https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh Hayley Donohoo TLE 630 en-us 2022-01-21 02:01:08 UTC 2022-02-20 04:16:15 UTC hello@padlet.com hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2004152360 This is an issue that really hits home. More and more students, and even teachers, are beginning to feel less safe at school. It seems that every time you turn on the news or look at social media, you are hearing about yet another terrible act of violence being planned or carried out on innocent people. It's like a domino effect. More needs to be done to protect the lives of the innocent students that come to school each day to receive a quality education. More needs to be done to set the teachers' minds at ease and allow them to teach without fear of some awful tragedy occurring. This very thing happened in my hometown. I NEVER thought that it would. It has even affected my own family. My cousin was one of the students shot during the Marshall County High School shooting that took place 4 years ago. My mom, who works in the school office, was there rendering aid to the victims. They will never be the same. It is not right for us to continually live in fear that something bad is going to happen, but I'm afraid that those are the times that we are living in. What can we do to change that?]]> 2022-01-21 02:07:09 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2004152360 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2004153554 In my opinion, standardized testing is one of the worst things that has ever hit public education. I have never understood how it is fair to rate and compare schools and teachers based on one set of test scores. Simply put, you cannot compare apples to oranges. No two schools are the same. Even in my own county, the demographics are very different depending on what part of the county that you live in. Some schools score much higher than others, but I do not think that is at the fault of the teachers. There are so many other factors that must be considered. It is also not right to teach to the test. Students must receive a well-rounded education that is not centered around the questions that they will answer on one measly end of the year test. ]]> 2022-01-21 02:08:10 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2004153554 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2004155545 Teachers have one of the most important jobs that there is. They are ultimately responsible for preparing the next generation for their future. What else is more important than that? To me, teachers have always been underpaid. Still today, the salaries of some educators are being cut due to lack of government funding. Teachers have never been paid what they are worth. The amount of hours that they put in outside of the typical school day, along with the extra duties that they must partake in, are not compensated for. To earn a higher salary, teachers must seek out a higher education. They must earn additional ranks in order to see a pay increase. In order to do this, they must take classes that they have to pay for themselves. This could cost an average of $20,000. If you are a younger teacher, you could earn that money back in time, but some people just can't afford that. At the very least, teachers' higher education should be paid for. We have to do better for our teachers. They hold the future in their hands. ]]> 2022-01-21 02:09:42 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2004155545 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2004167899 I have never been one to have issues with class sizes until this school year. In my thirteen years of teaching, I have always had reasonably sized classes of usually no more than 20 students. Last school year, I actually started the year with only 12 students due to many being virtual. Let me tell you how nice that was! I was able to really get to know my students. I knew each of their strengths and each of their weaknesses and was able to develop a strong personal relationship with them as well. They were able to participate in more hands on activities and could receive more one on one individualized instruction. By the end of the year, I truly felt as if they were "my kids". Fast forward to this school year... I began the year with 28 students. What a rude awakening that was! I had gotten spoiled. Having that many students in one classroom makes it so much more difficult to really get to know your students. Station teaching becomes a nightmare because behavior problems start to become an issue. Working with students one on one rarely happens because there is always someone else that needs something. I realize that the number of teachers that schools are allocated is based upon student enrollment. Some grade levels are much heavier than others however. It is true that smaller class sizes would equal the need for more teachers. That can get expensive. Aren't our children's educations worth it though?]]> 2022-01-21 02:19:22 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2004167899 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2007338552 Mental-health issues are at an all-time high. It is affecting both students and teachers in a number of ways. First and foremost, schools are a stressful place these days. Covid is running rampant and causing students and staff members to become sick. It is causing schools to shut down- yet again. Students have not had what we call a "normal" school year for the past three years. Tensions are high. I have a little girl in my 3rd grade classroom who is currently fighting an ugly battle with anxiety stemming from covid. She is so afraid of getting sick. It is a constant fight to get her to come to school each day and keep her anxiety at bay. No child should have to go through that. The covid craziness is also having a huge effect on teachers' mental-health. More and more teachers are leaving education. They are stressed. They are burnt out. It is not good for them. What can we do to take some of these pressures off of our students and staff members?]]> 2022-01-23 16:53:45 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2007338552 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014544833 The biggest issue we should be advocating for would be making the profession more professional and respected amongst the general public.  Teachers and staff should not have to accept the new norm on how they are treated.  I wish schools had a say so in turning away parents that are rude or disrespectful by just saying "you and your child aren't a fit for our school".  That would stop so many things from ever happening in the first place.  Along with respect would be adequate pay, training, and compensation for time put into the job. ]]> 2022-01-26 21:06:37 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014544833 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014547723 Equity- I truly believe we have an equity issue in every facet of education right now.  In a normal year, students have a multitude of academic and emotional concerns that educators try to address.  Over the past two years the amount of issues have tripled.  We have students without homes and other necessities and yet educators still try to make education equal for all students.  We have some schools and districts that have been hit harder than others.  Many days it seems impossible to deliver an equitable education for all due to the stress taking place in homes and school districts.  Educators are delivering instruction in so many new and different ways with less training, staffing, and funding.  Educators are often left without planning due to staff shortages and yet all the expectations for teachers remain the same.  I truly believe we have reached a state of urgency in education!  ]]> 2022-01-26 21:08:00 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014547723 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014551111 The biggest issue I think we are facing is the effect of trauma on a child and its impact on a child's academic success. I feel like there is little practical research or interventions to put in place for students that we suspect are having their academic performance impacted by the trauma they have endured or are correctly enduring. There is also little support or resources for teachers that are working with traumatized kids.]]> 2022-01-26 21:10:11 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014551111 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014551718 The biggest issue in regards to the education profession is the salary and time.  As the world evolves and new information and technologies appear, it is vital that teachers have the time to study and grow and shift classroom practices. The way the educational system is set up, it gives teachers very little time not only to understand this new information, much less make changes, practice, and implement these in the classroom.   The most effective teachers spend a great amount of time outside of school hours and work days studying and learning so they can remain relevant and up to date on their craft.  These are unpaid hours but shouldn't be.  I think teachers should have more days in their contract that are devoted to learning and planning how to implement this new learning.  I also believe that much of this learning should be personalized for the teacher so that they determine what areas of growth they need.  In Kentucky, I believe the system has tried to move towards this process but there's no way a teacher can keep abreast with just 24 hours of professional learning a year.  Teachers are dealing with classrooms of tiny humans everyday who bring with them their own needs.  It is far different than any other profession and extremely demanding but the pay does not match the profession.  As the world changes, more and more is demanded of teachers and oftentimes we are asking them to make swift changes to personalize  for student needs without giving them the time needed to understand the why and how.  I believe that extending the days of the teachers' contract to learn and plan is critical.  While increasing the days (without students) would increase the pay and give teachers time to learn and grow, it is critical the base pay is also increased to match the demands and expectations that are placed on teachers daily to grow their students.]]> 2022-01-26 21:10:34 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014551718 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014552304 I have a big opinion about this question, especially this week.  I'll try not to ramble.  We are not meeting the needs of students from a social emotional aspect.  I think there are many reasons why we aren't.  I feel that so much pressure is being placed on teachers that we become overwhelmed and it affects how we are able to interact with our students.  I feel like there is not a single minute built into my day where I can even sit and talk to students, and I'm supposed to teach social skills.  I'm doing that on my own time before the day even gets started.  Our school counselors can't even serve students the way it was intended because of all the other responsibilities they are given.  I feel like students are no longer at the center even though we say they are.  I feel like evaluating teachers and their effectiveness at teaching is at the center.  We are data driven, not student driven.]]> 2022-01-26 21:10:59 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014552304 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014553134 I think fully funding our schools. It’s been years since the state gave textbook money.  They have made the grants (like rta) impossible to get, so they are essentially taking away what little support classroom teachers have. We need money for more teachers and up to date curriculum (preferably that gets books into hands).]]> 2022-01-26 21:11:33 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014553134 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014553818 Using curriculum and student materials that are aligned to recent research and following current best practices.  Oftentimes, the administration or curriculum coaches are not up to date and mandate strategies that don't encourage student learning growth.  ]]> 2022-01-26 21:12:05 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014553818 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014554556 The lack of support for teachers by higher administration and the general public is a big issue. We have so many expectations piled on us that are strictly for the purpose of data gathering. The pressure of that is exasperated by the amount of social and emotional trauma that our students bring to the classroom. A majority of the day is spent trying to help children with those issues. The behaviors in the classroom often distract from learning.  Every minute of the day is scheduled to promote teaching and learning. That time is compromised by distractions caused by behaviors. The rights of those students supersede the rights of the other students in the classroom. Yet, all students are assessed for growth. 


]]> 2022-01-26 21:12:21 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014554556 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014554932 I think the thing that concerns me the most is students who have so many traumatic, brain changing experiences to overcome before they ever get to us and when they aren't with us at school  We know trauma is very real but aren't given a lot of ways to effectively handle it so students can actually learn while they are here. All the brain research shows that when kids are in fight or flight mode, they literally cannot retain information.  When that trauma is so real and doesn't go away, how do we help them "turn that off" long enough to learn? Therapy, etc is effective but isn't a quick process. The days and learning opportunities slip away from them quickly while going through the slow process of dealing with that trauma. ]]> 2022-01-26 21:12:38 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014554932 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014555356 I really truly think that SMALL classes and direct in person instruction are vital to the success of children. There are just way too many people coming into classes to take out 2-4 students for 30 minutes, 2 days a week. The classroom teacher ends up still being accountable for those children. I know money is an issue, but instead of having a few teachers running from school to school, place them in schools as classroom teachers. ]]> 2022-01-26 21:12:58 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014555356 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014557071 I feel like we need to be advocating for textbooks for our schools again.  I know my kids learn best when NOT on a device.  I know funding has been cut from textbook funds and now allocated to technology based tools.  My husband, for instance, teaches Freshman Integrated Science and has only 1 set of VERY old textbooks that must stay in the classroom for all students to use.  Most of these books do not have a cover or have many pages missing.]]> 2022-01-26 21:14:15 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014557071 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014557526 As a parent of a high schooler, I think advocating for classes to teach students real life skills would be beneficial. For example, one year they should have to complete a course on how to write a check, how credit cards work, and how much to budget for housing/clothes, etc.  (money management).  Another year they should learn about different occupations and the schooling required and what jobs are going to be in demand. Then another year they could learn how to interview for a job and how to write a resume. Stuff like that. 

]]> 2022-01-26 21:14:38 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014557526 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014557849 Fair pay and compensation for teachers. Allowing it to be a profession that remains desirable so we will actually have people go into education in the future. ]]> 2022-01-26 21:14:54 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014557849 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014558129 I would say intellectual disabilities, or I call them setbacks, for elementary age children. It is sometimes overlooked or looked at as misbehavior or speech. Like the lack of communicating well sometimes comes out as misbehavior in learning or with peers in classrooms. Sometimes not being able to remember things can become a nuisance at a certain age or a learning set back. These kids could become picked on or pressured into negative behavior and not moved along with the curriculum like everyone else. Easily bullied. Sometimes it looks like a learning disability early on or ADHD at a young age when it's not. It is a serious issue. Some kids can develop speech issues if not treated early but if caught early enough can become better until puberty.  There are no groups for this or anything that I know of district wide, and I haven't heard of help in classrooms or any awareness of it that I know of. I think some kids may have these and they are overlooked and treated differently and could cause long term issues when you can actually work through them and help the child grow just like everyone else. ]]> 2022-01-26 21:15:05 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014558129 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014558401 Mental health. I will always advocate this as a parent. I am in a unique situation though. The last few years have really hurt a lot of children. I could get on a soap box about this. ]]> 2022-01-26 21:15:19 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2014558401 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2041724204 I chose to advocate for smaller class sizes because large class sizes can have a great impact on student learning. These are the steps that I would take. ]]> 2022-02-11 04:48:16 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2041724204 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2044203269

]]> 2022-02-13 03:18:00 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2044203269 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2044205142 2022-02-13 03:20:46 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2044205142 hayley_donohoo https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2056986639 2022-02-20 04:14:49 UTC https://padlet.com/hayley_donohoo/4ykjoxo2om6u7mzh/wish/2056986639