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.

Using Primary Sources in the Classroom

Teaching with Primary Sources.

Do you want to make your classroom more exciting? More relevant? Would you like to improve your students’ higher order thinking skills?  If you answered yes to any or all of the questions then you may wish to turn to primary sources of documents and artifacts in your classroom. It is not as difficult as you may think. The Library of Congress has many primary sources on its website that are readily available for classroom use. For example, if you will go to hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mtj.mtbib000156 you will find a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence authored by Thomas Jefferson (June 1776). You can also access important US Supreme Court Cases, The Bill of Rights, and the US Constitution. (Check out www.loc.gov)

Another excellent resource for obtaining primary documents for class use is the National History Education Clearinghouse. You can access this site at http://www.teachinghistory.org/.

Here are several questions to ask your students when working with original documents.

·         Who created the document?

·         Why was the document created?

·         What was going on at the time the document’s creation?

·         What makes this document worthy of your investigation?

This summer and extending into the fall, the Library of Congress is sponsoring a traveling exhibit entitled “Gateway to Knowledge”. This huge mobile museum has an outstanding array of copies of artifacts and important photos taken from the Library’s vast archives. Below is a list of current and upcoming stops on the traveling exhibit tour. The tour will end on September 24- 25 in our nation’s capital at the National Book Festival.

Current Schedule

Sept. 2-3	Monument Square, Portland, Maine
Sept. 6-7	Newport Public Library, Newport, R.I.
Sept. 9-10	East Hartford Public Library, East Hartford, Conn.
Sept. 13-14	Montgomery Township Lower Middle School., Montgomery, N.J.
Sept. 16-17	Urbana Regional Library, Urbana, Md.
Sept. 20-21	Culpeper County Library, Culpeper, Va.
Sept. 24-25	National Book Festival, Washington, D.C As always  your comments and suggestions are welcome

Teaching About September 11,2001

How do we make  this day important?

It is hard to believe that a decade has past since what may be considered the darkest day in the history of our country. This year the commemoration for the September 11^th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon will include memorial services, television programs, and many speeches.

A recent article in USA Today noted that September 11^th “was a memory for teachers but for students, its history.” Many elementarily students had not yet been born in 2001 and even high school seniors were only eight years old on the day of the attacks. Students need to know what happened and why. The question is – how to teach it. For most teachers and students, September 11 is at the beginning of the school and a quite a heavy and somber topic to address right at the beginning of school.  Since history is often best told in stories, students should be given the opportunity to read, see and hear about survivors, first responders, and families of victims.

There has been a considerable number of books recently published that deal with all of the above aspects of 9/11. CBS News has released a book and DVD entitled “What we Saw; The Events of September 11, 2001 In Words, Pictures, and Video.”  (Simon and Schuster ISBN 9781454626667)Another noteworthy book is “Angel in the Rubble: The Miraculous Rescue of 9/11’s Last Survivor.” (Howard Pub. ISBN 9481451635201).  Also take a look at “After the Fall: New Yorkers Remember September 2001 and the Years that Followed (New Press. ISBN 9781595586476) Check with your school and well as your local public library to see what is available and what might age appropriate for your students.

Finally there are dozens of web sites with teacher’s materials, photo and lesson plans suggestions for classroom teachers.  As educators we have an obligation to keep September 11 in the public conscience. Students should learn more about the events as they mature and can understand more.

You can find 9/11 material at the web addresses below.

www.tributewtc.org/program/toolkit.html

www.library.columbia.edu/indiv/ccoh/new_propjects/9-11.html

www.onlinelearningexchange.com/content/products/remembering911.html

http://www.learnabout9-11.org/

http://www.youngheroesofhistory.com/sept11links.htm

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/teaching-911-ideas-and-projects-from-teachers/

Photo Credit US DOD  010914-N-1350W-002

Happy New School Year

For some of you the 2011-12 school year begins this week.  For many others it is only a few weeks away. Since the last school year has ended the education landscape has changed significantly. Here are some of the changes you may soon be seeing.

On the economic front, the downgrade of the US government obligations to AA will have implications for public schools. It may make it more expensive for municipalities to float a bond issue.  Some districts may reduce or even curtail capital projects, like adding classrooms or constructing a new building.

For those of you just starting your teaching career, you may find that you will have to contribute more to a pension or health benefits program.  For many of you, there will no longer be the protections afforded by job tenure.  In states like Wisconsin, collective bargaining rights for teachers and other public employees have been gutted.

Many of you may still be seeking employment.  Whether you are a recent graduate or are a career- changer, the job market remains poor and the competition for teaching vacancies will be intense. There is a strong possibility you may have to settle for an aide’s position or that of substitute teacher.  You may need to consider relocating to another city or state. Hopefully these circumstances will not last indefinitely.

If you drive to work, you probably know that the price of gasoline is higher than it was last fall. If you travel on toll roads, there is a chance that the tolls will be increased. (They are discussing this for the bridges and tunnels around New York City)

The federal government is in the process of investigating fraudulent practices of for- profit universities. Some of you may be stuck with hefty college loans to repay to such institutions.   Here is a suggestion for those of you who are seeking an advanced degree or additional certifications- stick with traditional colleges and universities (state colleges are less expensive). If you feel that you need to take courses on-line, you will find that the traditional colleges are offering such courses.  Look for asynchronous courses that will allow you do your course work at your convenience. This takes a great deal of motivation and organization skill on your part, but it will be worth it down the road.

Men and women choose teaching as profession because they have a passion and a desire to work with children. The obstacles before you are formidable, but perseverance, passion and creativity will help you to succeed.

Best wishes a successful school year.

Teacher Job Quest 2011- The Game Has Changed

In 2008, the U.S.  Department of Education estimated that there would be a teacher shortage due to an increase in retirements of baby boomers as well as those who became frustrated with the profession for any variety of reasons. Apparently this has not been the case. Due to the poor economy, a great number of veteran teachers have delayed or postponed retirement because of the uncertainty of their pensions and benefits and the uncertainty of the financial markets where their retirement funds are invested. To make matter worse, many states and municipalities in a effort  to develop more austere budgets, have  cut school spending and have laid off teachers, even those  with considerable experience.

There is yet another side to this dilemma that is exacerbating the problem. Colleges of education throughout the country are still churning out teacher candidates every semester with virtually little hope for them to secure employment.  A recent article in the Miami Herald (Florida) spoke about the plight of Broward College. The school recently converted from a two year to a four year institution and began to institute a teacher preparation program.  Several of the recent graduates were able to land teacher positions but were laid shortly thereafter due to a lack of funds. It is my view that this situation may become more critical down the road as a number of potentially great teachers get frustrated with the system and move to other career options. This phenomenon can even be seen in the increase in applications for the Teach for America program. In 2010, there were over 46,000 applications and only about 10% of the applicants were selected to participate in the program. Many graduates, both recent and those out of school for a while are also clogging the substitute teacher roles. Many are desperate and want to find any work in the field. Neil Shnider, executive director of the American Associate for Advancement in Education has observed for  several years that the jobs ( for teachers( are “ just not there.”)

Some of you will no doubt  be successful in landing a teaching position for the fall. You need to be flexible as what what state, grade or subject. Look at private and parochial schools as well as public schools. Do not forget to take a look at the US Department of Defense schools at overseas military bases.(http://www.dodea.edu/offices/hr/onlineapplication/default.htm)

If you truly have it in your heart to become a teacher, you will find your way into the classroom. Good luck!

An apology

Dear fellow educators and bloggers. I am currently dealing with a family emergency and have been unable to post for a few weeks. I hope to back in the groove soon. Thanks for your support and patience.

Jeff Margolis