Told to Stop Classcraft

S’abonner

Has anyone run into having an administrator tell you to stop using Classcraft?

Up until now, I have had the support of the previous admin, and the current admin up until this year. Now, I have been told unequivocally that using Classcraft at the high school level does not promote academic dedication - in fact, he thinks it does the opposite, making everything in the class a "game".

I have tried to explain my position several times to him, but ever since we have been facing budget cuts, I have been on thin ice as to my future in the building. So, for now, I have no choice but to remove my use of Classcraft for the foreseeable future.

Thanks to all for your support and ideas over these past few years, and I hope that perhaps sometime in the future I can revisit using Classcraft under more favorable circumstances.

4 commentaires
Date Votes

Hi Adam,

Thank you for the kind words, we work really hard every day to help teachers make a difference in the classroom! From what I see in the forums, you are one of those teachers who guide students in the right path and have their development at heart.

We shared your post with a select few people in our community and hope they will be able to give you some good feedback!

I hope your administration can change its mind in the future and you can rejoin the adventure with your students!

Please stay an awesome teacher and keep making a difference!

Adam,

That really is unfortunate and I don't know if it helps but my supervisor has said the exact opposite on all of my observations. If there was any hope of recovering support, here's almost exactly what is said (and if you need more details on what I'm doing, I'll happily share): 

  • Parent Communication/Student Communication: Having a visible daily report of student behaviors is classroom transparency at its best. Not only can students track their behavior, but it eliminates any vague terminology commonly found under "Habits of Mind."
  • Content Delivery - I don't even know where to begin... Quests have boosted my results because of Chunking into Digestable Bits, Scaffolding, Student Choice, Using Technology, Lessons within Units, and so on. It also offers the chance for a flipped classroom and students can work from home.
  • Classroom management - Incorporating Classcraft into my routine has set a standard of expectations, has an obvious consequence for not adhering to rules and procedures, allows for group work, classroom camaraderie, a way to collect and manage work.

It's a shame that they don't see the value from an educational standpoint. If you had usable testimonials from students and parents, maybe you'd have luck winning over your administration. Or, if worse comes to worst, Classcraft promotes using PledgeCents to try and cover a year's cost. I wish you luck and hope that the administration comes around and keeps things going.

Wow Adam! That is really too bad. I use Classcraft at the 6th grade level and my students absolutely love it! My administrator also loves the idea of Classcraft. I tried it on one class last year, the free version and loved it. This year I leveled up, so-to-speak! I am paying for the premium and love it even more! This is one of my yearly goals with my principal to use it in all my classes. I have my Classcraft binder all ready for my final conference with her as she has now seen it in action during an observation. Many comments were made on my evaluation, but comments of "show your colleagues this game!." She loved how the game works, and really likes that the students are held accountable for their actions, and their collaboration with others. She loves the idea that students help each other out and like doing it. I hope your admin sees the good because this is great! I wish I learned about it years ago. It is now my management system inchoots with my checking account system. 

Have you tried letting parents know? Especially if they liked it as much as your students. I've been teaching many years and realize that parents run the school systems, so I'd give that a try. Good luck. 

Adam;

If you care, here is my advice. Run!.. Start looking for another school to work at soon. In my opinion admin should only be able to dictate how you manage your class or administer your curriculum if you break policies or if your results are very poor. If neither are happening then you should be able to run the class as you see fit. YOU are the teacher. You are a hired professional. If they want someone to stand in front of the class and regurgitate information then they can buy a computer. 

Just my opinion. I get a bit worked up when I hear this kind of stuff happening.

Just like every job out there, there are good and bad places to work. My current school gives me full control of how I run my classes. I did not have to ask to use Classcraft and when they walked in on it a month after introducing it, they loved it. Classcraft is not curriculum based anyway (sure its a fun tool that can give you different approaches when presenting your curriculum), however Classcraft is mainly a great classroom management tool used to supplement your schools discipline policy. It gives the students a fun reward structure and immediate effects regarding performance and behavior. The fact that your admin associates it directly with a students academic thought process tells me he/she did not remotely try to understand its use. This is not an admin I would want to work for. This makes me love my school that much more.

I wish you luck Sir! 

Vous devez vous connecter pour laisser un commentaire.