Archive for NCLB

Honoring Each Child

Posted on April 23, 2007 by

I came across two things recently, each of them instantly made sense to me.

First, this brave young man’s Eagle Scout project as pointed out by Karl Fisch on his blog:

“First, please download and watch this movie (18.4 MB, 11:36). Then think about how often we stamp “can’t” on somebody’s forehead.”

The Fischbowl: Ability Awareness

Second, this Edutopia article: Overcoming Underachievement which showed how a short self-affirmation essay at the start of the term buoyed up students — and gave them a psychological inoculation against something called stereotype threat — so that their performances improved and stayed improved. While the same short exercise wasn’t seen to have the same extra benefits for those students in the majority, they aren’t subject to stereotype threat.  I recommend this article as a good read for all of us.

That got me to thinking about those wise educators whose words stirred a similar “that’s so right” gut reaction in me. They are from many different fields, but their messages carry the same voice.

Quakers talk about “that of God in everyone.” I have heard several say that sitting in silence helps them to focus on “the still, small voice within.” A favorite song declares “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” They treat children as beings to be listened to and respected, as they have the potential to speak truth to us because they share “that of God.”

Conflict resolution methods often start with getting each side of a conflict a chance to speak, and to know that they are heard (for examples, “Google” active listening).

Multicultural and diversity awareness educators I’ve known say that we should always start with connecting to each person where they are. Getting to know, and accept the “other’s” values and culture should begin by examining and sharing your own.

Helping someone with an Exceptionality (Differently-abled People, People with Learning Differences (gifts, delays, and challenges)) entails beginning with an examination and evaluation of the person in question — I have colleagues whose mantra is “begin with the child”or “the child is your handbook.”

Affirmation is a powerful thing. No wonder so many wonderful, wise educators begin there.

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Filed under: Differences, education, ethics, NCLB, social, video

On Being Advantaged

Posted on April 14, 2007 by

Nothing really steams me up like someone coming to the door and asking if my husband is home rather than telling me his business (the guy who seals our driveway), or someone asking when my husband would have time to talk to them about my complaint (school personnel in response to my request to talk to my daughter’s home ec. teacher). It’s easy to take for granted some privileges, and not notice that other people don’t enjoy them.

Privilege is like that–it’s easy to assume everyone else gets the same courteous treatment from the bankers/employers/schoolteachers in their lives that we get, until someone helps us to see the different treatment that still does happen to others whose group identity is different.

I began to understand how easy it is to overlook my own privileges when, in 9th grade, I interviewed a local community leader for a report on civil unrest and learned that there were no pharmacies in his end of town, because bankers weren’t willing to back a business in that neighborhood. That community leader helped me look at something I’d taken for granted (people willing to invest in my community) from the point of view of those less privileged.

Looking at my own situation from someone else’s point of view, and looking at someone else’s situation from their point of view, are not easy things to do–without help. I believe it is a very necessary thing, however, if we are to have social justice in this world. It helps me to be a better communicator to know my audience. It helps me be more effective as an educator. It helps me to know where I need to become an activist, a cheerleader, a philanthropist, a supplicant.

So, I would like to thank those people who have shared their point of view with me lately:

The concerned educators and other professionals forming learning communities (a la social networks at ning.com) around stopping cyberbullying and around developing our teaching skills and tools for the web 2.0 world.

The teachers and administrators at the non-profit where I teach. The Board members and Quakers who share their principles for peace, education, and seeing “that of God” in everyone–especially each and every child.

My husband and children who understand that teaching well means working many hours outside of the school day.

Conversations have been about access and the digital divide, filtering (I am grateful that I CAN TURN OFF THE WEB FILTER — Many of my colleagues can’t), school policies, physical location. We’ve been talking about brain format. We’ve been talking about the freedom to teach, and to choose our own assessments to help us, in a private school setting.

My husband designed this bumper sticker slogan. I’d like us all to be able to declare it:

It really is quite a privilege.

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Filed under: cyberbullying, education, NCLB, social, stopcyberbullying