What percentage of F’s in a class is it reasonable for a teacher to give? I mean what’s the dividing point between a teacher firmly drawing the line at demanding minimum competency and rigor, and a teacher who is simply not reaching their kids and flunking so many students that we clearly see that the educator is actually ineffective at their job?

If 80% of the kids in a class are failing a class, is the teacher not a part of the problem for the immense amount of failure in the room?

What about a teacher with a 12% failure rate?

A 45.6% failure rate?

Heck, NCLB takes graduation rate into account when it assigns us our AYP and API scores in California so if we do not graduate 100% of our kids, we, by nature, are penalizing ourselves.

Makes a nice case for grade inflation doesn’t it? Or going after teachers who flunk too many kids.

But some teachers are flunking too many kids. Or, I should say, “have too many kids flunking their class”.

So what’s the acceptable number? Is it zero? That seems unreasonable. Is it 79.9%? That seems excessive.

Is there anyone who can provide guidance on this type of thing?

A Bell Curve with 10% A’s, 15% B’s, 40% C’s, 15% D’s and 10% F’s is how they drew it up in the theory class I took once upon a time. But my own classes NEVER balance out like that. Not even close. (And seldom do any of the theory classes offer things that truly measure up where the rubber meets the road.)

So if we want to raise our AYP and API score, the method is simple — flunk less kids.

And don’t think that teachers aren’t having the screws turned to do so by admins who care more about “school ranking and scores” than student learning.

Because in the world of our current educational dysfunction right now, student learning and higher AYP and API scores are often at odds.

So, I ask again, how many F’s is a teacher allowed to reasonably give?

Is there such a thing as “bad” kids?

Walking the halls of school and chatting (as I get to do) with teachers from all over the country, I often hear the term “the good kids”. They are the ones that (this is my own, rough definition here; one I am drawing by assumption) come to class, behave in a civil manner, make an attempt to respect authority, do their work and strive for [so called] “admirable goals” like good grades, graduation, becoming well educated, going to college and so forth.

Good kids are, well… good kids. We all kind of understand who they are.

But if there are good kids, by definition, that must mean there are also “bad kids”, right? It really is a question I am not sure I know the answer to.

I mean, the bleeding heart California liberal in me wants to say, “There is no such thing as a bad kid.” And a part of me wants to truly believe that. I really do.

But to work in an urban, title I school you see kids that deal drugs, commits viscous acts of violence, show absolutely no regard for authority on campus, actively seek to destroy our school through vandalism, graffiti, and so on… and generally show absolutely no interest whatsoever in pursuing any academic aspirations whatsoever. To some kids, school is nothing more than a social venue where they get their kicks causing mayhem, chillin’ with friends and trying to score a little nooky from the hottie they just made eye contact with in the hallway.

And when other campus employees refer to them as the “bad kids” I often find myself biting my tongue. I mean I work hard not to label kids good or bad — in my book, kids are kids are kids and they vary along such a diverse continuum that there really is no way to generalize them with such imprecise vocabulary words. Yet… when other campus employees use the term “bad kids” and are referencing the type of students that demonstrate behaviors like the ones I just listed, is it really unfair of them to call these young people “bad kids”?

I wonder.

And if not, is there even such a thing as a “bad kid”?

Some folks will blame the parents of the child and talk about how they are being raised. Some people will blame the kids themselves for not acting more intelligently, responsibly, properly. Some people will blame the school and teachers for not being able to do a better job of reaching these students. However, this is a different discussion.

The question is, is there such a thing as a “bad kid” when you work at a school.

And are we ashamed to admit that “yes, there are” out of a fear that we will be transgressing some sort of “moral spirit of what a teacher ought to be” if we do indeed cop to the idea that some kids are just “bad”.

Earlier this week I flew up to the Department of Education in our state’s capital, Sacramento, to get formally introduced to the new 2010 California Teacher of the Year Award winners.

Let me tell ya, it was ROCKIN’!!

In attendance: Jack O’Connell, the state Superintendent of Education, former Teacher of the Year Award winners from days gone by (that’s how I got an invite; it’s like the only real Skull and Bones Society to which I belong… and it’s WAY COOL!) and a host of other big kahuna CA. Dept. of Ed. staff… the really “high-ups” who make so many of the school wheels spin in our state (a state which, btw, serves MILLIONS of kids).

All and all I can’t tell you how invigorating a meeting like this can be. I mean how often do regular ol’ teachers get access to the folks who sit up at the highest levels of the food chain in public ed?

What never fails to amaze me, too, is how bright some of the minds in that room every year are. Truly, when you are kickin’ it with folks like that, even water cooler dialogue can turn into an epiphany. Without a doubt talking turkey with folks like this is just so informative/challenging/absorbing/confrontational/invigorating/fantastic and on and on and on.

If only more people could have a seat at this table. At least, that’s one of the big thoughts I had while sitting there (I even wore a tie so you know it’s got to be big) and so, with this post, here a few of the random thoughts/highlights from the day in no particular order:

– Kelly Kovacic will represent the State of California in the 2010 National Teacher of the Year competition. (I was the 2007 state rep… didn’t win the National, though — but the person who did – Andrea – was an amazing choice. Kelly, however, is one to keep your eye on. She is OFF THE CHARTS! Kelly teaches at The Preuss School, a charter middle and high school dedicated to providing a rigorous college prep education for motivated low-income students. Essentially, 100% of her students will be the first in their families to ever attend college. Talk about the front lines of The Achievement Gap, breaking the cycle of generational poverty and on and on… Kelly is doing WOW work… and doing it really damn well!

–We had good, deep chats about the P-16 counsel. I am not going to go into all the ins-n-outs but here’s a link to P-16 and let me tell ya, if we could pull this off, our state would be MUCH better off.

How to implement the recs cited above was a hot topic of discussion, though. And trust me, I spoke up big and bold about how our schools have devolved into the unfortunate circumstance of their raison d’etre now being — at least in too great of a measure — about how “the bubble tests are the tail wagging the dog.”

Spicy conversations to say the least because, as we all know, the bubble tests are on one hand foolishly backing our schools into a dysfunctional corner as if the entire world is about “how to correctly choose answer choice C” when presented a series of A-D answer choices (as if these are the most critical skills life will require our kids to possess. However, no one — not even me — is going to claim that we don’t need accountability and assessment in public education. It’s a complicated issue to say the least (How about another shout out for GROWTH MODEL ASSESSMENTS!?) and easy answers are nowhere to be found. PLUS, with dwindling resources, there are less people able to really look for them.

–Of course, Jack talked about the budget cuts. Let’s face it, what section of education has not been ravished? His own staff, his efforts, his ability to manage the demands of his position, and so on… the nuclear fiscal landscape has left no one unscathed (and most certainly not our State Superintendent). Publicly, Jack said this a few weeks ago… and this quote very much reflects the spirit of the meeting: “I am extremely proud of all teachers, here in California as well as across the nation, who in the past year, have had to endure devastating cutbacks in funding and programs as well as layoff notices and elimination of positions,” O’Connell said. “It is more important than ever to honor people who chose to become teachers and to celebrate this most noble of professions.”

See, recognition of excellence matters. There are so many folks in our state and nation that are doing INCREDIBLE work and with the way the media has tirned to bashing educators as if we are all a bunch of dirt-bag, newpaper reading, worksheet distributors who hide behind tenure and the unions day in and day out, it’s more important than ever to shine a light on who we truly are.

We are America’s educators. And we are proud of it. And we are proud of the work that we are doing. And we are working hard to do better work despite the incredible challenges, obstacles and political buffoons impeding us.

That room is one of smiles and positive energy and people who just absolutely LOVE being teachers.

And so, if there is one thing you take from this post, know that, Illegitimi non carborundum.

That’s latin for, “Don’t let the bastards grind you down!”

Why? Because there are a heck of a lot of people working their tails off right now who simply are going all out to make a difference in the lives of kids and teachers everywhere.

And without a doubt, they are being successful. Now it’s all about increasing our rate of success. And for many people in that room, that aspiration is their/our life’s work!

Makes me proud to do what I do.

NOTE: Here’s a pic of me and the State Supe givin’ and gettin’ some love for the Teacher of the Year Foundation.

I want to keep this short and sweet today but I feel as if I owe an apology to the folks in Alabama who found my blog post from two weeks ago to be hurtful, inappropriate and incendiary.

That was never my intention. And you should know that I took down the post.

Though I thought I went out of my way to salute the educators making strides in the Deep South — the ones really laying it on the line in an admirable way who are working their tails off, bringing change and fighting for social equity in the Alabama schools — apparently, that point was lost and some Alabamians felt unfairly targeted. Re-segration through gerry-mandering was the broad picture theme of the post but I have a tendency to be flippant, smarmy and insensitive at times in my quest to be entertaining as well as informative — and I seem to have genuinely hurt some people’s feelings.

I am not Glenn Beck. I am not an anger-monger. I actually find this kind of rage to be detrimental to productive growth and in the spirit of seeking to open an earnest dialogue, I instead opened something else to which people took a great deal of offense.

I have no ambition at all to hurt people, destroy the morale of educators and the such. And with so many teachers already feeling demoralized (see this article — a whopping 40%!) I certainly have no aspiration to add more salt to our collective educational wounds.

BTW, choosing to take down the post was a real Catch-22 for me because I am not one prone to bow to pressure or censorship. However, in the end I believe I erred. I made a mistake. Why? Because I was insensitive and even came across as haughty (cause it ain’t like the state of California doesn’t have issues with race, poverty, small-mindedness and so on… which I do feel I often point out in my blogs but hey, that’s a different story.) Yet at the end of the day, my greatest mistake was that I added a bunch of negativity to a bunch of hard-working educator’s lives and that’s not who I want to be nor what I want to do… so I have taken a step back and decided to simply say, “I am sorry and I will try to do better in the future.”

Obviously, some people are gonna be furious with me forevermore for insulting Alabama. I can’t change that. However, I do know that if there is a productive, positive conversation to be had about gerry-mandering school district zones and institutionalized racism, by no means will I be shying away from this topic in the future, Alabama or not. But I will work harder to make sure I don’t paint such wide brush strokes in the name of going for a giggle.

I messed up. Oops! Time to move on.

Today would have been my father’s 67th birthday. He passed in 1994.

Never met my wife.
Never met my daughter.
Never saw me win Teacher of the Year for the state of California or publish a book… much less 9 of them (to date).

Died at the age of 51 from diabetes. (He was a juvenile diabetic.)

In many ways the life of my father was an absolute train wreck. And the shadow he cast over my life still colors vast amounts of psychological real estate in my own world today.

And yet, to oversimplify it all as if things are all black and white, as if he was a purely calamitous influence on me wouldn’t be right. (Though tumult, he did bring.)

But man, did my dad have a great laugh. And wow, was he smart. Wicked smart. Not quite smart enough to realize that being the smartest guy in the room could be a booby trap instead of a catapult but smart enough to graduate high school 2 years early and go to law school at UPenn.

It’s over 15 years since he passed and I still find myself thinking of him, being influenced by him, seeing the lives of my siblings being influenced by him so, so frequently.

Does the son ever stop being living underneath the umbrella of their father? And even if we could, would we want to? Though the pain was great, the love was great, too. I never doubted that my dad loved me but WOW, did he blow it over and over and over again.

You know, I know there are no guarantees in life but on days like today, I gotta admit, that if I only get 51 years on this planet, that would leave me with only about 8 more to go.

Geesh, if that thought won’t wake you up in the morning, nothing will. Sure brings some of this school nonsense I deal with on a daily basis into perspective though, huh?

Dads: they certainly cast a shadow, don’t they? Happy B-Day Pop.

(Note: that’s my dad’s headstone in the b.g. — it’s his mother’s headstone, my grandmother’s who just passed away this January in the foreground.)

Jim Burke turned me onto this NY Times article about the “Napsterization of Books” and I gotta say, it kinda sends a chill up my spine. Why? Well, because first and foremost, I am an author. I feed my family, pay my house bills and supplement my teaching income working in a high school (because who, in California, can afford to “merely” live on a single teaching income… another story all together) through writing books.

And I just finished my 9th title. (I have 3 more works that will be on the shelves by the summer of 2011). It takes me years to write and publish a book and the idea that it can be pirated in seconds well, let’s just say that I am hoping for a little regulation of the Wild West on this front and that somebody somewhere learns a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ from what happened to the music industry.

I mean it’s one thing if I choose to give away my own material free on the internet (which I do in many ways, shapes and forms) but it’s entirely another if someone takes what is mine and posts it. Last I checked, that was called stealing.

Now, the thing is, it’s not like I have a problem with digital media, 21rst century technology and even an evolution off of Guttenberg’s printing press — but if it comes at the expense of legitimacy, well, this one strikes home BIG TIME.

And all the authors I know are fearful of this kind of scenario. I mean we write books and if people do not like the content, the price, the subject matter and so on, they do not have to buy them. But if they do want to read the stories, text, information, etc… why in the world is it just cool to take it?

Just because one can?

J.K. Rowling was pretty much on welfare when she wrote Harry Potter. Does she not deserve a wee bit of a payday for the work she did? If Potter was napsterized and read by as many people as it was yet Rowling was still on the dole because of illegal downloading, would that be just?

Yet, is that not the way this could potentially be headed?

Right now the book piracy problem is in its infancy — especially when compared to movies and music. But for how long?

And what can be done?

I’m not afraid to say it, The Napsterization of Books Freaks Me Out!!

Now no, I am not objective and yes, I already feel threatened by Google’s plan… though they are working with the Author’s Guild to create a system that is financially fair to all.

But how does this play out going forward? I mean if no one ever had to buy a book again because all books were free (due to the illegal availability of them) how does the world of writing — both fiction and non-fiction move forward?

I know not — and when you have skin in the game, it can make for sleepless nights.

A few weeks ago I talked about H.R. 1895 and The Stand Up Act in regards to providing more strict guidleines for teen drivers.

It just smacked of complete common sense. Well, banning txting and driving is next up. This seems, to me, to be another one that just elevates itself to the level of NO-BRAINER.

See, when I click on this article and see a picture of a tow truck in a swimming pool, I gotta kinda laugh. Then again, I am not the 68 year old lady that went to the hospital as a result of this txting tow truck driver who caused one heck of an accident.

And alerting teens to the dangers of txting has gone international. Check out this PSA aimed at young-ins to scare them into keeping their eyes on the road and not their phones when operating a vehicle. (Warning: this thing doesn’t pull any punches. It’s gruesome!)

Are we, as teachers not responsible to bring up these issues in our class? I mean, I know it’s not necessarily “standards-based” but still, is there not an almost moral imperative to teach right from wrong, as well as skills, in the modern day classroom? (BTW, this could easily lead to a standards based assignment, whether you want to tie it to reading comprehension, a written reply, and so on.) But does every little thing have to be standards-based?

Kids need to know that txting and driving is SUPER DANGEROUS. For me to teach this, to discuss this, to hammer this home, do I have to “lesson plan it out according to the California state standards” or is there room in my classroom for just some lessons about life? And when the national standards people meet in the secret halls of covert “We know what’s bestness?” are they taking things like this into consideration? I really wonder.

Will I get “merit pay” if I happen to save a kid from a fate worse than choosing incorrect bubbles on a standardized state test?

I mean, I hate to say it, but dontchya get the feeling that the higher-ups would prefer I spent the time teaching gerunds?

Cause as we all know, gerunds save lives.

Obama wants to address the school-kids of this nation and, whodda thunk it, there’s controversy surrounding the idea of such an address to our nation’s youngsters.

Now, obviously, (or maybe not, so I’ll say it here) I am of the opinion that a well-spoken President addressing our nation’s kids in a “you can do it” tone now that it’s back-to-school season is good for the kids, good for the schools, and good for the good ol’ U. S. of A.

So I wonder, is it just me, or does this brouhaha strike anybody else as artificially contrived, politically motivated nonsense?

I mean, and this is a quote I pulled off the AP wire:

Texas Governor Rick Perry says he understands the concerns of parents who don’t want their children listening to President Obama’s school-time speech next Tuesday on the importance of education, aimed directly at the nation’s school children.

Well, I am glad he understands the concerns… cause I don’t. Could his political affiliation actually be the cause of the concern?

I mean Obama is OUR president, of the entire country, and if he wants to fire up the students, I say, “It’s about time a President did this.” Nice idea. Come to think about it, we couldda used something like this many, many years ago. But the right wingers (and I mean the far right-wingers) are…

“…saying Obama is using the opportunity to promote a political agenda and is overstepping the boundaries of federal involvement in schools.”

Huh? I mean is “work hard, set goals, aim high and strive to become learned” some kind of liberal agenda now? (I am only speculating that this will be the thrust of his speech.) I mean if it is, I am way more liberal than I thought I was. And trust me, I am a tax and spend, California, left-coast animal lover, who believes in things like universal pre-school, universal health care, and recycling.

To counter, Obama’s people say the reason for it is this:

“It’s simply a plea to students to really take their learning seriously. Find out what they’re good at. Set goals. And take the school year seriously.”

Ooh… sounds nefarious. I bet there are secret code words embedded in the Closed Captioned text too that will send messages to aliens about our nuclear codes.

Yet, folks like Oklahoma Republican State Sen. Steve Russell say this…

“It gives the appearance of creating a cult of personality. This is something you’d expect to see in North Korea or in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.”

Like I said, “Huh?”

Why do I have a feeling that if this was an idea from the prior presidency, some of those folks who are now chirping would have been singing an entirely different tune?

Then again, it never would have happened with our last president because Dubya Bush was (at best) a C- student, so having him tell the kids not to “misunderstimate the value of a gooder education” really wouldn’t have helped anyone too much.

Come on, does politics have to taint everything nowadays? I mean can’t the President say one nice thing without it being politically motivated? Will Obama’s Merry X-mas wish be dissected by the pundits for the way he tries to abscond with the well-wishes of the season for Democratic gains in the House come the 2010 elections?

Truly, am I the only one sick of this nonsense? Really, at what point do we not all recognize that this kind of stuff is hurting, not helping, our nation?

You know, Freud once famously said, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” Well, “sometimes a speech to kids is just that… a speech to kids.”

I wonder if I would send my child to private school if I could easily afford to do so. And I bring it up because, for the parents who can afford it in America today, private school is where they (for the most part) are generally sending their kids.

Even if the local public school is good.

And why? Because if the local public school is good, I am assuming the private school is forced to be better if they are going to be able to charge the crazy fees that they do. And if the local public school is not so good, then the choice becomes even that much more clear cut for the well-to-do parent, doesn’t it?

See, right now I send my kid to a private pre-school. But that’s because there is no public pre-school option (ah, the short-sighted shame of this in California). And this week, I had a mandatory parent’s “before school even starts” conference, discussed a host of personal things about my child with 2 teachers as well as the school’s director during a 45 minute no kids allowed meeting and walked away feeling great about the school, the educators, the class size and the overall decision to put my child in this pre-school.

I imagine for the parents that are shelling out the approximate $30,000 per year for private school at the K-12 level (that’s the average cost out where I am — and some parents have 2 and 3 kids in these schools… but pre-school is not nearly that much, though it’s certainly expensive) they leave the parent/teacher meetings feeling pretty much the same way I did today. And I liked this feeling. I want this feeling. I think I need this feeling. I mean what parent doesn’t want to feel as if their kid is not going to be getting the best of which that can be begged, borrowed and/or stolen?

This sentiment is certainly what drives so many people to immigrate illegally to the United States (i.e. a better opportunity for their children in the Land of the Free).

Is it a true statement to say that while public schools can be good, private schools are forced to be good or else they will cease to exist?

And is there a way to force public schools to be as good as private schools are apparently forced to be?

Look, I am a small, petty person prone to grudges and outbursts against the follies of people who I believe are negatively affecting the quality of life for others — especially when I believe they could be doing better (if only their intention was to do so).

Therefore, as a teacher, it’s hard to like the job Arnold Schwarzenegger is doing as the governor of California in terms of the way he is captaining our educational agenda. It just doesn’t seem to me as if he values our schools as much as I would like. To wit, click here.

However, as a man, a person, a real human being, he’s not all black and white. There are a few things I do admire about him. (Did I mention “How I Dislike Agreeing with Someone With Whom I Usually Do Not Agree”? See, I like putting people/things in a mental box… and then when they don’t fit, I am forced to change my own way of thinking. And if you know me, you know how I hate thinking… especially re-thinking. Arrggh!)

A few months ago Ah-nold gave the commencement speech at my alma mater, the University of Southern California (GO TROJANS!) and he laid out Schwarzenegger’s Six Rules for Success.

And while my initial inclination would be to mock them, after thinking about them, I have to say, it’s some good stuff.

And I would love it if my students took more of these things to heart.

Rule 1: Trust yourself.
Schwarzenegger advocates listening to your own heart to follow your own passions… passionately. On this we see eye-to eye.

Rule 2: Break the rules.
Again, this vibes with my own thinking a great deal. After all, if you want to make an omelet, ya gotta break some eggs and when I took out on the horizon, I see the status quo as something that perpetually needs to have its feet held to the fire… for if there is a better way to do something, go do it. And nothing ever really gets “invented” unless someone, as the Governator points out, “breaks some rules.”

Rule 3: Don’t be afraid to fail.
Fear of failure paralyzes people and often prevents them from giving their best effort. It wasn’t until I totally tried my hardest and BOMBED as a professional writer that I was able to re-group, re-evaluate and become a published author. Having just inked a deal for my 7th novel — after a series of rejections, mind you, from other very prestigious book publishers — I signed a new deal with Penguin. (Pretty spiffy, huh?) Getting rejected hurts, failing stings but not giving up and learning from our mistakes is critical. And often in life, one “Yes” will outweigh 20 “No’s” We have to be more willing to fail for it is the only real road I’ve personally ever known to successs.

Rule 4: Don’t listen to the naysayers
See rule 3 for more of my thoughts on this.

Rule 5: Work your butt off
There is no substitute for hard work in this world and while people may think I am a freak for saying so, I relish the feeling of giving a great effort. It feels good for my soul. And when I see students really lay it on the line and develop this muscle of “really trying when it comes to their pursuits” I feel confident in their abilities to become a success after they leave my classroom. There is no substitute for hard work. Ah-nold and I, once again, agree.

Rule 6: Give back
Teachers make a career out of giving. Matter of fact, that’s often how we measure ourselves. “Did I give enough to this student? Did I impart enough to that one?” …and so on. Seems to me that my own life functions better when I am trying to serve the needs of others — and when I get bogged down in getting what I want — especially when it comes to pursuing material goals — that’s when my life feels clogged and sputter-y. But when I am working to “give to others” I just feel good. It feeds me.

And so, there it is, Schwarzenegger and I agree… and who said pigs wouldn’t one day fly.