can only exploit the good will of teachers for so long before you will reap the rewards of that exploitation - an empty pail. The consequences of that exploitation will be dire ones for my cherished profession.

The myriad changes to grading student work are doing my head in, and I am someone who has taught School Certificate, Sixth Form Certificate, University Bursaries, NCEA Levels One to Three, GCSE and A Levels while in the UK.

Recently, I graded some analytical essays by my current (quite frankly freaking awesome) Year 10 class using the NZ Government's new progressions that go from Emerging > Developing > Consolidating > Proficient > Exceeding. Cool. Okay. I actually like the progressions model with its need to articulate the student's next steps. This makes sense as I want students to move up those progressions during the year, right? Growth over time and value added are key measures of achievement,

However, next year (yes - next year) this class will be graded using the current NCEA Level One standards-based system - from Not Achieve > Achieve > Merit > Excellence. According to the government, this is a failed system.

The Year after that (yes - the year after that), as Year 12 students they and their parents will have to get their head around a third system that seems modelled on the UK's GCSE grades - E>D>C>B>A>A*.

Ssshhheeeeeesssssshhh!!! As a National Party flunky said recently on a different matter - What a shitshow!

My prediction? I can see a lot of teachers, including me, holding empty pails!

Daydreaming through branches (The Cowsills)

Teach Them To Write is Dr. Ian Hunter's latest book. It's brimming with good advice about how to solve the problems settling around student writing.

Basically, we need to return to The Composition period: 1800 -1920. 'Composition' meaning training in the principles that govern sound writing - which Dr. Ian Hunter can help with via his Writers' Toolbox (Write That Essay) ideas.

Along the way he busts a few myths. The biggest shock for me was that reading a lot doesn't improve writing. Shock, horror, probe! He puts up a good myth-busting case and concludes with 'Reading ability and writing skills are not connected'.

The takeaway: Good readers practise reading. Good writers practise writing.

If you're worried that I've summarised the book, and you don't need a copy - think again!

You need to buy it! If only for the chapter on boys' writing which had me laughing out loud. He knows boys! And writing!

Positive thoughts bring positive outcomes (Raisa Jimenez)

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

One of the Pirate Code guidelines in my classroom is to remain positive at all times (accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, don't mess with Mr. Inbetween).

Some of my students (and colleagues actually) struggle with this concept. 

I get it: it's easy to complain, to throw the hate word around willy nilly, to vent your negative feelings. On occasion, when I ask them to reframe their negative comment into a positive comment/ thought they really struggle.

I'll keep at it, because positivity is the only way forward in my classroom.

Work like you don't need the money (Satchel Paige)

Leroy 'Satchel' Paige

That's good advice from Satchel Paige. His full quote is:

Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching.

It's a vast generalisation, but I would say that nobody went into teaching to make a lot of money. Actually, I don't even think teachers are motivated by money. Yes, a fair pay is important to pay the bills, but I'm glad it's a salaried position rather than being paid by the hour, even though I'd probably get more money that way.

That helps me to work like I don't need the money.

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Advice from Purdzilla #364: as much as possible - avoid 'office politics' and gossip. It will do you no good.

Going places (Herb Alpert)

Photo by Alfiano Sutianto on Unsplash

Currently, my Year 11 students are writing a piece on a trip or a journey they've undertaken as part of a Going Places unit. They could fictionalise their story, but only one student has followed that path.

So many of them have struggled with this activity, even though they have been on incredible overseas trips. For various reasons they struggle to commit to even a tentative start.

Surprisingly, their memory of even quite recent events is often vague.  I asked a few students if they have ever kept a travel diary/journal, or if their parents did and they looked at me with a blank expression. When I said I did and that I could easily find notes on various trips I've made they looked at me as if I was clearly mad - like this was the most perplexing thing they'd ever heard.

Given the amount of money their parents have paid for these foreign trips, I find it quite sad that they have little to no memory of them.

Plenty of lessons to be learned.

I'm reading Dr. Ian Hunter's latest book on fixing the problem of student writing. Hopefully, he slips me the answer.

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader (Margaret Fuller)

Currently reading

It's really as simple as that. Read and you shall prosper.