New Year's Resolutions for Teachers

New Year’s Resolutions for Teachers- 2012

While you are at home or on a family vacation recharging your batteries for the second half of the school year, here are some goals to strive for in the New Year.

1)      Remember, your students’ come first!

2)      Reach out to the parents. They are your partners in the quest for academic success.

3)      Enhance your own teaching skills. Seek out opportunities for professional development.

4)      Be politically astute and active.  Remember 2012 is a presidential election year and your vote counts! Regardless of your party affiliation, stay in the game. If you teach in a high school, be sure that you are not trying to influence the political leaning of your students.

5)      Every teacher is a teacher of reading. Encourage your students to read- out loud, to themselves, to their families.

6)      You too should keep up with your reading. Be sure to let your students see you reading at every possible opportunity. There are so many wonderful books for teachers (like Harry Wong’s, The First Days of School).

7)       Be your own press agent.  Plan public activities with your students that draw positive local media attention. The town taxpayers, who pay for public schools, like to keep abreast of what is happening in local schools.

8)      Be an active supporter of school activities. Attend the spring concert or the annual school theatrical production.  Go to a school sporting event. You are, after all, an integral part of the school community.

9)      Strive for excellence. Make certificates for your students who meet or exceed certain goals.

Reward their good work.

10)   Maintain an open dialogue and positive relationships with your department supervisors and building administrators.

 HAPPY NEW YEAR. Here is hoping that 2012 is a successful and productive one for you and your students.

Bullying in Schools

Dealing with Bullying

In recent months it is almost impossible for a day to go by without a story in the newspaper or on television about a student who has been bullied in school or on the internet (cyber bullying). Tragically several of these events have led to the victim committing suicide. Sometimes the targets are overweight students . Sometimes they are recent immigrants who do not know the language and culture and are labeled as” different.” Other victims include gay and lesbian students or students with different religious beliefs or social customs.

Ashlynn Conner, a fifth grader in Illinois,  11 year old Matthew Wilson, and 14 year Jamey Rodemeyer were just a few of the school children who decided that death with a preferred option to the constant  taunting, bullying and harassment that they were subjected to in school, on the playground, in the neighborhood or via computer.

 The Teaching Tolerance Program is a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Teachers can find interdisciplinary lesson plans with objectives for several grade levels. The Southern Poverty Law Center   also has lesson plans  on other related topics. This is an excellent resource. You can access this source at the following web address: http://www.tolerance.org/activity/bullying-survey

The New Jersey State Bar Foundation has an exemplary anti- bullying curriculum for use in the schools. A downloadable pamphlet about the program may be obtained by accessing the following site: http://www.njsbf.org/images/content/1/1/11442.pdf. The organization also offers training programs for teachers and administrators as well as community organizations. Bullying is not just a school problem; it is a community wide problem that needs to be addressed at multiple levels. That being said, according the  to the NJSBS the most effective programs are initiated through the schools.

The Clemson University Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life is the sponsor of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program-  http://www.olweus.org/public/index.page. The program’s goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school children and to improve peer relations at school. The program is suitable for elementary and middle school students. For more information about the programs and research taking placed at Clemson, please check out  http://www.clemson.edu/olweus/

Education World, the on- line magazine, has a host of articles and lesson plans for classroom teachers seeking materials for use in the classroom. You can find this at http://www.educationworld.com/a_special/bully.shtml

Kid’s Health is a site sponsored by the Nemours Foundation, a DuPont family entity dedicated to the health of children. There are those who see bullying as a health issue on several fronts.  One because of the physical harm to the victims and two- the emotional stress that is a byproduct of being constantly bullied. Check out http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/no_bullying.html

Teachers also may want to check out the myriad of books at all grade levels that  deal with the topic of bullying.

Teaching About Money

Financial Literacy

 Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of independence believed that in order for the fledgling democracy that was the United States of America was to survive, it had to have an educated population. Fast forward to the twenty-first century and the same is true but with a slightly different spin. In order to bring us out of the recession and to move America along a path to a more permanent financial recovery, we need a population is that has a strong foundation in economic education. That is, we need a citizenry that knows how to save, and invest, how to balance a check book, to understand how credit works and how to make prudent financial choices for both the short and long term. The question will ultimately arise in the curriculum departments of many schools as to “where do we fit this in?” Our curriculum is crowded as it is and if the topic is not on any state assessment tests, we don’t have the classroom hours to devote to it. That attitude is bringing a great disservice to our country. How many more TARPS and bailouts do we have to have? How many more foreclosures of the homes of families will we see? How many more 401K plans will be decimated? How many more small business will go bankrupt?

There a number of web sites that would make good places for classroom teachers to start students  on a  path to economic sanity. The United States Federal Reserve Bank site has a wide variety of games, simulations, lesson plans and information for all grade levels, K-12. There are even publications that can be downloaded. One example is “Benjamin Franklin and the Birth of a Paper Money Economy.” Another title available is “The First Bank of The United States- a Chapter in the History of Central Bank." You can access this information by going to www.federalreserveeducation.org.

Another useful site is http://www.councilforeconed.org/. This is the site for the Council for Economic Education. Here you will find training modules for teachers as well as available publications for classroom use. Every year this organization sponsors a Financial and Economic Education Conference for teachers. Next year, the will conference will be held on October 4-6, 2012 in Kansas City, MO.

Even the New York Stock Exchange offers education programming. There are tours of the floor of the NYSE available for student groups. There are also summer teacher training scholarships available. These, however, are quite competitive. Go to http://corporate.nyx.com/who-we-are/corporate-social-responsibility/our-community/education-teacher-training for more information.

The NASDAQ also has information about personal finance and credit. See http://www.nasdaq.com/personal-finance/credit-debt.aspx.

Finally, The National Financial Educators Council offers videos and training materials as well as curriculum materials for teaching financial literacy in the classroom. You can find a wealth of materials at this site. Go to http://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/  There is even a link for funding sources for financial education.

According to the National Endowment for Financial Education, as few as ten hours of classroom instruction can be enough to persuade students to improve their spending and saving habits.( Source Education World Magazine)

Summer Programs for Teachers

 Summer Study – Make your New Year’s resolutions now.

With holidays approaching, it might just be the time for giving yourself a gift for next summer- the opportunity to attend a stimulating summer institute or seminar to sharpen your classroom teaching skills, obtain new useful teaching information or even earn a stipend. There are even some opportunities to earn graduate credit for completing one of these institutes that could even lead to a pay raise. Many of the applications are quite detailed and may take some time to complete. It might be a good idea to start looking and gathering materials just after New Years as the application deadlines tend to sneak up on you.

Government Agencies and Organizations

There are a number of government agencies that offer summer programs for teachers. Many offers stipends to write curriculum after the program’s completion. Some offer the option to obtain graduate credit. Since these programs are offered at a wide variety of locations, they may provide you with the opportunity to  travel to parts of the US  where you  have not previously been. You will also get the opportunity to network with other teachers and share ideas and strategies that have worked for you in the classroom.

The Library of Congress offers numerous opportunities for teachers. There are typically several five day programs offered in Washington, DC.  At these workshops classroom teachers learn how to utilize primary sources in the classroom. They then develop teaching strategies to utilize these documents and generate student interest and enthusiasm. http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/teacherinstitute/

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is another government agency that offers summer ;programs for teachers utilizing primary source documnet6s. Last summer programs were held in Washington, DC, Kansas City, MO, Chicago, Il, Abilene, KS and Austin TX. The 2012 programs have not been released yet. Check back to the web site periodically to see when the programs are announced. These programs fill up quickly and the application process may be competitive.

http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2011/nr11-97.html

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) summer program for 2012 has already been announced. The programs span a vast range of  topics from the Abolitionist Movement in the US, Berlin’s Cultural Diversity ( Program is in Germany) and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales ( in London).These programs are open al K-12 school teachers in public, private, parochial and charter schools as well as home school teachers. Some of these seminars and institutes last from 4 to five weeks.  Successful applicants do receive a stipend which can go to defray the cost of travel and books, etc. The deadline is March 1, 2012. Don’t wait!  Go to http://www.neh.gov/projects/si-school.html

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia also  several great programs for teachers that include a stipend. They have not announced their 2012 programs yet but they also have a March 1 deadline. Take a look at http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_edu_Summer_Workshops.aspx

There are hundreds of other programs offered by organizations, colleges and universities and institutions. Here are  just a few. We will add additional programs as they become known to us.

The Ashbrook Center of Ashland University in Ohio is offering as many as 30 one week courses that are free for social studies teachers. These seminars include room, meals, and a $500 stipend. The application deadline is usually March 1^st of each year. For more specific information and applications check out the site at www.teachingamericanhistory.org/institutes

The Exploratorium Museum of  Science, Art and Human Perception, located in San Francisco, CA  has offered summer programs for science and math teachers since the  1980s. Their 2012 applications will be posted this week with a March 1, 2012 deadline. You can learn more about their offerings as well as information about the museum it itself by going to http://www.exploratorium.edu/teacher_institute/summer/

Some final tips before applying.

1)      Be sure that your resume is up to date.

2)      If you need to secure administration approval in writing, get it in advance of your application.

3)      You may be asked as to how the program will impact your classroom teaching or how you will use the material and knowledge you learned.

4)      Be aware of the application deadlines.

5)      If the program you have selected is in another country, be sure that your passport is up to date and that you have obtained any required visas.

6)      If you are applying for graduate credits, be sure to turn in all required assignments in a complete and timely manner.

As always, your comment and additions  are appreciated.

Teachers and Moonlighting- Perfect Together ?

Should teachers Moonlight?

When  my wife and I started  public school teaching over 40 years, we both took on seconds jobs. The purpose was to save extra money for a down payment for our first house. During our careers this was a way to get ahead as in the early 70s teacher salaries were low and did not go up very much. We also had to endure the Wage/ Price Freeze during the Nixon Era. But now we are confronted with a paradigm shift. Even though the rate of inflation is low, teachers are losing ground. According to a recent Associated Press news article, as many as 20% of teachers nationwide have had to take second jobs. The percentage is even higher in Texas.  Some teachers have had to agree to salary cuts in order to keep their jobs.  In other districts teachers have been asked to contribute more to their health insurance premiums and put a larger chunk of their pay into state pension funds- (many of which are currently underfunded). As a result of this economic upheaval, many teachers have had to resort to taking second jobs, and not just for the Christmas holidays. Which brings me to the theme of today’s discussion - Should teachers have to moonlight? If we consider teaching to be a profession rather than a blue collar job, one would think that teachers, as college educated professionals (many with advanced degrees) should be adequately compensated for their work. We also need to look at the residual fallout from this situation. If a teacher works an additional 20 hours a week at a second job, what impact is it having on the teacher as well as the students in the classroom?  That is 20 fewer hours to write effective lesson plans, 20 fewer hours to grade papers, 20 fewer hours to attend graduate school classes and workshops that would serve to enhance teaching skills. Is the teacher more tired and less alert in classroom- an environment where one must be alert and on their toes at all times? In other words, having a second job may impact one’s ability to be an effective teacher. Most school districts do not have a formal policy regarding second jobs although district officials may we mindful if a teacher’s performance sags.  In order to avoid that classroom deficit, many teachers take on summer employment.

It is generally well known that teachers in other countries are more highly regarded than those in the US and as a result of that respect, earn higher salaries commensurate with their education. They are considered true professionals both in pay and stature. How are we going to convince the American people that US teachers are in the same category?  As always your comment and feedback are welcome.

Teaching about Thanksgiving

The Real Thanksgiving

What do you really want your students to know about Thanksgiving?  Should you focus on the folklore of that first Thanksgiving, The Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims, etc? Perhaps you may want your students to ponder about things they should be thankful for, having enough food and a safe place to live- thankful to live in a democracy. Then again you may wish to teach about the real events of 1620- the Mayflower Compact as an original document. Maybe you have students who, for one reason or another, don’t even celebrate Thanksgiving.

Somewhere out there is the current Americanized version of Thanksgiving- a few days off from school, football and the beginning of the holiday (read Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza).How you wish to treat the occasions is very much a part of who you have sitting in your classroom.

Elementary school students enjoy getting dressed up in costume and acting out the Pilgrim Pageant. They like making those “Pilgrim” hats and cut out turkeys to fasten to the refrigerator.

High schoolers who are serious about American history may want to delve into events that occurred in 1620-21 and what the Massachusetts Bay Colony was truly all about.

http://www.plimoth.org/ One interesting web site is that of the Plymouth Plantation. Located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the living history museum boast replicas of what life was life in Plymouth in 1620. There is also a replica of the Mayflower for visitors.

Education World, an on-line magazine, has an interesting article about the “Real Story of the First Thanksgiving”. See http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr040.shtml.

Teachers, a web site  sponsored by Scholastic http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/teaching-about-first-thanksgiving, offers  thematic lessons and teaching ideas for celebrating the holiday of Thanksgiving.

The National Museum of the American Indian, a part of the Smithsonian complex, has an outstanding site entitled “The American Indian Perspective of Thanksgiving.” The web address is http://www.nmai.si.edu/education/files/thanksgiving_poster.pdf. Be sure to pay special notice to the information about the Wampanoag Tribe. This is the tribe from which 90 members celebrated the First Thanksgiving along with the 52 English settlers.

ABC Teach, another on line resource, has a number of printable worksheet for elementary students. Go to http://abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/thanksgiving/.

No matter how you choose to present the material in the classroom, take the time to make your discussion of Thanksgiving a meaningful one. Remember, Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday and is a part of American culture and tradition.

Have a Happy and bountiful Thanksgiving.

2012 Presidential Elections

Countdown to Election Day. - November 6, 2012

The 2012 Presidential Election may be one year away but there is ample time for teachers of social studies and civics to gear up for what promises to be a crucial election.  The issues are quite divisive. The candidates are confrontational. There are teachable moments all over the place. It is an exciting time.

My interest in presidential politics stems from my seventh and eighth grade social studies teacher, Naomi Satchell. The year was 1960, the upcoming was election between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. We discussed the issues in class. We had mock debates and made campaign pins and posters. On Election Day, Mrs. Satchel gave each of us an outline map if the United States and told us to color in which states went for Kennedy and which for Nixon. You may recall that this was one of the closest elections in history which wasn’t decided until the next morning. My mother made me go to bed at eleven o’ clock, despite my protests that I hadn’t finished my homework. We need today’s teachers to ignite that kind of interest in their students. It not just a good civics lesson, it is a lesson in responsibility and the democratic process. There are numerous debates this fall.  Then, starting in January come the Primary Elections.  This will be followed by the two nominating conventions next summer as well as several debates prior to Election Day. The Republican National Convention will be held in Tampa Bay, Florida (http://gopconvention2012.com/), while the Democratic National Convention will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina (http://charlottein2012.com/)

NARA, The National Archives and Records Administration, has an excellent web site about the Electoral College. It explains how it works, how electors are selected and its role in a presidential election. You can readily pointy out that it is possible to win the popular vote, lose the electoral vote and thus lose the election. Just ask AL Gore.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html

The National Constitution Center is located in Philadelphia across the street from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.  If you and your students are fortunate enough to live in the vicinity, a field trip would be an outstanding experience. There is a brief orientation play and a myriad of interactive activities for school students. In absence of an on site visit, there are a number of useful and effective lesson plans for teaching about presidential elections. While the activities of the site were originally geared for the 2008 election, teachers will find relevant materials for elementary grades, middle school, as well as high school. The web site is http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_edu_Election_Lessons.aspx.

The Office of the Secretary of State for the State of New Hampshire in Concord is the place where presidential candidates go to register for the New Hampshire Primary. This primary election is one of the earliest and can often be a bell weather of what American voters may be thinking. What is unique about this event is the fact that this is an open primary and anyone can plunk down the $1000 registration fee and get their name on the ballot- as long as they meet the Constitutional requirements to be President of the United States. (Natural Born US citizen, at least 35 years old and have been a US resident for at least 14 years. Article II. Section1). This web site will give you a list of all of the men and women, many you have never heard of, who have registered to run in the New Hampshire Primary (http://www.sos.nh.gov/Candidates.pdf)

 No matter which approach you take, be sure to get your students plugged in to the election. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, believed that in order for our democracy to survive, we needed to have an educated population. As teachers we can be guardians of our democracy by educating our students as to their civic responsibility and teach them about the election process.

Veterans Day 2011

Remembering Veterans Day

One of my favorite television programs was The West Wing. It chronicled the lives of a current but mythical president and his staff- how they dealt with each other as well as the important social and political issues of the day.  One of the most compelling episodes dealt with the discovery of a homeless veteran of the Korean War who had died on a park bench at the base of the Washington Monument.  One of the key players in the President’s administration arranges for a military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. The very poignant message is that we should never forget our veterans and what sacrifices they made for their country. There are still many homeless veterans out there. “Homes for our Troops" is a project that accepts donated construction equipment and helps build housing for homeless vets. This organization can be reached at www.homesforourtroops.org.

This year Veterans’ Day is 11-11-11 making it unique in many ways. We as educators should make it special by doing something for a veteran. Perhaps visit an area Veterans Home and spent some time with the residents.  Why not start a school project for holidays collecting clothing, food and toiletries to be sent to our troops deployed around the word. The Disabled American Vets organization (DAV) is looking for volunteers to provide transportation for disabled vets to their appointments are area VA medical centers. The web site is www.dav.org/volunteers.

We are losing World War Two veterans at a rate over 1000 a day. Soon there will no survivors left to recount their deeds acts of heroism.  Invite a veteran to come to your school and speak to the students. You may wish to have your students to write letters to servicemen and women who recuperating in Veterans Hospital’s across the country from combat injuries. There is a program called “Cell Phones for Soldiers". Collect old and unwanted cell phones and they can be turned in for talk time so deployed troops can call home. The web address is cellphonesforasoldiers.com

The Library of Congress has an ongoing project to conduct interviews of veterans who served in combat. You and your students can request a kit that includes biographical data desired as well as release forms. This would an excellent project for both social studies and creative writing classes. For more information go to www.loc.gov/vets.

There are numerous opportunities for schools to participate in Veterans Day programs and projects.  Students need to realize that Veterans Day is not just a day off from school or a sale at the local shopping mall. Our veterans are the backbone of what has made us a great nation. We need to let our veterans know that.

Remembering Kristallnacht

Kristallnacht- The Night of Broken Glass

November 9 and 10^th, 1938 marked the beginning of a series of cataclysmic events that were to evolve into the Holocaust which was no less than a systematic effort to eradicate the entire Jewish population. On those days, a systematic pogrom led by Nazi Storm Troopers along with elements of the Hitler Youth and local thugs targeted Jewish houses of worship as well a Jewish owned businesses in Germany and parts of Austria. Thousands of buildings were ransacked and burned. Innocent people were murdered. Jewish life in Europe would never be the same. These horrific events have become known as   “Kristallnacht,” the Night of Broken Glass.

This coming week, ceremonies and memorial services will be held in churches and synagogues around the world to commemorate this event. Teachers around the country may want to use the event to discuss the Holocaust and its worldwide repercussions. You can link this discussion to bullying in schools, in accepting students of other cultures with other customs, of tolerance and diversity in our society.  You can discuss the Constitutional issue of Freedom of Religion.  In 1790 President George Washington wrote a letter to the members of the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island where he stated that the new US government was “a government which grants bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”

You also wish to share with students the amazing story of the “Paperclips Project” started by the students of the Whitwell Middle School in Tennessee. www.imdb.com/title/tt0380615. The students produced a book about their project entitled “Six Million Paperclips” which is available from Amazon as well as other booksellers. There are study guides and lesson plans that compliment this program. IN retrospect this the ideal “perfect storm” for teachers where students, faculty, parents and the community at large all worked together on this scintillating venture.

There are a number of other excellent web sites that that can provide you with resources and teaching materials. One of the best is United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum in Washington, DC.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005201

PBS also has a film that was part of its America and the Holocaust Program. You can obtain more information at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/holocaust/peopleevents/pandeAMEX99.html

The Library of Congress also maintains archives of documents relating to the events of Kristallnacht. Go to http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=kristallnacht%201938

I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a screening of the documentary, “ Imaginary Witness; Hollywood and the Holocaust.” This is an outstanding  two hour film suitable for high school students, college students and adults. This film presents a unique view how the Hollywood film moguls  dealt with (  or did not deal with) the Holocaust on screen.

There have been numerous books written about Kristallnacht and its aftermath. Below is a short list of books that are currently available.

Further Reading

Bard, Mitchell, Phd. 48 Hours of Kristallnacht: Night of Destruction/ Dawn of the Holocaust .  c.2010

Deen, James. Krsitallnacht: The Nazi Terror that Began the Holocaust. C.2011

Gilbert, Martin. Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

Pehle, Walter H., editor. November 1938: From "Reichskristallnacht" To Genocide. New York: Berg, 1991.

Read, Anthony. Kristallnacht: The Nazi Night of Terror. New York: Times Books, 1989.

Schwab, Gerald. The Day the Holocaust Began: The Odyssey of Herschel Grynszpan. New York: Praeger, 1990.

Steinweiss, Alan. Kristallnacht  1938. C.2009

Photo courtesy -Holocaust Museum  and Education Center of Southwest Florida

Teachers Occupy Wall Street

Teachers and the “Occupy Wall Street” Movement

The thought occurred to me the other day while I was watching the national news on network television that there might be teachers participating in the demonstrations. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Teachers are among the 99% that the protestors are talking about. You never hear the words “millionaire” and “educator” in the same sentence. Teachers are one of the groups that have been targeted and vilified by the governors and legislators as taking too big a drink from the public trough. In states like Wisconsin, Ohio, and New Jersey, teachers and other public employees are losing their collective bargaining rights, their tenure rights, and their pension benefits. During this current recession, teachers have lost a great deal. Many have lost their jobs due to budget cuts. The “steady dime vs. a seldom dollar” axiom no longer applies to the teaching profession.

Whether the Wall Street movement takes wings remained to be seen but this has the essence of a growing demand for social change rather that political overthrow of the government, which makes this unlike the “Arab Spring” in the Middle East. It will be interesting to see how this movement reacts to changes in weather as winter begins across the country.( It snowed in New York City on Saturday, Oct.28th !)

Apparently the message of occupy Wall Street is resonating beyond Zuccotti Park. The New York City teachers union has agreed to store some of the Occupy Wall Street protesters' gear. The union began taking in excess storage items from protesters, stashing them at a vacant first floor storefront at its   Broadway building, a space that protesters have dubbed the "Occupy Wall Street Coat Check” . Several union officials have met with protestors and have offered their support.

The California Federation of Teachers and a coalition of allies want to place a measure on the November 2012 ballot to hike taxes to people with annual incomes of more than $1 million.
At this point it is difficult to determine if the unions are just jumping on the bandwagon to gain media exposure or if they are sincere in their efforts to be an integral part of the movement.
Teachers are agents of social change. That is evident in those educators who go the extra mile (or further) on behalf of their students. At the very least, trying to educate the population of America so that young people can have a productive and rewarding future is a daunting task but should be at the forefront of any effort for equity in the workplace.

Toward a National Curriculum

Cultural Literacy.

Presented by Jeffrey A. Margolis

Is there a specific body of knowledge that every American needs to know? Who should decide what we need to know and how do we determine what is to be included in that body of knowledge?

Dr. E. D. Hirsch, Jr., former professor of Humanities and English at the University of Virginia decided to address that issue.   His book, Cultural Literacy – What Every American Needs to Know, when published in 1987 became at once both a best seller and a controversial flashpoint. It evolved from a concern with the decline in literacy in America.  Hirsch maintained that “to be culturally literate is to possess the basic information needed to thrive in the modern world.” (Hirsch, p.xiii). His thesis, while well meaning, angered multiple groups of educators. There were those who challenged Hirsch with righteous indignation. Who is Hirsch to decide what Americans should know?  His book provided a “list” of about 5000 items including historic events, names of famous scholars and politicians, opera and music, religion, and so on. So the argument went on as to what should be included on this list. A subsequent publication of Hirsch’s Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, gave brief descriptions and illustrations of the items he included on his now famous list.

The other group of offended scholars and intellectuals included those who saw this as exposing class differences in American education.  Minority and disadvantaged students were not exposed to the same experiences as their middle and upper middle class counterparts.  They had not been to museums, concerts or the opera. They had not read the same books (like Shakespeare’s plays), magazines or even vacationed in the same places. Many had not been to a live sporting event.

Those familiar with public education in the United States know that with the exception of the Advanced Placement program in high schools and the International Baccalaureate Program (IBP), there is no standardized national curriculum. What this means in a mobile society is that students who move from one state to another may either be ahead or behind their peers, depending in what state they end up in. Thus if Hirsch’s theory would be adopted there would be a common universal fund of knowledge that all American students would be required tp know.

It should be pointed out that there is a movement under consideration that would standardize knowledge in specific subject areas (like math).-(Common Core State Mathematics Standards)

In 1986 Hirsch established the Core Knowledge Foundation ( www.coreknowledge.org)  in an effort to develop a uniform curriculum for elementary school students. The foundation subsequently published a series of books about what each grade level student should know.  The series  goes from Kindergarten through grade 8.

Where do you stand on this issue? Should there be a uniform national curriculum? What should its contents be? Who should devise it? We want to hear from you.

It’s Still About the Math!

 

 The great realization came in 1957 with the Soviet launching of the Sputnik satellite.  The beginnings of the “Space Race” exposed just how far behind American students were in science and math.  In an effort to deal with the blow to America’s esteem, the US government has attempted to improve the level of math skills in American School students. The National Defense Education Act (NDEA), The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and to some extent No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top all had improvement of math skills in their plans. For sure that some of the suggestions and innovative programs worked in some of the schools, but throughout the country there was no uniform quantum leap in students’ ability to deal with numbers.

In 1991, Professor E.D. Hirsch, Jr. (of Cultural Literacy fame), founded the Core Knowledge Foundation. Kirsch and his colleagues tried to quantify the bodies of knowledge in the school subject areas by grade level that every student should know. In his book, “What your 2^nd Grader need to Know” Hirsch devotes about 60 pages to math skills encompassing time, measurement, geometry  and money as well as addition, subtraction and multiplication.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (www.nctm.org) has long taken a leadership role in math skills improvement nationwide. Their vision is to “is to inspire, energize, motivate, and stimulate creativity.”

A number of school districts throughout the country have turned to the International Baccalaureate Program (IBP) because of its rigorous academic program in critical subjects- including math. The middle school math curriculum tackles the following  areas:

·  algebra

·  geometry and trigonometry

·  statistics and probability

·  discrete mathematics

For more information about the IBP you can access their website at www.ibp.org./

Clearly it’s time to bring in the heavy hitters, especially with younger students to show them that math can be fun and important.  So the Sesame Street characters, The Count, Elmo, Big Bird, and company have been recruited as math teachers for our youngest students. The program is called” Math is Everywhere (http://www.sesamestreet.org/cms_services/services?action=download&fileName=For%20Teachers:%20Math%20is%20Everywhere&uid=c9c23d0c-8cee-4958-a865-68ea5fb7224a) and provides tips galore to teachers and parents to make learning math fun right along with their Sesame Street pals.

It has been almost 55 years since Sputnik and while the US eventually did win the space race- if that’s what you call getting to the moon first -but it is still behind many of its European and Asian counterparts in math supremacy.

In Jun, 2010 the government released the Common Core State Mathematics Standards (CCSMS) which is to be phased into school across the United States in 2014. This will be closest thing that America school will to a national curriculum and should become a driving force in refocusing school mathematics textbooks. For a complete look at the standards, all 94 pages, access the following web site. http://corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_Math%20Standards.pdf

As we continue to lose jobs overseas and we continue to find our high school graduates woefully unprepared to face  the workforce and adult life,  and as we continue to see the dropout rate increase- we must  come to the urgent realization that in many aspects ‘It’s all about the math.”

Oct. 14,2011

Teaching About Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus

When I was in elementary school, what I remember most about Columbus Day was the poem: “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred ninety two.” 

We made cut outs of the Columbus’ three ships- the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Our social studies textbooks had a few drawings of Columbus landing on the island of Hispaniola and that was the extent of our learning. The best part was the fact that we had a day off from school. We also heard about a great parade in New York City. (FYI- President Franklin Roosevelt Declared in 1937 that Columbus Day should be observed on October. 12^th.)

But what is Columbus’ legacy? What should we really know about him and his voyage that began on August 3,1494? According to the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy Columbus was “an Italian explorer responsible for the European discovery of America in 1492. He had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain under the patronage of the king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella, hoping to find a westward route to India.” ( Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, E.D. Hirsch.c.1993 p.198). There are those who wish to focus on the dark side of Columbus pointing to the way the indigenous inhabitants he encountered were treated or the diseases that the men brought with them from Europe. How you wish to treat the subject may very well depend on what grade level you are teaching and how much investigation you and your students wish to make.

Today classroom teachers can find a myriad of materials to make the teaching of Christopher Columbus but interesting and fun. There are games, puzzles, worksheets.

The History Channel Web site www.history.com has a variety of clips about Columbus, his voyage and his motivations for the trip.

The site Apples 4 The teacher (http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/columbus-day/) offers a number of games and activities primarily for elementary students. Here you will find a reading  list of  books about Columbus as well as poems, a skit, as well as a fact sheet.

ABC Teach also has a web site (http://abcteach.com/directory/seasonalholidays/columbus_day/) that will provide additional resources and printable teaching materials for use in the classroom.

Finally Teacher Vision (http://www.teachervision.fen.com/columbus-day/teacher-resources/6607.html) has lesson plans and suggestions  to help make Columbus Day a meaningful experience for your students.

Happy Columbus Day

Image courtesy of Library of Congress

Combating the Dropout Epidemic

Why do students drop out of school?  Are our school so boring that they are intolerable?  Would students rather hang out at the mall texting each other? Is the current job market that fantastic that students drop out to find lucrative jobs? Are the military services begging students to quit school and recruit? (The armed services require a minimum of a high school diploma to enlist.) Are schools so dangerous that it is safer to be elsewhere?

According to the American Youth Policy Forum, students who drop out school place a great burden upon themselves as well as the greater community. The form’s research asserts that:

·         Students who drop out have  reduced earning power as they progress  through their working lives

·         59% of those who have been incarcerated in federal institutions  are  drop outs

·         Students who drop out  end up  paying less in taxes

·         Dropouts  are more likely to rely on public assistance

Over the years, there have been a number of programs that were developed to encourage students to stay in school. A number if philanthropic organizations offer scholarships to minority students who graduate from high school and go on to college. Several school districts have even experimented with paying (read bribing) students to go to school on a regular basis.

The National Dropout Prevention Centers ( www.dropoutprevention.org) offer a list of suggestions/ recommendations for educators and parents. They include:

·         Getting parents involved  in their children’s education at an early age

·         Provide a safe learning environment

·         Literacy programs

·         Mentoring and tutoring

·         After school programs

·         Alternative education programs

·         Vocational and technical education

·         Early intervention programs

·         Professional development programs for  educators

(Note: the National Dropout Prevention Center national conference will be held in Chicago, IL from October 9-12. Go to the web site for more details.)

Another organization that is working to stop the dropout epidemic in the US is America’s Promise Alliance (www.americaspromise.org). Founded in 1997 By General Colin Powell, the mission of the organization is built upon “Five Promises” that aim to create an awareness of the dropout problem and to advocate for organizations to in both the corporate and faith based sectors.

One last link that you may find useful is www.betterhighschools.org. This site is run by the National High School Center at the American Institute for Research. Here you will find a number of links with much more information about the drop out crisis in the United States.

We need to make education important. It is even more critical given the current economic situation that we prepare students to obtain the skills to lead productive lives and continue the democratic process. The goals are that much more difficult when legislators slash education budgets and programs and continue to attack the teaching profession. W are all in this together.  We need to make staying in school a priority.

As always your comments and input are welcome. Please let us know if your school has developed a dropout prevention initiatives that  you would like to share.

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week

I am sure that many of you have read such classics as “The Catcher in the Rye”, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”,” The Giver” or any of the Harry Potter books. What you may not be aware of is that these books and long list of others have been banned or are being challenged in school and public libraries across the country.  Each the year the American Library Association (ALA) in conjunction with several other organizations, promotes Banned Book Week in an effort to create awareness about an ongoing threat to our free speech and free press rights afforded by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Banned Books Week is always the last week in September. Many school and public libraries have displays and programs for Banned Books Week. A the university where I  used to teach, professors who volunteer to read excerpts from  books that  have , at one time or another, appeared on the  list of banned or challenged books. There is a difference between the two.

A book is considered challenged when a group of parents, or an interest or lobby group, has made a formal request that a book be removed from the shelves of the library. It is then up to the library board to make a decision. A few years ago the book, “Heather has Two Mommies,” drew a great deal of controversy as it dealt with the topic of a lesbian couple raising children.

A banned book is one that has actually been removed from the shelves of a public or school library.

I  should  point out that a number of my university students used to tell me that when they were in high school  as soon as a book was removed from the school library, they would  run  out  an obtain a copy  just to see  what all of the fuss was about.

For classroom teachers and librarians look for suggestions and ideas for a Banned Books Week program, I would suggest taking a look ate to web sites below. The American Library Association is the lead organization in the Banned Books Week initiative. At their site you will find posters, activities as well as the actual lists of recent banned and challenged books.

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

It's Time to Meet the Parents

Back to School Night (Already?)

 You more than likely have heard the trite phrase “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Nowhere is this truism more important that at your school’s Back to School, Parent Open House or Curriculum Night. It doesn’t seem fair that the school year may have only started a week or two ago. You hardly know the names of your students or their capabilities, and now you are being asked to put yourself on display for parents. Having cooperative parents on your side will go a long way for both you and your students to have a successful and productive school year.

Here are a few tips that will hopeful help to you have a great Back to School Night experience.

·          Be sure to dress appropriately

·         Be enthusiastic

·         Have your students  make name tags for their parents

·         Have parents introduce themselves

·         Prepare a PowerPoint with an outline of your goals for the year

·         Have copies  of the texts you are using available for parents to  see

·          Provide parents with your school email so that you can communicate  with them throughout the year

·         Review classroom procedures, homework and discipline policies

·         Recruit parents for room mothers and field trip chaperones

·         Inform parents of your conference schedule and make yourself available

·         Share the names and locations of other school staff members – like the nurse, guidance counselor, reading specialist, etc.

·         Provide parents with a calendar of important upcoming school events ( fund raisers, holiday celebrations, term paper due dates, etc)

·         Don’t forget to smile J

I would like to recommend a book that you might find useful.  “Parents on Your Side: A Teacher’s Guide to Creating Positive Relationships with Parents” by Lee Canter is a helpful resources with strategies and suggestions for successfully obtaining the parental support that you will need to have a great school year. The book as well an accompanying workbook is available at Amazon.com and other booksellers.

As always your comments and suggestions are welcome.