Inspiring Wonder . . . Bettering the World

Quote of the Day

When you aid a teacher, you improve the education of your children. 

It is a wonder that teachers work as well as they do. I never look at a group of them without using, mentally, the expression, ‘The noble army of martyrs’! 

- Maria Mitchell, Astronomer.

(A Repost) For All Those Teachers Heading Back Into the Classroom . . .

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN’T LOOKING
- Mary Rita Schilke Korzan

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you displayed my first report, and I wanted to do another.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you fed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you gave me a sticker, and I knew that little things were special things.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, you put your arm around me, and I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt--but that it’s all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you smiled, and it made me want to look that pretty too.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, you cared, and I wanted to be everything I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking--I looked...and wanted to say thanks for all those things you did when you thought I wasn’t looking.

LUCID THOUGHTS on EDUCATION

from Matt Damon's 8/2 SPEECH

at a D.C. TEACHER'S RALLY:

I had incredible teachers. As I look at my life today, the things I value most about myself — my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity — all come from how I was parented and taught.

And none of these qualities that I’ve just mentioned — none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, that have brought me so much joy, that have brought me so much professional success — none of these qualities that make me who I am ... can be tested.

*  *  *

from ROVING BANDIT:

Clearly the correct balance to be struck between freedom for teachers and external accountability is a tough one. We don't know how to apply the correct incentives. Which is why the answer can only be testing - testing the tests - which brings me to New York Mayor Bloomberg's use of RCTs to test out 2 promising education initiatives in the city - conditional cash transfers and cash incentives for teachers. 

 

Both programs cost $50 million each. Neither worked, and so both schemes were promptly scrapped. Bloomberg deserves a medal (the Tim Harford award for experiments in social policy?).  

 

He just saved $50 million a year (or $100 million, if both schemes were to be run concurrently), on a program that makes plenty of intuitive sense, but that without proper testing could have gone on for years, with nobody knowing that it wasn't having any effect at all. 

 

How many other pieces of the education system are doing nothing?

*  *  *

from New York's MAYOR BLOOMBERG:

I think those things we should be more proud of -- the fact that we have the courage to sit there and say we thought it was a good idea, didn't work and we're stopping it. We're not going to waste the public's money.

*  *  *

Education is not the filling of a pail,

but the lighting of a fire.

 

- William Butler Yeats

 

 

 *  *  *

To the extent that we are all educated and informed, we will be more equipped to deal with the gut issues that tend to divide us.

 

- Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg

ASTHE PRESIDENT RECONSIDERS THE LEGACY OF NCLB

Teachers should not compete with each other for extra dollars (Edward Deming says that this kind of competition doesn't even work in business, that it demoralizes the workplace). Teachers should share what they know, not hoard their trade secrets for their private benefit. . .

Most teachers I know are happy, even proud to share their knowledge, experience, and ideas with others - especially idealistic newcomers.

The era of NCLB has been marked by lowered state standards, cheating, and widespread gaming of the system. While the states claim big leaps forward, NAEP shows very little improvement. In math, the gains were larger before NCLB than after it was implemented. On eighth grade reading, there have been no gains at all since 1998, even though these are the students who grew up with NCLB. . .

This empirical data fails to recognize the frustration and fear engendered in students, teachers, and school administrators alike. The higher the stakes, the greater the fear.

You describe the reform "consensus," but the consensus seems to exist mainly inside Beltway think tanks, corporate suites, foundation offices, editorial boards, and at the highest levels of government. Those who are not part of the consensus are ordinary classroom teachers, the very people who are supposed to implement the “reforms.”

from: Is Education on the Wrong Track? by Diane Ravitch

Commentary by:

 

SOME HINTS FROM THE BOOK WHISPERER

FROM THE BOOK WHISPERER:

"While I denounce censorship, I realize that teachers and school librarians must use discretion when offering books to young readers. As public servants, we must acknowledge the personal beliefs of the families we serve. Parents have the right to determine what books their child may or may not read. I dislike protests where a few parents' values potentially limit every reader's access to controversial books, though. To prevent book challenges and parent complaints before they occur, consider these criteria:

• Provide above level books on a case-by-case basis. Every year, I have sixth grade students who read significantly beyond their grade level. Finding appropriate, interesting books for advanced readers is challenging. I keep a small shelf of young adult (YA) titles behind my desk and only offer these books after speaking with a child's parents.

• Familiarize yourself with books and authors before placing titles in your library. I try to read every book before I provide it to my students, but this is not always reasonable. If a book is labeled as YA, I insist on reading it first. With grade level titles, I read reviews before purchasing books. I prefer to know when a book contains questionable content before a parent or student tells me.

• Avoid assigning specific books. I believe that the main reason I have received few complaints from parents or administrators about books over the years, is that I never require students to read a particular book. I expect students to read books from specific genres, but students control which titles they choose to read. If a child's parents express concern over any book their child selects, I help the student choose another one.

• Read every book you plan to read with students before using it. Before adding books to recommended or required lists, assigning titles as whole class novels, or sharing a book as a read aloud--READ IT FIRST!

• Select books for your library that receive favorable reviews from industry sources. In some cases, showing parents the literary merit of a book alleviates concerns about the content and provides evidence that the book is well-regarded in educational and literary circles.

• Decide now what you will do if anyone questions a book in your library. What support can you expect from your campus administrator? If a parent challenges a book, what policies does your district employ for responding to complaints? How important is that controversial book to your classroom instruction? What will you say to parents if they express concerns? Do not wait until a complaint occurs before creating a plan.

"While public schools and libraries must consider the needs and values of our local communities, we also bear responsibility for representing the values of American democracy. During Banned Book Week (and every week), we honor two foundational beliefs--our rights to speak freely and make our own choices. We must safeguard these rights for children until they can exercise and demand these rights for themselves.

**In serious cases of censorship, teachers, librarians, and booksellers can receive help from The Kids' Right to Read Project, which provides resources and public support.

JUDY BLUME TALKS ABOUT CENSORSHIP

CENSORSHIP

"They want to believe that if their children don't read about it, their children won't know about it. And if they don't know about it, it won't happen."

WHAT TO DO IF IT HAPPENS TO YOU

~ Kids
~ Teachers and Librarians
~ Writers

KIDS, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: A Young Person's guide to Intellectual Freedom

[UPDATE] Judy Blume: "I Was Margaret" : An interview with the YA Writer Who Couldn't Wait For Puberty. -

"Though Blume wrote her best-loved novels in the 1970s, they endure today because they deal frankly and compassionately with the fears, relationships, and sexuality of young people."