Reply to tools of the mind in dcps

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Please ignore pretty much everything that has been said in the previous post. You are referencing information that you know nothing about, nor have studied, nor have actually implemented as a classroom teacher. Unfortunately, it sounds like the classroom within which you volunteer has a teacher that does not implement the Tools of the Mind program well.

In terms of grading play, that is completely against the philosophy of Tools. Most schools use the GOLD assessment system, which is a developmentally appropriate, research based assessment tool that provides the benchmarks for typically developing children across several developmental domains.

Realistically, the curriculum that is implemented in your child's classroom isn't nearly as important at the quality of the teacher. A teacher implements a curriculum, and they can do that well or poorly. I would ask potential principals if you're allowed to sit in on a class for more than 5 minutes as a pass-through, or see if any teachers are willing to speak with parents about what they do during the day. That will give you a better understanding of the pedagogical knowledge that the teacher has, and will hopefully demonstrate his or her ability to meet the needs of a diverse group of learners.[/quote]

I think it's valid to complain about implementation. It sounds like the pK teacher is not well cut out to be teaching the curriculum or the age group. And I think it's a bit suspect that she is relying on a parent to do the work of an instructional assistant. Is she a new teacher?

I also think it's valid to acknowledge some teachers thrive in creativity/craftiness but others do not. And it sucks that DCPS and the school are not giving any kind of budget for buying/creating materials for the curriclum. I sometimes think DCPS has such a high salary in part because teachers pay for so much out of pocket. [/quote]
Teacher let's parents work with the high fliers, because if her master educator comes in, and she in doing 'tools' then she will get dinged in her impact . Also- your theory about DCPs high salaries does not connect the dots. We pay a lot because we have to... Otherwise no one would teach here. Honestly. The number of teachers with less than five years experience is striking . We lure them in, keep them with inflated salaries, then they run. The reason DC does not provide the supports is not because they pay 'well', but rather because they are disorganized. [/quote]

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