Food for thought- this video was posted in November of 2007, and is already looking tired. No, I don’t believe in throwing books away, but yes, I agree with using new tools to teach. Tools with which students are familiar, but many teachers are not.
Are you police officers? No, ma’am, we’re musicians.
The Blues Brothers
Are you an education expert?
No,I’m not an educator, I’m a photographer. And a dad, cook, chauffeur, nurse, mechanic, IT wizard, handyman and blogger. I wanted to know what teachers need to tell me and other parents, based on their observations in the classroom. And it was fun, because I got to use an old standby, the complete-the-sentence quiz. I’m lucky enough to have several amazing teachers still speaking to me, and here is what they wrote:
Complete the following sentence:
As a teacher, I see parents help their child when they:
As a teacher, I see parents help their child when they spend time with them doing things like reading, playing outside, going to the park, talking with them and taking a vested interest in what the child is saying.
As a teacher, I see parents help their child when they are as invested in the child’s future enough to work with the child, not for or through them.
As a teacher, I see parents help their child when they read to and with them, and expose them to as many different experiences as possible. Reading is obvious, so I won’t go into that, but the experiences I think are so important. This means everything from folding laundry and working in the yard to going to Disneyland and anywhere else the parents can afford. But while Disneyland is great, it’s more important to do REAL stuff, like building a sand castle at the beach, hiking at Mission Trails, climbing trees, helping to change a tire, going to the Symphony, whatever. I think especially in an urban environment like San Diego kids need to get out into nature as much as possible. We have so many different ecosystems near us– coast, desert, mountains, forests– that our kids can learn to understand and appreciate if they get a chance.
As a teacher, I see parents help their child when they bring their child to school on time (or early). The child should have slept at least 9-10 hours, eaten a nutritious breakfast, enjoyed a relaxed and stress-free morning before school, and have completed their homework before entering the school grounds. Parents help their child when they provide a safe, loving, nurturing homelife where the child knows they are loved and valued.
As a teacher I see parents help their child when they sit down to dinner nightly and converse about the world.take them out frequently to view the world (Balboa Park, etc)ask them how their day wentliterally sit with them daily to do homework until they can do it on their own, and then check to see that it is donemake grades important in the family; achievement is valueddiscuss books and go to the library or bookstore at least twice a month.read the same book as their child so they can discussread books out loud together well into 5th grademake sure their child has a good breakfast and lunch and has gotten at least 8 hours of sleeptrust their teacher and teach your child to respect authority while also questioning it.listen to their children, spend time with their children, play games (Scrabble, etc) with their children.teach them morals, manners, and respect for self and others
Anyone catch the Union Tribune Q&A with Camille Zombro on Thursday, July 31st? I thought I might provide a little translation for folks who (like me) are still catching up on union-speak.
But first, let me tell you the little I know about Zombro. I like her. I think she does a heck of a job for the teacher’s union. She’s tasked with furthering the interest of the union in every way possible. Clearly, she’s a person of great integrity- she never deviates from her goals, she is obviously passionate about her job. I believe we need more people like her in our world.
That does not mean, however, that I support her goals and tactics. As faithful reader(s) of this blog know, I am a supporter of teachers, not a union. The mantra: Teachers, YES! Unions, NO!
So- this interview. Let me pull excerpts and try to provide helpful commentary.
QUESTION: How would you describe the relationship between the administration of Superintendent Terry Grier and the teachers union?
ANSWER: On shaky ground. Our teachers are very skeptical and very angry at the actions Grier has taken, which appear to fit a familiar pattern. He failed us with the layoffs. He needs to be reeled in.
Really? And by whom? Who, exactly is this powerful, arrogant and superior force that will clip the wings of the Grierman?
The union wants people to believe that they are a governing body, equal (or superior!) to our elected officials on the Board of Education. The union wants to position itself as a partner in education and education’s management. But they aren’t. The union is an adversary to both the BOE and our children. Let’s be clear: The union acts ONLY in the interest of the union. And frequently against the interest of teachers- and I’ll get to that.
Is that why the SDEA has yet to offer any endorsement or support of the $2.1 billion November bond measure to repair and upgrade schools?
To ask us to work all collaboratively with people who are punching us in the stomach is a lot to ask. Our priorities are with our teachers and the layoffs. When we see a viable initiative, we’ll take a position on it.
And there it is, literally the bottom line. They don’t consider the bond measure “viable”, because it does not fund teacher pay raises. Teachers deserve better working conditions- better buildings, improved technology tools, more space, classrooms with ventilation, etc. As parents, we have an obligation to those that teach our children to provide these amenities.
But the union could care less about those teachers. The union is seeking political power and the clout of a schoolyard bully. They are withholding support of the bond measure because it puts them in a powerful position via extortion. Translated: Load gun, shoot foot.
Teachers, let me be clear: as a parent (and the views of parents I know)- We want to make your work environment better. We know the state will not fund raises, but are willing to pay taxes to change our schools for your benefit and that of our children. The union, however, wants something else entirely, and demonstrates this by withholding support for the bond measure. They’ll fight for power and control instead of improving the lives of teachers in the classroom.
What can the school district do to improve relations with the teachers union?
Everyone – Grier and the school board – presumes to know what we will and will not do. What they need to do is sit down and have tough conversations – with us.
No, actually they don’t have to sit down and have a conversation at all. The school district is the employer, teachers are employees. Yes, employees are critical to the district and critical to our children. These employees should be treated by their employer properly, with dignity and respect, and compensated fairly. If the employer is not offering an attractive salary, benefits and working environment, excellent employees will seek work elsewhere, where they can earn what they deserve.
Teachers, YES! Union, NO!
