My Tests are not Thy Tests, Nor My God Thy God

[omorka]

So I'm slogging through a district G/T workshop on Differentiated Instruction, which is Educational Buzzword for "giving the kids who already know this shit more advanced material, not just extra problems, you idiot." Unfortunately, the district has adopted Dr. Tomlinson's approach to differentiation, which reduces it, ultimately, to a "you should be doing this for all kids." If we're doing it for every kid, it's not a G/T strategy anymore, is it? And then we're back to my perennial question, "Yes, but what are we doing for the gifted kids?" I prefer VanTassel-Baska's approach, but the district shies away from anything that might even remotely be considered elitist. (And the training leaders haven't read Dr. Silverman's book, either. And I think I left it in my classroom. Maybe I should order another copy.)

My tablemates are a 2nd-grade teacher, a 5th-grade teacher, a 9th-grade music teacher, and the orchestra teacher from Liontown. The latter is about 25 years older than the second-oldest person at the table, the only male, frantically extroverted, and jokes about being bipolar. This is simultaneously somewhat amusing and rather frustrating, especially since he keeps talking about church and "the Lord" constantly. Ai.

I left a voicemail with the Ramton secretary letting her know that I will be at the Leadership Team Meeting. Later, I got a voicemail from the school, in turn - but not from her. From my API.

Our King of Pentacles is moving on from our department - whether he got hired up higher into the system or retired to focus on his other business is anyone's guess right now. That means that the SAT-Prep class is open. Guess who gets to teach it? Guess who gets to take yet another training? Guess who will now have three whole preps?

The bright side of that is that someone else now inherits my on-level Precal classes, so it won't just be me and Coach D on the team. No idea who gets those two classes; I'm hoping for Mr. D, but no telling, really.

Wonder if I can get them to give me the English half of the SAT Prep class, too . . .

Comments

[redneckgaijin.livejournal.com]

I have nothing to add, except perhaps a misreading...

... you see, my eyes and brain conspired at one point to mis-parse the third letter of a certain five-letter word in your title as "a" instead of "s". Twice.

Maybe I need to go join a Tibetan monastery or something...

[omorka.livejournal.com]

. . . Well, I suppose that reading is also true, although it isn't terribly relevant to the workshop. ;) (*Pokes at the projections in question, to make sure they are firmly attached, just in case*)