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 New York City Schools 
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Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2004 6:33 pm
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Location: Sherrills Ford Elementary
After reading and feeling very concerned for the students, I called my uncle (a retired English teacher from NYC) he said that they (this past year closed down 5 schools that were not performing at standards. Which in turn sent those 5 schools (approx. 4,500 students) to other area schools. They also just instituted a new curriculum that every class in every grade must follow to the day. They feel this will help with transfer students and help the teachers stay more organized. I'll keep you up on how this goes. Can you imagine teaching the same lessons that your neighbors and other surrounding schools are teaching on the same exact day? It would make transfers easier if they all came from the same county.

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Lisa Mateyunas


Sun Jan 18, 2004 9:55 am
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Location: St. Stephens Elem.
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This sounds like a good plan if the students transfer within the same county. How do they handle the reteaching for those students that don't get it the first time around? Are there any transition classes that may help those transferring from other counties? Keep us posted on how things are working.


Sun Jan 18, 2004 7:01 pm
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Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2004 6:35 pm
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Location: Burke County--Glen Alpine Elem.
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Lisa,

Does that mean that schools in NYC that are lacking the materials to teach certain lesson plans will now get the materials they need? It does sound good on one hand, by making the city get materials to all teachers and students so the students would get the same. However, it seems too structured to follow. Like Maira mentioned, what happens when most of the class needs to be retaught, or several students need extra help. Not all students will learn something exactly the same way. Please let us know about what is going on in this school system.
Heather Smith

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Heather Smith


Mon Jan 19, 2004 2:19 pm
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Location: Burke County --Ray Childers
Lisa,
I can see the benefits for NYC given the circumstances you described.
However, the pacing seems almost mechnical. I think I'd feel restricted.
"Teachable moments" offer so many learning opportunities. Is there time allowed for classroom discourse and discovery learning, or will that ever ticking clock drive teachers and students toward the end of a lesson? I know we need to balance curriculum and time, but I'd be equally concerned about quality learning experiences.
Also, I wonder if these "canned" lessons will tempt NYC to hire substitutes in place of certified teachers.
Again, let me say that I understand NYC was responding to an immediate problem, and they probably have implemented the best possible plan given their circumstances.

Thanks for sharing.
Darla :)

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Darla Brock


Tue Jan 20, 2004 7:18 pm
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Location: Dudley Shoals Elementary
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While regulating the curriculum may guarantee that all students are taught what they are supposed to be learning, doesn't this devalue our profession? Teachers go to college for 4 to 5 years, many go on to graduate school as we are, and then they are handed their lesson plans? Where is the originality? Who is the "educated professional" determining what is to be taught on a particular day? What qualifications does he have that teachers don't? With this plan now in place, anyone can come in off the street and, for all practical purposes, teach a class. Maybe that's the goal. It would be much cheaper to pay uncertified substitutes than teachers with a master's degree.

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Heather Robertson


Tue Jan 20, 2004 7:41 pm
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Location: American Renaissance Charter School
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As an educator it would certainly be easy to be told what to teach each day. Lesson planning would be a breeze.

While there are arguements on both sides, I am glad that I do not have to teach in that type of environment. I think struggling students would fall further behind, and gifted students would not be challenged to their full potential.

Kate

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Kate Austin


Tue Jan 20, 2004 8:13 pm
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I agree. I am a teacher and not a presentor. It upsets me to think that the art of pedagogy, which I have spent the past few years trying to improve and master seems to be taken out of the equation in this situation. If this were the case, then I could video-tape my lessons the first year and sit back and press play for the next 20. Talk about a gravey job, but where's the qualtiy.

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Jill Pippen


Wed Jan 21, 2004 9:14 am
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Location: Bethlehem Elem.-Alexander Co.
How realistic is this? My question is: Can an educational reform such as this one really accomplish its goal? I know how teachers plan lessons and fall behind because of time issues, special classes, and just daily interruptions throughout the day? If an objective was not covered that day, I wonder if it is o.k. to cover the objective the next day including the following day's objectives? I believe it would be very difficult to keep everyone together down to the very day. I can see the benefits of transferring students and those problems of wondering what the student has covered has been alleviated if everyone is at the same place.

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Dawn Yount


Thu Jan 22, 2004 11:55 am
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I think daily lesson plans is far too restrictive. I write my plans a week in advance, but still have a hard time keeping to my schedule. My plan book has circle for omissions, arrows that point in all directions, indicating that I intend on doing this another time or day. This year I am spending a WHOLE lot of time redoing lessons, over and over. My group seems to be more immature than any other that I've ever had. Also, this year I have a shortage in parent volunteers to help out with remediation/differentiation plans. There is no way I could follow a county wide pacing guide on a daily basis. I do, however, work from the nine weeks curriculum pacing guide. This is a much more effective guide for me.

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Karen Darden


Sat Jan 24, 2004 7:13 pm
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I can't help but wonder how well this is really working and how rote and constraining it would feel. I have enough trouble with the "scripted" Saxon Math instructions and the mechanically worded EOG instructions. I would never be able to comply. My creativity would fell crushed.....

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Penny Goodin


Sat Jan 24, 2004 8:55 pm
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Location: Bethlehem Elementary
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I had all of the same feelings when I read this. It devalues teachers and must be boring fo reveryone in the classroom. It reminded me of the new math standards and I wondered if the person who created these lesson plans has a clue how children really learn. They can't or they would know that children learn at different paces and in different ways. I also wonder if the lessons are all lecture and paper. This would solve the problem of the shortage of materials but create new ones.

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Bridget Horn


Sun Jan 25, 2004 6:29 pm
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I can't imagine being told what to teach and exactly what day it had to be taught. There are so many times this year alone that I have had the same objective on Math in my Lesson Plan book for 3 weeks in a row because they just do not get it. I too have the 9 weeks Pacing Guides but they are only a supplement not a replacement for my own judgement on how long it should take my students to "catch onto a particular topic!" I would feel so restricted and unimportant. I believe that I would feel like a computer programmed to spit out information for my students day by day not really knowing or having any overall control over whether they get it or they don't. I would just have to be like the Engergizer Bunny and keep going.......and going.........and going!

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Amy Roop


Wed Jan 28, 2004 11:00 am
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Even if the standard curriculum did work, is the funding going to be available to implement it? Many of the problems they faced were due to lack of equitable funding for those schools, which is now compounded with the overcrowding issue. How is this going to solve the problem? It may have been better to spend money on improving teachers and existing schools. I am very curious to see how it works out.

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Rhonda Wood


Wed Jan 28, 2004 6:33 pm
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