Didn't See That One Coming

I was so looking forward to today... getting to spend time with my family.

During class, however, I got a phone call that shook things up a bit.  It was my apartment complex office telling me that, "it has come to their attention that I have a puppy, which is a strict violation against my lease."  Apparently, it says in my lease that they only allow dogs over the age of twelve months.

They have seen Harper, and she is clearly not twelve months old.

So, I was a teary-eyed mess for the last hour of my class today.  I raced home to hug my dog and ask my family to help me problem solve.

I decided to go immediately to talk to my manager to see what my options were.  Basically, I have to give up the dog or move out within thirty days.

The lady was also kind enough to give me her husband's contact information.  Apparently, he is the best real estate agent in town.  How nice of her!  She kicks me out of my apartment and then wants me to buy a house from her husband.  Fat chance.

So, I am here to announce that I am moving.

My dear friend Kelli is going house hunting with me tomorrow, and I'm headed to the bank on Monday to see how much money they think I can spend on a house.  I hate making these kinds of decisions so quickly, but thirty days doesn't give me much wiggle room.  I only wish that I didn't also have to deal with parent-teacher conferences this week.

Oh, well.

I keep telling myself that this is happening for a reason.  And I am trusting in the Lord with all my heart and not leaning on my own understanding.  I am submitting to him, for I know that He will make my paths straight.

It's all I know to do.

Wish me luck!

NeSA Schmesa

I completely understand that I, as a teacher, should be accountable for learning in my classroom.

I'm fine with that.

It's what I signed up for.

The instrument used to measure the achievement of my students, however, is questionable in terms of its validity.

This week, we got a new student on our team who inspired my team leader to question our state's Education Commissioner:

Dear Dr. Breed,

A new student started in my math class last Thursday at [Our] Middle School in [Our Town]. Her name is (name removed for privacy reasons). She moved to [Our Town] from Iraq and speaks no English. She also does not understand English nor does she read English. She is in math and ELL 1 classes. She is a lovely, scared young woman who had to go home her first day because she couldn't handle the school situation. I have been told that because she is new to the country and does not speak English, she will not have to take the NeSA reading this year. However, I have also been told that she will have to take the NeSA math test. My understanding is that the NeSA math test has many word problems. I, of course, have not seen the test. Our district is anticipating a heavy emphasis on word problems; but, of course, they haven't seen the test either. If any of this information is incorrect, please let me know. However, if it is correct, please explain to me how giving this test is in any way fair to this young woman or an accurate measure of what she knows in the field of math. I look forward to hearing from you.

Barbara Terwilliger
6th Grade Math Teacher


Here is the response that she received:


Barbara -
Thank you for sharing about your new student.  Your note is an example of reality hitting the NeSA test process and your question of fairness may be reasonable for a variety of similarly situated students throughout Nebraska.  Although the mathematics test includes word problems, the items have been built to measure math, not reading.  The item writers were instructed in that way and really do understand that the validity of the test must measure the right thing.

As to the fairness of the test to an individual student, this will vary with the myriad of circumstances that impact teachers and students.  I do not have a response for the fairness question except to say that the NeSA test is a valid, one-shot measure of learning regarding the state standards.  No more, no less.  Although [your student] is required to take the test, the test can be read to her per the administration practices found on page one of the accommodations guide.  I would advise you to consult the [district] central office to set up appropriate guidelines for test administration for this student.

Again, thank you for your note.  I hope you, [lovely, new Iraqi student] and all of your students have a productive and positive school year.
-R. Breed

I am tempted to send a follow-up e-mail asking Mr. Breed how, exactly, it will be beneficial to read the test out loud to a girl who understands no English.  Maybe if we speak slowly and loudly, she will understand some of it?

Something else that Mr. Breed doesn't know about our student is that there was a two-year span of her life when she didn't even go to school because of the war that was going on in Iraq.  So, not only does she not understand the language, but she has missed out on many basic skills with which other sixth graders come to us.

I am grateful that Barbara received a response from a man who, I'm sure, is very busy.  But I'm still not confident in the NeSA.  On the NeSA reading last year, my school did not meet AYP in the category of ELL students.  While students who have been in the country for less than a year are not required to take this test, I hardly think it's fair to test those who have been here for slightly over one year.

I guarantee you that if I moved to another country in which I understood not a word of their language, it would take me much more than a year to be reading and writing in that language at my grade level.

There is just no way.

Our ELL teachers and our classroom teachers are excellent.  But they are not miracle workers.

These students are often very bright, and I'm sure that if I was able to communicate with them in their native language that I would be blown away by what they know and can do.

And bless their hearts, they work their tails off in our school every day.

They put on a brave face on that first day of school when they literally don't speak one word of English and have nobody around who can understand them.  They put a friendly smile on their faces when a teacher or a peer speaks to them.  They nod their heads, pretending to understand, in attempt to show that they want to be there.  They are patient when we, their teachers, don't know how to explain something differently.

They listen.  They think.  They try.

So incredibly hard.

And yet, we shove a standardized test at them and we tell them that their hard work isn't good enough.  They are not proficient.  They are performing "below expectations."  They have failed.

Who is really failing here?

I would argue that it is not the students.

A Much-Needed Perspective

Yesterday was Father's Day, and today is my parents' 30th wedding anniversary.  These events happen near the same time every year, and we typically do a joint celebration.  This year, my parents and brother came to Lincoln to have lunch and spend some time together.

Mom and Dad stayed later than they normally do, heading home at around 5:30.  I was watching the weather and watching the clock, waiting for them to call and tell me they had arrived safely.  Superior was covered in red on the radar on the weather channel.  The television told me that Superior was in a tornado warning and that people needed to seek shelter in their basement.

My parents weren't yet home, but were driving straight toward the storm.  When I called, they were a few miles north of town and were speeding (literally) to get home.  Then, the sirens started going off.  My mom said she would call when they were safe.

Thankfully, the call came a few minutes later.  They were in the basement, but from what they had seen, things weren't good.  Cell phone lines weren't working, so we had to communicate via land line.

Here's a video of what was happening during the storm:



My mom was called for an emergency City Council meeting last night, where they met with the Emergency Management Team and made a game plan.  She along with the city electric crew worked into the night and returned to work early this morning.

It was confirmed this morning that the tornado was an F2 and had wind speeds reaching 120 miles per hour.  Here are some pictures courtesy of my friend Whitney at Whitney Huynh Photography.

This is in our City Park.  A tree fell on top of the band shell.

Many cars were damaged.

MANY trees fell down.

Some were uprooted.

Train cars were removed from the tracks.

Many roads are now blocked by trees.

Lots of roofs were damaged.

And yards are covered in debris.

Power lines were damaged... many are still without power.

This shed was completely turned upside down.

Here are some more pictures from my friend Brooke at Hi-Light Studios Photography:

More trees...

Destroyed swingset

 My friend Brady's house

 Then there is the flooding issue.

This last one is from my friend Houston:

This was her caption:  "the entire church sign was shattered...but the one thing left in tact was the cross on top."
 
That speaks volumes of truth.

When I talked to my mom over the lunch hour, she said that their plan is going well.  The American Red Cross has arrived and are serving lunch to the people who are working to clean up the town.  Only 25% of people are without power, and it is expected to return by the end of today.

We are so very fortunate that the only damage was structural... as far as we know, nobody was hurt in the storm.  In times like this I am reminded to count my blessings and be grateful for what I have, especially after being reminded that so much can quickly be taken away.

Thanks to everyone back home who is working hard to get things cleaned up and back to normal!