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Education needs to break out of its staid old ways, 1/18

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published January 18, 2007

Hard lessons for teachers Jan. 16 

As a former teacher of 30 years who now works in the educational business arena, I can tell you that this article had me torn in two directions. The teacher in me was screaming about the money these folks demand for their "expertise." The educational business person in me knows that teachers and administrators are so caught up in their day-to-day work, they don't have the time to keep up with the latest innovative ideas, research and programs.

Yes, these "gurus" make entirely too much money. I calculated Willard Daggett's take in Tampa at $225 per minute. But they bring excitement, food for thought and, hopefully, inspiration to an otherwise burned out, underappreciated group of professionals.

I've seen Daggett in action, and he is a charismatic speaker and innovator. One usually leaves his presentations full of "if onlys" and "what ifs" until you realize things change at a snail's pace in education, and these things will not happen on your watch.

The education quagmire must change more quickly for our kids to be competitive in the 21st century.

One thing Daggett said that is so true is that our schools are, indeed, museums and we are the curators. A paradigm shift of great magnitude is necessary if we are to provide quality education with the technology, information literacy, communication, math and science skills needed. If it takes education gurus to help us down that path, then let them provide the impetus for that to happen. Only this time, let it really happen.

K. Norris, New Port Richey

Just another fad

I am struck by the similarity between the catch-phrase evangelism of the educational gurus and the popularity of the latest fad in weight-loss diets. In both cases there is really no secret of how to succeed: In losing weight you must consume fewer calories than you burn; in education you must interact with uninterested students individually or in small classes, reaching them personally, tailoring your communication style based on each student's background and motivation.

But a low-calorie diet requires too much discipline, and small class sizes are too expensive. So we look for the magic bullet that will achieve the desired goal without paying the price of discipline and expense. Remember the Atkins diet? Remember "New Math"?

The latest large-scale fad is "outcomes assessment," evaluating learning via multiple-choice tests based on criteria shaped by politicians. It is anybody's guess what the next one will be.

Harry W. Ellis, Tampa

Hard lessons for teachers Jan. 16, story

Basics come first

The best teachers and the best theories on education can't compensate for students, especially teenagers, who are sleep- deprived and hungry. The majority of high school students in Pinellas County are functioning on six hours of sleep per night or less because of homework, athletic events and work that keep them up past 11 p.m. Many have to wake up at or before 5 a.m. to catch buses that get them to school at 6:30 a.m. High school classes begin at 7:05 a.m. The sun rose Tuesday at 7:23 a.m.

This, coupled with the fact that almost none of these teenagers are being fed a nutritious breakfast by their parents in the morning, results in thousands of students getting to school in a sleep-deprived and malnourished state.

Every day I observe these teenagers in my classroom! Sleep deprivation and the lack of nutritious foods early in the day result in lethargy, short attention spans and short tempers. As a teacher with more than 20 years of experience, I can say with confidence that the most important criterion in education is to have students who arrive at school well-rested and well-nourished. If these basic needs cannot be met, then "rigor and relevance" are just fancy words.

Jan Kokernot, foreign language teacher, Boca Ciega High School, St. Petersburg

Hard lessons for teachers Jan. 16, story

Rigor, to excess

Our schools are spending large amounts of money for speakers to encourage our teachers to push and prod our students through rigorous instruction and relevant courses (such as Chinese). Yet in the same newspaper, we read about Hillsborough County considering dropping the block scheduling system to get more efficiency from their teachers. It would only add 30 minutes to the teachers' day. That's true, but it would almost double the number of students the teacher would plan for and grade papers for.

Does this sound like a recipe for rigor on the part of the teachers? It sounds like survival will be the goal no matter how dedicated the teacher might be.

At the same time the students will go from taking four classes to taking seven! No high school student can take seven rigorous classes every day and do the studying and homework required. This move is, as always, about money and the county shouldn't even pretend otherwise.

Rebecca Buckalew, Tampa

Bush's education czar quits Jan. 13

Beyond ideology

Gov. Charlie Crist is to be congratulated in his revamping of the state Board of Education's representation to eliminate ideology-driven policy in favor of a desire to solve the problems of public education.

The privatizing of public education is an idea that must remain a debate within the walls of the colleges of education, not applied to public school classrooms.

By 2010, FCAT will have retreated into the graveyard of all failed "education solutions," along with cafeteria curriculum, interdisciplinary curriculum, modular and team-teaching, etc.

Dr. Wallace F. Witham, Belleair Bluffs

Bush's education czar quits Jan. 13

A welcome departure

Thank you for reflecting the joy of public school teachers throughout Florida. Education Commissioner John Winn never stood up for public school teachers or their unions. We must have done something right during the draconian Bush years. Winn endorsed the "any private school is better than your public school" philosophy by never checking voucher-accepting institutions. He never endorsed an increase of funding.

Please help him find that "teaching position" he pines for. Make sure you publish the FCAT scores of his class. I am sure he looks forward to showing us by example instead of insults.

Jim Aulisio, Wesley Chapel

Try schools within schools Jan. 6, letter

Identity distortion

Since when do we have enough foreign exchange students from Africa, or anywhere for that matter, to justify, as the letter writer proposes, creating a public school, or one within existing public schools, especially for them?

Oh, wait a minute. Perhaps he's referring to American students who happen to be of African descent!

The letter writer refers to "African" students, families and community no less than seven times. Does this trouble the African-Americans in our community? It should. I'm troubled that he considers them Africans, not Americans, and I'm not even an African-American!

Troubling also, is his contention that schools must be "African-run" in order to insure that (African) students succeed as adults. The letter writer and the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement want segregated, black-only, schools run by, and answerable to an "African" administration (the Uhurus, I presume).

We tried the "separate" thing before. It wasn't right and didn't work then, and it isn't right and won't work now.

Ed Paquette, St. Petersburg

Drop race labels

It says something about us when we talk about high school enrollment numbers by race. As long as we label students this way, there will always be a problem. When we can talk about people as human beings, we will then be on track.

Categorizing people by race seems to make it sound like "teams," and a team's purpose is to fight against another team. It's best if we drop the race label and refer to everyone as human beings. Then we are all on the same team.

Betsy Mae Troy, St. Petersburg

[Last modified January 17, 2007, 21:13:53]