Governor

Christine Gregoire has announced that she is running for governor again. Oh, and she has started campaigning in her home town.

Overheard in the Teachers' Lounge

This week I overheard an interesting conversation among fourth grade teachers. The comment that has stuck with me ever since was from a veteran teacher: "Sometimes, this job would be great, if it wasn't for the parents."

Wow, what would we be doing if it wasn't for the parents. Although, parents can be difficult to deal with, all other options are even more difficult.

New Math Standards

Recently, well actually in January, new information was released from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) regarding math standards. While these will be in the hands of school districts, in final form, in the next few months, what effect will these have in the near future? These new standards, while a significant change for educators in this state, will not have a significant impact on the immediate problem of seniors not passing the Math WASL which is required for graduation. This change will create a more consistent curricula for the state, with significantly reduced choice for individual school districts with respect to choosing a math program. With this decreased choice also comes the difficulty of finding a program that will in some way align with the learning requirements and grade level expectations set forth by the OSPI. A review of the new expectation reveals that they are clearer, more concise and more understandable for the average person. Additionally, these new expectations offer clear examples and significantly fewer expectations per grade level, that sequentially build; rather than using a system that concentrically builds and reviews. Congratulations to everyone who worked on these new expectations.