What Should We Be Teaching?

One of the recurring issues in American public education is a discussion as to what student should know. What is important to be a productive and competent individual? This issue gained national attention with the publication of Dr. E.D. Hirsch’s 1987 book, “Cultural Literacy, What Every American Needs to Know.” Hirsch tried to quantify the knowledge by developing a dictionary of over 5000 items that transcended all academic disciplines. It turns out that it’s not that easy.

In the twenty-first century, it is more than content knowledge that students should be seeking. Here are several suggestions.

First, students need to be tech savvy. They need to know how to use a computer and access the Internet. Student who have not been exposed to such technology are at a great disadvantage both in school and in the world of work.

Students also need to be fluent in a second world language. It is unrealistic to believe that one can get along in a global society by knowing just one language. Where you are located on this planet and what you do can drive what languages a person should know.

With the universal use of the Internet, many believe that the bricks and mortar library has become obsolete. However, while that may or may not be true, it does not mitigate the importance of knowing how to complete independent research and access information (without plagiarizing).

There have been many articles written about the growth in the number of students being home schooled. I believe that this shortchanges students in one important area- socialization. A school is as much a social institution as it is an academic one. Students need play with other children in the sandbox and work in teams to complete group projects.  This skill can be very useful in the workplace. It is bothersome to me that with the Internet a student can complete all of K-12 education plus obtain an undergraduate and a graduate degree without leaving home.

There is an organization that beginning to get some traction around the country. It is called “Blue Zones,” based on Dan Buettner’s book, and it is an initiative designed to get people in towns and schools to eat healthy and get plenty of exercise in order to stay healthy. It is an ideal that should be instilled in all students.

While I would not throw away Hirsch’s book yet, it is important that as educators we widen the circle of learning to include a wide array of skills and competencies.

c.2016 J. Margolis

Lessons from the 2016 Summer Olympics

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Dickens said it best. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The Rio Olympic Games are now history and there are both positive and negative takeaways from the event. The games are supposed to foster international camaraderie and good sportsmanship. This was best symbolized when US runner Abbey D’Agostino stopped during the 5000-meter heat to help New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin who had fallen. Concerned more about an injured comrade than the race, the two women finished the heat in next to last and last place, a selfless exhibit of good sportsmanship.

On the other side of this coin Egyptian Judoka athlete Islam El Shehaby was sent home from the Olympic Game for refusing to shake hands with Israeli Or Sasson after their match. The International Olympic Committee reprimanded El Shehaby and stated  “his behavior went against the rules and spirit of the games and the rules of fair play.”

The new school year is in session (or is about to be) and with it comes fall sports, the most popular being football. Let’s hope that the positive lessons of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will translate into fair play and good sportsmanship both on and off the playing field.

c.2016  J. Margolis

Become a Great Teacher TODAY

Sam Geist, an internationally renown motivational speaker and author often speaks about what managers and employers can do to make their employees both more productive and to feel appreciated. Recently he wrote about things a manager could do Today. A number of those items have relevance to teachers in the classroom. As you prepare to return to your classroom for the new school year, here are a few suggestions for things you can do Today. Have a great school year !

1)    Take action on at least two promises TODAY.

2)   Learn something new TODAY.

3)   Be positive, encouraging, motivating and patient all day TODAY.

4)    Solve a problem you were informed about TODAY.

5)   Put in an extra18 minutes of productive work TODAY. 

6)  Treat your co-workers( and students) with respect and dignity TODAY.

7)  Refresh, re-think, and meditate for 10 minutes TODAY.   

Many thanks to Sam for all of his input and suggestions.

c.2016 J. Margolis

Summer’s Over, Professional Development Reading is Not !

For a number of classroom teachers, it’s hard to realize that the new school year starts next week. For those of you who had grand plans for summer reading, it might be a bit too late. However there are a number of excellent books for educators out there that you should make time to read.

On the top of your list should be Diane Ravitch’s most recent book, “The Death and Life of the Great American School System- How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education.” Never one to mince words, Ravitch has been a critic for all that is wrong in American public education.

Another compelling look at school children is “I Wish My Teacher Knew,” by Kyle Schwartz. The author takes a look at letters written by students about their personal lives and how they wished that teachers knew about their troubles and how they could reach out for help.

If you are a first year teacher, the one book you should not be without is “ The First Days of School,” by Harry and Rosemary Wong. This book has been out for a while and Wong goes into great detail informing novice teachers about what to expect in the classroom and issues that every first year teacher will face. This should be required reading.

Finally, to take a look in to the soul of why we teach, be sure to pick any one of Jonathan Kozol’s books.-"Savage Inequalities," and the 1967 classic “ Death at an Early Age ”are just a  few.

Best wishes for a successful and meaningful 2016-17 school year.

c.2016  J. Margolis

PowerSchool Surveys

With the help of the website “Survey Monkey,” it is now easier than ever to conduct surveys and distribute the results. A recent Snapshot in USA Today noted that 89% of teacher and administrators, who responded to a survey, said that individual student learning models need improvement. But PowerSchool is not just for teachers. There are separate surveys for parents used to obtain their interest in AP and honors courses as well as special education courses.  Software programs are also available for parents to access their children’s’ grades and allow them to be proactive in monitoring their children’s’ progress.

It is critical for community leaders to know what the parents as well as the community at large want in their schools. I recently received my property tax bill for next year and observed that over 50% of the taxes will go to funding the public schools. This is a multicultural community who wants the best possible education for their children. They want the best teachers, the widest variety of courses, the newest technology and they are willing to pay it. In other districts around the country there are other lines of thought. In communities dominated by senior citizens, there is an aversion to higher taxes and the belief that “we already paid for our children and the burden should not be on us.” There are inner city school districts with crumbling ratables where parents can’t afford the higher taxes needed to fund the schools. What should become of them?

There needs to be a paradigm shift in paying for public education. Charter schools are not the answer. The State of New Jersey tried to level the playing field years ago as a result of a court case, Abbott v. Burke, which mandated additional funding to specific districts for whom it was felt that additional funds would help improve the schools. That was not necessarily the case.

Few people out there believe that a federal takeover of all public schools would remedy the situation. But until public opinion changes and values the importance of public education, the issues of equality and success in schools with be a mirage.

C.2016 J. Margolis