[Speced9]

I’m more than a little bit irritated about an upcoming teachers’ inservice. It’s going to be a day of boredom and frustration for me. Boredom because the morning and afternoon sessions both cover topics that I am well versed in, and frustration because THE POWERS THAT BE don’t seem to mind that they are wasting my time.

To be a little more specific, the morning session will consist of a computer services instructional leader teaching us how to update our classroom Web pages. I’ve been doing my own classroom site since 1995. Those were the days when we had to actually use html-based applications to do our Web pages. Now, we use a system where you can update your site using an Internet browser, so it’s even easier. Better yet, my Master’s degree is in Educational Technology, so I took quite a few classes dealing with this topic. Does it sound like I need to sit through two hours of Here’s How to Update Your Class Website 101?

The afternoon session is special ed. specific. It is an introductory inservice about DIBELS progress monitoring. Once again, I’m pretty well versed on the topic. Interestingly enough, I got my start with PM when the district had the very same inservice about four years ago. Since my school is a Reading First school, I’ve probably had more experience than most. So, here I am, a teacher who uses a palm pilot and Microsoft Excel to test and chart my students’ progress each week having to sit for two hours with people who may not even know what progress monitoring is.

I guess what gets me the most is that my professional development time is squandered by administrators who believe in the blanket training approach and are untrusting enough to think that I would sit around in my classroom reading magazines if I weren’t there being bored to tears.

It’s funny how I’m in a field that believes in individual education, yet I’m getting the same training over and over. The worst part is the fact that I’m the type who will say to THE POWERS THAT BE, “I really don’t need this training. Can’t I just skip it and do something else?” That really seems to get their goat for some reason. What do they think? Do they think I’m lying? Do they think I’m going to go shopping? That’s when the word MANDATORY seems to get thrown my way.

So, to THE POWERS THAT BE, thank you for making me sit through four hours of useless drivel. Thank you for taking time from me that I could be using to better my classroom. You’re right. I’d just sit around all day with a dazed look on my face if I stayed to work in my classroom.

Oh…wait…no…actually, that’s what I’ll be doing at your inservice.

[Evergreen]

I'm so jealous that you can use a Palm Pilot to PM!!! I do mine on paper in the little DIBELS booklets. Then I chart them, and draw the graph. Last, I go online and enter all of the info into the site, so that another graph can be done there..... all that extra work!

How humorous this post is to read! I don't mean that I find your frustration funny, but you wrote about it so well!

I completely feel your pain. Isn't it awful, all these long, stupid meetings? And I agree with you--it doesn't sound as if you need it!

[kidsrme11]

It sounds like you might be catching something. I'd take a sick day if I were you.

[Speced9]

heh, heh, good idea!! (cough, cough, sneeze)

Now you know what it's like for students who have to sit in class listening to and working on the material they have heard over and over again. Where did you go to school where the instruction was "individualized?"

[Speced9]

I am referring to the field of special education where each student has an "Individualized Education Program".

I feel your pain. DIBELs training put me to sleep the first time and I had to take it twice too. I've never once had an administrator ask me what I'd like to learn!

[yooper]

I completely agree! I wish you were here to talk to our Administration! Better yet I should copy your letter and send it to them :-) We have all the same problems and our Professional Development days are always a complete waste for those of us who have taught for a while and stayed updated on our trainings!

[Speced9]

to ask us what we want? I know there are some inservice days that we have to work on school improvement issues, but the other ones are up in the air, especially those that are teacher specific (i.e. science faculty, special ed. faculty).

Basically, the special ed. portion of the inservice tomorrow is one of those cases where SOME of the special ed. teachers in the district are not doing what they should be doing. Instead of getting those in who need it, they're making everyone come in. I really resent it.

Right now we're only progress monitoring reading skills. I'm ready to set up a system for progress monitoring math skills. I could just as easily use the two and a half hours setting that up in my own classroom. Instead, I'm going to have to sit and listen to stuff I already know quite well.

Well, I decided that I'm going to take my laptop and files with me and work on my math probes during the workshop anyway.