The Number of Disheartened Teachers is on the Rise!

An article featured in Education Week reports the findings of a study showing that 2 out of every 5 teachers are “disheartened” by their jobs. This was a nationwide study of teachers called “Teaching for a Living: How Teachers See the Profession Today.”

The study of the Teacher Community is taking a closer look at what motivated educators to get into the field as well as their attitudes towards teaching. The study showed that about 40% of the teachers surveyed are disheartened about their jobs and their teaching environments. These teachers sited a lack of support from their principals and other administrators, and they also were concerned with their working conditions and student behavior. More than half of the teachers who fell into the disheartened category teach in “low-income” schools.

There are 2 other categories considered in the study; they are labeled “Contented”, which make up 37% of the teachers surveyed, and “Idealists” which made up the last 23%. Contented teachers reported excellent working conditions and experience in the profession. Idealists report that they became teachers to help disadvantaged students and they feel that their teaching greatly increases the test scores of their students.

An attempt should be made to take these findings into account in order to help improve the morale of education professionals. I think a good way to improve moral in teachers is to provide them with a Teacher Network to help teachers feel less isolated from their peers and to gain support from peers who may be going through similar situations and may have some advice. In any situation, professional or not it is important to have connections to peers.

Applebatch.com offers teachers a place to go and discuss these and other issues. It also provides a forum for education professionals to seek help with lesson plans as well as career advice and opportunities. We understand that teachers need to have a way to voice their opinions.

Setting New Standards for High School Students

In an article on September 25th, U.S. News and World Report stated that the nation’s governors and state education officials have banded together to propose a standard for all public school students. They have received help from the National Education Association, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of English, the College Board, the ACT testing program and Achieve Inc., a standards reform group. The current academic standards are different in each state, but the new proposal will have all K-12 students learning the same things.

The standards will require a certain set of Math and English skills from all high school graduates. The English revisions focus on reading and writing proficiencies as well as speaking and listening abilities, including presenting information and advancing a discussion by responding with more than a yes or no. In math, students should be able to construct viable arguments, master complex problems as well as be familiar with probability and statistics. This will require the math Teacher Community to rework much of its current curriculum.

Though Applebatch promotes equal education for all, we understand that teachers will need a lot of assistance reworking their lesson plans. We also understand that some students may need more help reaching these goals. That is why it will be more important than ever to use a Teacher Network.

Applebatch.com is available to all educators and gives them an opportunity to share and upload free resources, grow their professional network and search for teaching jobs in a convenient online environment. Please join Applebatch.com and tell us what you think about this new proposal.

How About An Apple Martini for the Teacher?

Applebatch.com hosted its first Networking event on Thursday October 22nd at Martini Park in Chicago. The “Ed Cocktail” was a success! Approximately 140 educators from the Chicago Teacher Community attended the event at Martini Park and enjoyed a night of free drinks, prizes and socializing. The guests networked with fellow educators from all over the Chicagoland area. The first 11 people who arrived received prizes including gift cards for pizza, popular venues in downtown Chicago, athletic clothes from Lucy and free drinks at Argo Tea. The attendees had the opportunity to chat with representatives from Applebatch, and their lead sponsors, Varsity Tutors and The Classmate Ltd.

CEO of Applebatch.com, George Hammer, also attended the successful event, “Educators are some of the most wonderful people to meet with because they are both professional and laid back. Thank you to everyone who came out to make this event so enjoyable.”

If you attended the event, please let us know what you thought. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Feeling a little left out? That’s ok! Applebatch is hosting it’s next Teacher Network event on January 16th, 2010 at John BarleyCorn. Register now to reserve your ticket!

Are books needed in schools?

James Tracy, the headmaster of Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Connecticut, told the Boston Globe that “the last thing a school library needs these days is books. What it really needs is a good cappuccino machine.” This, as you could imagine, is stirring up a lot of controversy among parents of the New England prep school.

Administrators at the prep school have given away many of the library’s collection of classic novels, popular poetry books, and several reference books. They are trashing the books and purchasing a $500,000 digital learning center. The digital learning center will include flat screen TV’s, cubbies for laptops and a small coffee shop with a $12,000 cappuccino machine. For those of you that don’t know what a digital learning center is, it is over 10,000 novels in a 5 pound lap top form folder. The librarian who has been at the prep school for over 17 years told the Globe she will miss the books that have been a part of her life for over the past decade. She says “there’s a sensual side to them - - the smell, feel. The physicality of a book is something really special.”

Here at Applebatch.com, we feel that it is imperative to utilize diverse learning platforms and channels. We believe in books, online learning and other innovative methods because different people are better at learning through different methods. The question that have been crossing the minds of parents is, will schools pay for their child’s glasses when they are staring at these “digital learning” screens all day? And the question raised for the Teacher Community is when a student is doing research and the computers are backed up by other students - -what then?

Applebatch is a professional network for educators of all ages and grades to come together and share their opinion on subjects such as this one. Teachers all over the nation are coming together and joining in our Teacher Network. Here teachers can not only discuss subjects such as this one, but also find a variety of networking tools to help in their job search or assist in the classroom.

Education Reformation by 2010!

On September 23, 2009, USA Today published an article about the U.S. Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, trying to gather the support of educators nationwide to help him reform education in this country. He hopes to have new education legislation close to passed by early in 2010. Duncan points out in a speech that he made on Thursday September 24, that after 50 years of school reform and education ruling, the country is still waiting for the day when all the children in the United States have access to high quality education. Duncan is urging various education groups to take a more active role in helping and promoting education reform.

Duncan and other groups are looking to improve upon the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). He hopes to promote a well-rounded education, which was passed in Congress with overwhelming numbers, but now has lost many of the supporters. In the Teacher Community there have been many criticisms of NCLB. One of the biggest criticisms regarding NCLB is that it focuses too much on teaching for standardized tests.

Applebatch wants to know what ideas teachers have for reforming the No Child Left Behind Act. Should it be reformed or totally redone? There are so many criticisms of the act. Will NCLB be able to overcome these critiques and successfully reform the nation’s education system, or would it be better to scrap the idea for a whole new plan of attack?

How has the No Child Left Behind impacted you in your classroom? Has it caused great changes in your method of teaching? Do you have any tips for others about helping to improve the success of students? We know that you have an opinion about this issue, and through our online Teacher Network you can discuss your opinions and ideas with other educators, talk about what needs to be done to reform our nation’s education system, or even discuss and share the ways you have discovered to work around the bureaucratic system.

A New Page in the Digital Age?

Kindle, a digital textbook, may be the next thing students have in their lockers. On August 25th, U.S. News and World Report announced that the Democratic Leadership Council wants to give students a Kindles, portable hardware devices, instead of print textbooks. If executed the pilot program would involve 400,000 students and could be implemented nationwide if it is deemed a success.

Kindles will let students wirelessly download and read digital textbooks. Instead of carrying many textbooks, students will be able to carry a Kindle with all of their E-textbooks on it. However, the books do not offer any videos or interactive tools that may help the Teacher Community. Another problem is that many schools use textbooks that are not available electronically. This means teachers may have to adjust to using an entirely new textbook series, which may not be as great as their previous textbook.

However, many schools are already using digital versions of their textbooks. Students at some high schools can register for online classes and read E-textbooks. Elementary school students can even view video demonstrations of science experiments and take complete math lessons on school computers. If you are a teacher in a school using these new programs, Applebatch.com (a free online community dedicated to helping educators stay connected and share resources with other K-12 teaching professionals) wants to hear about your experience. Please take advantage of our free Teacher Network site to talk with fellow teachers from across the nation and share your thoughts.

Innovation for more Motivation…Robots?

The ‘Directgov, public service all in one place’ recently announced that High School aged students will soon be able to get their diploma in more areas than just general education. Different types of diplomas, 17 to be exact, will soon be added to the curriculum of High School-aged students that fit a more specific area of their interest. Soon selected schools will be offering Diploma qualifications right next to the magnet schools or the more advanced schools in the country.

Starting September 2010, more importance on the essential skills such as Math, English, and Computer Technology will be given to young adults to prepare them for work in the “real world.” Whether it is to head directly into college or start their career after High School. The teacher community is a way for us to find this change as a reward for the sole purpose that individual students are finding their “nitch” other than the mainstream curriculum that they are offered at school.

As far as, High School-aged students (who may feel like nothing is of importance other than texting) may find a program such as this very rewarding in more ways than one. First, young adults can FINALLY find a subject that sparks interest in them and keep them entertained during a whole class period. Second, a student may finally feel as though they can be proud of themselves for working so hard and achieving what another student could only dream about. And lastly, it would show young students that they can create an opportunity that helps them develop basic skills that can form them into a bright young professional right out of High School.

Applebatch Teacher Network, is a private social group for educators of all ages and grades K-12 to come together and share their opinion on subjects such as this one. Should every High School in the country have the Program 14-19 offered in their community? Would young adults have a more positive career opportunity once they graduate? Http://applebatch.com offers answers along with food for thought. We as teachers must show students with little motivation they are better than good at something; their GREAT! It may not be English or History...maybe it’s robotics that they strive to work in. It’s up to us to make changes, and seek to find more advanced opportunities for the youth of tomorrow’s future.

Luring Students Back to Learning

Should educators use money to stimulate attendance and create better grades? The New York Times reports that in July of 2009, the French Government released a list of 165 initiatives proposed to stymie high school dropout rates that have led to high youth unemployment in France. Among these initiatives is an incentive-based proposal that has fomented a debate in the teacher community in France since its more public pronunciation by the newspaper Le Parisien last Friday. By committing to an attendance and performance target, high schoolers can earn from €2,000 to €10,000 for their class fund that can then be spent on educational activities such as field trips.

Organizations both right- and left-leaning have criticized this initiative, but we at Applebatch would prefer to take part in a conversation on the merits or demerits of incentive-based learning. Though we can all idealistically agree with the critique of Philippe Vrand, president of the French parent’s group P.E.E.P., that “money should never motivate students,” the initiative seems to avoid this general condemnation. Instead of paying students directly (last September, for example, Chicago Public Schools started a program called Green for Grade$ where students could earn $50 for each A), this initiative feeds into a class fund that is then used to further the students’ education.

At first blush, such a program seems to avoid the objection of bribery while remaining flexible to the individual schools. Rather than the government setting a general goal, the classes themselves set the attendance and performance benchmarks, leaving the government in charge of how much to offer each class relative to the quality of the benchmark. In addition, specifying that the money goes to a class fund for the class as a whole – not for individual students – offers the possibility for the incentive itself to further encourage education – such as by using the money for class driving lessons.

The question, then, is: do the incentive programs work? How would you engineer a government-financed incentive program for encouraging education and attendance, or are material incentives off-limits from the start? Do you use incentive programs in your classroom? Come offer your strategies and criticisms with us online by joining the Applebatch Teacher Network!

Give social media a chance in schools! The administration ways of blocking access to information is not democratic.

Social media sites are becoming extremely popular across all ages. This has also raised concern from teachers and education board members. While some teachers and lecturers use Facebook, Twitter, and texting as means of communicating with students, the school boards are banning access to social networking tools completely. At the Applebatch Teacher Community , we strive to help teachers and provide them with all the necessary tools for inside and outside of their classrooms.

Chicago Public Schools, as well as Concordia University and the New Brunswick Department of Education, have blocked access to Facebook and Twitter at schools and require its teachers to communicate with students through their official email accounts only. One of the main reasons for banning social media in the classroom is the concern for security. At Applebatch, we understand the importance of security, and are pleased to say that we have designed a social media tool for teachers that is secure and safe to use.

Even though some teachers admit that Facebook and Twitter have great potential for learning in the classroom, they are too much of a distraction for students. Since students can use Facebook to follow friends, view pictures, and play games, they get easily distracted using the tool and procrastinate on their intellectual learning. It is recommended that teachers use classroom management systems such as Blackboard or Desire2Learn, which are software packages designed to develop course material and help students communicate and submit their work online.

Social media sites will continue to grow and become more popular. Teachers can also benefit from social media by participating in the Applebatch Teacher Network . Applebatch gives teachers to opportunity to share and upload free resources, meet other educators in the area, grow their professional network, and search for teaching jobs in a safe online environment.

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE TO BE ADDED TO THE CASUALTIES OF BUDGET CUTS

School districts that are feeling the pressure of budget cuts are turning to limiting bus service to save money. The move is made to prevent cutting anything that would hurt the classroom. This move has been met with a lot of outrage from the families in the various school districts. Parents are trying to figure out new work schedules that will allow for drop off and pick up, while other parents are worried about their child’s safety if they have to cross busy streets and dangerous intersections.

With school budgets seemingly getting smaller by the day, Applebatch is proud to still offer a free service to teachers. Teachers are given a place where they can come, for free, to share resources, solve problems, and find mentors. Budgets are getting tighter and schools are looking to shave every penny they can. Applebatch being free helps the teachers and the school budgets.

Another feature that Applebatch offers that can help cut costs is their teacher network. The teacher network allows teachers to come together and solve common problems. Teachers can find way of saving money together. This way hopefully some districts can keep their busses on the road.

Lastly, Applebatch can help districts by offering cheap job postings. Applebatch teacher jobs is a place where schools can post job openings exclusively on http://applebatch.com and the school will know only qualified teachers will see the job posting.

In these days, with budgets and school buses going down, Applebatch is proud to present possible solutions to today’s problems. Please join Applebatch.com and let us know what you think.

PARENT GROUPS MUST FUND TEACHER AIDES ONCE AGAIN

After much debate over the necessity of teacher aides, the City Department of Education and the teachers’ union have finally reached an agreement. As mentioned in a previous blog, the city had banned parents’ associations from directly hiring school aides because the union felt that the assistants were doing the work of teachers and were entitled to union wages and benefits. The agreement settled on allowing principals to hire school aides with the money that is raised by parents’ groups. At the Applebatch Teacher Community , we are excited to see how the new agreement will work out.

Parent groups and teachers depend on the aides to monitor hallways, tie shoelaces, and most importantly allow teachers in crowded classrooms to concentrate more in instruction. The teacher aides will be paid by parent associations and their salaries will be placed on the official school budget, which makes the aides eligible for union protection. However, the aides are prohibited from performing any teaching work and must focus on staff support.

The agreement expires at the end of the school year. Along with the Education Department and union officials, Applebatch hopes that a long-term solution is created by then. This may include the creation of an internship program for the aides, as suggested by the president of the union, the United Federation of Teachers, Michael Mulgrew.

At Applebatch, we hope to provide teachers with all the necessary resources, including the help of teaching aides. Through this Teacher Network , both educators and their assistants can find teaching jobs in their areas. We want to encourage all teachers to take advantage of our free resources and share their experiences and ideas at http://applebatch.com.

NEW YORK CITY TO OPEN 21 NEW CHARTER SCHOOLS IN SEPTEMBER

According to the New York Times, charter schools are showing a minor but growing niche for the building and design industries in the New York City area. On September 21 new charter schools will open, however, only two of those will be in new buildings. These schools are being placed in historically poor neighborhoods such as the South Bronx, Brooklyn, and Harlem. Applebatch offers several services that would help these charter schools at http://applebatch.com

This is important news because it shows that New York is not turning away from education in the times of recession. When these schools open in September, they are going to need to staff them with teachers. Exclusive Applebatch teacher jobs can help with the hiring of these teachers. Schools can post jobs on Applebatch and know that only people who are serious about teaching will see these job postings.

If a charter school accepts public money for construction, the city requires that the school raise 10 percent to 33 percent of the project’s cost from private sources. Applebatch offers a free teacher network for teachers that helps eliminate the cost for teachers trying to come together on their own. In these days, every opportunity you get to save money is a good opportunity.

Also, because these schools are being put in poorer neighborhoods, the teachers may run into problems they may not have anticipated. Applebatch’s teacher community can help teachers in need. If a teacher needs help he or she can ask the Community for advice. Anyone who has any advice can give it to help out a fellow colleague.

THE FUTURE FOR HEALTHY SCHOOL LUNCHES LOOKS PROMISING

The New York Times recently published an article about Ann Cooper, who has made a career out of improving the quality of public school food. She was recently invited to The School Nutrition Association’s upcoming conference to discuss Lunch Box, a system she developed to encourage school districts to begin cooking mostly local food from scratch.

President Obama put an extra $1 billion for child nutrition programs, including school food, in his 2010 budget proposal. Congress will take up the Child Nutrition Act in October, providing $12 billion to pay for lunch and breakfast for 31 million schoolchildren. The Department of Agriculture is expected to upgrade school food nutrition standards this year, many of which haven’t been changed for nearly 15 years.

Obviously, the American government has recognized the current childhood obesity problem and is making great strides in the effort to improve it. The teacher community has no doubt identified this as a problem in their own schools. More schools and teachers have already made an attempt to provide healthier food for their students.

We at Applebatch believe in keeping our students healthy and hope that the government keeps its promise in developing new strategies to achieve this goal. It is essential for kids to eat nutritious food to give them the energy they need to excel in the classroom.

We encourage you to use our teacher network to discuss how you or your school has contributed to the crusade for better school lunches. Together, teachers can make a difference in the lives of their students.

Principals need to learn brand management

After spending years in consulting and helping big-name corporations turnaround under performing brands, I came to realize that principals need to think more like brand managers. While there has been a ton of focus on turnaround management in schools, the emphasis has historically been on replacing people to fix the problem. As any good brand manager know, people come and go but a brand image can sustain.

Therefore, I propose that principals take a brand management class and learn how to proactively manage their brands to (1) compete for talent and (2) increase parent engagement. For example, principals can leverage an online teacher community like Applebatch.com to build an online presence and promote the new happenings in the school. Principals need to promote and communicate changes to the old brand, and repeat those communications across channels. It takes time for change to occur and replace old images in our minds.

In addition, principals must broaden their teacher network to attract and find talent in various sources. Principals in new schools must use innovation to compete initially for talent. Principals cannot show up at a job fair or expect top talent to come into their schools while they are in turnaround mode. They must use sites like Applebatch.com to build a professional network of top performers and find talent in unconventional places.

As the school image improves, the turnover will decrease and less teacher jobs will be available in that school each year. Which, will give the principal an added benefit of being more selective and spending less time to find talent. School performance will increase and student outcomes will soar. Therefore, you can see that it all boils down to (1) great leadership and (2) great brand management.

To learn more, contact us at Applebatch or go to www.applebatch.com.