College Friend: So, tell me about the new school you are going to work at next year.
Me: Well, for starters, it's a middle school and it's farther uptown-
College Friend: Oh, so does that mean it's going to be more dangerous?
Me: [rolling my eyes]
College Friend: What? I'm just concerned for your safety!
Me: Yes, most racist people are.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Geoffrey Canada
About to go on vacation for a week. As I leave, here is a video from one of my personal heroes: Geoffrey Canada (founder of the Harlem Children's Zone, awesome non-profit).
(Skip the first 23 or so minutes to get to Geoff.)
His thoughts on teaching, the UFT, teacher pay, school year/school day, testing, etc. I think are all spot-on. He raises some issues that are complicated (How will the union evolve to push student achievement forward? How do we reward "good" teachers? Never mind of course, how do we decide who "good" teachers are?) I feel he is articulating the anger and feelings of the public with regard to education, particularly in New York. His sense of urgency is admirable.
I think he misses the boat a bit on vouchers. The main problem, as I see it, with vouchers, is that there is no evidence that says that a private school is going to be effective in educating a 16-year-old that reads/does math on a fourth grade level, which is what many urban public high schools must deal with. Teaching that 16-year-old takes a lot of work, including instructional expertise, specialized resources, and likely, extra time, that most private schools lack.
I agree mainly with this point: whatever it ends up looking like, education will be what it is until there is an incentive structure in place that will pull talented people into the profession and keep them there.
(Skip the first 23 or so minutes to get to Geoff.)
His thoughts on teaching, the UFT, teacher pay, school year/school day, testing, etc. I think are all spot-on. He raises some issues that are complicated (How will the union evolve to push student achievement forward? How do we reward "good" teachers? Never mind of course, how do we decide who "good" teachers are?) I feel he is articulating the anger and feelings of the public with regard to education, particularly in New York. His sense of urgency is admirable.
I think he misses the boat a bit on vouchers. The main problem, as I see it, with vouchers, is that there is no evidence that says that a private school is going to be effective in educating a 16-year-old that reads/does math on a fourth grade level, which is what many urban public high schools must deal with. Teaching that 16-year-old takes a lot of work, including instructional expertise, specialized resources, and likely, extra time, that most private schools lack.
I agree mainly with this point: whatever it ends up looking like, education will be what it is until there is an incentive structure in place that will pull talented people into the profession and keep them there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
