This is my contract for grade.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 1998

Answers

Proposal for a B grade.

Proposal for a B grade.

I would like to write a 3 - 4 page summary/reaction paper on the autobiography of Guy Dowd. He was a national recipient of the Teacher of the Year award. The book is called "Molder of Dreams" and it paints an inspiring picture of the compassion, dedication, and the commitment it takes to be considered a master teacher. It also is a vivid reminder that a teacher is more than a disseminator of knowledge. He is a vital part of the growing up process for the children of today. It is a must read for those of us who would be molders of dreams.

Proposal for an A grade.

We have installed a new curriculum at the Duluth Public Schools called the Core Plus Mathematics Project. It is an activity based course that integrates four of the five high standards in mathematics. It was selected as an alternative for the traditional curriculum of Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Algebra, and Pre-Calculus. It is understood that students must complete three years of this course in order to gain the math standards and graduate from high school.

The caliber of student enrolled in this course makes it a challenge. Over 50% of these students have not passed their basic 8th grade tests in reading and math. This new curriculum is very reading and writing intensive and for many of the students it has been a struggle living up to expectations in a math class that is like no other that they have experience.

I have started after school study groups for Core Plus students. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30, in my room I have started a tutoring program designed to meet the additional needs of the students who need extra time and attention in order to successfully complete this course. I expect all of my students to compile a portfolio of their work in that class. I am also building a portfolio for the class and the after school sessions are ideal for students who want to get caught up or get their work in order.

We have six sections of Core-Plus Math and the the other teacher who shares the responsibility of these classes with me is a new teacher who began his career this year. He has agreed to work with me on this project and the time after school will also serve as a mentoring/sharing time so that we may approach the class with a common perpsective.

I have also started donating 2 (or more) of my prep hours per week to being available in the student support room where many of the students on IEPs have directed study. Many of these students are taking Core Plus Math and the case workers are having a difficult time assisting them in this very different style of mathematics class.

-- Anonymous, November 16, 1998

Greetings. Proposal for B is OK-please include information about how your teaching may or may not change as a result of your reading. A project is interesting-please provide a summary of your learning/experience/plan and response for mentoring at the end of the semester in January. Again-please address how this new curriculu and after school offering has had an impact on your teaching and your student's/new teacher's learning.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-- Anonymous, January 31, 1999

Tim White ID#1247276 Cohort 3 Contract for Grade

Proposal for an A grade.

We have installed a new curriculum at the Duluth Public Schools called the Core Plus Mathematics Project. It is an activity based course that integrates four of the five high standards in mathematics. It was selected as an alternative for the traditional curriculum of Algebra, Geometry, Advanced Algebra, and Pre-Calculus. It is understood that students must complete three years of this course in order to gain the math standards and graduate from high school.

The caliber of student enrolled in this course makes it a challenge. Over 50% of these students have not passed their basic 8th grade tests in reading and math. This new curriculum is very reading and writing intensive and for many of the students it has been a struggle living up to expectations in a math class that is like no other that they have experience.

I have started after school study groups for Core Plus students. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30, in my room I have started a tutoring program designed to meet the additional needs of the students who need extra time and attention in order to successfully complete this course. I expect all of my students to compile a portfolio of their work in that class. I am also building a portfolio for the class and the after school sessions are ideal for students who want to get caught up or get their work in order.

We have six sections of Core-Plus Math and the other teacher who shares the responsibility of these classes with me is a new teacher who began his career this year. He has agreed to work with me on this project and the time after school will also serve as a mentoring/sharing time so that we may approach the class with a common perspective.

I have also started donating 2 (or more) of my prep hours per week to being available in the student support room where many of the students on IEPs have directed study. Many of these students are taking Core Plus Math and the case workers are having a difficult time assisting them in this very different style of mathematics class.

12/31/99 Mid-Year Response/Reaction

We have just concluded our first semester of Core Plus Mathematics. The class is turning out to be a very labor intensive course. The students are required to do a lot of reading and writing. Hence, I have to do a lot of reading and writing. It takes much longer to grade homework assignments and tests. The biggest problem we are experiencing comes from attendance and truancy issues. Core Plus Math is an activity based class. Absences mean missed investigations. The after school sessions have turned out to be a wonderful idea. While it hasnt been as well attended as I wish, my students know that I will be available at that time. It has been a consistent time when they can make up their missed work and retake poor quizzes. I have had some regular attendees and it has allowed me to get a little better acquainted with these students. I have been able to tell parents that the option is there if their child is struggling and these parents are pleased to know when extra help is available. I have found this time invaluable as I prepare for investigations to come. I work on my portfolio and have it available for students that need to get caught up. One of my students is severely vision impaired and he has taken advantage of the extra time to show me his work and get a look at mine. We work together better in class as I know some of his signals of frustration when he is having trouble seeing. This course is not a fluff class that has dumbed down material so that anybody can pass. Kyle Naaslund, my teaching cohort have worked out a grading policy that make it possible for anybody who works at it to get a D. Our common frustration is the number of students that refuse to do the minimal amount of homework we do assign. As we compare grades, however, it is clear that attendance is the real issue for most of the failures. We finished the semester by submitting a list of students who are failing because of developmental issues. Core Plus Math is populated largely by underachievers. After three grading periods, it is clear that not every student is ready for this class. The new semester is about to start and we have convinced the administration to open a section of remedial mathematics that will be populated by students which are performing very poorly and have yet to pass the basic competency test in math and reading. That class was made possible by collapsing one of the six sections in Core Plus. I have been assigned to take this new class largely because I have more experience than Kyle and it was felt that I would be able to take on the extra prep with more ease. I am looking forward to this class because I can work with these students at their level rather than forcing them to do something that is clearly over their heads. Kyle and I will continue to work together as we enter the new semester. One fortunate result of our after school meetings is the fact that our classes are virtually on the same page and any students being rescheduled into new section will have minimal adjustments to make if they should end up with a different teacher.

I have spent quite a few prep hours in the special education room where many students have directed study. This hasnt proven to be very useful. The case workers appreciate my being there and I appreciate a little better what they are up against. They believe and I agree with them, that these new graduations standards are going to be very rough on the students for which they are responsible. Perhaps the most important thing I learned from my time with them, is the many difficult lives that many of these kids have to lead. Many of their difficulties are self-inflicted but that doesnt change the fact that they will be severely hard pressed to achieve at the level the state now demands. The expectations placed upon special education teachers to see that their charges get the help they need may be too high. Many of these students simply wont be able to produce at the high standards level. As I enter into the new semester, I plan to stay the course with the after school study sessions. They are too valuable for me to quit. I feel very strongly that our students will see that value as well when it finely sinks in that the state is serious about the grad rule. The slow start of these sessions was to be expected, I suppose. The need for me to be available is real whether they take advantage of it or not.

-- Anonymous, January 31, 1999

Timothy F. White ID #1247276 Cohort III Contract for Grade

Proposal for a B grade:

A book report

Molder of Dreams by Guy Rice Dowd

Molder of dreams is the autobiography of Guy Dowd. He was an English and speech teacher in Brainerd, Minnesota who was honored as the National Teacher of the Year. In this book, he takes us from his childhood to the presentation of his award by Ronald Reagan. He is a fine story teller who writing is vivid allowing you to recall events from your own past even as he is recalling his.

The book is Guy Dowds testimony. He is a very religious man whose story is as much his spiritual walk as it is about his journey to win perhaps the most prestigious award a teacher can receive. He was born and raised in Staples, Minnesota. He was the son of poor alcoholic parents. His fondest memories of love and acceptance were those of his grandparents and his mother. His school days were not fondly remembered. He had very little self-esteem and was the object of ridicule because he was obese. As he takes you through his life story, he points out the things along the way that will influence the kind of teacher he would become.

He remembers the unspoken messages that some of his teachers gave him that made him think he wasnt any good. Whether they meant those messages the way he received them was irrelevant, That is the way they were received. Ironically for me, mathematics was one of the banes of his existence. Gym class was also a source of great humiliation given his weight problems. He paints himself as a very vulnerable, soft- hearted, and scared individual.

He was able to speak to me for all of the students that I have had that may have been like him. As I read the book, I wondered how many times that I have sent out those signals to students who are like he was. This book is a source of inspiration to me. It was a few years ago that I read it for the first time. Then I was teaching in a private school where students tend to come from more stable and affluent homes. Reading it again for this report was even more valuable for me now that I am teaching in a public school. There are a lot more students like little Guy Dowd where I work now. This book serves as a reminder of what a powerful influence, for good and bad, that teachers are over the students we see every day.

I think that I tend to come off an uncaring and uncompromising teacher. As I read this book again I was reminded that while I take my job very seriously, for many students learning math is way down the list of what is important. Certainly, there are those students who need a firm hand and need to be held accountable, but the method of delivery need not be harsh and angry. At the private school, I was considered a master teacher. I was highly regarded by my students and my colleagues. Now I realize that the frustrations I encountered then were relatively few. This is no longer the case where I teach. I have decided that I need to find ways to deal with my frustrations that will be helpful and carried out with a sense of patience and peace. I need to remember that many of these frustrations are only more aggravating when dealt with in a cold unfeeling manner. I know I am probably my own worst critic here, but I have been given a model to look at with the story of Guy Dowd. I am grateful for this assignment if only because it gave me the reason to reread this book. I think Ill try reread it every few years. If only to remember why I wanted to become a teacher in the first place.

As Guy Dowd received his award from Ronald Reagan, the President had a poem that he read aloud. I would like to close with that poem. Teachers

You are the molders of their dreams. The gods who build or crush their young beliefs of right or wrong. You are the spark that sets aflame the poets hand or lights the flame in some great singers song. You are the gods of young -- the very young. You are the guardians of a million dreams. Your every smile or frown can heal or pierce a heart. Yours are one hundred lives -- one thousand lives. Yours is the pride of loving them, the sorrow too. Your patient work, your touch, make you the hope That fills their souls with dreams, and make those dreams come true.

-- Anonymous, February 01, 1999