Looking in a Rear View Mirror To Go Forward....

As I sit and reflect on where I have been in my ten years of education, I can't believe how time has flown by. I have seen my students grow up, graduate from college, become successful, and start families of their own. The field of education has changed dramatically, I can't say that I am pleased with everything that has evolved in the field of education, but I will continue to work and fight for a better educational system for my children and your children.

I remember when I first started teaching teachers just taught for the fun of teaching and believing that you could teach because you were really going to make a difference in a child's life. As you taught you could infuse some life lessons into your lessons so that you could teach a holistic curriculum. Those were the good ole days! The era of education now, has drastically changed. TEST! TEST! TEST! Don't get me wrong, it is good to evaluate and determine where a student is while they are in school. I truly believe that the amount of test that the students have to take are a bit overkill. So, you have a system where students have lost their love for learning and teachers have lost their love for teaching, and you have a perpetual system that just goes in circles with no end.

I do believe there is hope for education though. I think that eventually we will get this testing thing right and only require one test for students to graduate from high school. I hope that it's the ACT or SAT, which is used for admittance into college, so why not use it as the exit exam for students to get out of high school. Where does this leave me? Still fighting for equality in education for students that look like me. I have chased money, and it did not bring the fulfillment that I thought it would. I am now on a mission to try and level the playing field of the minority and majority in education. I have renewed passion to see this generation of students have all the rights and privileges that the next student has. Hey, there may also be a charter school in the making in the near further. Only God knows.

Should I Stay or Should I go Now.....

This week's blog challenge is to blog about four reasons why I stay in the rough culture of education. This is a question that students ask me all of the time. Students and even society can't fathom why anyone would want to stay in the field of education with all of the issues that arise in this profession. I hope to fully explain the reasons as to why I stay in the field of education. Enjoy!!!!

1. A true and definite calling from God. In this time of education that we live in when there is a dire shortage of teachers in the profession and every time we look up there is a call for alternative certified teachers, I stay in the profession because I believe that it is a call from God, a mandate if you will say. Don't get me wrong I have met my share of alt. certified teachers and they do well, but if your heart is not in it you will not last. I once say a book entitled Those Who Can't Teach meaning that, those who can't make it in the business sector of the world turn to teaching. I totally hate this notion that education has now! Society looks at the amount of months that we actually teach and work and the summer break (which really is not a break) we supposedly get and society tries to minimizes our profession. But, let's get this straight, there is NO OTHER PROFESSION that would exist without a teacher. Let that sink in. So, I stay in the this profession because God has called me to be here! There have been days that I have wanted to throw in the towel, but because this is a calling and not just a job I continue to fight for a fair and equitable education for all kids and hope the student's lives that I impact will pay it forward and one day come back to education and do that same. 
2. I want the students to see someone that looks like them. With there being a shortage of educators in today's profession, there is surely a shortage of African Americans in the profession. Then let's take that a step further, there is a shortage of males in the profession too. I stay, because I want every black male that I come in contact with to see that you don't have to grow up looking to be a professional athlete, music industry star, or sell drugs. I want my black males and more importantly all males to see that you can grow up be successful and give back to your community. Many times our males don't have any focus because they don't have anyone that they can relate to or turn to. It's easy to want to be someone that makes lots of money and has lots of women, but in the back of their minds these males know that it will be very hard to attain that lifestyle because not everyone can make it to that pinnacle. I want to intentionally be a role model for all males, especially black males, and let them know that there is more to life and that it's cool to be an educator. 
3. Those that have paved the way for me. There are many educators that have paved the way for me to be where I am today. My father, Walter Chandler, Mr. David Witte my high school principal, Dr. Alex Lewis my college mentor, Dr. Joan Clark college mentor. I could go on and on but you get the idea. There have been many people that have come before me that stuck with education even when times got rough they stayed because they knew there would be a David Chandler that would need someone to guide him along the way. I stay because this generation of students need guidance from someone that is passionate about education and looks at this as not just a job but a calling and a career. Our students deserve better than a person who is just in it just to draw a paycheck and supposedly get summers off. I stand on the shoulders of those that came before me and I look to one day have many of my students stand on my shoulders to train and teach the next generation of citizens. 
4. Honestly, I think I am pretty good at! This may sound arrogant, but hey if you don't have confidence in yourself who will. As a teacher I thought I was pretty good at breaking down the English language and novels so that students could understand them. Also I am pretty good at getting students to think rationally and objectively at situations that they are going through in life. Now that I have transitioned into the administration role, I think that I am now learning how to get the best out of teacher so that instruction is impacted and that students learn what is being taught. I must admit that I have a long way to go, but I must say that I think that I am pretty good at educating students and leading teachers.  

I hope this gives you some insight as to why I stay in this profession and why I hope that you, as you read this, decide to stay in education. I am not going to lie, there are days that just make you want to give up and never look back, but trust me, take a deep breath, go hope and decompress, and go back and try even harder next time. Remember, on your worst day, you are still the best thing that many of these students will ever have. 

Keeping Calm: You Still Have the Power

This post is an unusually one because it is in response to the OKCPS Blogging Challenge. I think I might be the only administrator that is participating in the Blogging Challenge. Our assignment is to blog about any topic concerning education that we  aids us in our everyday work in education. As an administrator, I get to see a totally different side of education. I mostly deal with the political side of the profession, parent concerns, improving instruction within the school, and I deal with student discipline. During this blog I want to deal with student discipline and some techniques that I have learned over the years that aid me in dealing with student discipline.

Now, I have been in education for a 11 years now, and one of the first things that I ever learned was that in order to survive in education you must form good relationships. Not only with your fellow teachers, administration, parents, but mostly with students. Students are your customers and ultimately they are the ones that will matter the most. So, before I even administer discipline or try to discipline a student I must first get to know the students and build a rapport with the students. Students need to know that they can trust you and they need to know that even when you administer discipline that it is not from a place of hate or malice but from a place of love. Believe it or not students want boundaries and do not mind discipline, because most of the time they know that they have done wrong, they just want to know how far they are able to push the boundaries.

Secondly, when dealing with student discipline always do some investigating and find out what the root cause of the issue or behavior. Many times a student will act out because, a) they are having a bad day b) issues at home c) bad relationship with you as the teacher d) all of the above. As an educator we must take these factors into account, not saying that you won't still administer discipline, but it will help you understand and empathize with the student. Among the many things that I have learned in my years in education is that today's students deal with way more issues, be it adult issues, than I ever did while I was in school. As educators I believe that it is our duty to not only educate but to also guide our students through difficult times in their lives.

When you do have to administer discipline here are some tips that will surely aid you and not cause a major blow up:

1. Never embarrass a student or belittle a student in front of the rest of the class. This is the easiest way to damage a teacher/student relationship in a way that probably will not be able to be repaired. 
2. Many times pulling a student away from the rest of the class and speaking with that student will alleviate the problem that is going on. This is good because many times because the student will share things with you that he/she would not normally share with you in front of the class.  
3. Don't hold grudges. Now, I know as teachers we are human and many times a student will do things that get under our skin and get on our last nerve. As educated educators we must use every fiber within us to not hold grudges against the students and give them a clean slate every time that you deal with them. Remember "Foolish is found in the heart of a child." Our students are still growing and have not figured it out yet. 
4. Choose your battles wisely. Many times students will do things just to see if they can get a rise out of you, and they want your attention. So, choose your battles wisely and do let the students see you rattled. 
5. Lastly, KEEP YOUR COOL and do not yell or raise your voice. You might be reading this and think to yourself, yeah right. Believe me, it can be done. I rarely raise my voice because I realize that as the adult and the educator I still have all of the power and authority. The minute that I begin to raise my voice and yell, I have just given up that power and I let the student know what actions they can do to get me out of my element. When situations like this come and you feel yourself loosing control, breath, step away from the situation and regain composure.  

I hope this helps you in area of student discipline and classroom management.