In my quest to avoid all emotional thoughts at the moment, I thought I’d open the mail bag. There is a chicken wing in here that I wasn’t expecting, and three letters from men who want to “bring me to country for using my talents”, but I’m afraid of what they think my talent is, so I’ll leave those alone. An anonymous someone also sent me a $5 gift certificate from a place called TeaCuppa and since I enjoyed the Rooibos from Teavana, I ordered this one from TeaCuppa. Thanks, Anonymous!
Recently, I got some questions from Brenda about my job as a literacy coach. I’m especially pleased with the search that got her to my site. Pleased? Did I say “pleased”? I’m enormously tickled.
Part of her e-mail:
I’ve worked hard to build professional learning communities, develop formative assessments, implement data collection systems, etc. I just have so many frustrating days. When I read your blog, it seems that your district really has its shit together. I often wonder what kinds of interventions, reading programs, etc. your middle school is using to meet state standards and what you do to keep morale up in your building.
Even though I work for a large unit school district, we are given general guidance through an outside source and then left to make decisions about interventions and programs on our own as individual buildings. Middle school is a tricky place to “fix” their reading deficiencies, but my principal works very hard at finding quality programs to spend our Title I funds on and she asked that I help research them with her.
Mostly, however, we look at the Promising Practices that work. We try something, we measure the data we collect on how well the students are doing, and then we decide to keep it or throw it away. I’ll give you an example of one. We teach vocabulary strategies through the mastering of prefixes that our state says are important. This is crucial to us because if we teach a prefix well then it may just be part of a word, but it really opens up a plethora of other words they can figure out. If you teach one prefix, you’ve really taught about 50 new words.
Morale building is more difficult when you work in a tough school, but I would encourage you to celebrate every success. Every small thing that happens whether it’s the fact that student math scores went up 10% or that 85% of your students mastered the narrative essay, celebrate it. Post it, discuss it, brag about it. If it is that a student finally made it to school 5 days in a row, celebrate it. When a teacher tries a new strategy, celebrate them and point out that they tried.
Late last night I got two e-mails back-to-back about Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy. They both asked basically the same question: how do I feel about the fact that Oprah went to South Africa to open a school when she could have spent $40 million on schools here in the United States?
A loaded question.
The short answer: she didn’t consult me first.
The better answer: she opened a school for girls who live in poverty and have a chance to contribute to the greater society of the world through education. How could you argue with that?
To be honest, if she were to give money to schools in the U.S. I can tell you what we’d ask for: air conditioning, better food for the students, more books and posters and markers and technological advances. All noble desires in my view. We’d want A/C so we could have school in the summer, but really it’s just to make ourselves more comfortable. I can sweat for a few days in the fall when the temperatures are high. Being “cooled off” won’t make me a better teacher. These girls want an education. They just want to learn to read and do their math facts. I can’t say that most of the children I’ve come across have wanted that basic tenet.
I could make the same kinds of arguments for the other things, but sometimes it comes down to how we desire to be physically comfortable or use technology that is “fun” and makes learning more entertaining. There are plenty of schools in the U.S. that have all those things and more and then there is the stark contrast to what my school and Brenda’s schools have: very little.
Must we blame Oprah for this? Truthfully, I’m a little sick of the vilification of women in the media. The top newsmakers lately are Anna Nicole, Britney, and Oprah. Even when a woman does something for others she comes under scrutiny.
But back to education…
What if those affluent schools shared the wealth and built olympic-sized pools on our campuses? How about if they shared their computers with those of us who don’t have enough for every child? Could they donate half their libraries to the less fortunate schools?
Perhaps it sounds as if I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth saying that American children have enough and that South African children need more, but if we were to be shooting each other straight, let’s talk about failed referendums. Let’s discuss the fact that people constantly complain about their taxes that have to go to public education which doesn’t provide scores that are “good enough”. Let’s add one more comment to the “See? That’s why everyone is taking their children out of public school!” pile.
The pile is high enough.
To extend that longer answer I would say that we are collectively responsible for creating good citizens. Schools aren’t the only ones liable for creating productive residents. Everyone is in the “we”.
Oprah’s simply joined the “we” already. The “We” is waiting for the rest of the world to step up to the plate.
February 27, 2007 @ 6:22 am | Filed under Education | Permalink |
dragon-mum Said,
February 27, 2007 @ 6:33 am
What is an intervention and what is a prefix?
I have some stuff to tell you but I will email it after I have had some of that sleep stuff that normal people have.
VENTL8R Said,
February 27, 2007 @ 7:39 am
We moved back into District 66, it’s own little entity in the center of Omaha. Public school system. DAMN. GOOD public school system. I came from D66 and wanted to moved back for Jenna’s sake and get out of OPS - you remember that rant I had a while back about OPS and segregation, now don’t you??
Anywho, D66s tax base is higher than OPS. Our taxes for this house are just over $2,700/year. We knew this going in. So it’s sort of like private school with the higher tax base, I guess. Now some State senators want to change the law that has kept D66 immune from OPS and have it integrated so OPS can have the tax base money generated by D66. Better not happen……dammit.
Dana Said,
February 27, 2007 @ 7:48 am
Once again, you’ve made a good point! You seem to know how to attack the angles that I often forget about. I’m so glad you’re here because you teach me as well!
Betsy Said,
February 27, 2007 @ 9:21 am
Well said. And I wish my school was more like yours. We seem to start a lot of things, and then drop a lot of things. I guess one of our biggest obstacles is accountablility. If you have any suggestions on how to get that from your staff, please send it my way. It can be awfully disheartening at times, I must say. I love my job (best job in the world), but it’s all of the other stuff besides teaching that can get me down.
ChicagoDave Said,
February 27, 2007 @ 10:10 am
Well said! Oprah was asked this very question a few months ago and she said she chose S. Africa instead of the U.S. because she was tired of needy kids in the U.S. asking her for fancy sneakers and iPods.
The kids are not to blame in this situation, it’s society. We’ve put our value on “things” (which is why the kids here are asking for $150 sneakers and iPods) whereas the girls in S. Africa just wanted an opportunity and they saw education as the key to unlocking a bright future for themselves, their families and their country.
Our society’s values are out of whack and we’ve been self medicating via cheap imports from China.
Keep doing what you’re doing Mocha! Our worth is not found in the things we possess, but in what we are able to contribute and accomplish. So celebrate your successes, embrace (and learn from) your failures, and continue making progress. Thanks for all you do.
Daisy Said,
February 27, 2007 @ 3:07 pm
I’m reading your post after a rough day with a nasty parent (who doesn’t know anything about teaching, BTW). Thank you for the reminder to celebrate our accomplishments. And take a shovel to that pile — and hold your nose.
Mike Said,
February 27, 2007 @ 3:51 pm
Good points indeed. People take too many things for granted. the simple things that you don’t think about are great accomplishments, yet we don’t recognize them as such.
Did you: wake up on time, shower, shave, brush your teeth, arrive to work/school on time and safely, listen and learn or just be productive throughout the day, treat people around you as you would want to be treated, return home safely, have gratitude for hubby/wife/son/daughter/mother/father/friends, go to sleep at a resonable hour so that you could do it all over again?
Each day we have many things to accomplish, yet we forget that we do them and don’t give ourselves enough credit.
Pat yourself on the back, b/c today you are a winner. I said winner and not whiner!
Maybe I should repost this on my blog.
J to the Wall Said,
February 27, 2007 @ 7:48 pm
I think it is WONDERFUL what Oprah is doing for those girls in Africa. They have been through hell (rape, death of their parents, beatings, looking AIDS right in the face, a form of poverty that our homeless and our most poverty striken would never understand, etc.) Those girls have a need to become the best people that they can be. If the kids in my school were given what those girls were given - it would NEVER be enough! She probably wanted to give back to someone that would appreciate it. I truly believe that Africa has been left to stand alone. I think it’s great that more people are getting on board for Africa.
On a side note - I ALWAYS tape the Oprah stuff about South Africa so I can show my students that their problems are no where near as bad as they think they are. They also need to see that there are others out there that are more in need than they are. I have always had tears when I show this stuff to my kids. If I could afford it - I would leave tonight and go to Africa and never look back.
RWA Said,
February 27, 2007 @ 11:33 pm
I couldn’t agree more. EVERYONE is involved in making the youth of today betters citizens - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, teachers - everybody.
Lady M Said,
February 28, 2007 @ 4:49 am
There’s no way to win in the media, is there. Either you are a selfish partier or someone who gives millions of dollars to help the *wrong* people. Grrr. I think Oprah is amazing.
Chris Said,
February 28, 2007 @ 9:16 am
The Media just wants it’s story. If they don’t make you question what someone has done, then there is no way to sensationalize the story and make people watch. Finding the nay sayers out there are the way they make the story seem more impressive.
I would have loved Oprah to spend the money here in the states for our school systems. The truth of it is though, politics and other greed, would have gotten in the way. The only way to make sure that money was used for a real need would have been for the Oprah staff to talk to teachers in person and personally purchase the needed goods and then deliver them to teachers.
I think it’s great that she gave these girls a chance to become a productive part of world’s society. You never ever know where the next great personality will emerge.
Fabiola Said,
February 28, 2007 @ 3:07 pm
Hi Kelly,
It is been a while since my last comment, but I couldn’t leave this post without any comment ; )
Every time I read your posts about the way you teach and all the enthusiasm that you have, I start to think about the way things are done down here in Brazil.
Two weeks ago I read this article about the research the federal government published with the ranking of the best elementary schools in the country (private and public).
We are perfectly aware that the public system in Brazil does not work, but to surprise most of all the educated people (including the government) in this country the top 3 schools were public. And they are from the country side of one of the poorest states in the country. People thought all sorts of bad things including that the schools paid to get better scores. They discovered that the county district has a joint venture with 2 or 3 big companies and foundations. These companies are giving a lot of money to these schools to create excellency programs. The results are starting to show up this year and everyone is cheering them up. The same way Oprah is doing something for this kids in South Africa, someone is starting to do something about education in a country where we DO NEED educated people, so we can keep growing as a country.
Fabiola
A Million Paths Said,
February 28, 2007 @ 9:32 pm
I’m going to say something wildly unpopular and crazy but whatever. If everyone in the country is diplomaed (and I mean diplomaed not educated which are often, sadly, two different things) who will be our garbage men, our police officers, our firefighters? Who will be our supermarket checkout clerks, our waiters, our childcare workers, our receptionists and secretaries, our electricians, our plumbers, our gardeners, our farmers, our construction workers?
Not everyone can be doctors and lawyers, and god help us if everyone was.
The saddest thing our country ever did was belittle service work and say that if you don’t have a four year degree, you’re somehow flawed. Worse still, is that more and more jobs require a degree, jobs that really don’t require a degree.
In crazy land new york, an administrative job with a finance company requires a degree from a four year institution. Why does someone need a four year degree (and the requisite debt) to plug information into a computer and answer a phone? Worse can people once they’ve pursued all this education, and there is no difference between themselves and the people that they serve be ok with a much lower salary and lower opportunity? Put another way, I work with lawyers but I don’t have a JD. It doesn’t bother me that I make much less money then they do because I haven’t spent three years with my head in a book. But when I temped at investment firms, the resentment between back office (little bucks) and front office (big bucks) was palpable b/c these two groups of people had similar levels of education etc. There was nothing inherent in one group of people’s ability to perform their job function over the other group.
I’m just jaded and cynical with the whole educational system, period (even if I am going to grad school in the fall)…meh.
Mocha Momma Said,
February 28, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
We do “interventions” with students who have somehow missed crucial learning. For instance, we monitor their progress or give them study skills courses or use support people to intervene to make sure they learn something specific.
Second, a prefix is a part of what we teach in grammar to introduce Greek and Latin affixes (yeah, don’t say it) that begin words. For example, the prefix “sub-” means under. “mari-” means water. If a student knows this he or she can break apart a word to know that a submarine is something that goes under water.
A Million Paths - You aren’t unpopular or crazy at all. Here’s my thought: most of the people who we normally have disdain for have jobs that are highly skilled and require upper-level vocabulary. Electricians don’t all have 4 year degrees, but do you think I want to read those manuals with those difficult words to understand what they do? No way. You are absolutely right in your assessment of the Haves and HaveNots (with regard to degrees).