Monday, June 27, 2011

In the blink of an eye...

In December of 2009, I made a decision on a whim that would affect the rest of my life.  After much research, I decided to finish a dream I began almost 15 years prior.  In August of 1995, I enrolled at our local community college with no real thoughts on where it would take me, hoping that after a few courses I would have some idea of which path to follow.  It didn't take long before I thought I knew which route to take.  After taking some English courses with one of the most wonderful English instructors I've ever had the pleasure learning (and working with), I was pretty certain that I wanted to pursue a future in education. 

Fast forward to August of 1997...Having a young daughter at home and attending classes full-time, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get my foot in the door at Carroll Community Schools.  Three days before school started, I was hired as a paraeducator whose primary responsibilities included monitoring a few studyhalls, lunch and recess.  This would be a breeze...or so I thought.  It did not take me long to decide that maybe teaching was not the route I wanted to take at that time.  Don't get me wrong, I loved the kids and the atmosphere.  I just didn't feel that this career was cut out for me.  But I stuck with it, even though I had to put my education on hold to raise my family.  Working my way up an alternate ladder, I soon found myself in the position I currently hold and love, but deep down inside, I felt something lacking. 

So after a little over 14 years after I began my educational endeavors, I jumped the gun and enrolled in an online program to obtain a degree in Education and Public Policy.  I remember feeling so overwhelmed and even shedding several tears, thinking there was no possible way that I would ever be able to finish.  After making some compromises and eliminating almost all of my little free time to study and write papers, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!  Six weeks ago, I was faced with a decision that I will never regret.  My advisor, Rachel, had called to inform me that my next scheduled class had no other students enrolled.  I could take the class by myself, or wait until another student enrolled.  Knowing I had only two courses left, I made the decision to take the class solo, quite hesitant of how it would work out and the extra time I would have to put into it to ensure that I was getting all I could out of the course.  I was not let down.  In this course, I had the pleasure of working with an instructor who challenged my perspectives and encouraged me to dig deeper into my understanding of education and the policies that do and don't make it work.  Today, I turned in my final paper for this course and feel sad about having to part ways with Dr. Thomas. 

Next Tuesday, I will begin my final class and then its on to bigger and better endeavors.  Having already been accepted into the Masters of Ed program with a specialization in Family and Community Services, it is my hope that some day I can be the mentor that so many of my instructors along the way have been for me!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Electronic Snow Days?


Over the course of the last week, educators from across Iowa met in the basement of the Coralville Public Library to explore additional techniques to integrate technology into Iowa classrooms without losing sight of traditional teaching methods.  Funded by a $2.7 million federal grant for the expansion of digital technology use in the classroom.  The integration of the “Communities of Practice and Innovation” (CoPi) in the Fall of 2011 will use English, math, science and social studies instructors in the pilot program to “break down the walls of the classroom,” by allowing “students to meet with other students who are not in the classroom,” (Carlson, 2011).

What does this mean for Iowa students?  Given the distinct possibility of a handful of snow days each school year for inclement weather, the pilot project could mean the elimination of snow days as students will have electronic access to classrooms across the state who may not be affected by the weather.  Students will be able to utilize online learning communities, similar to what many universities have been using to educate students for the past several years.  Of course there are many factors that need to be taken into account when implementing such a program.  How do families who cannot afford a computer or internet access benefit from the online learning community?  What happens when weather is so severe that power to homes is cut off and students do not have access to the electronic classrooms?  How do families with more than one child allow each child to participate?  Finally, how do school districts ensure parental and community support in the program?  As with regular classroom instruction, there will always be the handful of parents who do not value the importance of education and will not ensure that their children participate in the program.  Although I feel the program is innovative and could provide many potential benefits, the factors that could make it ineffective need to be analyzed to ensure a smooth and flawless implementation.

Carlson, M. (2011, June 24). E-curriculum could spell end to "snow days". Retrieved from http://thegazette.com/2011/06/24/e-curriculum-could-spell-end-to-snow-days/

Planning an end to school snow days. (2011, June 24). Retrieved from http://www.kcci.com/education/28348263/detail.html  

Friday, June 17, 2011

Search and Seizure...the Next Chapter


With the increased access to technology and more importantly, the increasing number of students who possess cell phones, school districts need to be very cautious of how they deal with the misuse of cell phones in the school building and if the policies they have in force will protect them from litigation.  In March of 2011, Texas Judge, Nancy K. Johnson, found a high school student’s Fourth Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution were violated when an assistant high school principal confiscated her cell phone for violating the school’s no cell phone policy.  After taking the phone, Assistant Principal Stephanie Langner turned on the phone to confirm that the student was indeed texting.  However, instead of just viewing the inbox and outbox for times, which was justified by her reasonable suspicion for confiscating the phone, Langner proceeded to open the text messages and eventually discovered a nude photo that had been sent to another student.  Applying the T.L.O. test, Johnson concluded that Langner went beyond her constitutional limits when searching the contents of text messages contained on the phone (Heller, 2011; Brinkerhoff & Wallenchinsky, 2011).

The case of Jennifer Mendoza v. Klein Independent School District has brought to light the need for school districts across the nation to be extremely cautious when confiscating cell phones for violation of use policies.  The Carroll Middle School policy on the use of electronic devices was recently revised to state that students could possess, but not operate such devices during the school day.  Students violating the policy may have their device confiscated, receive a detention and must have a parent retrieve the device from the office.  At no time, is any staff member given permission to search a student’s cell phone for evidence of use.  Many districts have implemented similar policies, but is it enough to protect school districts across the nation from litigation?

Brinkerhoff, N., & Wallenchinsky, D. (2011, March 22). Texas judge challenges right of schools to search student cell phones. Retrieved from http://www.allgov.com/Controversies/ViewNews/Texas_Judge_Challenges_Right_of_Schools_to_Search_Student_Cell_Phones_110322

Heller, M. (2011, March 20). Texas teen scores legal first in 'sexting' privacy case. Retrieved from http://www.onpointnews.com/NEWS/Texas-Teen-Scores-Legal-First-in-Sexting-Privacy-Case.html

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Coaching and Education: Who Makes the Call?


On Wednesday, June 8, 2011, the East Sac County school board terminated the varsity girls’ basketball coaching contract of Elementary Principal, Mike Fischer after 24 years of coaching.  The termination resulted from a policy enacted at an April specifically forbidding “school administrators from taking additional jobs – within or outside of the school district – without prior board or Superintendent approval,” (Strong, 2011).  On April 22, Kevin Fiene, Superintendent at East Sac, sent Fisher an email stating that he had until April 27 to resign from either his elementary principal position or his head coaching position in accordance with Board Policy 303.9 (Schable, 2011). 

Fischer has been successful both as elementary principal and as head basketball coach, proclaiming “test scores for the elementary were higher this year than ever before and the girl’s basketball team had their best record since the schools began sharing girl’s basketball,” (Blankman, 2011).  Of course the ability to hold an administrative role and provide extracurricular coaching responsibilities varies by individual, but who has the power to determine the ability of an individual to qualitatively manage his/her responsibilities?  The East Sac school board and Fiene believe the policy allows administrators to keep their primary focus on student academic achievement (Strong, 2011).  In light of this newly enacted school board policy, the question of whether teachers should be allowed to also hold extracurricular coaching positions in addition to their teaching responsibilities needs to be addressed.  In actuality, is it not the teacher’s responsibility to make the primary focus student achievement in the classroom? 


Blankman, J. (Reporter). (2011, June 9). East sac school board terminates girls basketball coaching contract [Radio news article]. (Executive producer), Carroll, IA: Carroll Broadcasting Company.

Schable, A. (2011, April 25). Longtime coach suspects new policy is personal. Daily Times Herald, Retrieved from http://www.carrollspaper.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=12009&TM=37944.65

Strong, J. (2011, April 27). East sac's job policy may be a rare one. Daily Times Herald, Retrieved from http://www.carrollspaper.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=12015&TM=37944.65

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Six years...

It was a hot, sunny day...similar to today.  Summer activities were in swing and Kait thought it would be a fantastic year to join two softball leagues.  Mondays and Wednesdays were devoted to one league and Tuesdays and Thursdays to the other.  It was Wednesday, just like today.  Kait had a game in Templeton, so we didn't have to travel far.  I was home early and decided to throw some honey, mustard chicken into the crockpot for lunch on Thursday.  It was early, so I called dad and asked him if he wanted to come down for supper and then watch Kait play ball.  He was tired from working all day and said, "I'll be at the next one."  I told him I'd be bringing him lunch in the morning and we ended with the usual, "Uh-huh, yep."

Kait's game was amazing...a come from behind win in the bottom of the 7th with her scoring the game winning run!  What a way to end the night...or so we thought.

It was six years ago tonight that I was awaken by my cellphone ringing...for some reason the call wouldn't come through to our house phone.  It was my sister, "Dad's not breathing...you have to come."  I told David to stay with the kids, that I'd call him.  I regret that decision to this day.  I remember driving as fast as I could, but stuck in slow motion.  I slammed on my breaks after a deer popped up from the ditch.  The contents of my purse were now strewn amongst the floor.  A few miles later, I had to stop for a raccoon.  Really?  I just need to get there.  As soon as I walked in, I knew it wasn't good.  My aunt and uncle and sisters and brother were sitting in the waiting room with my mom.  Before long, they took us back and Dr. Carroll broke the news..."We did all that we could...we worked on him longer than we normally would...I'm so sorry..."  The memory of that night oh so painful to this day...

It was then that my philosophy on life changed.  Live every day as though it's your last.  You cannot change the past.  Do not take anything or anyone for granted.  The days have passed and our lives have gone on, but not one day goes by that I don't think of my dad.  In fact, there are still a few things that I cannot do.  I cannot go into Ace Hardware.  I cannot listen to Annie Lennox's "Walking on Broken Glass" or Kenny Chesney's "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy".  These memories are the tangible things I have left and hold onto with all my heart, along with my all-time favorite picture of me and my dad.




What the heart has once known, it shall never forget. ~Author unknown

Pet Peeves

Now we all have pet peeves - those little things that just irritate us to no end.  One of my biggest pet peeves used to be when my dad would sit down with his bowl of ice cream every night and clank the spoon against the glass bowl to scrape up every last indication of ice cream...CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK....I wanted to scream "Enough already....just lick the bowl clean..."  The other night, after suffering through a scorcher of a day, I sat myself down with a nice heaping bowl of frozen yogurt (double fudge brownie) and was working on some homework, listening to TV, and I look up and my husband is staring at me.  I'm like, "What?"  and he says "Really?"  Yep...you guessed it...I was clanking my spoon against the bowl...determined to get every last drip.  It dawned on me then how much I really miss that spoon clanking against the bowl, amongst other things...which leads to a whole new topic.

I would consider myself a very patient person.  My husband and kids will tell you otherwise, but it really does take a lot to get on my nerves.  Getannoyed.com lists about 500 of the top pet peeves including everything from leaving the toilet seat up to people who don't use turn signals to people who put their cellphone on speaker in a public place.  After looking at the list, I laughed because I could put a name of someone I know with each item on the list.  My philosophy is everyone has a bad habit, but that does not make them a bad person.

However, bad grammar is my biggest pet peeve ever...especially when it appears in a newspaper, magazine or a textbook.  I have frequently seen grammar errors in our local newspaper, one recently had the word Principal spelled Principle on the front page headline.  Today, I was waiting for an appointment and was reading my textbook for an assignment I have to complete this week and discovered a grammar error in the book (the book had cultural-cultural instead of cross-cultural).  This prompted me to use the topic for this blog.  But to make it a done deal, I got home and found this picture in my email....How Perfect!!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Dear Abby...

What I learned from "Dear Abby" in tonight's local paper was the following:
1) It is okay for a teacher to date a former student...
2) It is not okay to retrieve another person's child from climbing over a gate at the zoo...
3) When you discover that your lady's golf partner is a home wrecker, it is okay to first confront her and then choose not to be her friend...

All three of these topics in tonight's "Dear Abby" section were quite comical to say the least.  First of all, suggesting to any educator that dating a former student is okay, is absolutely unacceptable in my book.  Even if the former student is now an adult, it is in the best interest of the educator to avoid that situation all together. 

Secondly, if a child is about to go over the fence of the lion exhibit at the zoo, I will not waste precious time seeking a zoo keeper or security guard to save the child.  My maternal instinct is to protect the child from being eaten by a lion.

Finally, if I discovered my lady's golf partner was in a relationship with a married man, I would confront her, but I would also continue to be a friend.  Every one is human and is apt to make wrong choices, those choices do not make them any less human than anyone else.

The most important lesson from today's section was that morality should always be taken into account when making a decision.  In this day and age, many decisions are based on what is socially acceptable than what is morally right.

Middle School Retention Prevention


As school districts across the nation are forced to be more accountable for student achievement, the issue of whether retaining students at any level, but more specifically the middle school level, must be addressed.  Diane Johnson discusses five strategies she believes are necessary to help students succeed and reduce the retention rates in American schools.  Research indicates the rate of retention is approximately 15 percent each year and is highest amongst poor, minority, inner-city youth.  Research also indicates that both children who are retained for not meeting grade-level standards or socially promoted even though they have not mastered grade-level material are at increased risk of dropping out (Johnson, 2001).  Johnson suggests intensifying learning through rich curriculum and authentic instruction, providing high-quality professional development, expanding learning options via block scheduling, year round schooling or looping teachers, using assessments to inform teachers and guide instruction, and implementing early intervention services.

Although Johnson’s suggestions are beneficial to breaking the cycle of retention and social promotion, there are other options that have proven to be effective in reducing retention rates, especially at the middle school level (Wells, 1989).  Many of the suggestions made by Wells were implemented, not only in classroom scheduling and management, but also in design at Carroll Middle School when it was opened in 1998.  Research conducted by the Center for Research on Elementary and Middle Schools in 1998 discovered that middle schools designed with the concept of smaller schools housed within one larger school created a more caring and nurturing environment necessary for students already facing the pressure and stress of adolescence (Wells, 1989).  Carroll Middle School was designed with the middle school concept in mind; each of the three grade levels occupies their own “pod” with only a few areas designated for the use of all grade levels.  The use of “pods” allows for increased personal attention necessary at such a critical time in development.  Teachers within each pod team-teach and act as mentors to the students.  As the students advance through each grade, the level of self-containment lessens.  In 6th grade, students are primarily self-contained, switching teachers for one or two core classes.  In 7th grade, students travel with a common group of students through each class.  In other words, although the teacher for each class may be different, the students in each class remain the same.  Finally, in 8th grade, the students are randomly scheduled with different students in each of their core classes.  Not only has the building design impacted the retention rate at the middle school level, but the use of specific scheduling constraints that allow teachers in each grade level to have a common planning time, increased collaborative learning activities, and the use of STAR, or advisory program, have also played a significant role in reducing the number of students retained at the middle school level. 

After reviewing data from the 14 years I have been employed at Carroll Middle School, I discovered that only four students had been retained in that time period:  one student dropped out of high school as a sophomore, one transferred out of the district and later dropped out, and two are still enrolled in high school but receive at-risk services.  The overall conclusion is that retention is not ideal at any age, but especially not at the middle school level.  At such a critical age, retention not only increases the likelihood of not completing high school, but also negatively affects the student socially, emotionally and psychologically. 

Johnson, D. (2001). Beyond social promotion and retention: five strategies to help students succeed. Retrieved from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/atrisk/at800.htm

Wells, A. S. (1998). Middle school education--the critical link in dropout prevention. Retrieved from http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9213/middle.htm

Monday, May 30, 2011

$1006.37...

CMS held their 2nd annual Mini Relay for Life on Friday, May 27.  The day was filled with many meaningful activities that were topped off by the "Minute to Win It" competition held between four of our staff members and their assistants.  Winners of the competition were Mrs. Dirkx, Mrs. McQueen, Mrs. Siskow, and Mr. Box.  Their assistants were runners up:  Mr. Peters, Mrs. Stork, Mr. Schmidt, and Mrs. Polking.  Competitors took part in four activities:  Face the Cookie, Dizzy Mummy, Defying Gravity and Egg Roll.  


 Mrs. McQueen prepares for her first challenge of Face the Cookie.  The goal was to move three Oreo cookies from their foreheads to their mouths using only their facial muscles.  Mrs. McQueen won this challenge with getting 2 Oreos in 60 seconds.

Mr. Box, confident, that he was going to win it all, struggled with all three challenges...Maybe next year, Mr. Box!!
 Mrs. Dirkx and Mr. Peters came in second in the Dizzy Mummy challenge.  Lucky for them they had the small rolls of toilet paper!!
 Mrs. McQueen dominates the challenge of Defying Gravity by keeping her three balloons in the air the longest!!
Mrs. Dirkx relied on the assistance of Mr. Peters and the pizza box on this challenge.  Sorry guys!! That's a disqualification!!











At the end of the day, three very luck individuals were face with a delicious cream pie for the great efforts students and staff put into collecting money for the American Cancer Society.  Mr. Raymond, Mr. Trullinger and Ben Wellendorf met their fate of being showered with cream pie after students presented representatives of the American Cancer Society with a check for $1006.37.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Do Highly Qualified Teachers Need Charisma too?


Since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, pressures have mounted for educators.  Ensuring that all children can read by the end of third grade as well as be proficient in reading and math by 2014 is a great feat for some educators, especially those who work with students who may have specific learning disorders or meet at-risk criteria.  The combination of all these factors, plus increased assessments and documentation have resulted in increased stress for teachers, as well as a decrease in empathy.  Dr. Robert Brooks believes that the relationship a student has with his/her teacher greatly influences performance in the classroom.  Not only are students more likely to work harder and go out of their way to learn complicated tasks when they have an instructor who genuinely cares and models that compassion, but the students are less likely to demonstrate disruptive behavior (Brooks, 2011).  So much emphasis is put on hiring teachers who are highly qualified to teach the subject matter that the key component to engaging students and ensuring that they will learn is overshadowed.  Both Julius Segal and the Massachusetts Department of Education found that at-risk youth were able to beat the odds against them when there is a presence of a charismatic adult whom they know they can turn to and will advocate for them reiterates this philosophy.  In most situations, this individual is the teacher.  For this reason, as administrators seek to hire the most highly qualified teachers, they should also be seeking the most highly charismatic teachers.  Together, both qualities will lead to improved student success.


Brooks, R. (2011). Education and "charismatic" adults: to touch a student’s heart and mind. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/education-charismatic-touch-heart-mind/  

Where did the year go?

Wow!!  It seems like just yesterday we were starting yet another school year.  But here we are, 180 school days later, and summer vacation has officially started for the Ladehoff kiddos!!  For me, it means the beginning of summer school and getting all that work done that I wasn't able to accomplish during the school year.

No big vacation plans for the summer for us.  I will be readily available all summer to work on the massive conversion of data from by "baby" PowerSchool to our new information system, Infinite Campus.  It's a bittersweet time for me.  I know the move will be beneficial and create far less headaches in the long run, but I will miss the convenience of knowing where to find everything I need in the blink of an eye.

It is my hope that within a few days the weather warms up and we can officially start summer mode by lounging in the pool, relaxing on the patio, and reinstating the Sunday night neighborhood social.