April 2010 Archives

Virginia

Monticello Grounds

Hamlet teaches much. The play taught me that the dead depend upon the living to tell their story. The dead, after all, first linger in our thoughts and prayers and then disappear inside old photograph albums. A few notable dead have monuments built to remind people that they once lived and loved and laughed. Some inscribe an epitaph on their tombstone, usually a brief piece of prose commemorating a significant legacy or achievement. Thomas Jefferson desired that his grave be marked by an obelisk inscribed with the three accomplishments for which he wished to be remembered, "...and not a word more."

That's it. The third president of the United States wished to be remembered for his intellect, belief in freedom of religion, and the founding of a great university. No mention of his vice presidency or presidency. The man did not want to be remembered as a politician. No wonder scholars are still probing his great mind.

I walked away from the Jefferson family cemetery wondering if a teacher will ever get the chance to have the following words inscribed on his or her grave:

Such a simple yet profound epitaph would be the envy of all teachers, a monument as profound and beautiful as Jefferson's granite obelisk. But such an inscription is highly improbable and, if written, would likely be vandalized by politicians or education bureaucrats who have left teachers out of designing a national curriculum.

Academic standards are a critical component of quality teaching and student learning, and the adoption of a uniform set of national standards could transform American education. No wonder this important issue is a popular topic of conversation whenever I speak at schools of education. Pre-service teachers often ask me if I have been involved in the drafting of academic standards on a national or state level. No and no. However, I do tell our nation's future teachers that some day they may be part of the process of developing a common core of national standards, and that is why their generation of teachers must keep knocking on the doors of politicians, policy makers, and education "think tanks" and remind these influential people that a teacher's voice is the only voice heard in a classroom.

And I tell our future teachers that whatever uniform set of academic standards eventually makes its way to their classroom door, the following core knowledge must be included:

Mission Statement

What I teach is not as important as whom I teach.

Math Standards

a2 + b2 = c2 is a useful math concept, but understanding that the sum of all a child's yesterdays does not equal the value of just one tomorrow is critical core knowledge.

Geography Standards

The origin of the Nile River is a piece of practical information, but understanding that a child's origin is not their destiny is critical core knowledge.

Reading Standards

Students should read sonnets, a beautiful form of poetry that derives its name from the Italian word sonetto, meaning "little song." But the ability to read a child' story and know that each and every student arrives at your classroom door with a unique and intriguing and incomplete story is critical core knowledge.

Writing Standards

A sentence must include a subject and a predicate, but knowing how to script confidence on the blank pages of a child's story, how to edit the mistakes, and how to help write a happy ending is critical core knowledge.

Science Standards

What goes up must come down is a useful concept, but the ability to catch a falling student is critical core knowledge.

ART

How artists work and what tools do they use to create is concrete and useful information, but understanding that the hands of every artist were once held and guided by a teacher is critical core knowledge.

Civics

Knowing the three branches of government is useful knowledge, but understanding that the greatest institution for social change is a school and the greatest instrument of change is a teacher is critical core knowledge.

I hope one day my children or grandchildren will visit a monument to a teacher. A national historic landmark that reminds visitors that here lay the remains of a very important teacher who helped draft an essential and enduring common core of national standards.

And not a word more.

Posted by Anthony Mullen at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Florida

Jacksonville

The gray storm clouds are parting and moving toward the east. Better the ominous clouds head toward the ocean than remain over my head. There's a lot of angry energy in those clouds, and one particularly nasty looking thunderhead lingers behind. It seems to be positioned directly above a group of children playing baseball in a town park, waiting for the right moment to release a torrent of rain. A brilliant burst of sunshine appears from the southeast, confronting the stubborn thunderhead with all its glory and warmth. Nature will soon be engaged in another spectacular duel in the sky.

The Associated Press is reporting that Florida Governor Charlie Crist has vetoed a state education bill that would have eliminated any semblance of tenure and tied teacher pay to student test scores. The veto will make the Republican governor unpopular with fellow Republican legislative leaders as well as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Opposing a tempest of angry politicians and a former governor who still lingers over the national education landscape is either an act of political suicide or the conscience of a new breed of politician who truly cares about the welfare of children.

The fuming thunderhead will not budge. A lot of children are looking at the menacing cloud and wondering if it will spoil their afternoon baseball game. A few adults are opening umbrellas and some are walking toward cars, but the sun is rising higher in the southeast and appears to be climbing over the massive storm cloud.

Governor Crist once favored Senate Bill 6 but had second thoughts when the people—yes, the people—of Florida staged massive protests against this seminal piece of legislation. The governor listened to the voices of constituents who overwhelmingly opposed the bill. Crist said that his veto was not about politics but about the state's schoolchildren. Former Governor Jeb Bush, chairman of something called the Foundation for Florida's Future, was not very happy. "By taking this action, Governor Crist has jeopardized the ability of Florida to build on the progress of the last decade." The former governor could not let a small letdown get in the way of self-promotion.

Shards of sunlight can be seen piercing the massive and unyielding thunderhead. A young boy standing on the pitcher's mound points toward the sky and smiles. The sun is unleashing a surge of heat and light intent on dispersing the unwanted visitor.

Thousands of parents concerned with the ramifications of Senate Bill 6 used their opposable thumbs to text messages to the state capital in Tallahassee. A few dinosaurs used conventional phones, but they shared a common message: The legislation is flawed, ominous, and an unsolicited breach upon the state's constitution. A parent's instinctive desire to protect their children emerged and the governor listened to them.

The angry thunderhead has nowhere to run. The sun has encircled its dwindling mass and continues to fire billions of photons at its cold, damp heart. The slate colored cloud takes a last stand and reconfigures its bruised body. I watch it move slightly west and hover over the children.

Governor Crist said he once favored Senate Bill 6 and still supports the concept of pay for performance and holding teachers accountable. But he changed his mind when the faces of children, particularly the faces of children with special needs, tweaked his conscience. The light and wisdom of parents interceded and made the governor realize that he was dealing with real children rather than data on a spread sheet.

The sun's supremacy will not be ignored. The thunderhead is hit with a strong broadside of sunlight and it begins to break apart. Its center can no longer hold and wisps of gray matter disperse in all directions. The great duel in the sky is over.

Today a group of children will finish their baseball game. And today parents and children can rejoice that a state governor did not allow the interests of a foundation or lobbyists guide his conscience. The storm clouds have left Florida and all can bask in the warmth of reason and sound judgment.

Shine on Florida, shine on!

Posted by Anthony Mullen at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Massachusetts

Someplace near where the pilgrims first landed.

Quite a few critics of the American system of education are kept busy seeking "A City Upon a Hill" on foreign shores. One such country is Singapore. After all, Singaporean students rank 1st in the world in mathematics on the latest TIMSS (U.S. students rank 16th) and Singapore boasts a nation of high performing students and excellent schools. Could Singapore be the City Upon a Hill that Puritan leader John Winthrop described while giving a speech aboard the ship Arbelle en route to the Massachusetts Bat Colony? Maybe. But Winthrop was careful to remind his fellow pilgrims that such a city would be carefully watched by "the eyes of all people" and warned of the accusation of hypocrisy should his weary and seasick flock not practice what was taught in the Good Book.

Singapore will be hosting a major education conference in September and has invited distinguished scholars and teachers from throughout the world to share ideas and presentations. One such distinguished teacher is Susan Elliot, the 2009 Colorado State Teacher of the Year and one of four finalists for the 2009 National Teacher of the Year (I may have pulled the sword from the stone but Susan will always best me as Lancelot did Arthur).

Susan Elliot has spent three decades in education and taught thousands of students. She is bright, articulate, and has a great sense of humor. She teaches social studies and history to mainstream and hearing-impaired students-all in the same classroom. Her unique ability to teach social studies and history to both "regular" and hearing-impaired students in the same classroom is a remarkable display of master teaching. Susan is the perfect educator to help represent America's teachers and deserves a key to this Asian City Upon a Hill.

Susan was excited about traveling to Singapore and sharing her ideas and experiences about methods that could develop the potential of all students to become independent, self-supporting and contributing members of society. And then came her dismissal.

Once the Singapore education officials discovered that Susan was hearing-impaired, they retracted her invitation. The so-called discovery and subsequent retraction of her invitation was an act of disingenuous statesmanship because the Singapore education officials knew all along that Susan was deaf. The official in charge of inviting and then disinviting Susan attributes the mistake to miscommunication. Wait a minute. Singapore is renowned for its academic prowess; surely the highly educated official could read a simple biography that very clearly noted Susan was hearing-impaired. The Singapore education system may be perched on a higher hill than the American system but something is not quite right.

Susan Elliot sent a few emails to Singaporean education officials, hoping the "miscommunication" was itself a miscommunication and the whole matter an innocent mistake. She had to defend her disability and remind conference officials that America's teachers and children are a diverse lot.

How did the Singapore officials respond? Susan was wished a successful future but remains persona non grata at the conference.

The Singapore system of education may be the envy of TIMSS groupies, and from a distance the city appears brightly lit in the night sky. But a peek behind the city walls reveals a flawed and ignorant culture of education.

Maybe, just maybe, Americans came in 16th place on the TIMSS because we are willing to carry a much heavier load. A weight gladly held by teachers such as Susan Elliot.

As I glance out at the cold Atlantic Ocean I think about the pilgrims huddled on a small ship, listening to John Winthrop preach about what it takes to create a City Upon a Hill. Singaporean education officials should heed Winthrop's warning, lest their country be viewed as hypocrites in "the eyes of all people."

Oh, by the way, if any teacher would like to email the education official who disinvited one of America's top teachers, please send a message to Ms. Lynn Koh.

Her email is: KOH_Lee_Leng@moe.gov.sg

Great news! The many caring and compassionate teachers and parents of Singapore's children have made their voice heard. Susan will be going to Singapore!

I would like to thank all the people who wrote to the education officials and helped to get Susan invited to Singapore. Teachers and parents share a universal understanding of right and wrong and have helped right a bad decision. Below is a very sincere email from the conference committee. I thank them for inviting Susan back to their wonderful country.


Dear Dr Lim

Thank you for your feedback.

The withdrawal of our invitation to Ms Susan Elliot was a mistake on our part. It arose from our misunderstanding about the need for interpreters and her professional experience. The chairman of the Organising Committee has since contacted Ms Elliot and spoken to her personally to convey our sincere apologies. We should have clarified these matters before making the decision. Ms Elliot has accepted our apology and the Organising Committee is delighted that she will participate at the Teachers' Conference in September. We look forward to her contributions in making the Conference a success.

Ms Sucillia Sukiman
Secretary
Teachers' Conference 2010 Organising Committee

Posted by Anthony Mullen at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Every person has a breaking point-the moment when remaining calm and appearing sane becomes harder to grasp than hugging smoke. That moment arrived for The Wild Man at 6:17 PM. That is the exact time he was informed that our flight to NYC had been cancelled. He calmly placed his olive green knapsack on the floor and began screaming. The Wild Man's tirade included comments about the airplane, airline, and airport. His second salvo included esoteric thoughts about "man not being meant to fly" and something about George Bush. A pair of ticket agents tried to calm The Wild Man but their words only made him flap his arms and run around in circles. "Look at me! Look at me!" he shouted to a stunned audience. "I'm flying! I'm flying!"

The Wild Man was breaking apart at the seams.

He "flew" past me several times before an airline manager appeared. The sharply dressed supervisor spoke softly into a hand-held portable radio, describing play-by-play the actions of The Wild Man. The two nervous ticket agents chose wisely not to step from behind the protection of their wood and Formica counter, and stranded passengers began to leave the gate area.

"Sir-you need to calm down!" the airline managed said loudly.

"Can't you see?" The Wild man replied. "I'm doing what you couldn't do. I'm flying to New York!"

The airline supervisor was clearly waiting for help to arrive but needed to act as though he was in control of the situation. "Sir, you are causing a disturbance and must calm down."

The Wild Man increased his speed and ran in concentric circles. At one point his arms were flapping so fast and his knees jumping so high that I thought he was flying.

Security personnel arrived just in time to watch The Wild Man sprint across a row of seats. He then ran around the huddled group of federal and local police officers, seemingly trying to pull them into the vortex of his circular flight path.

It's not easy to watch a person completely crack up. The Wild Man was quietly reading a newspaper before a ticket agent announced that our flight had been cancelled. He had endured sitting at the airport gate for over eight hours. He listened patiently to four separate flight delay announcements. He sat next to an overflowing trashcan. He even politely asked one of the ticket agents if the flight would eventually depart or should he make plans to stay the night in a hotel. The Wild Man was assured that the flight would leave and the airline was doing everything possible to get him home. All was well.

Then The Wild Man realized that all was not well. He became aware that he was no longer in control of his destiny. Stress, frustration and angst had taken its toll and suddenly the tiger that lies dormant in each of us was poked one too many times and it emerged roaring.

A police sergeant tried to grab one of The Wild Man's flapping arms but missed. "You need to stop this nonsense right now!" he demanded.

"But I'm flying to New York!" The Wild Man said with a smile on his face. "I'm just flying to New York on a clear spring night."

The sergeant then walked back to the cluster of law enforcement officials to discuss how to clip The Wild Man's wings. I overheard the sergeant tell a TSA officer "he's probably harmless but we can't take any chances."

The Wild Man seemed harmless but who could accurately predict the next move of a man who believes he can fly?

And then it was over. The Wild Man sat quietly on the airport floor, exhausted from his short flight into madness. "I have arrived in New York," he said to the police sergeant.

The Wild Man was taken away.

An elderly man walked away form a shoeshine stand and stood next to me. He was shaking his head in disbelief.

"Not something you see everyday," I remarked.

He placed a shoe-buffing towel over his left shoulder and spoke with a West Indies accent. "No, mon," he said. "I see plenty of stuff everyday."

"You see people pretending to fly?"

"I see a lot of people do a lot of crazy tings," he replied.

"Why do so many people do crazy things in the airport?" I asked.

"Because of all the lies," he replied. " People can take a lot of tings, but not the lies. Not the lies."

I thought about the old man's comment. He was right. Most people are resilient and able to withstand "a lot of tings." But the stench of lies is an unbearable odor. The Wild Man could no longer inhale the lies.

There is a tiger that stalks the conscience of every good teacher. A primal impulse that wants to shout and scream and interrupt the madness of ordinary life. The prick of lies keep poking the tiger, provoking the beast to break free.

Stress, frustration and angst are taking its toll on a nation of teachers fed a steady diet of lies by mindless bureaucrats. I watch helplessly as many fine teachers begin to break apart at the seams and I silently wonder why entire faculties are not flying around schools like so many flocks of geese.

Posted by Anthony Mullen at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend