Every teacher has his/her own opinion with regard to the district’s curriculum. I was recently speaking with a teacher at the school in which I am currently observing and I was surprised when she mentioned that very few teachers want to get involved with developing new curriculum. She mentioned that a number of her colleagues complain about certain aspects of the existing curriculum, but they choose not to volunteer their knowledge or expertise when the time comes to revise the curriculum.  Are you familiar with this approach to curriculum structure on the part of professionals?  Is this something that you see and hear in your school?  If so, why do you think this is?  What can districts do to encourage more teachers to get involved in developing a new curriculum? 

Rosalie is concerned about teacher burnout.

 Social and emotional learning is being discussed in many schools.  As a result, many schools are incorporating social and emotional learning goals into their respective curriculums.  However, it would appear that many of the social and emotional learning goals focus on students.  My concern is that with teacher shortages that have resulted in additional responsibilities on faculty, and with budget restraints that have been felt by many school districts, many teachers are now experiencing new levels of stress.  I found an article (link found below) that lists 20 different concerns of teachers in the year 2022.  Do you agree with any of the concerns listed in the article?   If not, why not.  Additionally, what are your thoughts about teacher shortages and teacher concerns in 2022?  Do you feel teachers are getting the social and emotional support that they need? 

https://www.weareteachers.com/teacher-shortage-statistics

William asks us to ponder an important question

 Recently, there has been much discussion about academic learning loss on the part of our students because of the lack of teacher-directed instruction during COVID.   There are a number of people who suggest that student scores on standardized tests are dropping and that the lower scores are due to the fact that students spent fewer hours in the classroom during the COVID years.   There are many suggestions as to how we can bring student scores "back to where they should be"and those suggestions center on lengthening the school day and the school year.   

William has come upon a Newark Star Ledger editorial that addresses this very problem.   The author of the editorial suggests that the NJSDOE provide financial support to districts that want to extend the school day as well as the school year in order to make up for time lost during COVID.   

Please read the short article and respond.   (The link can be found below). Do you agree with the author's premise?    Do you believe that the author's recommended solution will be easy to implement?  Should we address the issue of time lost during COVID?   Why or why not.    

https://www.nj.com/opinion/2022/11/learning-loss-may-have-a-simple-solution-more-time-in-class-editorial.html

   

Veronica poses a virtual learning question

 Technology in the classroom. In recent years, the use of technology has increased dramatically in the classroom. After Covid and virtual learning, many school districts have provided  students with their own laptops or tablets to use for school. What are your opinions about technology use in the classroom? Should there be more of a focus on incorporating technology, or should we limit time spent online? How do you monitor what your students are doing while online?

Do you agree? How does this take place? Dr. Ries

 Teachers facilitate the reflective process by providing students with questions and prompts that encourage them to probe and question their assumptions, examine and challenge their biases, and deepen their understanding of the societal issues.   By asking these questions throughout the learning process, students can monitor their journey toward becoming civically minded participants in a democratic society.