My acceptance letter says that I should receive some materials in mid-March so that I can start adequately preparing for Summer Institute. I've read from other TNTP fellow blog posts that Teaching for Student Achievement is a really huge book, and don't want to wait too long before I'm starting things... I found several copies of the book online a few weeks ago, and that's what I've been using to study for now (so I'll have a head start and won't drive myself crazy trying to read 600+ pages before June!!!), but I'd sure feel alot better if I could know for sure that the copy I've been using (copyright 2004) is the right one. At any rate, I figure that the core information is pretty much constant, so I'm gonna keep reading what I have and just wait for the program's administration to send out the book link. I'm funny like that... I don't like to wait till the last minute to get ready for stuff, especially things that I need to read and take time to absorb and get the full effect of... the contents of this book are going to provide a crucial foundation for what we're about to take on this school year, from what I understand, and I want to be prepared as much as possible.
I can't wait for Summer Institute to start. I'm so looking forward to meeting all the people that will be in our cohort this year, and to officially getting started with the (formal) learning process. I'm especially psyched that I can call ETS next Friday and get my Praxis II scores over the phone... dude... that rocks!!! Waiting so long for week after week is just freakin' torture. Being able to call and get the score helps that sooo much. We had to take the paper test... computer wasn't an option, hence the longer wait for results. But next Friday is so very close and I'm crossing days off the calendar till I get there! The Special Ed test (0543) wasn't half as bad as I expected it to be... and the book I used to help prepare for it was just excellent. The same kind of questions that were in the book were what was on the test, which is awesome. I've heard so many people say that their preparation/study books gave questions that were nowhere like what was on the actual test, and I'm so glad that wasn't my experience with this one. Now, the Fundamental Subjects Core Knowledge test (0511) was pure freakin' nightmare material. Seriously. The study book I used for that one (ironically, written by the same authors who produced the excellent Special Ed study guide) was a waste of $15. I did all that reading and studying, and the test was soooo NOT like what was in that book. The book helps you study things you'd expect ... math formulas, science fundamentals, major events in history, etc.... but the test wasn't anything like that. It asked questions that I felt seemed way out in left field sometimes, like what two people had a conversation about whether states should maintain slavery within their separate boundaries (actual conversation provided for you, btw)... now, I understand the concept of asking a question like this to find out if you have a sense of the time period and all... that makes perfect sense to me. But to be able to match people who were US Senators at that time along with the timeframe... omg. I have NO idea who the senators were during that time, and although a simple Google search could answer that question for me after the fact, how in the world can I be expected to remember which US senators served during which particular periods in history?? What?? You've got to be kidding me. Ask me about the Industrial Revolution or the wars we've participated in or social programs that came to be in response to the Great Depression... you know... general HISTORY stuff like that... and I can answer it. But some of the questions on this test seemed so incredibly out of left field to me that I wouldn't honestly know where to start to study for it again, if I had to. I'm praying (seriously) that I've passed this particular test and don't e-v-e-r have to see that stuff again anytime soon in a test format. Whew. Just thinking about it makes me shudder. Anywho. Another week and a half or so, and I'll know my fate, and whether or not I have to sign up to take the test on 4/30 again.
In the meantime, I'm inhaling this book and all the principles, knowledge and strategies that are presented in it. It really does have great information. And reading this stuff makes you think... if you have to actually tell teachers to have a goal of getting all their students on or above grade level before they leave you... what in the world was going on in education before this reform movement started?? That's so common sense to me - especially as an educator - and it's such a scary thought to think about all the teachers who either never really gave this much thought or who just passed their students grade after grade, whether or not they were truly on grade level and were really 'ready' for the next level of learning. I'm so ready to learn this stuff. Teach me, TNTP. Let's go.
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