Last night, because it was the eve of a holiday and I felt like I had all the time in the world to finish my syllabus, lesson plans, and test prep packages, I watched an interview of the NJ Governor by Oprah on the Oprah channel. (It was a good thing they advertised during the Giants game or I would never have even known of the Oprah channel - sorry I digress). Anyway, it was a pretty interesting conversation that certainly left me thinking a lot about his challenges to teachers (I have been critical in the past of his comments about physical education and kindergarten teachers). While his "shoot from the hip" way of speaking can be abrasive, he made two statements that left in thinking.
He said only 23% of students in some cities in his state graduate from HS. YIKES. He said it was the fault of the teachers' unions and that they should be held accountable to do more for those kids. This of course challenged me to "check it out" and I visited a few sites including this site from the Journal Newspaper. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/nj_high_school_graduation_rate.html
While the NJ teachers should certainly be congratulated on the 87% graduation rate statewide, the needs of students in struggling cities is certainly a concern. However, Governor, this is part of a much greater nationwide concern for how we educate our students who are learning English as a second language and our students whose families are struggling for socio-economic reasons. These are not quick fixes for sure - and more laws demanding students reach certain standards 1year after they arrive in this country will not make it any difference. More laws stating that a score on a single paper-pencil test taken on a single day are indicative of failure will not solve the problem. We DO agree on one thing: teachers are a big part of the solution to the problem. We can and need to create classrooms and schools where students WANT to come and learn - no matter what is happening outside of the classroom. We can and should create supportive classrooms and school environments where learning is ASSESSMENT driven and DIFFERENTIATED based on needs. We can and should create classrooms for EVERY student where learning is guaranteed. Teachers can and should never give up on any child. We can and should teach every child to read critically and think mathematically. We can not, however, do it alone. We need the help and support of parents and lawmakers. We need you to hold parents accountable for their kids' attendance in school. We need you to direct funds to classrooms and teachers where learning takes place.
I agree with you that teachers need to be accountable for what we do; however, you need to listen rrespectfully and learn from us....and we will listen respectfully and learn from your point of view. .
The Governor and Oprah also talked about his battle with weight. Like many of us, myself included, emotional eating of food can be a powerful addiction that impacts our physical and emotional well-being. I certainly know the daily struggle to keep that force in check and consider it to be one of the great undisclosed biases in our society. In my opinion, it might even keep the Governor out of the White House. However, while he was talking, I was thinking about the Governor's comments about physical education teachers being less important than physics teachers.....and while physics is important....so is the health of our society. We can and should create physical education teachers and classrooms where students are learning more than dodgeball....where they are learning about lifelong health and exercise options...where they are learning about weight training and nutrition....and where students can change the course of their own lives;....where the talk is about healthy food choices and the training supports life-long learning.....for all of us...not just those who are athletically inclined!
I guess I am taking a page from the Governor's own book as I "shoot from the hip myself" on this Martin Luther King birthday holiday from school.
Governor, I really do respect that you confront so many critical issues in our society head on even if I disagree with some of your solutions to problems; however, I think you should take a page or two from MLK's book. We (all of us, politicians, police, firemen, teachers, parents, citizens) need to work together to make sure that every child has safe schools, effective teachers, supportive family members, and a safe place to live......we also need to hope that some day, our children will be judged not just on how they look, but on the content of their characters. We need to remember, as Dr. King said so much better than I, WE all may have come over on different ships and in different centuries; however, WE all now must work together to make this side of the world a better place for ALL of us. Perhaps we should pay teachers bonuses to turn things around in low performing schools. Perhaps we should pay our health and physical education teachers more when they make their curriculum more reflective of societal needs. We ALL need teachers to serve as life-long mentors and to take us to the places of our dreams.
.
He said only 23% of students in some cities in his state graduate from HS. YIKES. He said it was the fault of the teachers' unions and that they should be held accountable to do more for those kids. This of course challenged me to "check it out" and I visited a few sites including this site from the Journal Newspaper. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/nj_high_school_graduation_rate.html
While the NJ teachers should certainly be congratulated on the 87% graduation rate statewide, the needs of students in struggling cities is certainly a concern. However, Governor, this is part of a much greater nationwide concern for how we educate our students who are learning English as a second language and our students whose families are struggling for socio-economic reasons. These are not quick fixes for sure - and more laws demanding students reach certain standards 1year after they arrive in this country will not make it any difference. More laws stating that a score on a single paper-pencil test taken on a single day are indicative of failure will not solve the problem. We DO agree on one thing: teachers are a big part of the solution to the problem. We can and need to create classrooms and schools where students WANT to come and learn - no matter what is happening outside of the classroom. We can and should create supportive classrooms and school environments where learning is ASSESSMENT driven and DIFFERENTIATED based on needs. We can and should create classrooms for EVERY student where learning is guaranteed. Teachers can and should never give up on any child. We can and should teach every child to read critically and think mathematically. We can not, however, do it alone. We need the help and support of parents and lawmakers. We need you to hold parents accountable for their kids' attendance in school. We need you to direct funds to classrooms and teachers where learning takes place.
I agree with you that teachers need to be accountable for what we do; however, you need to listen rrespectfully and learn from us....and we will listen respectfully and learn from your point of view. .
The Governor and Oprah also talked about his battle with weight. Like many of us, myself included, emotional eating of food can be a powerful addiction that impacts our physical and emotional well-being. I certainly know the daily struggle to keep that force in check and consider it to be one of the great undisclosed biases in our society. In my opinion, it might even keep the Governor out of the White House. However, while he was talking, I was thinking about the Governor's comments about physical education teachers being less important than physics teachers.....and while physics is important....so is the health of our society. We can and should create physical education teachers and classrooms where students are learning more than dodgeball....where they are learning about lifelong health and exercise options...where they are learning about weight training and nutrition....and where students can change the course of their own lives;....where the talk is about healthy food choices and the training supports life-long learning.....for all of us...not just those who are athletically inclined!
I guess I am taking a page from the Governor's own book as I "shoot from the hip myself" on this Martin Luther King birthday holiday from school.
Governor, I really do respect that you confront so many critical issues in our society head on even if I disagree with some of your solutions to problems; however, I think you should take a page or two from MLK's book. We (all of us, politicians, police, firemen, teachers, parents, citizens) need to work together to make sure that every child has safe schools, effective teachers, supportive family members, and a safe place to live......we also need to hope that some day, our children will be judged not just on how they look, but on the content of their characters. We need to remember, as Dr. King said so much better than I, WE all may have come over on different ships and in different centuries; however, WE all now must work together to make this side of the world a better place for ALL of us. Perhaps we should pay teachers bonuses to turn things around in low performing schools. Perhaps we should pay our health and physical education teachers more when they make their curriculum more reflective of societal needs. We ALL need teachers to serve as life-long mentors and to take us to the places of our dreams.
.
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