departmentalization in 4th

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Home : 2005 : March : 15

departmentalization in 4th
By barb

I can only speak for my own experiences, but I am a departmentalized teacher in an impoverished district in N.E. Ohio. The one determining factor for us was the pressure of the Proficiency tests more than 10 years ago.
We are a small school, with only 4 teachers in 4th. (and getting smaller with budget cuts) The logic was that we could all try to master one or two subjects, but the responsibility for mastery of 4 0r 5 was daunting. Believe me, we did some soul searching, and feel, that for our situation, it was right. Are some of the kids not ready? You bet. But many embrace the movement, and change.

It seems that if we held off departmentalization for another year, we only be 'caring' for the same kids. Scatter brained kids are scatterbrained, no matter where you find them! It also forces you to teach every moment of the period. You don't have the luxury of scrapping science because you don't feel like teaching it that day. The classroom is curriculum and proficiency driven. It has definitely taken some of the fun out of my classroom. I still try to make things interesting, but with the tests still looming, and the pressure on, we don't plan to return to self-contained anytime soon. Hope this helps.