A Crying Shame

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

 

A crying shame, I said to myself. It was the first thing that came to my mind that I thought my mother would say if she was with me. I say my mother because she taught me that reading is a precious gift.

It was early this morning when I went to the doctor's office that I witnessed something that compelled me to write this letter so that maybe all parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers could reflect on how important you are in the lives of the smallest members of your family.

I sat waiting in the front office area for my appointment when I noticed a little girl, perhaps six or seven years old, shuffling through the available children's books to read that the doctor had purchased for his patients. This little girl, with long silky hair and a smile that could send off a thousand ships, found a book that, once opened, was nearly half her size. Her eyes opened wide and just glistened as she took a deep breath and gasped when she turned the first page. As she exhaled, she immediately said out loud with great interest, never taking her eyes off of the pages, and as if almost to herself, “I'm going to need someone to help me with this book.”

Now for me, at that moment, I was quite surprised, first because her voice and words were so articulate for such a small child I knew certainly this child must be gifted, and secondly because she was so excited, so entranced by this book. The little girl was sitting there next to what seemed to be her oldest sister who was about 20 years old and across from what seemed to be another sister about 12 or 13 years old, and finally on the other side sat what may have been grandma.

At this time, holding the book and a big smile, the little girl looked up and could see her older sister was busy playing with not one but two cell phones and didn't want to be bothered. She glanced over to her other sister who also was playing with her own phone. Then she got up and went over to grandma and quietly and politely asked, “Can you help me with this book?” Grandma sat there staring into the daily newspaper discount flyer for specials and never even flinched. The little girl turned slowly away and was surely disappointed as she undoubtedly chose grandma out of everyone, thinking surely grandma would help her, only to be turned away by being ignored.

She then hesitantly approached her next to oldest sister and asked the same, quietly and politely as if not to bother her from playing with her phone. Her sister didn't say anything at all; she just merely pointed her finger toward her older sister as if to say tell her to help you.

I sat there and watched and felt horrible. She wanted so much for someone to help her. I could see the disappointment in her face. I felt like saying to her, “Come here child, I will help you with that book.”

She then went back to sit next to where she started her quest, near her oldest sister, opening the book and not asking her sister but looking at her with eyes that seem to be saying, “Please, I'm sorry, please can you help me.” The older sister never really spoke, she just seemed to quickly look at the page and point out the answer, turn the page and slide the book back into the child's hands. You see, this book was an interactive problem-solving book, you had to find the clue on the page full of pictures. The little girl then took the book and settled back into the seat and resolved to try and do this by herself. She even began to talk herself through it. I could hear her saying, “No, it isn't there, oh look at that, it’s an elephant.” It soon became apparent, though, that she was outmatched without the subtle help of an older family member. The glow slowly faded from her eyes and her smile paled, as she began flipping through the pages to the end of the book, not really trying and then closing its cover. Hence closing the door on a thousand missed opportunities for imagination and learning to read. I was so moved I stepped outside to wipe a tear from my eye, all the time I could see the tears that the little girl had on the inside. It was a crying shame.

So it is with this letter to the editor that I ask all those who read this and who have precious young children in your family, that they need you, they want you to play an interactive part in their lives, each and every day. Reading is truly a most precious way to do this. So sometimes just stop what you're doing and say, “Hey, come here little one, let's read this book.” They will love you more than anything in the whole world for it. And you will feel it, it your heart, and in your head.

Craig H. Garrison
As Lito

Changing the  Game on Class Schedules

Friday, May 13, 2011

 

For many schools, the daily schedule of 8am to 3pm is an age-old practice that is as common as morning coffee. However, an increasing number of schools across the nation are breaking from the traditional school day and calendar to accommodate ever-increasing enrollment and budgetary shortfalls. This includes the practice of lengthening the school day, extending time into summer vacation, split shift schedules, multi-tracks, and a host of alternatives to tradition. And this movement is not fueled just by budgets or enrollment, but by the way we understand how children are learning in a new millennium. The argument against seat time has been made. All the talk about meeting standards and benchmarks, teacher accountability, teacher quality, class size, and numerous other solutions directed at student achievement have arisen out of the realization that schools are not making the progress that they need. Jennifer Davis, president and CEO of the National Center on Time and Learning, states, “We're not closing the achievement gap, and we're not keeping pace internationally with other industrially advanced countries.” She points out that, accustomed as we may be to the traditional 6 ½ hour, 180 day school year, it's an outdated schedule better fitting the needs of farmers (who needed all hands on deck during the summer harvest months) than today's families. “We need to rethink the 'agrarian schedule,'” she says.

This is the school reform movement at its best, educated people taking risks by breaking from tradition and seeking alternative ways in which children can learn by taking a good look at the schedule and making some adjustments such as a longer school day for some students, earlier starts, and later dismissals. Unfortunately, many people are not all that willing to change. It is perhaps a natural inclination for both teachers and parents to resist change when faced with the reality of its eventuality. According to a report by Education Sector, an independent education policy think tank, some parents, especially those in higher income brackets, may be wary of more school hours as it could mean less time for extracurricular or family togetherness. In contrast, single, low-income, and working parents are more likely to support the longer school day, as it means school and work schedules will be more aligned, and children will have access to more educational resources.

I'm sure that for many parents, the thought of their child being offered a safe place to play and learn in a full day from dawn to dusk would be a welcome thought. But we really need to remember that both the parents and the school systems must be in it together to find the solutions, and that means both will need to make sacrifices. In the world of educational design, a school that has all the great aspects to it from the classroom space to the instructional methods is still something of a myth. Indeed there are a few iconic schools that we read about such as having all the things they need: high student achievement, a great school climate, and indeed all schools would likely aspire to be right alongside them. However, the single most contributing factor to the success of a great school is the stakeholders that support it. Everyone from the teachers and the boards of education, to the parents. Teachers will need to be dedicated like they've never been before, school boards will have to take risks and think outside of the box, and parents will have to make serious sacrifices to their daily schedules and lifestyle if a great school is what they want.

Most parents are also dutifully responsible to put food on the table and pay the bills, and that means going to work. In schools where we see success stories, we often see a two-parent family where only one is working, or a single parent who happens to work from home that can allow them significant access to their children and the support for their education. For the schools who have alternative schedules such as a split day where half the school attends in the early AM and the second half in the PM, the problem of students coming home early in the day isn't that concerning as there is always someone home to receive them. In stark contrast, those parents who are not lucky enough to have that schedule are further burdened with knowing that their child may be coming home early from school to an otherwise empty house, and that can be stressful for many families.

The discussion on alternative schedules isn't over. School districts will continue to seek ways in which they can overcome changes in their demographic. Here in the CNMI we are also not immune to these changes. The enrollment of secondary school students has increased each year and will continue to do so. With the economy continuing to stagger, coupled with increased opportunities and student achievement mandates in public school, 2011-2012 is expected to see even more growth. What will the schools in the CNMI do? Aside from waving a magic wand and building new schools over the summer months, they will be forced to make changes that haven't been considered in over a decade.

What is the district plan for such a change? There are few choices. The school leadership teams are tasked to try and come up with solutions and some have already begun the process. However, they will likely need active support from the Board of Education, the education commissioner, and the parents to help find these solutions. We have to realize that we are changing the landscape of education in the CNMI. We must at all costs stand up and embrace the change and take a serious look at how we can meet the needs of our growing educational community. We need leadership at all levels of government and in schools that have the vision to see that the education of its population is the most valuable asset to its future and the successful development of our islands. When we fail to provide for our students, we fail our community. The best school reformers in the nation will tell you that failing schools are not the result of failing neighborhoods, but more so the opposite, that failing neighborhoods are the result of failing schools. You can build all the community centers you want to, fix all the roads, staff the hospitals, and even fix the power grid, but if you don't have and educated population you have achieved little as everything will certainly fall into disrepair.

If we can focus our attention to investing in a educated population we will see our neighborhoods rise from the ashes, our young authors, doctors, engineers, and builders return to be a part of a successful and flourishing community. We have to give the people who “live here and leave” a reason to return, a reason to have their children grow up and be educated in the CNMI instead of seeking a better future off island. This is not a dream; it can be a reality. We need to change what we're doing and step up to the plate and proceed with all God's speed to save our children and our island. Don't give up, stand up and participate, make it happen. Be a part of the change.

Discipline in Public Schools

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

School leaders today are often faced with daily decisions regarding the discipline of students. Violations of local school board policies, school rules, and local or state laws often occur at nearly every public school across America. Whether it is at the elementary or secondary level, and often in the absence of parental guidance, public schools face the daunting challenge of modeling, modifying, and mastering student behavior and performance. The National Center for Education Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov) reports that U.S. public schools suspends over three million students per year. That's a staggering number even on a national scale.

There is a virtual plethora of data regarding discipline in schools and how it relates to performance available online, describing how it affects areas such as student achievement, accountability, behavior, school safety, etc. Effective school leaders often use this data to help develop their school policies. What most school leaders would agree on is that whilst there is a need for discipline policy, many schools are left without the resources needed to effectively manage and create programs in schools that help reduce suspensions, such as those that involve crisis counseling, resources rooms, medical and psychological referrals systems, and even simple health centers and nursing on campus. Thus schools are left to use the tools they are given, which is often simply state board or school level policies.

Although many policies provide for alternatives to out-of-school suspensions, the fact is most schools lack the resources for such programs. School cleanups, in-house suspensions, special projects etc. all require additional supervision and that equals time, personnel and ultimately money, which schools do not have. However, some schools in America have been able to effectively create school discipline policies and practices that are reducing out of school suspensions. These schools are often the same schools that have several common traits, i.e., high rates of parental involvement, increased counseling services, a high score on the school climate index, and external financial resources for funding of alternative programs. Unfortunately most of these schools are found in affluent neighborhoods and thus schools in rural areas continue to face the challenge.

Consistent with many rural school districts, there is limited funding for additional personnel and programs. After-school program funds are spent on academic program reinforcement aimed at meeting the system wide goals for performance. This is often due to that fact that federal funding usually has specific guidelines as to what it can and can't be spent on leaving the schools to offer only programs they can versus what they need.

Data reporting on suspensions provides evidence that can help increase funding opportunities to help reduce suspensions. However, some data can show an unrealistically high number of suspensions. In one recent report from a US high school the data showed 1,784 suspensions during a single school year in a school with 850 students. A simple mathematics rule applied would have revealed that the data either was seriously flawed or there was a serious problem. With a total number of 180 school days, that would mean the school suspended on average 10 students every single day of the school year. That is clearly a serious error in data reporting. For a school to suspend that many students each day, the paperwork alone would require additional staff, not to mention the line at the door for the required parental conferences.

It is this type of erroneous reporting that can often skew the image of public schools and thus inhibit the system from gaining support in the public sector. A further look at the data revealed the numbers reported were taken from actual totals of infractions and not actual suspensions. The example is that a single student could have as many as five infractions in a single event, i.e. use of foul language, disrespect to school staff, destruction of school property, cutting class, and smoking. This is an event where a student is not in class and subsequently found smoking in the bathroom, gets mad, uses foul language at the staff, hits the paper towel rack and leaves the building. Now whilst the student will be suspended, the charges will be listed on a computer to include all offenses that fall under suspension. In the case of the data reported on the one high school, the data was never disaggregated by the author to find out the true numbers, which would show considerably less number of actual suspensions.

Responsible reporting of educational data is imperative if it is to be believable. If public reporting of data is erroneous it may take years to correct or dispel as the Internet will continue to make the information available and may also impede the schools or system's ability to appear compliant with federal policies and regulations regarding continued funding.

A decade ago students were not getting suspended for most of the offenses that were punishable under the law and as a result there were significant disruptions, damage to school property, and school violence that went unabated in schools across the nation. As the educational systems developed a more skilled workforce and school administrators became well versed in public school policy and law, it was just a matter of time before “enforcement” of the rules already in place occurred, and this is why often enough there can “appear” to be an increase in activity in discipline in a given school. It's not so much as things have changed as it is the students are being held more accountable for behavior.

Public schools continue to develop programs that work and build on school climate in order to help reduce the need for out-of-school suspensions and the data shows that this is working.  Public school is a public concern. Parents must be partners in the education of their child and their child's school.

Public School: A Thrift Store for Thieves

 

Theft of government property is a crime, and when it comes to stealing something that was purchased with federal funds, it’s a federal crime. We often see these crimes in the news and many of them are happening in public schools everyday by the very same people who work there.

The public schools today are a virtual thrift store for thieves. Employee’s taking what they want, when they want, even in broad daylight. Using personal vehicles and government vehicles to transport, trade, or turn in for cash their bounty. Recycle centers and pawn shops that otherwise don’t know, or don’t care that these items are stolen, also fuel this problem because they too are part of a system of ignorance, corruption, and concealment for profit. When these people are arrested, we often see their names placed in the news. But hardly a mention is made of the final determination or prosecution of these individuals. And it’s not because of privacy laws, or due process laws. It’s often because of the system, a culture of concealment, transfers, and resignation.

Each year, copper and other metal thefts amount to $1 billion dollars in the U.S. In the state of Florida recently, a school electrical supervisor allegedly stole $271,000 worth of copper wiring from the Broward County School District. In Detroit, prosecutor Kym Worthy stated she was surprised at, “how rampant, how overt and how conspicuous and downright bold-faced the corruption is” Ms. Worthy recently prosecuted five school employee’s including a clerical worker at an elementary school who wrote herself 15 checks and made 17 withdrawals from district accounts that netted her more than $25,000, also charged were a high school teacher’s aide, a food service coordinator at an elementary school, a truck driver and a district controls office worker for various thefts in the public school system.

As a career educator I have witnessed the theft over and over again from schools and offices in the public school systems I have worked for, and in each case I have reported it to my supervisors and the police. We have plenty to read about in the newspaper, our schools being pillaged by employee’s from nearly every branch of government. And for some public school system employees, it’s not the property they want, they go straight for the cash, stealing from student funds, tens of thousands of dollars going out the door and in many cases never being reported or even prosecuted. Every district court would likely have a full calendar and the jails cells would be filled if public school systems actually chose to prosecute every individual no matter who they may be related to. But the public school systems are seemingly designed to conceal their own dirty laundry.

The irony with theft in schools is that when a “student” is found guilty of stealing school property, whether it is from another student or from a classroom, they are immediately suspended out of school for their actions. Following that, the case is immediately forwarded to the police department. But yet, if an employee steals something from public school and even admits to it, they are often afforded the privilege of staying in school, of continuing to work, or to quietly resign or transfer to another school or position to seemingly continue the cycle again in another location.

Why does this happen? Perhaps to insure that they are being provided protection under the cloak of due process, or perhaps more accurately out of fear of bad publicity for the school system, or just a plain unwillingness by the system .

Whatever the reason, it has to stop. Yes, indeed theft is rampant among public school and it’s up to us as professionals, supervisors, and citizens to stop it in its tracks because every dollar lost is a dollar that’s taken away from our children’s education. And in the U.S. that’s $1 billion a year.

If you know someone who is stealing from your school…do the right thing…call the police.

 

 

Public School: Sex, Transfers, and Intimidation

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

 

Do you ever wonder what lies beneath the skin of some of our schools? There have been dozens of books written, articles authored, and even federal investigations conducted into the conduct of public school employees and their superintendents. Every month or so we seem to read allegations of sexual abuse in the news when it comes to the community, a rampant predator out there who takes down children at will.

I have both read and heard countless tales of sexual abuse, by teachers, parents of their own children, uncles, cousins, and even neighbors. Tales of how families make deals to cover it up to save face, of promises of money, support, even trading yard work in an effort to not send the person to jail. Seemingly just to protect the family, or the system, but what about the child? Does anyone even care about the anguish and suffering of the child? It's seemingly not enough to look the other way. They tell the child, “Oh, this is best. You're OK, aren't you?” and “Here's some more money, go buy yourself something.” It's pathetic and also pervasive and in public schools across the nation we seem to practice our own version of ignorance and that is to simply transfer these individuals. Whether it be from island to island or state to state-all in an effort to hide or mask what is really going on. Why?

Perhaps as many legal advisors would report, it's a liability in regards to due process and or costly litigation. Of course another successful practice is to simply move the child off island or out of state and send them to a grandparent or cousin who lives in the mainland or host country, and let them go to school there. Sometimes travel arrangements are even paid for by the system, that network of adults who for no reason but their own want make the problem go away. They don't want their family member or relative going to jail-“Oh he didn't mean it, he didn't really hurt you, did he?” They say how bad this will be for the family, or how so and so may not win the election if this gets out, it'll destroy his/her career but again no mention or attention to the child. The child quietly slips into the darkness to deal with everything themselves and you wonder why they hate you.

According to a draft report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, in compliance with the 2002 “No Child Left Behind” act signed into law by President Bush, between 6 percent and 10 percent of public school children across the country have been sexually abused or harassed by school employees and teachers. For the CNMI that's equates to hundreds of our children potentially at risk.

Over the years I've seen it in the eyes of children, I've seen the difference it makes when a school official takes the stand and sides with the child, I see the child gain strength, courage, and the feeling of perhaps finally being safe from harm and that someone believes in them. And I also see the dark side, when the system transfers someone or lets them just disappear, when they make it go away. I see the defeat in the child's eyes, the anguish, the seemingly endless pain they will endure for what will be a lifetime.

School officials who bring these cases forward are often chastised by their superiors, warned by legal counsels, and even spoken to by board members-all in an effort to put a lid on it. They don't want to answer questions, they don't want to expose the reality that they have a serious problem in not only the way they handle these issues, but in the policies they themselves create which often perpetuate the problem.

In defense of themselves they try and find alternative means to avoid the conflict. They'll deflect the story, lay blame on other people, cast doubt on truth, almost as if they were running for their political lives. They use fear and intimidation tactics-system employees who know what's going on, subordinates, everyone runs for cover because they fear someone's head will roll. They'll lie to protect themselves, cower into corners from the intimidation that comes from the top down.

Like dictators, those in power wield their sword of conviction, all in an effort to somehow absolve themselves of any knowledge of events or admission that there is a problem in public school. When will it stop? When will the children truly be first in our lives? For me, they will eat before I do, they will drink before I do, they will laugh before I do, and I will not sleep until I know I have done all I can to protect them from harm, so do me a favor-get out of my way!

 

They are Who I am
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

 

I continue to read and read and read about the “state of education” in the CNMI. Although the critically acclaimed series on KMCV didn't really focus on the hot topic of teacher turmoil over the PSS Praxis issues and pay cuts, it did shed some light on education as a whole.

I have spoken out on the Praxis before and I still feel pretty much the same way. It was a bother that we had to take it, but I did it, without knowing of any due compensation or accolades, and knowing only that I was still “in the know” and working in my chosen profession.

Therein lies one of the problems we face in education. Not just here, although predominantly so. We face the fact that many, if not most, of the teachers in the CNMI did not early on set out to choose teaching as a profession. They went to college thinking business, finance, doctor, lawyer, athlete, etc. As most students will change their major at least once in their career, and nearly everyone graduates with a degree in some field, everyone begs the question upon graduation: “What do I do now?” In the CNMI, the teaching profession had always welcomed those individuals with a “degree” even if they did not major in education or take any classes on being a teacher. In those days PSS couldn't ask for much as the pay scale was pitiful even then.

But then things changed. The pay scale went up and PSS decided to bring the education requirement up a notch for teachers by developing a minimal set of classes and or coursework that all teachers needed so that PSS could hope to ensure that teachers were equipped with the latest research and practices for today's classrooms. Although largely not enforced, it was the beginning of a solid foundation for a fledgling school system to be on par with schools in the U.S. mainland. The pay scale in those days and those who received pay raises continued to jump around and, although appearing biased at times, PSS was truly working on some form of equity for teachers and their experience.

Now that PSS is faced with the NCLB Act, they placed an even greater requirement for teacher qualification, and hence the equity issue reared its ugly head again. On face value, paying teachers what they are worth is commendable and should be done. I believe, though, that PSS as a whole may have underestimated the structure of the social foundation within our system. In that lay the insurgency we see today with representatives from ACT, the BOE Teacher Rep and other individuals expressing their discontent.

But again, here we are, what are we to do? For me, I am an educator by profession, that's what I went to school for, not because the pay was great. Now I am an administrator, a natural progression for the educational professional. And I can say again, it's not for the money.

To make it clear, for all those teachers who didn't pass the Praxis and got hit with a drastic pay cut, I am saddened indeed. I saw PSS lose many of these great teachers to retirement as a result, and for the many who received your significant increase, please know and maybe take comfort in the fact that, with the governor's austerity cuts, all of you that are making the $41,745.42 scale and above are making more than your vice principals, which will go down to $41,500 and your principal's to $45,000 in December. So, to everyone who falls into that teacher group and at the top of the teacher pay scale who, now it seems, will get even another perk-a 5 percent one-time bonus-and who will only have to work during the school year while your principals and vice principals continue to work day in and day out even during typhoons and weekends to keep your schools in one piece, ask yourself why you're in the profession on this tiny little island in the sun we call home. Is it for the love of the profession? Did you truly want to change the lives of those in your charge, or simply charge those in your lives?

Don't get me wrong, I applaud your efforts to receive just compensation, but if anyone should be shouting and demanding compensation, it should be the school administrators. When mainland schools will pay vice principals upwards of $100,000 and more, and principals even more, you have to ask the question: Why do we stay? I don't have the answer for everyone, but for me, when I came to the CNMI I had a vision; one in which the care and success of my students were at the forefront of my thoughts each day I woke up. I gradually came to see the system as a whole, believing that if I stay I could be part of the system and make it better for all students, giving them the skills and knowledge I gained in college and in life.

I still have that belief today and I am confident that, despite all the trials and tribulations I have experienced working for PSS and the lack of compensation for my efforts, that I do make a difference and I have made a difference, and that for me is priceless, its worth more than anyone could give me. I know there are bills, and kids, and family, and the power, all of it. I know because I live it everyday too, but I also live with what's inside me, my character, my innate sense of how to make it work, and yes, sometimes that means stopping at the roadside to pick weeds so I can make soup, or bananas from a fallen forest to take to work just to save a few more dollars and make it work some more. Why? Because my mission in life is my profession, I am an educator, and the students in my charge come before my personal and financial gains. Because "they are who I am.”

 

Time on Task: Innovation and an Argument Against Seat Time

 Monday, October 26, 2009

 

Do you believe that students learn more or even better, because they sit in front of their teacher for “X” amount of hours each day? Our first impression of that thought would provoke the answer “no.” Most people would believe that a single teacher or even the amount of time on task is not the ultimate answer to learning. Given today's educational environment and the virtual technology world we live in, it is inconceivable that there is only one answer.

Today, our school curriculum along with many school districts is based on the Carnegie unit system, a unit of academic credit used in college admissions decisions. The unit was introduced by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 1914 to provide colleges with a standard measure of students’ course work in high schools. A Carnegie unit represents the equivalent of one academic year of study in a subject in a class meeting four or five times a week for 40 to 60 minutes per meeting, a minimum of 120 hours of total class time.

That's pretty simple math, do the time, make the grade and graduate. The only problem is, we know that the students who are graduating are often less prepared today then we want them to be. So then the argument is to change our current practices and create an environment where teaching is allowed to be instructionally innovative and learning is measured not by the amount of seat time, but by what the child is thinking, what's in their heads, their ability to express themselves freely, and exponentially. This is not a new paradigm in the philosophy of education, no. this is an age old battle of the wits. On one hand, we can sit idly by and let mediocrity permeate our minds and those of our students or we can get out from behind the desks, get our students up from their seats and get out there and be somebody. Take charge and learn, teach, and grow.

In 1993, Ernest L. Boyer, President of the Carnegie Foundation stated, “I’m convinced the time has come once and for all to bury the old Carnegie unity. Further, since the foundation I now head created this academic measurement a century ago, I feel authorized this morning to officially declare the Carnegie unit obsolete."

Indeed the Carnegie unit has become obsolete. The National Education Commission on Time and Learning reported in their document “Prisoners of Time” (1994), that “The six-hour, 180-day school year should be relegated to museums, an exhibit from our education past. Both learners and teachers need more time-not to do more of the same, but to use all time in new, different, and better ways. The key to liberating learning lies in unlocking time.”

It is this approach to learning, to designing the educational environment and the educational day, that will provide our students the keys to the doors to which they will open and walk into a world ready to take it on. Our schools are indeed institutions of learning that provide children with not only the tools to develop their skills, but a place they are connected to, a place where they feel safe, a place where unconditional acceptance of who they are and of their individual potential for learning and growth are celebrated. Today we can't be expected to sit idle and accept the practices of the past. This is also evident in President Obama's current desire to lengthen the school day. His plan is not a concrete solution to student achievement by any means, but what it does signal to most people is that there is a grave concern about our 'attitude' towards education. I have always believed schools should not be about wrote learning practices. I am a firm believer that the Carnegie unit is nothing more than an idea that seemed to work a hundred years ago and has long since been inapplicable to schools today. I am also in agreement that schools should stay open longer, that beyond the core academic subjects there is a plethora of opportunity for students to learn. That programs for members of the community to teach in extended day programs without traditional credentials are needed, that schools should be open into the night for students to participate in virtual classrooms, reinforcement, and alternative education, that new methods for demonstrating student competency or earning credit should include end-of-course exams, culminating projects, and alternative assessments aimed at content knowledge and not only the required seat time.

It has long been said that 'learning never stops', so then, why do we close school each day in the afternoon? All across America schools and school systems are creating new rules of the road, year round schools where students are able to graduate at a self pace approach, schools where students take classes never before available to them because now they have the time and the choice, students who are receiving college level instruction at high school. These are all results of forward-thinking educators who are embracing change and driving that educational train of innovation into the future. For me, I'm going to climb aboard, what I want to know is, are you coming?

When the Bully is the Teacher or an Administrator

 Wednesday, January 04, 2012

The entire nation is aware of bullying and its effects on students. There are a host of national campaigns and programs to address this topic head on staying active on the anti-bullying front with proposed legislation and the creation of policy for the protection of cyber-bullying among other forms now being introduced at both the state and school district levels. Most notably being introduced by students themselves, which is rather ironic in as much as adults are supposed to be protecting them.

But what happens when the bully is the teacher or administrator? Where is the policy language to speak to that? Where do students go when the very people we tell them to go to when they are being bullied are actually the ones who are doing the bullying? This conduct happens in schools districts across America and in many cases the student chooses to simply change schools when it gets out of hand. Unfortunately, many students do not have the luxury of choosing schools. Recent research shows that there is likely at least one bully teacher or administrator in every school. For staffing patterns that are at or above 100 employees that number increases. What that equates to at the high school level is that the single bully teacher has an estimated 120 students under their charge in a given day that may be subject to their bullying on a daily basis and this can be seriously devastating for the student and even affecting their family.

Dr. Deborah Serani, a psychologist and practicing psychoanalyst, states in her research, “Teachers who are bullies have the same characteristics of other bullies. They are sadistic and petty, gaining self-esteem through the humiliation of others. In the school environment, a teacher-bully will shame a child in front of classmates, often using their position of authority in abusive ways. The teacher-bully may make an example of a child, sending him out of the room or to the corner. Maybe an extra assignment or denying your child recess becomes the vehicle for bullying.” This type of conduct serves the teacher well as they mask their bullying under the guise that they are disciplining the student or otherwise using alternative instructional methods-a host of fabricated excuses to cover up what is really happening when the bullying teacher or administrator is involved.

As a former principal I know full well the effects of teachers bullying their students. I have had to address it on more than one occasion as I am witness to the ill effects on the students. Their lack of desire to come to school out of fear of the teacher, they're withdrawn and silent when they used to be vibrant and full of life. They cower when the teacher walks by or approaches, their head down and an obvious subservient demeanor is manifested simply by being in the presence of the administrator or teacher doing the bullying. How are we to expect children to learn in that environment? How can they even be motivated to learn? And what's worse is that many may choose to bully others as a result of being bullied by their teacher. Indeed a sad reality, as the vast majority of teachers are dedicated and committed to being there for the student and helping them overcome many of the challenges they face in the classroom. But for the few who are not, the few who are the “bullies,” the negative impact of their behavior is often far greater and lasting in the student's mind.

In my early years as a teacher, I remember several teachers who would fit the description of bullying students. Even physically pushing them around and saying things like “what are you going to do about it; I'm the teacher, who is going to believe you?” I complained several times to the administration about these individuals and for the most part the principal swiftly addressed it. Where I felt it needed more, I personally went to the teacher and added my two cents for lack of a better phrase. I recall one teacher who had the habit of head butting his students under the guise that he was hard of hearing and couldn't see that well, so when they got close he would bend down and say “what” and crack his big 'ol forehead square into the student and then back off and say “oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, I didn't see you, etc.” He finally did it to the wrong student who was about his own size and the student cold-cocked him square in the nose, of course followed with, “oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there.”

I continue to get stories from students who are likely being bullied by their teachers and or administrators. With one administrator reportedly having a habit of pushing his fat belly into students as he approaches them in a scolding manner, which really is nothing more than outright intimidation and bullying. Another story is about the administrator who is constantly using race as a means to belittle the student whenever they are present. In each case I contact the principal directly to share the concern and to voice my desire for them to take clear and decisive action to protect both the student and the school system. In most cases there should be documented intervention such as counseling and education along with follow up to ensure that retaliation against the student is not occurring. Continued complaints should warrant Board of Education intervention.

Dr. Alan McEvoy, Ph.D. from Wittenberg University writes in his paper Teachers Who Bully Students: Patterns and Policy Implications that “teachers who bully, feel their abusive conduct is justified and will claim provocation by their targets. They often will disguise their behavior as 'motivation' or as an appropriate part of the instruction. They also disguise abuse as an appropriate disciplinary response to unacceptable behavior by the target. The target, however, is subjected to deliberate humiliation that can never serve a legitimate educational purpose.”

Bullying by teachers raises the specter of school liability. For example, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education 526 U.S. 629 (1999) provided language and a set of principles that should give educational institutions pause. The Davis Court defined those factors it found compelling to expand school liability from staff-to-student sexual harassment (where the school is liable for the conduct of its employee) to student-to-student sexual harassment (where arguably the conduct occurred without the school's complicity.) The court ruled that schools receiving federal funds, at all levels of education, may be held financially responsible where officials are “deliberately indifferent” to harassing behaviors that are “severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive.” If the Supreme Court found those principles an adequate basis to expand school liability in one arena, why wouldn't they apply equally to a decision to expand school liability in another arena (i.e., to liability for teacher/student bullying)? The Davis Court established four criteria in considering liability: 1) school officials had actual knowledge of severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive conduct; 2) school officials were deliberately indifferent to such conduct; 3) the school had control over the harasser and the context where the harassment occurred (such as the classroom); and 4) the school's response, or lack of response, was unreasonable given such knowledge. The court ruling also suggests that schools should have in place policies and procedures to address abusive conduct. Failure to have in place a means to redress a legitimate grievance related to behavior that creates a hostile environment for learning enhances a school's liability. In effect, if a discriminatory hostile environment exists in the classroom, and school officials have been given appropriate notice but fail to act, then the school risks both compensatory and punitive damages.' A full copy of Dr. Alan McEvoy, Ph.D research can be found at:

http://www.stopbullyingnow.com/teachers%20who%20bully%20students%20McEvoy.pdf

It's time that schools take a hard look at what is happening on campuses and in the classrooms and collect the information needed to take action to protect students from bullying by not only their peers but their teachers and administrators. I would ask that the BOE with the help of a professional external organization create a student survey regarding this issue so that they may get to the bottom of what's really happening in our schools and create an action plan to address the findings. I am sure the findings will be shocking. Our children are our only hope to the kind of future the world will see. Let's not blind them with abuse from those who are supposed to show them the light.

 

Our Educational Community, Faith, and Risk.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

I cannot help but feel all the arguments in the world about money, taxes, politics, the environment, are insignificant to the reality that we as human beings have a greater servant purpose, a greater moral calling to our race, to pass on what we know to all those we encounter, good, bad, disruptive or not, that we educate them, treat them dignity in our words, with compassion in our eyes and with unconditional love in our hearts. One day perhaps we will no longer see the textbooks on the desks, the erasers on the board, money will not be an overriding factor in education, it will be left to us, the educators, the parents, we the people, to educate all the children, lest we become nothing more than artifacts of educational existence. Profound as spoken words may be it is my wish that everyone in our community know that truly your faith in the education of the child is what will bring light and promise to the seemingly dark days ahead. New paradigms in education will arise and will be embraced by the faithful.

Indeed as our community is gifted with the character and virtues of all those who would want for the child to be free from harm and embraced with no other feeling than safety and security, it is our duty as the human race to give of ourselves all that shall encompass the raising of a child. Have we as mankind succumbed to the apathy of societies ills that we look past our children, even those whose behavior sends a different message, the disruptive child, the failing child…a thorn perhaps, what of others that speak of the child as an orchid that needs special attention and care for it to blossom before its death, are they not one and the same.

Do we as an educational community feel that there is often too much to risk when we are challenged by the hierarchy of a system, it’s management or boards. We must understand that in the current educational environment, things will continue to change and new ideas and energy will be brought forth for our children. We cannot look to the past and ask “why,” but more so, to look to the future and ask “why not.” It is my hope that our educational community will not look to the past for its answers but to embrace the future and take the risks needed to move forward into the light of success.

In today’s school systems leadership there often lies an underlying culture of caution. It manifests itself into what many leaders would call their “duty to deny.” A pre-determined component of their scope of work, a belief that somehow by making decisions without first denying the initial requests, they are taking too great a “risk.” Thus, risking progress itself and ultimately, the potential for learning and growth at any level whether district or government.

There are inherent risks with every job we perform, every task we undertake. Whether it is the risk of an investment in a new reading program, the risk of an action in a pending lawsuit, or just simply a bad decision. The American educational system on the whole is seemingly locked into a liability mode of operation. Many school leaders and professionals are concerned with whether they will be sued or even terminated at the next turn. More attention is paid to the negative aspects of the job and its risks than a focus on teaching and learning by school leaders.

During my first year as an administrator, I remember writing down what type of administrator I wanted to be, a self-reflection into my experiences with school leaders and their styles and even myself as a teacher leader. I read that paper today, some six years later, and I see that indeed I have tried to become what I envisioned. A leader who is cautious, but fair, and genuinely someone who is a risk taker. I knew then as I do now, that this type of approach, this “risk” taking, might very well find me on the chopping block of school leaders who have perhaps taken too great of a risk. This is where the “duty to deny” appears. As school leaders, nobody wants to fail, and certainly not wind up on the chopping block. We see the “duty to deny” at the district level in schools and in local government also. District leaders often do not want to assume the risk that comes with the termination of a school leader, and hence they lower their risk by transferring or allowing the school leader to resign, which perhaps does nothing more than move them over into another category of “risk.”

And it’s not just simply about taking risks, it’s about taking risks of “major proportions,” the ones that great things come of, these are the things we want as leaders. We must in all gods-speed-proceed-to wit our dreams and create change by embracing what it is that challenges us, to reflect wholly on our comforts, our complacency, and act on the vision and not sedate our minds and temper our thoughts. If we are to truly reform the schools of today, if we are to truly create a profound and significant paradigm shift in the way in which we and others think about our profession then we must take the risks of epic proportions and never look back upon defeat as an option. We must prepare for the good fight and make it happen. Risk involves empowerment, encouragement, embodiment of your mind, your body, your spirit, your faith, your love, you must live it, and you must love what you do. As much as the man who climbs Mount Everest with only steel for legs, you may stand alone in risk, but like the man you have a thousand unheard voices supporting you, voices that are with you, you cannot fail in risk. Risk gives you reason to live, it rests inside each one of us. These risks of epic proportions are to be witnessed by all. With their eyes they can see the connection between your leadership and the risk that you take, in this, there is learning, exponential growth connected in the common ideal that as a leader it is the risk that you have taken that has made the change for the good. Just as we do not dare ourselves to be afraid of change, so it should be that we are not afraid of risk. To take a risk is to be willing to make mistakes, to play the devil’s advocate even when it is unpopular; taking the risk that challenges the problems even when there is no certainty in the solution, the risk that you will personally and professionally add to your growth and accomplishments is a risk we must consider undertaking.

Carol Dweck, Professor Department of Psychology, Stanford University in her article, “Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development.” (2000), explains; “Quantum leaps in learning, solving problems, inventing new products, and discovering new phenomena ‘require’ risk taking. Risk taking within the learning environment requires a willingness to think deeply about a subject or problem, share that thinking with others to hear their perspectives, listen to their critiques, and then build on those experiences toward a solution or solutions.” What Dweck and other writers like her describe is an approach that we must take regarding risk. A systematic way of tackling the problem of decision making. Whether that is during a WASC meeting in preparation for accreditation, or a simple school project. The greater the risk the greater amount of time we should spend listening and building on what the collective groups experiences may be.

Just as we who profess to be school leaders and the future school leaders of today, will take on the challenges of the new paradigms in education, we must take the risks of creating our own paradigm in the way we approach education. We must believe in our ability to share equally in the vision of the CNMI and move forward together with inspiration and commitment towards education. If we fail to act in this regard, we have all failed, and failed our children. I ask now only one question, what are you going to do about it?

“The strength of the United States is not the gold at Fort Knox or the weapons of mass destruction that we have, but the sum total of the education and the character of our people.”

— Former Sen. Claiborne Pell

 

 

Heroes in Education
Monday, July 28, 2008

Everyday, as the acting Commissioner of Education, I was faced with an incredible amount of responsibility and determination to make decisions that will affect the lives of many. But I'm not writing about me today, I'm not writing about the many teachers who deserve accolades. I am writing about those foot soldiers in the field of education. The people that for all God's care they are the safety net for the system, the glue that binds the fabric of our very existence. Without them standing there, behind the lines, facing the same tasks day in day out, all the while making barely enough money to make ends meet. They stand there in support of the leadership, from the classroom to the boardroom they are always there.

I must have read dozens of books over my career as an educator about school leaders and teachers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. But there are few books ever written about the service to the system our support staff provide. On most days they will experience a constant barrage of requests for action, many of those requests coming across as aggravated and sometimes hostile complaints. Whilst I will be the first to admit that every section of the public school system, or even government for that matter, could indeed improve on the delivery of services, exactly the same could be said for many of our classrooms, schools, and government officials.

There is an unbelievable amount of work and commitment that takes place behind the scenes by support staff that no one ever seems to hear about or concern themselves with. From the midnight calls to the school campus to turn water off or fix a break in, to working every Saturday because that's the only time it can be done. These are the unseen acts of commitment, founded in the belief that what they are doing makes a difference not only in their life but in the lives of those they serve. In spite of their sacrifice to their children, their wives and husbands, that's the time we as school leaders and teachers often take for granted: our holidays, and seasonal breaks, our ability to have someone substitute for us. Our support staff do not often have the luxury of missing a day's work. For that may mean also missing a meal for their children, medicine for a cold, or even money for the child's lunch. I have never worked in a field where so many do so much for so little. I think the time is long overdue that we take a serious look at how we treat our support staff, how we compensate them, and how we recognize the service they provide to all of our children and our communities.

School leaders, teachers, students and parents need to take a look at how we as a system view the roles of our support staff and thank them for a job not only well done, but for their tireless integrity and commitment to the support of our teachers, our leadership, and our children. For truly, they are “heroes in education.”