If we’re going to replace poor teachers with the best teachers why do we need to give the best teachers better tool boxes.
Shouldn’t replacing low performing teachers with high performing teachers do the trick? Why not require the high performing teacher to use the same toolbox aka support services and materials.
It takes more than a teacher to make a school succesful. High poverty schools need greater community outreach that requires skilled managers and greater support from community leaders.
Poverty is no excuse to fail or not to teach. However, poverty stagnates the ability to learn and teach. Sure we can blame the parents however, let’s face it, many parents of high poverty students lack the education and skills to be an effective partner. Surely if you can convince all parents to make sure their child is well rested, homework complete, come to school with supplies and most of all respect for the teacher, fellow students and school I think half the battle would be won.
High poverty communities need effective community centers to be available to help students with homework and reinforce positive social and behavior skills. Much of Arne Duncan billions of dollars could be better served supporting community centers. We don’t need more charter schools, we need more PAL centers or more programs like the Hilltop Community Center. The root cause of many of our high poverty students’ inability to achieve in school stems from issues and conditions within their communities. The only way to close the achievement gap is close the social gap between the communities and schools. Without that effective partnership the billions of dollars being poured into public schools is a waste. Moyer charter may have failed however, DOE has also failed by not being an active partner along the way. If the writing was on the wall for Moyer why didn’t Markell step up to the task. Jack comes form a business mode that is driven by being proactive.
Hey Happy Days girl! They just don’t see it because they lack the capacity for real social compassion. If God wanted to save the world and end poverty, hunger, war and violence he would do it. Take a look down the long road you just traveled and ask yourself, have I touched some lives for the betterment? You know you have and this should provide comfort. But you and I know in our hearts the job isn’t done. The road never ends and it only stops when you want it to. Perhaps your life long career was just training for your real career of being an advocate. Just as a teacher being an advocate is thankless. Touching one life sends a spark that touches many along the way. Don’t let the frustration consume you and just find another way around the roadblocks of the fools.
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Geez, every once in a while you rip out the most solid, unsnarky peice of wonderful –like this post!!!
God bless you, my friend.
Sadly the snarky stuff is needed for marketing purposes. Certain key words and phrases push Kilroy’s blog out into the global market. You know Jack Markell is a big fan of Kilroy’s and I give him a chuckle on occasion. Jack has never graps Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals but I have.
I rather God bless our leaders and guide them away from the sins they inflict on our school children and good teachers. But thanks for the blessing.
from your earlier post: “Update 7:30 pm: Comment section has been closed on the advise of a concerned elected offical.”
What a bunch of bull!! Comeon, kilroy, you brought up a fairly interesting subject – now keep it open and explain yourself.
It’s not I who needs to explain but preacher boy who dances with the devil and the devil who doesn’t brush away his foot prints.
Sometimes it best just to plant the seed and let others water it. But it will bear fruit
The epa is investigating the political climate in delaware because it stinks. I know why beau is staying attorney general. Wish these people qould leave my cell phone service alone too
What’s new re: Delaware’s political claimate, it’s been stinking for 100 years. Beau not running becasue it’s too cold in the shadow if his father. Change you cell #
He gave up his *entitled seat*. Cuz some criminal daddy friends are coming that way
Obama coming to Delaware?
“Surely if you can convince all parents to make sure their child is well rested, homework complete, come to school with supplies and most of all respect for the teacher, fellow students and school I think half the battle would be won.”
Do not make the mistake that this would be necesaary just in families of poverty. Teachers are stunned repeatedly by the numerous families with cavalier attitudes about their children’s educations. It happenas at all SES levels and in all neighborhoods–kids up watching CSI shows until 10 or 11:00, no homework, no pencils, no response to invitations for a conference, kids with little respect for teaching, teachers, or authority. It is a problem. It is very discouraging.
And, for goodness sakes, gives us tools that come from education leaders not from business leaders. Very competent, veteran teachers–ones who would likely be designated highly effective in the new plan–have been saying for the past few years that some of the tools we have had–the tools we have honed and found previously successful for guiding students to success–are not working any more with some of the children of poverty. And, too many of our schools have too many kids from poor and poorer families. This is not an excuse for condoning failure, but it is a reality in the world of teaching.
So Frederika is saying — give us the tools. I thought teachers were the people who knew what tools were effective and needed. Is she saying, as union leaders usually say, it’s all management’s fault — they didn’t tell us what to do.
Sorry, Frederika — I think teachers should know what to do and should do it. If their principals stop them from doing what they know is correct, they should holler from the hills, not sit back and whine.
They open their toolboxes to only find specifications. Budgets are cut on professional development of any caliber for most districts. The mandates they must stay in often can’t involve a really creative, fun, engaging lesson used before in days or yore, because of “time constraints”, specific standards etc…I personally miss the individualization I’d seen prior of different classrooms w/ different topics. I do see the need for standards–but right now, often the teachers really get their hands tied for every minute of the day.
Forgive me Anony if that sounded whiny to you. I just reread what I wrote and it souncded pretty damned clear to me. What I meant to convey was this:
I know what works with lots of kids, I know what works with kids who “do school.” I know what worked for years and years–I am one old lady teacher–but I am telling you here and now that it ain’t workin’ for me anymore. And, I have been saying this publicly for the past three years. I do not have the skills and knowledge to be successful with too many of the kids who have recently joined the student body at my school. And don’t give me that union BS. I am a teacher first and a union leader and teacher advocate after that–you can take that to the bank. Ask anyone who knows my work!
No blame cast. I am not asking anyone to do the heavy lifting for me–for us. Just give us the training we are begging for. The same old, same old is not working for every child in my classes.
Interesting language – is that how you speak in your classroom?