6th August

Call from the President

It would be a dream come true to receive a call from the President.  The first five things I would tell him that needs to be done about education are:-

1. Remove high stakes testing and accountability driven testing. This is causing lowering of standards and students not learning anything but reading and math. They are only learning to take  a multiple choice test that does not reflect on their learning. Rather, it is a reflection on how well someone can take a multiple choice test. Students need to learn subject matter not how to take a test. If accountability is needed then there should be other ways of doing so than high stakes testing. More importantly trust teachers to do their jobs in the way they know best to do it and make the firing process easier for teachers who are not teaching.
2. Teachers need higher pay to feel their efforts are worth it. Teaching is a service based profession. Teachers are always working overtime without getting acknowledged for it. They need to feel at some point that the extra work they are doing is getting recognized. If teachers are paid higher the profession will attract the best of candidates from every field.  This is especially so in the title 1 schools and the schools that have a lower socio economic population. These teachers have the hardest jobs as they are trying to work through a lot of challenges in teaching their students, challenges they have no control over. This can be lack of parental support, large classroom sizes, lack of resources. These teachers need to be paid a lot more for their efforts. Why do lawyers make so much of money and teachers the least? Teaching is an honorable profession where we are preparing the citizens of tomorrow and the future of our democracy. Give teachers what they deserve.
3. Make education well rounded by making it compulsory to teach through the liberal arts and sciences. It is time to move away from the focus for high scores in just reading and math. Students need a well rounded education in the arts and sciences which will help them when they learn reading and math. We should create artistic and scientific minds. This is the foundation of a well rounded education and building well rounded citizens.
4. Make funding for education a priority for states and the entire nation. Education is the key to a successful democracy and nothing is more important that spending  money on education. Classrooms, schools and teachers should not have to face budget cuts. Sports and Music should not be cut in schools. The federal government should find other areas to cut money but not from education. If we want our students to compete with the rest of the world then please fund education as much as possible.
5. Finally and most importantly NCLB needs to go. It has been proven that it has been a disaster for our education system. Accountability driven testing, closing community schools, making business type decisions for education is not working. There should be ways to get NCLB out of our system and getting people who are highly qualified in the field of education to be responsible for making our education system better. Politicians and businessmen cannot dictate how education should be reformed. It is not a business and cannot be run as a business for profit because we are teaching thinking and working with minds not products.

What has been meaningful to you about Ravitch?

Reading Ravitch has helped me understand the history of American education. I learned how education has changed over the years and why it is the way it is today. It has re-confirmed my faith in what I know are the right things to stand by. I have learned about what are the different factors that can possibly have an effect on my teaching and how I can face them. Most importantly it has showed me as a teacher what not to do in my classroom. 

At the end of the day, I don't have control over what is going on outside the classroom. But being aware of things that can directly or indirectly influence our profession is very helpful. I know I have control over my class and my students. So, as long as I try and do the best I can to teach in the best possible way, I can make a difference. 

Given the current state of American Education, what can you do as a teacher and a citizen?

As  a teacher I can try and make my teaching as well rounded as possible. I can try to incorporate as much of the arts and sciences in my classroom as possible. I can teach students to think and not just prepare for tests. 

As a citizen, I can stay informed about the issues our schools are facing. I can talk to people in the community about the importance of keeping the local schools alive and functioning well. If we don't receive support from the State or National levels we can work in our community to raise support and awareness for our local schools. 

Two National or State Associations for English

1. National Association for Multicultural Education
2. National Association for Ethnic Studies

Both the above websites have information on conferences on ethnic studies and multicultural education. They have links to latest journals and publications on ethnic and multicultural studies. here I can find the latest research and trends in these topics and use it for teaching in the classroom.

Still would like to see....

1. Angel Island
2. The Museum of the African Diaspora
3. The Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
4. A celebration of the "Day of the Dead" at the Oakland Museum
5. "Phantoms of Asia" exhibit at the Asian Art Museum

I would like to see all of the above as they can also be excellent opportunities for field trips with my class to expose them to different cultures and celebrations from around the world. I will be able to integrate all this into a multicultural curriculum that I want to create.

Still like to read...

• The Light in Their Eyes: Creating Multicultural Learning Communities

 by Sonia Nieto

• Dear Paulo: Letters from Those Who Dare Teach

 by Gerald Campano

• A Class Divided: Then and Now

by William Peters

• Immigrant Students and Literacy: Reading,Writing and remembering

by Gerald Campano

• Renegotiating Cultural Diversity in American Schools

Edited by Patricia Phelan and Ann Locke Davidson

All of the above books have been suggested to me by professors or have come up in my research and I would really like to read them as it will enhance my knowledge not only of my topic but also my pedagogy.

Still like to investigate...

1. By Chart and Chance and Passion: Two Women's Stories of Learning to teach Literacy in Urban Settings through Relational Knowings. By Sandra Hollingsworth, and others
2. Quatitative Educational Research with Ethnic Minoritties. By Amado.M.Padilla and Kathryn.J.Lindholm
3. Ehtnographic Studies of Multicultural Education in Classrooms and Schools. By Hugh Mehan, Angela Lintz, Dina Okamoto and John.S.Wills

Still like to attend...

1. California Department of Education conference on ELD and immigrant students
2. A NAME's Conference  (National Association for Multicultural Education)

Still like to see in the world.....

1. The Great Wall of China
2. Egypt (the sphinx) and Africa
3. The remains of the Mayan Civilization in Central America
4. The Coliseum in Rome.