Aaron Johnson's blog

Success story.........

     One of the greatest successes this year was in the teaching of writing. Something that I began last year and will continue this year was having them write from the first day of school to the last and everyday in between with no breaks. I had a routine for my 90+ minute blocks that was the same everyday. The students first come in and do the "Bell Ringer" and then they go to what I called "Writing Section". This stems from my requirement of a three-ring binder with four sections, one of which is the "writing section". There would be a writing prompt on the board each day for them to write about for ten to fifteen minutes and then I would ask for volunteers to share. This was a great way to start each day. We wrote about current events, famous quotes, moral issues, educational issues, etc. and I really loved hearing their responses. At first, I just told the students that I was only concerned "that" they write. As the year progresses my expectations increase about "how" they write (sub/verb agreement, spelling, etc). I felt that my duty as an English teacher was to teach their objectives, but more importantly I wanted to improve their reading and writing. These are two areas were they are most deficient and it impacts all disciplines. The daily "writing section" was a great time to not only improve their writing but to also learn more about my kids and strengthen our relationships and understanding of each-other. Over the year my kids began improving and growing more creative in their responses. Some of their opinions also really surprised me. They made strong arguments for corporal punishment and against dog fighting and so on. I learned a lot from them and it gave us some discussion time before getting to the lesson of the day. Seventh grade is also when they take the MCT Writing Test and I felt that my kids were more than prepared. It was my favorite time of the lesson when I had them read their responses aloud. This was a routine that the kids enjoyed as well. After taking the state test the kids told me that they thought it was a breeze and that made me feel really good because some of them were very intimidated by writing pages in the beginning of the year. I allowed them to choose topics towards the end of the year (when I ran out of ideas) and they came up with some creative prompts. In my experience, our kids are not used to being pushed or having to meet high expectations. There are some kids who will not work at all, but many times I found that when I raised the bar most students would rise to meet it. Writing section was not only my favorite part of the day but the area that I truly feel that I grew them the most academically. It also allowed for incorporated figurative language (writing raps), plot structure (summaries of novels), and other objectives that they need to master. It was one of the things I did really well this year and that I hope will be another success next year. 

Failure Story.........

   One of my failure stories this year was a mistake that I made in the beginning of the year. I introduced myself to my three different blocks really in three different ways. Each block had sort of a persona of its own. Our kids were tracked last year so all the bad kids were in a couple of classes. My second block of the day was also the longest block of the day. I had the kids from 10:30am - 1:10 pm each day. I also had to take them to and from lunch and supervise them during that time. They received no breaks during that entire block. For me, this seems like a recipe for disaster when dealing with middle-school kids anyway. My failure was this. I began way too abrasive with this group. Now I truly believe that it is essential to be firm and strict the first few months of school. But after witnessing the way a college of Ed professor treated graduate students, I could see how being too hateful up front can have a reverse effect. I believe this happened to me and I met resistance all year. Although I think I overcame this initial failing, it was a bumpy road getting to that place. Next year I hope to have more in the way of procedures paired with firmness and I will try not to be too much of a jerk up front. When the second block was beginning on the first day of school I insisted on checking off the kids' names before they entered the class. This was only with my second block. I believe that it set an awkward tone. I then come off as really strict anyway, but for some reason ( I believe I sensed behavior problems) I was really overboard with this second block. It made the students rebel. Now they were not terrible or loud but they "tried me" more than any other class. It could have just been the make-up of the students but I feel that I made poor choices in setting the tone of the class. While I was striving for disciplinarian, I may have come across as more confrontational. Next year I hope to begin maybe even with a smile but still really firm. I did not have many classroom management problems this year, but this eternity of a block was my greatest challenge all year and you can never re-do the first impressions.
I would recommend for any new teacher to be tough as nails the first part of school but do it in the manner that suits you and try not to be confrontational. My second block was drastically different from my other two classes in classroom dynamics and I usually dreaded them coming down the hallway to class.

3 things to improve on......

There are many teacher skills that I could stand to brush up on in the summer. Three that I really want to focus on are:

1) Making it interesting.... I found that as the year progressed I was less and less concerned with making lessons interesting for the students and more focused on filler and being a task master and test proctor. It is important to try and make lessons interesting for the students because in our schools it is pretty boring for the kids as they do not have tons of other activities to engage in. We as teachers need to make an effort to keep things interesting for the kids and I can really try and make more of an effort on this.

2) Communicating with parents..... I teach in Holly Springs and most of the parents have multiple kids in the district and sometimes the school so it is important to establish those relationships. I need to do a better job during the year of keeping the parents informed of their child's progress or lack thereof, and the low students population in summer school should allow for me to get to know some of the parents better.

3) Having energy during a lesson...... I found that also as the year dripped on that I lost energy in the classroom. I did not touch "four walls" as is the Teacher Corps model and settled for glancing from the podium and surveying the room. I really need to concentrate on getting out into the classroom and checking on the students work as they are doing it. Summer school will allow for me to try and get some of the energy back for teaching as it is easy to lose during the year.

     One thing that I do well as a teacher is foster a relationship with each student. I really make an effort to get to know them and let them know that I care. I am still a generous giver of "verbal praise" and I always try and tell them that I am proud of them. They respond well to my caring and work harder as a result. I have had students tell me that I am a workaholic but also that they know that I care about them. That means a lot. It is important for them to hear that someone cares.

School Prayer........

  There was a women outside of my classroom yesterday between classes that I did not recognize. She didn't seem like a parent and wasn't staff and was mumbling to herself outside of Ms. Campbell's class. She then walked right beside me and my class and kept mumbling. "Can I help you?", I asked. "Oh, I am just praying over each classroom for these tests tomorrow (MCT2)", she said. "Oh, well we need it", I replied.

Jefferson-Franklin School District......the Fighting Amish

       My district is based off of the model that I teach in. We have a similar district calender (summers off) and the traditional class schedule, etc. I pulled from things we learned in class such as from the Tupelo Principal and from districts that I know are successful. My salary schedule is a slightly modified version of the Fort Worth independent School district. I had to ask myself what it would take make me feel duly compensated and that was about spot on. Such of the unique features of my district are: the building leadership teams, literacy and math specialist (PhD's) in every school to work with struggling kids, single college-style campus, performance-based bonuses for teachers, five year anniversary bonuses for teachers, huge budget for district Pre-K camp, and general decision making such as hiring/firing to be done by BLT's which include faculty elected representation. The BLT is a variation of something that my Principal has at my school (and that I am on) and we interview candidates for the faculty, handle discipline, and do various other administrative jobs which gives us leadership experience and lightens her load. Enjoy the Fighting Amish! My district is influenced by the traditionalism and classical style of Jefferson and progressivism and inventiveness of Franklin.

                                                          

Fightinamish

                                                                  

                                                              Jefferson-Franklin School District
      Founded in 2009 in the honor of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin who are it's "Spiritual Founders".

TJefferson01

 

"If the children are untaught, their ignorance and vices will in future life cost us much dearer in their consequences than it would have done in their correction by a good education."
                                 - Thomas Jefferson

Benjamin_Franklin

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
                                           - Ben Franklin



  Jefferson-Franklin School District
                              Budget for 2009/2010 School Year

                                                   30 Million Dollars
                                                          (Operating Budget)

Personnel Payroll: annual salary based on 12 month calender.

District Office:
Superintendent-  $150,000
Curriculum Specialist - $50,000
Athletic Director / Head Football Coach - $ 50,000
Clerical Worker- $20, 000
District Secretary-$30,000
Food Specialist/Nutritionist-$40,000
Computer Programmer-$50,000
Technology Specialist-$45,000
WebMaster-$45,000
Human Resources Director-$50,000

High School:
Principal- $100,00
Assistant Principal -$60,000
Secretary-$30,000
Secretary-$30,000
ISS/Saturday School Teacher-$46,893 BA (4 yrs.)
Librarian-$50,000
Librarian-$50,000
Librarian Assistant-$22,917
Custodian-$23,000
Custodian-$23,000
Counselor-$60,000
Kitchen Manager-$40,000
Kitchen Staff-$15,000
Kitchen Staff-$15,000
Kitchen Staff-$15,000
Kitchen Staff-$15,000
Kitchen Staff-$15,000
Reading and Literacy Specialist-$52,704 PhD (10 yrs.)
Math Specialist-$57,455 PhD (18 yrs.)
Music Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
P.E. Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Art Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Tenth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Tenth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Eleventh Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49, 102 MA (6 yrs.)
Eleventh Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49, 102 MA (6 yrs.)
Twelfth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Twelfth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Latin Teacher-$46,893 BA (4 yrs.)
Spanish Teacher-$46,893 BA (4 yrs.)
German Teacher-$46,893 BA (4 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yr.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yr.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yr.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yr.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yr.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yr.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yr.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1 yr.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1 yr.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1 yr.)
Teacher-$57,293 MA (20 yrs.)
Teacher-$57,293 MA (20 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,547 BA (11 yrs.)
Teacher-$50,882 MA (11 yrs.)
Teacher-$50,882 MA (11 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,411 MA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,411 MA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,411 MA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,411 MA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,411 MA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,590 BA (8 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,590 BA (8 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,590 BA (8 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,717 MA (8 yrs.)
Teacher-$49,717 MA (8 yrs.)

Junior High School:
Principal-$100,000
Assistant Principal -$60,000
Secretary-$30,000
Secretary-$30,000
ISS/Saturday School Teacher-$46,893 BA (4 yrs.)
Custodian-$23,000
Custodian-$23,000
Counselor-$60,000
Reading and Literacy Specialist-$57,455 PhD (18 yrs.)
Math Specialist-$53,639 PhD (12 yrs.)
Music Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
P.E. Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Art Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Seventh Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Seventh Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Eighth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Eighth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Ninth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Ninth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Latin Teacher-$46,893 BA (4 yrs.)
Spanish Teacher-$46,893 BA (4 yrs.)
German Teacher-$46,893 BA (4 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1 yr.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1 yr.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1 yr.)
Teacher-$49,227 BA (10 yr.)
Teacher-$49,227 BA (10 yr.)
Teacher-$49,227 BA (10 yr.)
Teacher-$49,227 BA (10 yr.)
Teacher-$48,541 MA (5 yr.)
Teacher-$48,541 MA (5 yr.)
Teacher-$48,541 MA (5 yr.)
Teacher-$48,541 MA (5 yr.)
Teacher-$48,541 MA (5 yr.)
Teacher-$50,299 BA (13 yr.)
Teacher-$50,299 BA (13 yr.)
Teacher-$50,299 BA (13 yr.)
Teacher-$50,299 BA (13 yr.)
Teacher-$50,299 BA (13 yr.)
Teacher-$50,299 BA (13 yr.)
Teacher-$50,299 BA (13 yr.)



Intermediate School:
Principal- $100,000
Assistant Principal -$60,000
Secretary-$30,000
Secretary-$30,000
Speech Therapist-$50,772 MA (10 yrs.)
Speech Therapist-$50,772 MA (10 yrs.)
Custodian-$23,000
Custodian-$23,000
Counselor-$60,000
Reading and Literacy Specialist-$53,639 PhD (12yrs.)
Math Specialist-$52,704 PhD (10 yrs.)
Music Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
P.E. Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Art Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Fourth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Fourth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Fifth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Fifth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Sixth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Sixth Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Spanish/ESOL Teacher-$49.411 MA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1 yr.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1 yr.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1 yr.)
Teacher-$50,772 MA (10 yrs.)
Teacher-$50,772 MA (10 yrs.)
Teacher-$51,466 MA (13 yrs.)
Teacher-$46,572 BA (3yrs.)
Teacher-$46,572 BA (3 yrs.)
Teacher-$46,572 BA (3 yrs.)
Teacher-$46,572 BA (3 yrs.)
Teacher-$46,572 BA (3 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,946 BA (6 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,946 BA (6 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,946 BA (6 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,946 BA (6 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,946 BA (6 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,946 BA (6 yrs.)

Primary School:
Principal- $100,000
Assistant Principal -$60,000
Secretary-$30,000
Secretary-$30,000
Librarian-$50,000
Librarian Assistant-$22,917
Speech Therapist-$50,772 MA (10 yrs.)
Speech Therapist-$50,772 MA (10 yrs.)
Custodian-$23,000
Custodian-$23,000
Counselor-$60,000
Reading and Literacy Specialist-$54,114 PhD (15 yrs.)
Math Specialist-$54,114 PhD (15 yrs.)
K Teacher Assistant-$22,917
K Teacher Assistant-$22,917
K Teacher Assistant-$22,917
K Teacher Assistant-$22,917
K Teacher Assistant-$22,917
K Teacher Assistant-$22,917
1st Teacher Assistant-$22,917
1st Teacher Assistant-$22,917
1st Teacher Assistant-$22,917
1st Teacher Assistant-$22,917
1st Teacher Assistant-$22,917
1st Teacher Assistant-$22,917
Music Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
P.E. Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Art Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Kindergarten Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Kindergarten Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
First Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
First Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Second Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Second Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Third Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Third Grade Special Ed. Teacher-$49,102 MA (6 yrs.)
Spanish/ESOL Teacher-$49,411 MA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$57,293 MA (20 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$53,659 MA (16 yrs.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1yr.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1yr.)
Teacher-$45,835 BA (1 yr.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,270 BA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,270 BA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,270 BA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,270 BA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,270 BA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,270 BA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,270 BA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,270 BA (7 yrs.)
Teacher-$48,270 BA (7 yrs.)


Alternative School:
Principal- $100,000
Secretary-$30,000
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Vocational Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Vocational Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Vocational Teacher-$47,421 BA (5 yrs.)
Custodian-$23,000
Custodian-$23,000

Campus Support Staff:
Landscaper -  $23,000
Security Officer- $45,000
Security Officer- $45,000
Security Officer- $45,000
Kitchen Manager-$40,000
Kitchen Staff-$15,000
Kitchen Staff-$15,000
Kitchen Staff-$15,000
Kitchen Staff-$15,000
Kitchen Staff-$15,000

                                                         -       $7,500,000          = (25% for benefits and taxes)
                        Personnel subtotal -         $18,764,341
        Teacher Bonuses-        $200,000
                                                                       $18,964,341
                                                                      ____________

                                                                       $11, 035, 659 - (Left over after payroll)

                                                        - 2 million  Athletic Department and sports
                                                        - 1 million  for the Pre-K Summer Camp
                                                        - 2 million  for computers, smart-boards, and technology
                                                        - 2 million  for books (library), periodicals, and classroom resources
                                        - 1 million  field trips / school events
                                                        - 1 million  after school programs / "Non-traditional" Classes
                                                        - 1 million  miscellaneous expenses
   
                                                                  ________________

                                                                       $ 1, 035, 659 - left for rainy day fund.    


Governance:
     The Jefferson-Franklin School district has a board of directors or local school board. The twelve elected members of  the board must live within the zoning of the district. The Superintendent and Curriculum Specialist have one vote each on the board. They make decisions concerning various issues of the district and work with the Superintendent and individual school Building Leadership Teams which are comprised of teachers. The board must pass policies with 70% vote and serve for a period of three years. They are on a volunteer basis and receive no salary or stipend but do get a special license plate.
     The administrative chain of command is as follows:
                    School Board
                    Superintendent
                    Curriculum Specialist
                    Principals
                    Assistant Principals
                    Building Leadership Team (teachers)
                    for salaries - see budget
The buildings are on a single campus (college style) and they are all been renovated completely with asbestos removal, etc. They are older buildings from the sixties with classical architectural style complete with columns.  The campus map is below with a key.

Campusmap

1)  Library / Computer lab
2) High School - Grades 10-12 / cafeteria / gym
3) Intermediate School - Grades 4-6
4) Cafeteria- Grades K-6 / Auditorium / Gymnasium in the left wing
5) District Office
6) Junior High School - Grades 7-9
7) Alternative School / GED / Voc. Tech/ ISS/ Saturday School Building
8) Primary School / Library - Grades K - 3
9) Maintenance / Security  Building

* On the quad between buildings 8 and 3 is a large statue of Ben Franklin.
* On the quad between buildings 5 and 6 is a large statue of Thomas Jefferson.
* To the right of building three is the activity field.
* The football field is between buildings 1 and 7.
* There is a playground behind the Primary School.


Daily schedule: 8 Periods (Tupelo High model)

7:35 First Period Begins
Hour Lunch for students with free time/ study hall
Teachers have two planning periods. One free and one for planning.
Teachers have daily duty.
3:30 School Ends.
3:30-5:00pm - After School Detention


Annual Calender for 2009/2010 school year:
AUGUST 6                                       TEACHERS' FIRST DAY
AUGUST 10                                      STUDENTS' FIRST DAY
AUGUST 26-28                                 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS
                             (STUDENT HOLIDAYS)
SEPTEMBER 7                                LABOR DAY
SEPTEMBER 28                              THE AMISH GAMES (FIELD DAY)                           
OCTOBER 12-13                               FALL BREAK
NOVEMBER 25-27                            THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS
DECEMBER 18                                 60% DAY FOR STUDENTS
DECEMBER 21 - JANUARY 1            CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
JANUARY 4                                      TEACHERS RETURN (STUDENT HOLIDAY)
JANUARY 5                                      STUDENTS RETURN
JANUARY 18                                    KING/LEE HOLIDAY
FEBRUARY 15                                 WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY HOLIDAY
MARCH 15-19                                   SPRING BREAK
APRIL 2                                           EASTER HOLIDAY
MAY 25                                           RUMSPRINGA (STUDENT FUN DAY)
MAY 26                                           STUDENTS' LAST DAY / 60% DAY FOR STUDENTS
MAY 27                                          TEACHERS' LAST DAY

High School: The High School includes grades 10, 11, and 12. Ninth grade is located in the Junior High school. The school offers three foreign languages, Spanish, German, and the classical courses in Latin. The High School is college preparatory in it's focus. The students are able to choose several electives and have a free period to study or socialize and an hour lunch. The teachers have two planning periods and the school follows the Tupelo High eight period model. The students can take electives such as business, bible, psychology, calculus, etc.


Community:
     There are many ways in which the community will be involved in the Jefferson-Franklin District. The High School offers night classes for "non-traditional" students and seniors in foreign languages and technology.


Teachers:
The student teacher ratios are as follows:

Kindergarten- 2:19 (6 classes with 19 students)
First- 2:17 (5 classes with 17 students and 1 class with 16 students)
Second- 1:18 (2 classes with 19 students and 3 classes with 18 students)
Third- 1:19 (4 classes with 19 students and 1 class with 20 students)
Fourth- 1:20 (6 classes with 20 students and 1 class with 18 students)
Fifth- 1:21 (4 classes with 21 and 3 classes with 20 students)
Sixth- 1:19 (6 classes with 19 and 1 class with 18 students)
Seventh- 1:21 (4 classes with 21 students and 3 classes with 20 students)
Eighth- 1:20 (6 classes with 20 students and 1 class with 18 students)
Ninth- 1:18 (8 classes with 18 students and 1 class with 17 students)
Tenth- 1:19 (10 classes with 19 students and 3 classes with 20 students)
Eleventh- 1:18 (6 classes with 19 students and 7 classes with 18 students)
Twelfth- 1:19 (10 classes with 19 students and 3 classes with 20 students)

Teacher Pay- see salary schedule- Teacher pay is quite competitive and is high for the region. New teachers with a college degree receive a minimum of $45,600. There are performance bonuses available from $100-$5000 to each teacher that is in the budget and these will be determined by the Principals and/or Superintendent.  Each mark of ten consecutive years (10,20,30,etc) will be marked with a $5000 retention bonus. These are some of the ways that the district aims to attract and retain quality staff and ensure quality instruction. Teachers can be let go after one year by contract non-renewal if their performance is low. After more than ten years in the district a teacher will have tenure and shall not be terminated without just cause. This can be defined as professional misconduct, excessive write-ups, low student performance, being convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, or failing to adhere to the district policies or procedures.  Contracts are renewed every year.

Any new applicant to the district must be observed by an administrator, curriculum specialist, or member of the Building Leadership Team in their teaching or student teaching classroom. Or candidates may submit a video-taped lesson to the team. Hiring is done by the Building Leadership Team and they conduct all interviews. Any termination of a teacher must be reviewed by the Building Leadership Team before the recommendation for non-renewal is submitted to the district office.

Staff development is scheduled by the Curriculum Specialist. He/She plans staff development and sends staff persons out of the district and to other states for professional development. This is a crucial part of the school. Teachers must sign up to led one staff development session per year. They select a topic from a list that they want to present. This is to keep staff development fresh and the staff active in it.

Evaluations are performed by the Superintendent, Principals, Curriculum Specialist, and the Assistant Principals. The teachers have a minimum of four formal evaluations a year. For two of them the teachers choose the date and time and two are conducted at random.

Building Leadership Teams are comprised of two teachers from each grade and the Principal and Assistant Principal of each school. For each grade one member is chosen by the Principal and one is elected by the grade's faculty. The team is responsible for determining the direction of the school and keeping the focus on student success. It is designed to prevent excessive shake-ups by new administrators for personal reasons or as a defense against isms - nepotism, cronyism, etc. They are responsible for conducting interviews, debating hiring and firing and planning school activities and disciplinary actions. The focus of the BLT's is the success of their respective schools. They are very influential in decision-making and provide a strong line of communication between the teachers and administrators. 

Curriculum / Curriculum Specialist: The primary duties of the district Curriculum Specialist are to oversee and perform staff development, set the curriculum in conjunction with the building leadership team, perform evaluations, manage standardized tests, and to study data. The curriculum is selected by the Specialist and the teachers for the grade. Each school has a Reading and Math Specialist each with PhD's and no classroom of their own. They spend the day working with students on reading and foundational math. In the High School they help with ACT prep.

Technology: Every classroom has a smart-board, and a  tv/ dvd player, laptop for teacher, and three desktops computers for student use. Technology is key to the students' future success and teachers are to incorporate as much as they can in their lesson plans.

Students: There are a few specific graduation requirements including the standards. The students must take Algebra and one higher math. They must take four years of English and two years of history and one government and one regional studies. The students must take a minimum of two years of a foreign or classical language and the must take biology and chemistry.

The district uses the ten point grading scale.

The discipline rules are very strict and set by the district with certain allowances for deviation by the school Principals. There is no corporal punishment in the district for legal purposes. The students have a copy in their handbook of the discipline ladder that is followed strictly. Most of the consequences deal with removal of privileges such as free time. There is after school detention and Saturday school.  If a student fights, they are arrested by a police officer and charged with "disturbing the peace" and will be sent to alternative school for no less than forty days with mandatory Saturday schools. The district looks to prevention rather than cures for discipline problems.  The primary roles of the Assistant Principals is to patrol the halls and handle discipline. The keep track of disciplinary problems and communicate with parents and teachers about these concerns. The Building Leadership Teams for the schools establish the school rules for the year. The teacher are in control of their individual classroom but must conform to school and district policy.

Fightingamish2

Athletics:
The "Fighting Amish" are very strong in athletics.
There are a plethora of sports for students to choose from.
The sports range from football, baseball, basketball, golf,
softball, rugby, track, tennis, cross-country, etc. There is a
full-time district athletic director who teaches no classes and serves
as head football coach. Teachers coach the other sports and serve
as assistant coaches.


Public Relations Plan for Bond Issue: The after school activities and non-traditional classes are some ways in which the district reaches out to the community. The district has very active PTA's and the individual schools have parent nights each nine weeks. The school is purposing a bond issue to help renovate and update the school. The district holds multiple town meetings that are advertised in the local paper to openly discuss the bond issue and all citizens , regardless of whether they have children in the schools, are encouraged to attend.





Pre-K Summer Camp:
 To combat lack of home learning and children entering Kindergarten lacking knowledge, vocabulary, etc, the district offers a Pre-K Summer Camp for upcoming kindergarten students. The camp develops school routines and introduces students to the school-wide reading program. It seeks to boost their vocabulary and get them excited for the school year. This is to compensate for a lack of a state mandated Pre-K and this Camp is funded by the district and is mandatory for all entering Kindergarten students. Parents are allowed to stay and participate in activities with the students but this is not required. It takes place during June and July from 8:00-1:00 pm.


                                             Jefferson-Franklin School District
                                                            2009-2010

                                 Classroom Teachers Minimum Salary Schedule
Year                 Bachelor                              Masters                        Doctorate
00                    $45,600                              $46,600                          $49,510
01                    $45,835                              $46,865                          $49,863 
02                    $46,071                              $47,066                            $50,104
03                    $46,572                                $47,600                          $50,317
04                     $46,893                               $48,010                          $50,598
05                   $47,421                               $48,541                         $50,865
06                   $47,946                               $49,102                         $52,086
07                    $48,270                                  $49,411                         $52,339
08                   $48,590                               $49,717                           $52,537
09                   $48,909                               $50,028                           $52,623
10                   $49,227                               $50,772                         $52,704
11                   $49,547                               $50,882                         $53,379
12                   $49,975                                 $51,099                         $53,639
13                    $50,299                               $51,466                         $53,766
14                   $50,819                               $52,146                         $53,930
15                   $51,419                               $52,672                         $54,114
16                   $52,659                                 $53,659                         $57,018
17                    $52,907                               $54,170                         $57,294
18                   $53,453                              $54,635                         $57,455
19                   $54,213                              $55,404                           $57,637
20                   $55,567                              $57,293                         $58,360
21                     $56,905                              $57,913                        $61,287
22                   $57,182                              $59,093                        $61,582
23                     $57,919                             $59,222                          $61,600
24                   $58,338                              $59,507                       $61,880
25                   $58,759                                $60,328                       $62,046
26                   $60,616                                $61,584                       $65,090
27                     $61,371                             $63,011                        $65,906
28                     $61,509                             $63,155                       $66,130
29                   $61,809                             $63,460                        $66,504
30+                   $67,224                            $68,866                        $72,449

***These are the district minimums for teacher pay. Principals and Superintendents can give yearly performance bonuses of anywhere from $100 - $5000 dollars depending on budget and performance. At every ten year mark working within the district the employee shall receive a $5000 bonus. Contracts are renewed on a yearly basis.***

 
-The district will not negotiate with unions and thus subject itself to the possibility of extortion.
                         Sorry, Ken.
 

                                    
              
                                                        

Jefferson letter......

Letter to Peter Carr

Jefferson's letter to his nephew, from Paris, August 10, 1787.

ear Peter, — I have received your two letters of December 30 and April 18, and am very happy to find by them, as well as by letters from Mr. Wythe, that you have been so fortunate as to attract his notice & good will; I am sure you will find this to have been one of the most fortunate events of your life, as I have ever been sensible it was of mine. I enclose you a sketch of the sciences to which I would wish you to apply, in such order as Mr. Wythe shall advise; I mention, also, the books in them worth your reading, which submit to his correction. Many of these are among your father's books, which you should have brought to you. As I do not recollect those of them not in his library, you must write to me for them, making out a catalogue of such as you think you shall have occasion for, in 18 months from the date of your letter, & consulting Mr. Wythe on the subject. To this sketch, I will add a few particular observations.

   1. Italian. I fear the learning of this language will confound your French and Spanish. Being all of them degenerated dialects of the Latin, they are apt to mix in conversation. I have never seen a person speaking the three languages, who did not mix them. It is a delightful language, but late events having rendered the Spanish more useful, lay it aside to prosecute that.

    2. Spanish. Bestow great attention on this, and endeavor to acquire an accurate knowledge of it. Our future connections with Spain and Spanish America, will render that language a valuable acquisition. The ancient history of that part of America, too, is written in that language. I send you a dictionary.

    3. Moral Philosophy. I think it lost time to attend lectures on this branch. He who made us would have been a pitiful bungler, if he had made the rules of our moral conduct a matter of science. For one man of science, there are thousands who are not. What would have become of them? Man was destined for society. His morality, therefore, was to be formed to this object. He was endowed with a sense of right and wrong, merely relative to this. This sense is as much a part of his nature, as the sense of hearing, seeing, feeling; it is the true foundation of morality, and not the to kalon [beautiful], truth, &c., as fanciful writers have imagined. The moral sense, or conscience, is as much a part of man as his leg or arm. It is given to all human beings in a stronger or weaker degree, as force of members is given them in a greater or less degree. It may be strengthened by exercise, as may any particular limb of the body. This sense is submitted, indeed, in some degree, to the guidance of reason; but it is a small stock which is required for this: even a less one than what we call common sense. State a moral case to a ploughman and a professor. The former will decide it as well, & often better than the latter, because he has not been led astray by artificial rules. In this branch, therefore, read good books, because they will encourage, as well as direct your feelings. The writings of Sterne, particularly, form the best course of morality that ever was written. Besides these, read the books mentioned in the enclosed paper; and, above all things, lose no occasion of exercising your dispositions to be grateful, to be generous, to be charitable, to be humane, to be true, just, firm, orderly, courageous, &c. Consider every act of this kind, as an exercise which will strengthen your moral faculties & increase your worth.

    4. Religion. Your reason is now mature enough to examine this object. In the first place, divest yourself of all bias in favor of novelty & singularity of opinion. Indulge them in any other subject rather than that of religion. It is too important, and the consequences of error may be too serious. On the other hand, shake off all the fears & servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. You will naturally examine first, the religion of your own country. Read the Bible, then as you would read Livy or Tacitus. The facts which are within the ordinary course of nature, you will believe on the authority of the writer, as you do those of the same kind in Livy & Tacitus. The testimony of the writer weighs in their favor, in one scale, and their not being against the laws of nature, does not weigh against them. But those facts in the Bible which contradict the laws of nature, must be examined with more care, and under a variety of faces. Here you must recur to the pretensions of the writer to inspiration from God. Examine upon what evidence his pretensions are founded, and whether that evidence is so strong, as that its falsehood would be more improbable than a change in the laws of nature, in the case he relates. For example, in the book of Joshua, we are told, the sun stood still several hours. Were we to read that fact in Livy or Tacitus, we should class it with their showers of blood, speaking of statues, beasts, &c. But it is said, that the writer of that book was inspired. Examine, therefore, candidly, what evidence there is of his having been inspired. The pretension is entitled to your inquiry, because millions believe it. On the other hand, you are astronomer enough to know how contrary it is to the law of nature that a body revolving on its axis, as the earth does, should have stopped, should not, by that sudden stoppage, have prostrated animals, trees, buildings, and should after a certain time gave resumed its revolution, & that without a second general prostration. Is this arrest of the earth's motion, or the evidence which affirms it, most within the law of probabilities? You will next read the New Testament. It is the history of a personage called Jesus. Keep in your eye the opposite pretensions: 1, of those who say he was begotten by God, born of a virgin, suspended & reversed the laws of nature at will, & ascended bodily into heaven; and 2, of those who say he was a man of illegitimate birth, of a benevolent heart, enthusiastic mind, who set out without pretensions to divinity, ended in believing them, and was punished capitally for sedition, by being gibbeted, according to the Roman law, which punished the first commission of that offence by whipping, & the second by exile, or death in fureâ. See this law in the Digest Lib. 48. tit. 19. §. 28. 3. & Lipsius Lib 2. de cruce. cap. 2. These questions are examined in the books I have mentioned under the head of religion, & several others. They will assist you in your inquiries, but keep your reason firmly on the watch in reading them all.

    Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its consequences. If it ends in a belief that there is no God, you will find incitements to virtue in the comfort and pleasantness you feel in its exercise, and the love of others which it will procure you. If you find reason to believe there is a God, a consciousness that you are acting under his eye, & that he approves you, will be a vast additional incitement; if that there be a future state, the hope of a happy existence in that increases the appetite to deserve it; if that Jesus was also a God, you will be comforted by a belief of his aid and love. In fine, I repeat, you must lay aside all prejudice on both sides, and neither believe nor reject anything, because any other persons, or description of persons, have rejected or believed it. Your own reason is the only oracle given you by heaven, and you are answerable, not for the rightness, but uprightness of the decision. I forgot to observe, when speaking of the New Testament, that you should read all the histories of Christ, as well of those whom a council of ecclesiastics have decided for us, to be Pseudo-evangelists, as those they named Evangelists. Because these Pseudo-evangelists pretended to inspiration, as much as the others, and you are to judge their pretensions by your own reason, and not by the reason of those ecclesiastics. Most of these are lost. There are some, however, still extant, collected by Fabricius, which I will endeavor to get & send you.

    5. Travelling. This makes men wiser, but less happy. When men of sober age travel, they gather knowledge, which they may apply usefully for their country; but they are subject ever after to recollections mixed with regret; their affections are weakened by being extended over more objects; & they learn new habits which cannot be gratified when they return home. Young men, who travel, are exposed to all these inconveniences in a higher degree, to others still more serious, and do not acquire that wisdom for which a previous foundation is requisite, by repeated and just observations at home. The glare of pomp and pleasure is analogous to the motion of the blood; it absorbs all their affection and attention, they are torn from it as from the only good in this world, and return to their home as to a place of exile & condemnation. Their eyes are forever turned back to the object they have lost, & its recollection poisons the residue of their lives. Their first & most delicate passions are hackneyed on unworthy objects here, & they carry home the dregs, insufficient to make themselves or anybody else happy. Add to this, that a habit of idleness, an inability to apply themselves to business is acquired, & renders them useless to themselves & their country. These observations are founded in experience. There is no place where your pursuit of knowledge will be so little obstructed by foreign objects, as in your own country, nor any, wherein the virtues of the heart will be less exposed to be weakened. Be good, be learned, & be industrious, & you will not want the aid of travelling, to render you precious to your country, dear to your friends, happy within yourself. I repeat my advice, to take a great deal of exercise, & on foot. Health is the first requisite after morality. Write to me often, & be assured of the interest I take in your success, as well as the warmth of those sentiments of attachment with which I am, dear Peter, your affectionate friend.

P.S. Let me know your age in your next letter. Your cousins here are well & desire to be remembered to you.

              Sincerely,

                   Unc TJ

Swine flu blog......

    Swine flu is an interesting event. Word is just out of a case in Shelby County and possibly near Nashville. This goes to show that students are incubators of disease and we all need to be more careful about hand washing and so forth. Hopefully, it will be no worse than any other flu strain. I had a teacher at my school who said he thought it was the government implementing some kind of population control. "You see how fucked up I is? This is how I think" he told me in the cafeteria. Be that as it may I do not think that we are being wiped out in some calculated fashion or that this will take us out like the dinosaurs....knock on wood, but I do believe anytime something is spreading like wildfire in the local community that we should cancel school and stay home. Win-win. I hear the school in Collierville has closed for seven days and it will be interesting to see if others follow. We shall see.

Parent Conference........

 I had a parent conference today with one of my most difficult students. He is the leader in one of our rapidly growing gangs. We were bringing this to his mom's attention. When we played a rap that this gang has recorded and she connected it to the song he plays on his phone, she reached over and slapped him really hard two times across the face causing me to jump a little. This is something that I have only dreamed of doing all year. It was pretty shocking though. The Principal and I just continued on with our talking points.

My kids love/hate me............

 " Mr. Johnson is really strict and boring. He always says , Let's focus, and makes jokes that no body laughs at. He is allright though."
             - Kenyada

" Mr Johnson does the same thing every day. We do bell ringer , writing section, then worksheets. He jokes a lot which is good. He walks around all the time and talks about Atlanta all the time. He is funny. He gives us free time after lunch. He is my favorite teacher.  He teaches me a lot about writing and life."
                   -Herbert

Second-year note.............

Dan,

     Thank you for all of your second hand smoke and great advice. Many a lung filled afternoon, you were patient and thoughtful in listening to my experiences and then offering your perspective and support. We both were dealing with the insanity of middle-school kids and the crazy world of public education and you were a great mentor and sounding board. I hope that you continue to play your music and teach in some capacity. The kids would really light up when you threw it to the wind and embarrassed yourself for their benefit. You were a great model for making English a little more interesting and I enjoyed our planning sessions. We'll have to meet up for a pint at the Purple Shamrock. See you at graduation. Thank you again.

           Your mentee.