rynotalk

Models of Success There is a quote on the wall at Newton South High School that I have walked past every day for seven years: “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?” -Steve Jobs Originally, a version of this quote was spoken by Jobs when attempting to lure the CEO of Pepsi to join Apple. In isolation on the wall of a high school, this quote appears to argue that any career can be lumped into one of two categories. You’re either selling sugar water or you’re changing the world. There is no in-between, and it is clear which set of careers is portrayed as desirable. You’re either a failure doing some meaningless, menial job or a success who is changing the world. I hate this quote. I don’t think it should be displayed on the wall of any high school, but especially not a high school like Newton South, where many students have heard their whole lives that there is one narrow path to success, and a large number that lead to failure. Do...

There is a television show called Ancient Aliens whose fundamental claim is that Earth was visited long ago by extraterrestrials who exerted wide-ranging influence over the development of society. Among other things, the show claims that Albert Einstein and Nicola Tesla either were, or were in communication with, extraterrestrials. These claims are ridiculous. If someone brought up these ideas in conversation and provided the same arguments as the television show, they’d be laughed out of the room. But if one were flipping through channels and stumbled upon the actual show, they manage to look a lot more compelling. Why? First, the show is on the History Channel, which still clings to some vestiges of credibility. Second, the format of the show is documentary-style. Interviews with alleged experts who have their meaningless credentials in the corner of the screen are accompanied by a narrator and music evoking mystery and intrigue. In my math and physics classes, I’ve used the show as...

Consulting Teachers on Policy is a No-Brainer Without a doubt, teachers are the most vital element of education delivery. They should be consulted on policy decisions for two reasons: 1. They are experts. They are in the trenches every single day, working with an incredible diversity of students. They teach kindergarten through grade twelve, they teach every subject imaginable, and they each do it in a unique way. To not put a policy proposal in front of this incredible diversity of perspectives is to shoot oneself in the foot. If a policymaker wants their policy to be successful, they should work hard to find everything that could possibly go wrong in the implementation step, and fix it. 2. Teachers make up the largest part of the district’s education organization. In any organization, morale is important. Leaders want employees to feel valued, safe, and empowered to do their best work. Without employee buy-in on policy changes, leaders are setting themselves up for failure. By it...

The leading narrative among the public this year was that the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) was a ruthless, politically cunning entity that always found a way to get what it wanted.  I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry whenever the public talked about the Newton Teachers Association (NTA) as though they wielded considerable political power. This belief that the NTA was a powerful political entity stood in stark contrast to the truth: the NTA’s leadership, helmed by President Mike Zilles, made blunder after blunder that left teachers privately discussing whether there was a way to wrest back control of the union that was supposed to represent us. As the beginning of the 2020-21 school year approached, a perfect storm fell into the NTA’s lap. Newton leadership (Mayor Fuller, Supt. Fleishman, and the school committee) presented the “plan” that they’d come up with, and it was a doozy. Having obviously been developed without the input of anyone who worked in a classroom, it had a ...

A few days before the 2020-21 school year began, leadership dictated to Newton teachers that we would be using a new, never-before-seen (by us, at least) grading system. It was difficult to view such a sudden, last-minute mandate positively given that it was only one of a barrage of abrupt policy changes that did not incorporate, or even ask for, teacher input. However, it did establish that grading systems in Newton are not sacrosanct. What would the ideal grading system look like? What Can (Not Should!) Grades Be Used For?  • Provide feedback to students, families, and other teachers • Motivate student learning • Motivate student behavior • Signaling intelligence to other members of the community • Signaling “being a good student/person” • Sorting students/signaling to colleges What Should Grades Be Used For? • Provide feedback to students, families, and other teachers Our society has come to view grades, rather than learning, as the primary tangible that students t...