Waiting for Superman

On Tuesday I went to PGCTF's Principal Panel. First of all, the school looks ridiculous. Few high schools in my county, one of the richest counties in the US, looked like it. Granted, it is a new school stowed away in farmland turned suburbia. It is a beautiful school (I have a soft spot for modern, glass windowed buildings), but it just doesn't seem right to me that while some schools in Prince George's County need some dire physical improvements, some schools look like this. As the 18th largest school district in the US, PG has a lot of money flowing into it. I think this school is great (and it's doing great things), but share the wealth a little bit! Anyway, back to the Panel. Two principals, one from a high school and one from an elementary school, came to speak to us about the trials and tribulations they face as principals, the best teachers they work with and how we can become the best teachers that they will hire. The HS principal had all of us laughing repeatedly. I definitely find that is an attractive trait for a principal I would consider working under. As time goes on, I get more and more anxious about starting school. I feel so inspired by the difference teachers can make. The most important advice that the principals gave to us was to be consistent.

In other news, today was my last day of interning!!! I am really going to miss it (minus the waking up at 7 groggy everyday). It has been one of my most important experiences with education, especially because it was long-term. I got to teach a couple of lessons and observed a lot. The students were not harsh, and to be honest, most of them really seemed like they want to learn despite what so many teachers may say. This week in particular, the biology students were working on HSA (Maryland's High School Assessment, NCLB mandated) review. The biology teachers had created "review stations" for the students to circulate throughout - pedigree analysis, organelle function matching, punnett squares, etc. I thought it was a really good method for review. However, this is when I learned how far behind these students are in their biology knowledge and I'm worried that they will not pass their HSA. It seemed like many of them were learning the material for the first time. Several students did not know what terms like "correlation" meant. And almost every student had trouble at some of the stations. I wish I could have taught more and done more, but I know the kind of change these students need can't be fully taught in the few months I was there.

I feel like everyday, potential is draining out of them because they are not being taught year after year.

Please check out Waiting for Superman, this link was sent to me by a fellow (non-Fellow) soon-to-be-teacher and I think the documentary looks amazing. It honestly had me tearing up because education IS our most pressing social issue. Shout out to Michelle Rhee for her comments in the trailer.