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LA Times Article: Bailing on Schools Doesn’t Fix Schools

heather — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:27:51 +0000

So a colleague of mine commented yesterday on my article “Is TFA a Volunteerism Succubus?” David Cohen (fellow member of The Teacher Leaders Network and creator the ACT ning) said the following in response to my article:

“…They won’t invest in deeper structural improvements, won’t risk the political fallout of admitting that poverty matters in school performance, and have become cheerleaders for the quick and cheap fix.”

So this got me thinking about an article I saw in yesterday’s LA Times. The LA Times reported that in an attempt to get schools to change their wicked ways, California has just approved a bill that would allow parents more power to try to overhaul their student’s school. If unsuccessful, those parents would have the right to pull their students and move them to another school or even another district. I don’t know about you, but there’s a slippery slope in my head.(...)
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Post tags: ACT, education, LA Times, school board, school reform

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Top 10: How to Take Control of Your Teaching

heather — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Occasionally, I repost this article so that new readers can find it more easily. Based on some very enthusiastic feedback, it has since morphed into a book proposal called The Top Secret New Teachers Handbook. I’ll share more as it evolves…

I’ve been developing this Top 10 list of ways to take control of your teaching even in the face of, well, teaching. It’s an advice list on how to encourage respect, and, if necessary, how to demand it as a means to make sure you aren’t being taken for granted.

Let’s face it, if you are feeling appreciated, you will be happier in this difficult job. Consequently, your students will be happier, and quite frankly, if they are happier, they will be more successful. After all, an unhappy teacher’s room has the smog of misery in it, and for a student, it hovers like a stench that affects their own victories. And while it benefits a school to keep its teachers happy, it is a teacher’s responsibility to demand those things that make this challenging job better than tolerable.

I think that finding those tricks or strategies to keep in your pocket is important in any career; but in education you need them even more so. Otherwise, the day-to-day duties of the job will eventually grind your enthusiasm to a halt and it won’t just be you who is affected, your students will be affected as well.

I will be expanding on each of these over time, but in a nutshell, here’s my TOP 10:

(...)
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It’s Time to Audit Education

heather — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 04:20:08 +0000

In today’s LA Times article, “California Public Schools Seek Private Money Just to Cover the Basics,” the paper reported that many families are being asked to dip into their pockets to cover the fundamental supplies and necessities for their child’s education. In one district, parents are being asked to donate “A Dollar A Day,” that is, $365 dollars a year. Frankly, it’s not so bad, right? I mean, if a buck a day helps bridge the gap between “not enough” and “plentiful” then it’s OK to pass the plate, right? (...)
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Post tags: audit, dollar a day, education, embezzlement, free, k12, LA Times, teaching

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