Along with the almost insurmountable changes and challenges that have arrived in education, there is also a generation of kids that need caring teachers more than ever. I have spent many, many hours trying to discover and implement the balance between truly caring for my students by getting to know them as people and really being intentional by knowing where they are based on their formative and summative data. For me, it is a delicate balance. I call myself the student profiler, as I get in depth with their data and get to know them. This generation has immense amounts of pressure on them in many ways, especially when we look at test scores.
I had wanted to add an educational blog for awhile, but have felt compelled to do so this year. I currently teach juniors in the state of Texas and this means that the STAAR/EOC test hasn't hit our grade level yet. The scores for the freshman EOC test, reading and writing, were disheartening. We have spent this year working hard to help these kids to pass their retests. This same group of kids also have another round of reading and writing EOC tests this year as sophomores. My fear is that many of this same group will come to me next year with multiple re-tests on their lists and multiple failures on their heart.
Now is the time to get over my fears for these kids and prepare. These kids need the best I can give them and I invite you to join me.
I will be sharing links, sites, ideas, problems and any solutions I come across in this venue. Please feel free to share and comment and join in the conversation. ileana
