Starting Over: A Post-Katrina Education
This opinion blog chronicled the highs and lows of starting over in the new educational landscape that has become New Orleans’ answer to the question, “How Hard Can It Be?” This blog is no longer being updated.
Education
Opinion
Happy Easter
Yesterday was one of the best days we’ve had at our school this year. We didn’t get any great news about winning a grant or contest. The LEAP testing was just completed last week. So, we didn’t get any reports of high student achievement. But, several very special and very standard things were going on at the same time. I’ve saved the best for last, so if you don’t have time to read a long entry today, skip to paragraph seven.
Education
Opinion
Crescent City Connection
As we drove in a crisscross pattern through the streets of New Orleans this afternoon, Betsy and I talked about the effects of poverty on children. We agreed that the similarities between these children were more numerous than the differences regardless to whether they lived in Boston or the Big Easy. Betsy is one of several friends I have made through this blog. She and her husband are visiting the city from her home state of Maine to work with a group of charitable volunteers from Rebuilding Together. Rebuilding Together is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve affordable housing by bringing volunteers and communities together to rehabilitate the homes of low-income homeowners. They have been helping homeowners in our city since the hurricane. Unfortunately, Betsy’s husband was in an accident and most of their month-long visit has been in the hospital where he underwent surgery and therapy during the past two weeks.
Education
Opinion
Paid Help
Today, I had an interesting conversation with another Charter School Board President. He was encouraging me to consider hiring an educational management organization to take over some of the administrative tasks we have been doing to allow us more free time and the opportunity to be just Board members, not CEOs, Superintendents, or Human Resource Directors. He explained all of the services his group did for the Board and the easy load he had as President.
Education
Opinion
Litigation
I have a pretty strange assignment for the weekend. The Director of Recovery School District Charter Schools sent out a letter requesting copies of our salary schedules. This is in response to a public records request by a group of lawyers. I recognized a few of the names on the letterhead as attorneys for the United Teachers of New Orleans. A teacher friend told me that there was a meeting yesterday called by UTNO for all former members of the collective bargaining units.
Education
Opinion
A Parallel Universe
It’s strangely like living in two parallel universes at the same time. We are still staffing vacant positions, purchasing A-V equipment, maps and globes, etc., all activities for the opening of school. At the same time, we are beginning plans for the end of year faculty retreat. We just hired a certified computer teacher, and the second special education para educator. Simultaneously, we are discussing the opening of school teacher training institute for the 2008 – 09 school session. We’ve contracted with a former principal to assist with the formal teacher evaluations so that they can be finished by the beginning of May. That’s so we can offer jobs for next year to teachers who earn satisfactory ratings. We are concerned about the upcoming LEAP tests and planning things like looping for some grades, summer remedial sessions for students who fail the high stakes tests, and summer enrichment classes for those who will take the tests next year. We are still applying for some of the federal dollars available to us this year while trying to begin formulating an operating budget by July 1 for next year.
Education
Opinion
Love of Basketball
Last week, I was watching the NBA All-Stars Saturday Night Jam. In the comfort of my home, I enjoyed the events that included the 3-point shoot out and the Slam Dunk contest. We were in the middle of the NBA All-Star weekend in New Orleans. Basketball greats like Kobe Bryant and Charles Barkley are walking our streets, visiting our restaurants and popping up at playgrounds, schools, and the convention center. Watching the lights of the cityscape at night from the aerial view above the Arena and the Superdome could make one forget that much of the city is still devastated and under repair, 2 ½ years after Hurricane Katrina.
Education
Opinion
Teaching the Test
We are in our countdown to LEAP testing. Beginning on March 10th, our fourth and eighth grade students will be taking high-stakes, state mandated criterion referenced tests in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Their scores will determine whether or not they can be promoted to the next grade. Students in grades three, five, six, and seven will take norm-referenced tests, but they are not high-stakes.
Education
Opinion
Good News
I'm not really taking the day off just because school is closed for one more day as everyone recovers from Mardi Gras festivities. I'm taking the day off from blogging because Times-Picayune columnist, Sheila Stroup, did a much better job than I could in writing about a special event held at our school last week. Please paste the link below into your browser for the story that appeared in yesterday's newspaper. Thank you, Sheila!
Education
Opinion
Happy Mardi Gras!
I love the marching bands, the high school dance teams, and the cleverly themed floats. I like to see the people in crazy costumes, the happy families, and the colorful throws flying from the hands of float riders to the eager clutches of spectators. Teenagers, in my day, had to have new jeans and tennis shoes when we went to parades on Mardi Gras. We waited anxiously for a fleeting glimpse of the Mardi Gras Indians in their beautiful feathered and beaded suits. From the Wild Magnolias to the Guardians of the Flame, they are still a unique and beautiful sight to see.
Education
Opinion
Dancing the Two-Step
This morning, I was thinking about the progress we’ve made in the past month. The New Year started off well for us at McDonogh 42 Elementary Charter School. We’ve been able to hire a bright, young man for our middle school math position. The students’ reception was positive at their first meeting. We’ve also hired a Special Education para to work with regular education teachers in classrooms that have students with special needs. We almost hired a second person as a para, but she got a better offer from RSD as a Math teacher, her area of concentration. Although she has a degree, she’s not certified yet and we must make every effort to hire certified teachers according to our charter agreement. We can’t honestly say that we’ve exhausted all possible sources until we advertise the vacancies in the newspaper.
Education
Opinion
Knights Around the Tables
In honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, many of our local high school and college students decided to do service projects today. Our school benefited from the services of 12 young men from a nearby boys’ high school. The students arrived at our school promptly at 9:30 a.m. traveling by public service or parent chauffeurs. They were wearing their uniform pants and some type of school tee shirt or sweatshirt. Our task was to unpack and shelve over eighty boxes of library books. We had less than three hours to complete the work.
Education
Opinion
Off to a Great Start
One of the best things about working is schools is that you have a chance to start a new year twice, once when school opens and a second time when the calendar year changes. We’ve started the new year with a bang.
Education
Opinion
Saturday Morning
Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.