INSIGHT ON INSTRUCTION
“It made me feel, for the very first time, in my life that I was useful. I wasn’t doing something just for me. And not just for another person, but for my community. I realized that that feeling was wonderful… Talk to students about their power.” U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, speaking to the annual conference of the National Council for the Social Studies. She told educators in attendance that it wasn’t until she was in college that she experienced the power of helping others, after organizing an effort to have Spanish-speaking students help hospital patients who struggled with English.l
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“It is…advisable that the teacher should understand, and even be able to criticize, the general principles upon which the whole educational system is formed and administered. He is not like a private soldier in an army, expected merely to obey, or like a cog in a wheel, expected merely to respond and transmit external energy; he must be an intelligent medium of action.”l — John Dewey, in 1895
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VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | JUNE 2022
Educator Groups Say an Unequivocal and United ‘No’ to Book-Banning An excerpt from a joint statement entitled “Freedom to Teach: Statement Against Banning Books,” issued by the National Council for the Social Studies, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Council of Teachers of English, National Science Teaching Association, and National Coalition Against Censorship: School districts, the most active battlefield in the American culture wars today, are facing an unprecedented number of calls to remove books from schools and libraries, amid false claims about “obscenity” invading classrooms, the elimination of teaching about evolution and climate change, challenges to the need for making sense of and critiquing our world in mathematics classrooms, and legislation redlining teaching about racism in American history. These actions are putting excessive and undue pressure on teachers, who are caught in the crossfire of larger political conflict, motivated by cultural shifts, and stoked for political gain. Teachers are being maligned as “harming” children and are subjected to constant scrutiny (and even direct surveillance) by many parents, school administrators, and activist groups. Some are afraid to offer their students award-winning books that may violate vaguely stated laws about teaching the history of racism or that may be misleadingly labeled as pornographic. As a result, teachers’ very ability to do their job is under threat. In their zeal, activists of the current culture wars unfortunately treat teachers as if they are enemies. The truth is that teachers are uniquely important leaders who, in educating current and new generations of students, bear responsibility for this country’s future. They are trained professionals with one of the hardest and most demanding jobs, a job that requires deep commitment. Teachers need our support; they need our trust; they need to have the freedom to exercise their professional judgment. And that freedom includes the freedom to decide what materials best suit their students in meeting the demands of the curriculum.l You can read the entire statement here: ncte.org/freedom-teach-banning-books.
Six End-of-School-Year Teacher Tips Here are some end-of-the-year strategies and tips for teachers, from NEA Member Benefits: 1.
COUNT IT DOWN. Give students something to look forward to each day when they come to school by doing an activity that lets them count down the days until summer break, something like a balloon pop to find out each day how many days are left, or a countdown bulletin board.
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TRY SOMETHING NEW! You know that one lesson plan or activity that you’ve wanted to try, but just never had the time to do? The end of the year can and should still be for useful learning! If you have gaps in your lesson plans, it’s the perfect time to test new strategies you’ve had in mind and would like to incorporate into your classroom plans for next year.
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STAY IN YOUR ROUTINE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. Any experienced teacher will tell you that maintaining your routine is one of the best ways to navigate all the end-of-year craziness. That said, it doesn’t hurt to add some fun games to your classroom routine!
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GET ORGANIZED. Among all the finals, overdue homework, grading, and lessons you’re still completing, your desk can pile up pretty quickly at the end of the year. Staying organized and tracking progress on work tasks are key to finishing the year strong and getting final grades in on time.
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CARVE OUT SOME TIME FOR YOURSELF. Although you want to stay on top of your work, try not to spend every night hunkered down in your classroom attempting to get everything done all at once. Finding some time for self-care is important, especially during the end of the year when you feel like your to-do list is a mile long. Allow time to go home and relax, take a walk outside, play with your children, read, take a bath, etc. This may seem counter-intuitive, but you will be able to release your stress and have more energy for the final push as the last day of school gets closer.
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REFLECT ON THE SUCCESSES OF YOUR YEAR. Take some time, with or without your students, to reflect on the past school year--what they’ve learned, what their favorite lessons were, the friendships that were built, and the strong bond you all have formed as a class. Celebrate student successes, laugh at funny moments, and don’t forget to give yourself credit for all you have accomplished as an educator, as well.
Lastly, accept that your last few days of school are going to be filled with emotion and require your full attention. But the end is near. It may get a little rocky and you may become overwhelmed, but soon you’ll be packing up your classroom and all your memories from this school year with it. Remember to enjoy your last days and moments with your students.l
Putting the Kibosh on Online Cheating Kids today know how to use technology for just about everything— unfortunately, that includes for cheating on tests and assignments. Here are some ways you can prevent online cheating: •
Mix it up, with tests having a variety of multiple-choice, true/false and open-ended questions. It’s more difficult for students to share answers when they must explain concepts.
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Have every student start the exam at the same time and set a time limit. The key is having enough time for students who know the information to respond, but not enough time for students who don’t know the material to search online for answers.
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Only show one question at a time, so students can’t be searching ahead on Google.
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Change test question sequence, so all students do not have the same question at one time, to avoid screen sharing.
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Give students different versions of the same test to thwart screen sharing.
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Give students their scores all at the same time, so that students who finish early don’t confirm answers for those still working.
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Increase points for class participation.
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Talk about integrity, and have students sign an “academic integrity” agreement.l
Source: California Teachers Association
VIRGINIA JOURNAL OF EDUCATION | JUNE 2022
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Photo and photo illustration by iStock
‘Talk to Students about Their Power’
