Christmas Meditation 2019

Each Christmas, my parents would read the account of the birth of Jesus as told in Luke: “At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.” It’s a tradition I’ve tried to carry forward with my kids. I love how the efficiency of the narrative highlights the focus on Mary’s treasured thoughts. I love that humble shepherds get paragraphs while the rulers barely get phrases. It all seems fitting for a story that turns realities upside down: the first are now last, the humbled exalted.

However, as I get older, I find myself more drawn to another gospel’s account. The poetry of John speaks truth to me in a way narrative, limited by definition, can not. 

Perhaps it’s the association of cartoonish nativity scenes and pageants, or the ritual of reading from the Bible before getting presents. 

Or- my need to consider the why of the story is now greater than the what of the story. 

Because I find myself battling a cynicism of a world that seems to be growing more shallow and cruel each day.

And that cynicism extends to myself just as often- as I consider my shortcomings and the way I find myself in the Avett Brothers’ lyric: “there’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light and I’m frightened by those who don’t see it.”

John’s gospel account can’t be told as a child’s story. It’s heavier than that. It speaks of eternity and acknowledges the harshness of existing in our reality. Christmas should be a celebration, but it’s a celebration because the divine entered into the broken, the corrupt, the dark. 

We fill our social media pages with happy images but often Christmastime joys are fleeting and shallow because the world is too broken, and corrupt, and dark to be overcome with gifts and carols. We need to be reminded, I need to be reminded, that the only light that truly overcomes darkness is Christ.

In my own life I have been blessed in specific ways, particularly with a family that is woven together with the gospel’s thread- a wife and friend whose grace and faith humble me. And still I need to be reminded. My anxieties, and the restlessness I feel when I’m not immersed in work, can push me toward darkness, but the light of The Gospel  reminds me that- while I live in a world fringed by darkness- my call is to embrace and point others toward light that is Jesus.

“The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

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2019-2020 Legal Updates For Educators

Legal Updates for the 2019-2020 School Year- Notes from July 26 EdCounsel Seminar 

Virtual Education: 

A recent lawsuit is attempting to force a local district and DESE to accept courses from vendors who  are not currently approved by DESE. Districts are currently required to assume the cost of virtual instruction. Districts are encouraged to create guidelines to be applied when determining “best educational interest” on a case by case basis. Current statute only requires districts to pay for courses offered through MOCAP approved  providers. Responding to requests for virtual instruction is not clear cut and may be more complex for students with disabilities. Some non approved vendors are actively recruiting families to enroll in their programs. Local districts should be prepared to educate themselves on how to best respond to these requests. 

**update-courts ruled in favor of the family's request

Juuling: Missouri law prohibits minors from  possessing juul devices just as it does cigarettes. Districts have every right to prohibit e-cigarettes and vaping devices. Most districts have adopted policy updates that prohibit vaping devices but not all districts have updated handbooks to match policy. Districts are encouraged review their handbooks. Consequences for vaping vary from district to district. Because juuls can be used to deliver THC and CBD, districts should be thoughtful in their responses. Districts are reminded that school personnel have a lower standard for initiating a search than law enforcement. A search must begin with reasonable suspicion but it must be limited in scope. District personnel can not create the circumstances which lead to reasonable suspicion. Searches must not occur in front of other students and should only be done with two school employees. When a device is confiscated from a student who is a minor, it should be disposed of. If a student is not a minor it should be returned at the end of the day- unless the device is suspected of being used to deliver THC or CBD.  

Google and Data Breaches:

Employees who have access to student information should have a legitimate educational reason to have access, according to FERPA. If they disclose information, the district is liable for a data breach. Missouri statute requires districts to notify parents and the state auditors office in the event of a data breach. Districts should be very careful about sharing Google Sheets with student information. Educators should not copy or share their entire school google drive with their personal google drive. Google Take Out is an application that would make it easy for a person to perhaps unintentionally create a data breach. Districts are encouraged to purchase cyber insurance. 

Manifestation Determination Issues:

Manifestation determination meetings must always be held if a district suspends a student for more than ten days in one school year- if the student has a 504, IEP, or suspected disability. 

Medical Marijuana and CBD

In 2019 the Missouri Department of Health finalized regulations. Individuals must have a patient identification card to use medical marijuana. Schools should still comply with federal drug free workplace regulations. Federal laws require schools remain drug free. Schools can not be compelled to administer medical marijuana to students even if they have a patient identification card. In the event an employee fails a drug test but they have a prescription, the district should consult an attorney. Employees who exhibit behaviors associated with being under the influence on school property should be disciplined in a similar manner as an employee who presents themself as being under the influence of alcohol. Students who test positive on a random drug test who have a prescription should not be disciplined. Students who are under the influence at school should be disciplined.

CBD oil is different than medical marijuana. CBD oil is a developing area of law and should be handled with advice from an attorney. Districts should not permit students to self administer or possess CBD oil in school. Following policies on other medicines is best practice when dealing with CBD oil.  

Carroll County 2019

Seasons come where events and individuals grind against each other. Determining which shapes the other most is difficult. We consider the limits of our strength. We consider who we praise afterwards, and why we choose to enter in the first place. In this season a dead man come back to life, a town stopped a river, and father completed an icy crossing. 

The Crash
The impact, the sound of metal crumpling, sent them into action. The few, with few words, worked as one. Ribs cracked under the force of compressions. Skin turned blue and lungs gasped. Little evidence suggested shock would ensure he would live. That his hands would still fold in prayer to his God and serve his wife. In that moment nothing was certain. 

Be with us Lord

The Crest
29' and rising sent them into action. The many, with few words, worked as one. For eight days sandbags were filled and sent to strengthen the levees. The river rose like a fever. The community rallied, inspired by the example of a team of women- incarcerated and incredible. Work, purpose, coffee- the value and clarity was shared by all, but the crest rolled down, indifferently. A symbol of the foolishness of believing that marina and mansion, farmer and fish could all share the river without consequences. The old calculus of dam and levy proved insufficient under this new sky- driven by a feverish ocean 2,000 miles a way. Snow fell and then melted in quantities not seen before. The crest's record will likely not stand long. 

Be with us Lord

The Call
The panicked call sent him into action. She waited on the bridge for twenty long minutes- water rising around her- before headlights bounced through mist. Anxiety receded with a hug- then they took each others' hand. The two, with few words, worked as one. The water topped boots, and went higher, as they waded 100 yards to higher ground. Snow flakes began to replace raindrops. There was no scolding. The boldness that told her she could make it might one day keep her administering chest compressions, or filling sandbags, when it no longer made sense. Her stride was stronger through the current than his. Fever had weakened him, and now heart rate and pressure at the temples made him consider how much a family is dependent on the exchange of finite amounts of strength for wisdom. 

Be with us Lord
No season serves as commencement or finish line. More weeks will measure out in many spoonfuls of coffee and few hours of sleep. Crashes, crests, and calls will continue. Individuals and communities will grind against events. Events will grind back. The whole damn enterprise is dependent on finite reserves of strength and wisdom. Both must be cultivated. 

Be with us Lord

Why should barley inform our analysis of test data?

 At the end of the month, DESE will release results of last year’s MAP test to the public. Folks who see themselves as logical, bottom line thinkers will try to make judgements based on the data. Which school, teacher, method is most effective? Some of this will even be done by educators, under the banner of “data driven decision making.” Very little of these judgements should be taken seriously. The simplistic thinking is demonstrated in the equation most folks will use.

Proficiency rate of school/teacher/method A > = < proficiency rate of school/teacher/method/ B

Anyone with a marginal background in statistical analysis will see flaws here. There’s no accounting for sample sizes or variables which might impact learning.

Consider William Sealy Gosset who invented the T Test in 1908. Gosset was serious about statistical analysis. After all, he was involved in important work: brewing beer for Guinness. He needed to make decisions about the quality of Barley A compared to Barley B. Because he took statistical analysis seriously, he wrote an equation that factored in sample sizes and accounted for accidental variations, while assuming variables were held mostly constant. You may not be familiar with the T Test, but it is widely used in finance, science, and academic research. The formula is a bit more sophisticated than
A > = < B.

​      m- μ

 ​t = s/√n
Gosset's T test formula

Gosset realized some variance would naturally occur so he took the exercise a step further. He set thresholds to determine if the findings were significant, not incidental. Nowadays we declare victory or defeat over any difference in test scores.

The purpose of state testing is not to compare teachers, districts, or methods. The purpose of state testing is to compare a student’s performance on a test to accepted criteria which demonstrates proficiency or mastery. One problem Missouri educators face is the legislature changed the standards for evaluation multiple times, and DESE changed test formats and the criteria for mastery. The data returned to parents and educators has no value for comparative analysis. To be honest, the purpose of state testing is primarily to comply with federal legislation that drives funding.

 Pretend we sought to compare schools, teachers, or methods through rigorous statistical methodology. Pretend we took the task as seriously as William Gosset took beer. Let’s say we sat down with Gosset and discussed our plan over a cup of coffee, or something.

Us: We want to use statistics to determine which schools, teachers, and methods work best.

Gosset: Tell me more.

Us: Well, we’re going to give a test and see which group has the most kids who pass.

Gosset: How do you plan to account for sample size variances?

Us: Not going to. We’ll treat pass rates of a 4th grade class of 10 the same as we do as the pass rates for all 4,000 4th graders in a large district.

Gosset: I see. How will you hold variables constant and account for variances that might naturally occur by accident?

Us: We’re not doing anything about that either, though we admit it’s a limitation.

Gosset: I see. Are you at least using the same instrument for measurements?

Us: Not really. We’ve changed the test instrument every year, but it’s sort of the same.

Gosset: Yeah, I don’t think this will produce valuable data.

Us: Really, I think we’ll use it for scathing editorials in the paper, bullet points in faculty meetings, and for a Great School Rating which helps determine the market value of real estate on Zillow.

Gosset: All of those are terrible applications of what you are suggesting. I really must be going.

I'm not out to write a take down of standardized testing. Educators know results are important to parents and policy makers. We all want our students to excel on the tests. Test results can help educators, working collaboratively in settings that respect the voices of teachers, triangulate data to identify trends, strengths, and weakness. I wouldn't advocate to throw out testing completely, but we do need to throw out the hyperbole in which arm chair statisticians occasionally indulge. There are limits to the usefulness of test data and the example of Gosset, the brew master, helps us see them.

A few thoughts on collegiality and a story about wrecking the homecoming float

My career began in 1999 at Simonsen 9th grade center in Jefferson City, and I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I was overwhelmed, partially because of a homecoming float. The principal offered to “sweeten the pot” on my salary if I agreed to be stuco sponsor. That allowed me to bring home an extra $36 a month, but it came with expectations- the freshman class always won the homecoming float contest.

I became obsessed- not with classroom management or assessment, but with float construction. I spent hours placing pomp in chicken wire with a student named Terrance and his cohorts. On parade day our entry was solid, with a skirt that read “Jays Beat the Eagles.” Controversy surrounded who would ride as the mascot, but I stuck to my guns (I got paid big dollars to set the starting lineup for the frosh float) and Terrance suited up as Jasper the Jay. We took off down the parade route, pulling the float behind my Mazda pickup- bound for glory.

At the first turn, disaster struck. I cut the corner too sharp. The trailer rocked. The skirt caught the curb. Soon the pomp read “ ays  eat the gles!” Terrance almost went to the emergency room.

I felt like a failure. 

In the classroom, it wasn’t much better. I didn’t know very much, but I hoped if I could keep the 14 year olds busy, they wouldn’t eat me. During the first quarter the kids did 17 worksheets a day and we read half the literature anthology. I spent every minute I wasn’t building floats grading each of the 17 worksheets my 120 students did everyday.

Fortunately, talented educators intervened. The chair of the English department, Laramie Thompson, and my mentor, Kim Sellers, are two of the most thoughtful teachers I’ve known. They took time to speak wisdom about what was worth stressing over and what wasn’t. Laramie showed me what leadership looked like. She ensured each of the 700 freshman were challenged and supported in their growth as readers and writers. There were six English teachers in our department and our time together was focused on student learning. We didn’t always agree, but we did work together to craft common assessments and evaluate data. Years later I went to my first PLC meeting- I was convinced that someone had stolen all of Laramie’s ideas.

I left Simonsen for coaching opportunities. I taught in great schools with talented staffs, but I did not find the same professional challenge and support I experienced at Simonsen. Camaraderie existed, but not the same level of professional collegiality. We met for administrator led meetings and at lunch to share grievances, but we did not have deep, teacher led conversations about teaching and learning.

Fortunately, I found that same level of collegiality again before leaving the classroom at Harrisburg Middle School. Teachers had real conversations about supporting and challenging our kids, which included a significant number of students in foster care. As a staff we worked to ensure our school was a great place for all students to learn, regardless of their life experiences. Our conversations were collegial, centered on work, not grievances. We didn’t always agree, but we worked together for the kids. I remember my friend Brian’s response to the suggestion that the staff be on the same page: “That’s fine, but maybe we should be on the page the kids need.” The point was taken. In the end, the work, guided by collegiality, produced a strong sense of camaraderie. We were serving our students well and we knew it.

I’m not as involved in building level work as I used to be. Busses, budgets, and building maintenance dominate my workdays. I miss the collegiality and camaraderie of teachers when they are focused on teaching and learning. As much as I can, I try to support practices that allow those conversations to take place.  Good collaborative work is occurring in the Norborne district right now. I’m thankful for the experiences I had as a teacher that allow me to recognize it.