Sorry it has been so long since my last update. I've just got caught up in the business that is Spring. Our students' standardized testing extravaganza begins this week, so I've been making the last few big attempts to get my students to remember the Pythagorean Theorem or how to read data tables.
One great event that happened last week was a town hall discussion with President Barak Obama--AT OUR SCHOOL. It was an amazing opportunity for our students to meet the president and hear directly from him the importance of education and how it is more important than ever to take care of business in the classroom. With the advent of China, India, and Brazil enhancing their competitive education markets, it has brought a whole new meaning to the word urgency in American education. We are falling behind in all categories, most notably mathematics. It may be hard to picture now what implications our lack of skills will have, but I assure you I see scary things every day; such as the inability of 75 percent of my seniors being unable to do basic addition and subtraction.This is not just an inner-city DC problem, either. "High performing" suburban schools are seeing their traditional greatnesses slip dramatically as well. Now by no means do I think this "rise of the rest" is the end of the world. I'm very confident that the American education system with right the ship, jobs will be created, high school and college graduates will create powerful new enterprises, etc. (the U.S. always seems to adapt better than any state on the planet), but I do think we have lots of work ahead in order for our young people to be competitive in the future. I think this is a very unique situation. And I do find it refreshing that both former President Bush and now Obama have put education policy on the forefront. Not every person has to agree with the foreign policy of the country, or the economic direction, but I do ask that you support the current president in his efforts to reform education. Something has to be done, and he is making it a priority of doing so. I think this is one area where we can all agree.
With all that said, the even was very cool. Univision is the main U.S. Latino/Hispanic news station. Jorge Ramos (the Matt Lauer of the community) was the moderator. Several of my students were able to ask him a question. I had the honor of sitting up front, so I had a great experience. The intimate setting in our high school was an opportunity that doesn't come around often, obviously. Not all teachers and students got to attend the discussion in the gym, but every one got to watch it on the televisions in the classrooms. The sub said my second period roared when I was on television. It was just a great day for our school, community, and the education movement. At the end he went around and shook hands. I was lucky to do so as well. I said "thanks for coming" and he winked and nodded.
The event wasn't about me, though. It was about all my students that need the support and extra push to do something with their lives. I took for granted my education. I was always going to college because of my supportive parents. These kids don't have we I had though. They need countless people directing them to a better future. They simply don't know any better. Why would they?
So, I ask that you continue to support your local schools. I know the tax levies, teacher union stories, and ideas that "I don't have any kids in the system" make it hard sometimes to know if the "right things" are going on and are all very valid reasons to become disenchanted by the system. But, do know that most teachers, most students, and most districts are just trying their damnedests to fix things and figure things out. It is hard. It takes a community of support to propel the young people of today--our nation's future--to excellence and opportunity tomorrow . Please be part of that active community. Thanks.
