The school board is in the process of re-writing our district policies. First we have had to match existing policies to state and federal laws and create policies that coincide with new laws. Next we want to write them in a way that is easy for people outside of lawyers and academia types to read and understand. We also want to make the policies easier to access via the school district web site with links to the laws and other helpful sites as necessary.
I would like your input on policies you feel that I need to look more closely at as we continue this process. Please share your knowledge with me in the comments section of this post. If we need to have a more detailed conversation email or call me.
At your service, April Griffin
Tell me what you think
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
You can't teach a child in pain
When I am in the community talking to people outside of education I hear on a regular basis how we are teaching too many things that are not our responsibility. We should only teach the ABC's and 123's.
If we lived in Utopia that would be true. But we don’t live in an ideal world and according to our constitution we have to educate EVERY child with a “free and appropriate education”.
That’s why I become agitated when people compare our education system to other countries. We are not like other countries who view education the way private schools do, picking and choosing which students are deserving of an education based on aptitude or class. We take every child who comes to us, regardless of any of the circumstances life has handed that child.
I believe we need to raise our children to be good citizens. Whether they are doctors, lawyers, auto mechanics, plumbers, or any career they choose. A wise man once said that being a garbage collector was one of the most important jobs on the planet. When asked why he believed this he responded by saying “have you ever gone several weeks without your garbage being picked up?”…I say “touché”.
How can we raise our children to be good citizens? Teaching them to read and write is vitally important, but what about teaching them how to think critically, or communicate effectively. Or teaching them to resolve conflict using effective communication skills. In other words, how to ‘fight fair’. Life is wrought with conflict and many of our students come to us without appropriate tools to resolve even the most minor conflict.
Then there is the student who comes from a family of addicts. How can we expect a child with no coping skills, or worse; coping skills learned from and addict, to leave all their baggage at the door of the school house and be a successful student?
Schools should be a link to services available in the community. We don’t need to re-invent the wheel, but why can’t we direct families to services already available in the community?
Working at PACE Center for Girls I saw how they referred families to existing services and employed social workers who worked diligently to get to the core of why these young women were acting out. Going above and beyond the ABC’s and 123’s helped them become good students, and above all good people.
Critical thinking skills, effective communication skills, community activism, and civic engagement are all keys to creating at great community. If the families are not providing these skills then it is our responsibility. That is just the reality of today’s world.
READ A VERY INTERESTING WASHINGTON POST STORY HERE.
If we lived in Utopia that would be true. But we don’t live in an ideal world and according to our constitution we have to educate EVERY child with a “free and appropriate education”.
That’s why I become agitated when people compare our education system to other countries. We are not like other countries who view education the way private schools do, picking and choosing which students are deserving of an education based on aptitude or class. We take every child who comes to us, regardless of any of the circumstances life has handed that child.
I believe we need to raise our children to be good citizens. Whether they are doctors, lawyers, auto mechanics, plumbers, or any career they choose. A wise man once said that being a garbage collector was one of the most important jobs on the planet. When asked why he believed this he responded by saying “have you ever gone several weeks without your garbage being picked up?”…I say “touché”.
How can we raise our children to be good citizens? Teaching them to read and write is vitally important, but what about teaching them how to think critically, or communicate effectively. Or teaching them to resolve conflict using effective communication skills. In other words, how to ‘fight fair’. Life is wrought with conflict and many of our students come to us without appropriate tools to resolve even the most minor conflict.
Then there is the student who comes from a family of addicts. How can we expect a child with no coping skills, or worse; coping skills learned from and addict, to leave all their baggage at the door of the school house and be a successful student?
Schools should be a link to services available in the community. We don’t need to re-invent the wheel, but why can’t we direct families to services already available in the community?
Working at PACE Center for Girls I saw how they referred families to existing services and employed social workers who worked diligently to get to the core of why these young women were acting out. Going above and beyond the ABC’s and 123’s helped them become good students, and above all good people.
Critical thinking skills, effective communication skills, community activism, and civic engagement are all keys to creating at great community. If the families are not providing these skills then it is our responsibility. That is just the reality of today’s world.
READ A VERY INTERESTING WASHINGTON POST STORY HERE.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)