The Teacher Who Changed My Life (VIDEO)

I learned to read on my mother's lap. I was bored to death when, in kindergarten, I was forced to "learn" the alphabet. In first grade, while I was reading actual books to my younger sister, I endured the torment of "Dick and Jane" stories in the classroom.

The primary teachers of any child are their parents.

One of the messages from the movie, Waiting for Superman, is for people and the community to get more involved in their schools. Our program requires every student to complete 200 hours of community service in order to graduate. We’re not waiting for the community to come to us; we’re reaching out to the community. We also get them involved in our internship program and local colleges and universities start seeing our students taking college classes as soon as they enter high school.

This is not a bi-partisan issue. It’s a non-partisan issue. This is a national crisis that must be above politics. Things like ‘choice’ and ‘charter schools’ are an admission that the system is broken, not a solution to the problem. Short of making every school in the country an excellent charter school, no percentage less than 100% would be acceptable. Rather than continue to create charter schools with the heart-rending lotteries we saw in the movie that select winners and losers, we must transform every public school to a new model of excellence. We know how to do it. We have done it in our Tracy Learning Center model that has been in operation for over eight years. Our model builds on nearly thirty years and billions of dollars of research, development and testing. We don’t need no stinking Superman. We just need the leadership and courage to implement this proven model.

Let’s move on to “merit pay”. I think Randi had the best observation I have ever heard on this issue. She said in effect that in order to believe that merit pay will have an impact on the amount of effort that a teacher gives, you need to start with the assumption that teachers are not already trying to do their best – an absurd assumption. Two recent studies in Nashville and Chicago both demonstrated that bonuses and merit pay had no significant impact on either teacher performance or retention. Given that, let’s just focus on teacher pay. We need to restructure the system to one that redefines the role of the teacher, empowers them to operate the schools, transitions to a student-centered learning environment, provides a longer school day and school year and pays them more money. Embedded in these changes is a transformation in the classroom that makes the role of the teacher more personally and professionally rewarding. We’ve done it and it works. After eight years of operation we have had zero teacher defections. We have teachers who commute over 40 miles each way because they want to work in this environment.

There are countless historical examples of districts that have made major efforts to identify and fire (or not rehire) poor or unqualified teachers. It seems like a great idea in April when the notices go out. However, in late August, when the district is still looking for 40 teachers to fill those empty slots, and the pool of applicants is less qualified than the people who were not rehired, the feeling of progress is greatly diminished.

How many times have you heard business leaders say that their company’s greatest asset is its people? The same is true in education. In business, the companies are constantly investing in employee training and development – increasing the value of its assets. And yet, how many times have you heard that the school was having a ½ day for teacher training and said to yourself or someone else, “They’re getting another half-day off!” We can’t have it both ways. If we want to have excellent teachers in our classrooms, we have to invest in them. You keep hearing about other countries that are surpassing America in educational achievement. Look at what they have in common and you will find that they have invested heavily in teacher development programs.

So, yes! By all means find and use comprehensive and fair assessments to identify teacher strengths and weaknesses. But then use that information to invest wisely in the development programs needed to strengthen the teachers.

We Don’t Need No Stinking Superman!
Fixing education doesn’t require super powers; it requires super people, both leaders and followers, committed to doing what it takes to fix the problem. I’ve been listening to the recent debates about what needs to be done and what is being done to fix America’s K-12 public education system and I find myself both encouraged and dismayed. I’m encouraged by the amount of attention and sincere effort that is being applied to the issues. I’m dismayed by the incompleteness of the solutions I see.

On Sunday, Sept. 26th, Meet the Press featured Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, DC School Chancellor, Michelle Rhee, AFT President Randy Weingarten and others focusing on K-12 education. A frequent topic of their conversation concerned what to do with ‘bad’ teachers. Secretary Duncan made the point that some districts have put in place teacher evaluation systems that allow the administrations to accurately and fairly identify bad teachers but then they have problems with the unions when they try to get rid of them. President Weingarten agreed vehemently that nobody wants bad teachers in the classroom. She went on to defend the union’s position by saying that more resources were needed to help the teachers. They both were right but I believe they failed to emphasize what is probably the most important step that needs to be taken to improve the quality of teachers in every classroom – training and professional development, including mentoring.

When did blaming "bad teachers" for our failures in education come into vogue? I agree with Guggenheim that a teacher can change your life, but whether the teacher is "good" or "bad" depends on who is rating him/her and what the criteria are.

Go away you Union busting shill. Back to the shadow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4UfAL9f74I

The teacher who changed my life?

My mom, dispite my dad's best efforts to minimise the importance of education (And in that effort, rationalise his lack of literacy), read to me often before I went to kindregarten had books in the house and provided a great role model.

Reread the first ten chapters of Huck Finn. Huck's dad is still with us.

This is an amazing mivie that I was just introduced to: A Touch of Greatness
This film documents the life-transforming work of public school teacher Albert Cullum who, the 1960s, opted out of the popular Dick & Jane approach to education, instead introducing his fifth-graders to the power of poetry, drama and play. (54 minutes)
Watch a trailer or order the DVD here: firstrunfeatures.com/touchofgreatnessdvd.html

The problem with the system is that it's a government system with a union. It's the same problem with the post office.

The trouble with the American school system is that kids are put in grades by age. The proper way to assign students to class is by IQ level. Instead of shoving a kid into a one-size-fit-all room, they should be put in a class room with students with similar intellectual capacity. This would simplifiy a teacher's job in ensuring that the students progress equally. There is a reason why this type of system would not be acceptable, one reason is that some older kids in a room with younger kids would become the butt of some jokes. In lieu of what I have just described, the other problem is for a teacher not to suggest that a more intelligent student to be advanced to a higher grade. If no one can still figure out the best way to school children, then I suggest you visit Finland, where they have the best schools in the world: three teachers in each classroom.

I notice that Mr. Guggenheim's favorite teacher made him feel like he could do something worthwhile, even though he was "just a C- student." In today's schools (especially the ones that struggle the most), teachers are increasingly pressured to be "data-driven" in their instructional practice, which means using students' test score data to determine what to teach them. This almost invariably leads to viewing children through a deficit lens ("This student *lacks* x, y, and z skill"), which typically leads to them being treated as though they are a problem to be fixed. That's pretty destructive to children's notions of self-efficacy, which makes it harder for them to achieve.

Imagine, instead, if we were less reliant on those tests, and looked at every child through the lens of their strengths. Strengths provide a foundation on which we can build. They also help kids see themselves as capable, like Mr. Guggenheim describes. Imagine how much more productive and constructive schools would be, if we approached each child (or each teacher and school, for that matter!) from a place of "Look at what you can do! Here's how we'll help you keep moving forward." instead of "Oh, you're broken. Let's try to fix you."

Imagine America with hundreds of thousands of inspired teachers inspiring students for real. Big time. That would equate to a nation of inspired people. Imagine a nation filled with truly inspired people. Simply imagine it without any doubt at all. See it so others can be it.