Teachers....don't expect a pricey spa certificate or a fancy restaurant certificate this year for Christmas from your students. How about those very hard-to-find tickets to a theater or a sporting event? You won't be getting any fine wine either or anything for that matter that values more than $50!!!
WOW!! Do teachers actually receive these as gifts over the holidays from their students? Have you? Do you know a teacher who has? Well, apparently, school superintendents are sending home letters this holiday season stating to NOT go overboard with gift-giving to teachers and other staff. If a parent goes over $50, violations are subject to civil penalties. This has to do with a new ethics law in which teachers on public payrolls aren't allowed to accept gifts over $50!
Has gift giving gotten out of hand?? What about the parent who gave her child's teacher a Rolex watch? A Prada purse? A high-definition TV? This has happened in California and other states around the country. Now, I have to ask myself, is this out of the goodness of someone's heart or is there some bribery going on in this competitive atmosphere?
Either way, legislature has had the $50 rule in play since 1976. I didn't realize there was a statute of limitations on gift giving until now. "People need to understand that teachers are public employees and subject to the conflict-of-interest law," said David Giannotti, spokesman for the State Ethics Commission. "Gifts have a tendency to unlevel the playing field and can be exploited."
So what constitutes as valued gifts for teachers? What about your basic homemade cookies as a gift? Or a box of chocolates? Or a handwritten note by the child? I once received a case of Mountain Dew! I didn't realize that some teachers around the country were receiving a check for $200! How uncomfortable would you feel in this case? Maybe the statute of limitations is appropriate. Some school districts go as far as banning gifts.
The Lexington Education Foundation runs a program in which a parent can donate $20 to the foundation in honor of a specific person. "The recognition program is one way to support teachers and the school system," said Deb Rourke, a co-president and a mother of three children. "How many mugs does a teacher need?"
How about a teacher wish-list? Many teachers have had a wish-list for things in their classroom since the first day of school. These things may include hand sanitizers, plastic baggies, etc. This way, you know the gift will be put to good use instead of collecting dust somewhere.
"Parents are very interested in staying within the boundaries of the law," Carin Casey, co-president of the Parent Teacher Association said, "and making sure that teachers are not put in the awkward position of saying, 'I can't accept the gift.'"
Would you be able to accept a Rolex? A high-definition TV? I would be just as happy with a case of Mountain Dew....maybe!!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Homework! To give or not to give?? Blog #15
Are you one of many to assign unnecessary busy work each night to your students? Or maybe you don't assign homework at all. Do parents complain about their child having TOO MUCH homework? Or maybe some parents are saying that their child NEVER has homework. What side of the fence do you fall on? Assigning homework or no homework?
There's a study on this, like most things now days, and 90% of 2,100 students surveyed through Education Week, reported that homework caused them additional stress. 75% of these students spend at least thirty minutes each night on homework and 45% spend more than an hour each night on homework. Granted homework can be stressful, but I really don't believe that a high percentage would say it's fun and carefree.
Education Week also wants to know if homework is unnecessary. Could homework be a waste of time? Or is it an effective, educational tool? According to the same study, math scores did not necessarily improve when homework increased. However, this same study revealed that homework does benefit high and low achieving students, but counterproductive for average learners. The authors of this study believe classes "could be better served by using other methods to improve student achievement with a more effective tool for improvement." So now what? Do we give homework or not give homework? This has been debated for many years.
We also have a nation-wide problem of low test scores. Trying to remedy this problem, statistics have shown that teachers are loading their students with homework. Is this why the amount of time students spend on homework has tripled since 1981?
Spring Branch Independent Schools would like to know this; as others would, does homework enhance or hinder students' academic achievement? Is there a right answer? Not at this time, but many teachers feel that homework is good for time management skills. And what about reinforcing what students learn in the classroom? Many teachers also feel that by assigning hours of busywork deprives a child of the free time he or she needs to develop. How about a happy medium: moderate, meaningful homework? This way students can discover their own intellectual curiosity, without being forced to learn. 40% of parents surveyed in the same study as above, say that one-third of their child's busywork assignments are of "fair" or "poor" performance when completed.
The school board members of Toronto School District are looking to exclude homework during vacation periods, no homework at the kindergarten level, and to NOT punish students if their homework isn't turned in on time. Instead, they're looking into having family fun nights by incorporating homework with games.
All in all, the homework debate still continues nation wide. It still could be a prominent part of students' educational lives. I just wish more parents participate and engage with their child and their homework. I don't ASSIGN homework. However, any independent work we do in the classroom turns into homework if it's not completed by the end of the day. But wouldn't my students just LOVE it if they didn't get punished for not getting it done at home and on time??? Then homework wouldn't be stressful!! Poor kids! If only life was stress free!!
There's a study on this, like most things now days, and 90% of 2,100 students surveyed through Education Week, reported that homework caused them additional stress. 75% of these students spend at least thirty minutes each night on homework and 45% spend more than an hour each night on homework. Granted homework can be stressful, but I really don't believe that a high percentage would say it's fun and carefree.
Education Week also wants to know if homework is unnecessary. Could homework be a waste of time? Or is it an effective, educational tool? According to the same study, math scores did not necessarily improve when homework increased. However, this same study revealed that homework does benefit high and low achieving students, but counterproductive for average learners. The authors of this study believe classes "could be better served by using other methods to improve student achievement with a more effective tool for improvement." So now what? Do we give homework or not give homework? This has been debated for many years.
We also have a nation-wide problem of low test scores. Trying to remedy this problem, statistics have shown that teachers are loading their students with homework. Is this why the amount of time students spend on homework has tripled since 1981?
Spring Branch Independent Schools would like to know this; as others would, does homework enhance or hinder students' academic achievement? Is there a right answer? Not at this time, but many teachers feel that homework is good for time management skills. And what about reinforcing what students learn in the classroom? Many teachers also feel that by assigning hours of busywork deprives a child of the free time he or she needs to develop. How about a happy medium: moderate, meaningful homework? This way students can discover their own intellectual curiosity, without being forced to learn. 40% of parents surveyed in the same study as above, say that one-third of their child's busywork assignments are of "fair" or "poor" performance when completed.
The school board members of Toronto School District are looking to exclude homework during vacation periods, no homework at the kindergarten level, and to NOT punish students if their homework isn't turned in on time. Instead, they're looking into having family fun nights by incorporating homework with games.
All in all, the homework debate still continues nation wide. It still could be a prominent part of students' educational lives. I just wish more parents participate and engage with their child and their homework. I don't ASSIGN homework. However, any independent work we do in the classroom turns into homework if it's not completed by the end of the day. But wouldn't my students just LOVE it if they didn't get punished for not getting it done at home and on time??? Then homework wouldn't be stressful!! Poor kids! If only life was stress free!!
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