Happy Thanksgiving! Would you like for me to pick up Lexington Barbeque for Dec. 11? Somebody could split the cost with me. Let me know. See you soon.

What am I learning about my writing?

I am learning that I should spend time reflecting prior to beginning the writing process; I skip that step far too often. Sometimes because I think I know where my writing is going; I don’t do a good job of clearly explaining what it is that I am really trying to convey. I am also guilty of not taking the time to reread and edit. I edit as I go and that’s not always effective because many times I end up with an incoherent piece. A little dab won't do!

I should seek second opinions if my writing is to improve. I enjoyed the Elluminate session with the writing center. I had the opportunity to listen to what I wrote and also to lend my voice to it. As I listened, it was easy to define the areas which needed improvement. Hearing myself read it aloud made a difference, too. I am excited about revising the piece and having a follow up session in the near future. I also appreciate peer feedback; it provides a fresh perspective. I get a feel for the piece's clarity.

I know my best writing occurs when I am passionate about my topic. I want my writing to allow my audience to experience what I was feeling when the piece was written. I need to slow down and always put my best foot forward. My poorest writing occurs when the topic doesn't interest me or I am pressed for time..

It's Time For A Change

It’s Time for a Change
Must the old adage, “history repeats itself” always ring true? From the deepest recesses of my being, I believe it is true. It saddens me that many children continue not to benefit from the revolution that has taken place in education. Though much has changed, much continues to be the same.
The first leg of my educational journey occurred during the 60’s and 70’s. It should stand to reason that the quality of education being offered today is superior; but is it, really? During my first eight years of schooling, the instruction I received was from discarded textbook adoptions. I can still vividly remember how sad I felt at not having a space in which to write my name, for many years. When we were given new editions, I always used brown paper grocery bags to make covers for the books so they would look newer longer. Today, many of the students being served by public education have a space to write their names, but they are not being adequately prepared to claim their rightful place in society. There are too many excuses as to why economically disadvantaged and students of color are not experiencing success. When many of our students take one step, non-educators insist that they take two. Many students are cnstantly playing of catch up. This is a classic case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t!
The eyes of my heart can identify with this powerful quote from John Dewey’s Experience in Education (1938): "What avail is it to win prescribed amounts of information about geography and history, to win the ability to read and write, if in the process the individual loses his own soul?" (p. 49) Where is the connection between teacher and student? There must be one for the soul needs to connect. Children intuitively know when they are valued. The classroom should not be used as a place for the teacher to shine; but one where students are allowed to think and share their God given talents with others. In order to connect, one must be willing to step outside their comfort zone into the world of another. Children will be what they see. The human soul is shy and it should be held as one would cup a tiny bird in their hands. “As educators, we have the responsibility to educate and inspire the whole child—mind, heart, and soul. By focusing on the following essentials, we can put more joy into students' experience of going to school and get more joy out of working inside one.” (Wolk, 2001).
I understand teachers have a huge responsibility so if I am to have such high expectations I feel obligated do all I can to ensure that teachers are given ample support; hence, my decision to take a look at two mentoring models: virtual and face-to-face.
As you take a look at Lexington’s demographics I have no doubt that my passion will be justified. It is imperative that the children receive a quality education if they are to have a decent quality of life and if Lexington is to attract new business and industry. What I see inspires me to want to empower the new breed of teachers who are willing to teach the whole child.
The city of Lexington has a population of 20,121. We are known as the Barbecue Captial and we host the Barbecue Festival the last Saturday of October yearly. We are located in Davidson County and are one of three school systems. There are six schools in our system. We have approximately 460 employees, of which 254 are certified. The school system’s dropout rate for 2006-2007 was 5.52% compared to the state rate of 5.24%. Over the age of 25, 30% of city residents are high school graduates, with only 10% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. Grandparents are the main caregivers for 30% of our students. The number of students that speak a language other than English at home city wide is less than 14%. The per capita income is $15,310 with 29% of our population living below the poverty level. Historically, we have had a heavy manufacturing base, but due to plant closings, we have a high unemployment rate of 6.7% compared to the states 6.2% as of June, 2008. This has a great economic impact on the community, as well as to many families of students that attend our schools.
The system serves approximately 3089 students. The ethnic breakdowns are: less than 1% American Indian, 6% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 43% African American, 24% White and 3% Multi-Racial. We qualify for the Title I designation system wide but the high school does not receive Title I funding. Our exceptional children and second language students are mainstreamed while. our academically gifted students are grouped together for accelerated instruction in all core areas, including pre-Algebra in grade 7 and Algebra 1 in grade 8.
The teacher turnover rate is another factor that supports the need for research on my dissertation topic. It has ranged from 16.5 to 21.7 over a five year period. The highest percentage of those leaving did so to teach in another North Carolina Public School System.
According to Ingersoll (2004), “The failure to ensure that the nation’s classrooms, especially those in disadvantaged schools, are all staffed with qualified teachers is one of the most important problems in contemporary American education.” He further states, “significant numbers of those who depart from their jobs in these schools report that they are hampered by inadequate support from the school administration, too many intrusions on classroom teaching time, student discipline problems and limited faculty input into school decision-making.”
The statement of inadequate support from school administration birthed my question: “Which Mentoring Model Provides the Most Support: Virtual or Face-to-Face?” The State of North Carolina provides paid mentors for beginning teachers in their first two years of teaching.
A partnership with the Center for Teaching Quality which was founded in 1999 to improve student learning and advance the teaching profession by cultivating teacher leadership, has provided Lexington City Schools the opportunity to participate in the newly formed Virtual Mentoring initiative. The virtual platform is staffed with National Board Certified Teachers from around the country. Look out world, support is on the way!















References
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Collier.
Ingersoll, R.M. (2004). Why do high poverty schools have difficulty staffing their classrooms
with qualified teachers? Retrieved September 10, 2008 from
http://www.americanprogress.org/kf/ingersoll-final.pdf

Wolk, S. (2008). Joy in school. Educational Leadership, 66(1), 8-15.

The Motivation for My Research Topic

Rochelle C. Bobo
September 18, 2008

I am a resident of Lexington and an employee of Lexington City Schools. It is important that I share background information about Lexington to bring clarity to why I have chosen to do my dissertation on virtual mentoring.
The city of Lexington has a population of 20,121. We are known as the Barbecue Captial and we host the Barbecue Festival the last Saturday of October yearly. We are located in Davidson County and are one of three school systems. There are six schools in our system. We have approximately 460 employees, of which 254 are certified. Our school system‘s drop out rate for 2006-2007 was 5.52% compared to the state rate of 5.24%. Over the age of 25, 30% of city residents are high school graduates, with only 10% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. Grandparents are the main caregivers for 30% of our students. The number of students that speak a language other than English at home city wide is less than 14%. The per capita income is $15,310 with 29% of our population living below the poverty level. Historically, we have had a heavy manufacturing base, but due to plant closings, we have a high unemployment rate of 6.7% compared to the states 6.2% as of June, 2008. This has a great economic impact on the community, as well as to many families of students that attend our schools.
The system serves approximately 3089 students. The ethnic breakdowns are: less than 1% American Indian, 6% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 43% African American, 24% White and 3% Multi-Racial. We qualify for the Title I designation system wide but the high school does not receive Title I funding.. Our exceptional children and second language students are mainstreamed while. our academically gifted students are grouped together for accelerated instruction in all core areas, including pre-Algebra in grade 7 and Algebra 1 in grade 8.
The following groups of students do not have enough students to qualify as a subgroup for AYP: visually impaired, hearing impaired, autistic, severe/profound, multi-handicapped, migrant and American Indian.
The teacher turnover rate is another factor that supports the need for research on my dissertation topic. It has ranged from 16.5 to 21.7 over a five year period. The highest percentage of those leaving do so to teach in another North Carolina Public School System.
According to Ingersoll (2004), “The failure to ensure that the nation’s classrooms, especially those in disadvantaged schools, are all staffed with qualified teachers is one of the most important problems in contemporary American education.” He further states, “significant numbers of those who depart from their jobs in these schools report that they are hampered by inadequate support from the school administration, too many intrusions on classroom teaching time, student discipline problems and limited faculty input into school decision-making.”
My interpretation of the quote above as well as that of other literature, is that teachers need to feel more supported and the students in the disadvantaged schools are also harder to teach. I understand economically disadvantaged children; as well as, those of color historically come to school with very limited experiences. These assumptions are the basis for my question, “Is Virtual Mentoring More Effective Than the Face-to-Model?”
The State of North Carolina provides paid mentors for beginning teachers in their first two years of teaching. A mentor must have at least four years of teaching experience and an recommendation from their principal. They are then required to participate in a formal training. The mentors is required to consult with the mentee at least once per week to provide the needed support.
The Center for Teaching Quality which was founded in 1999 to improve student learning and advance the teaching profession by cultivating teacher leadership, has a invited Lexington City Schools to participate in a newly formed Virtual Mentoring initiative. The data gathered from The initiative is financed We were selected because of our inability to consistently meet state achievement goals. This means that first and second year teachers in the Lexington City School system will have an opportunity to experience both models, if they so choose.
I am passionate about the welfare of children. If you pay close attention to the demographic information that was provided; it is easy to ascertain that it is highly likely that many of the inner city students are products of struggling families. I want the students of LCS to have a fighting chance. I know from personal experience that many people stereotype our students and have low expectations for them. They must succeed against all odds if they are to live and if Lexington is to thrive. It is imperative that we experience decreases in the teacher turnover and drop out rates. I long to see an increase in academic achievement, as well. It is overwhelming when I focus on all of the negatives, so I have chosen to concentrate my energy on an area where I have influence. I am responsible for hiring teachers and ensuring that they receive adequate support. Mentoring is a huge piece of the support provided to beginning teachers and it will be great if I can gather enough data to determine if the virtual mentoring model of is more beneficial than the face to face model.



REFERENCES
Ingersoll, R. M. (2004). Why do high-poverty schools have difficulty staffing their
classrooms with qualified teachers? Retrieved September 15, 2008, from
http://www.americanprogress.org/kf/ingersoll-final.pdf

Writing Autobiography

Reading about the early experiences of writers has been quite enlightening. It motivated me to reflect on when I was first intrigued with the art of writing.
I believe my initial compositions consisted of writing mini biographies of my immediate family members. Though, quite elementary, it was a good start for a child of six. I could spell the first, middle, and last name of each family member. I also knew their birthplaces and birthdates.
The next thing I remembered was writing letters to my family members who lived up north in Philadelphia and New York. I always had lots of down home news to share.
Perhaps, my most important pieces of writing saved me from getting whippings from my mother (yes, corporal punishment was the norm in those days). Let me explain, I was a product of the “children should be seen and not heard generation”. In short, that means I was not allowed to express my opinion when an adult had spoken. I have always been what I consider to be out-spoken. I used pen and paper to express what I could not do verbally. I found it to be a powerful tool! I was allowed to say whatever I pleased and what I said really mattered, as well. The writing sure beat sharing with my tattle-telling brother how my mother made me sick. My bottom was also less tender when I relied solely on writing.
Diaries were popular during my teen years and I enjoyed documenting my daily experiences which centered on my social life. I also spent an ample amount of time composing love letters to my sweetheart while I was away in college. Beyond that, I am at a loss when I think of formal writing instruction before entering college. I can still vividly remember making an A+ on an English writing assignment entitled, My Wonderful Poppaw. My grandfather was my hero and I had no problem expressing it.
Before entering graduate school, the bulk of my writing was done as a classroom teacher. It consisted of the norm, writing letters and newsletters to parents. I’m sure I was required to write formally prior to that, but it has escaped me. I wrote many papers when I was in graduate school and did not encounter too many difficulties, if I am remembering correctly.
As life became more complex, I resorted to journaling, which saved my life. It was as effective as a valve on a pressure cooker. I was able to say whatever I needed to with no repercussions. Writing, even if only for me, was liberating. No longer did I have to be concerned about whether I was being misunderstood. I also discovered praying on paper, in essence, it is just writing a letter to God and being still enough to hear His answers.
When I entered the Ed.S program almost four years ago, the flavor of my writing changed. My thoughts were no longer as fluid but I managed to satisfy the course requirements. The thing that was most evident was that my thoughts had little to do with what was expected in the way of writing. The writing definitely became more formal in nature. In one of my doctoral classes I was expected to think as the professor thought and that drove me crazy. I am thankful that I passed the class because I interpreted the readings through different lenses.
I am now responsible for three styles of writing; academic, spiritual, and for my eyes only. Life has a way of teaching me how to walk, so I can still write for me and I can write to comply with course requirements. Either way, all is well.

Introducing Myself as A Writer

I started writing in first grade but I didn't start using it as an outlet until perhaps I was a teenager. I grew up during an era where children were to be seen and not heard. I have always had strong opinions and a desire to share them. So, I would sit down and write down what I was not allowed to share verbally. I found writing to be a great stress reliever.

These days I still enjoy writing down my feelings so that I don't lash out at others when I am angry or just need to vent. I use my journal to do this.

I read an article entitled, Praying on Paper, and found great satisfaction in participating in that exercise. It involves writing and meditatating, which allows me to hear my inner teacher. I have not taken the time to do this as much as I really need to lately.

Writing is exciting for me because there is much on the inside that desires to be shared on the outside.

More to come on the weekly assignment and I ask that each of you excuse me for not sharing last week.

I'm finally here!

I have enjoyed reading the articles on writing. I look forward to this leg of the journey. I refuse to become discouraged. I know you are all up to the challenge. I can't wait to learn to navigate inside the zone. See you on Thursday.

Hello, I'm finally on.