He Passed, He Passed, He Passed!!!!!

T.A. got the exciting news that he passed his teacher certification test this week! Now to move onto bigger and better things!

I was just really proud of him for how hard he worked to achieve this goal and can't wait to see him in action as a teacher next year!

Here are a few pictures of T.A. doing what he does best...motivating the thugs (as he says).





Way to go, T.A., for going hard in the paint and refusing to let anything stop you from getting to where you want to be and where you can make an even bigger difference! :-)

The Soloist

A few months ago I saw a preview for the movie called "The Soloist" with Jamie Foxx and thought then that it looked intriguing. As the time grew nearer for its release, I began to hear more and more "hype" about the movie. I began to really look forward to seeing it and even paid the absolutely ridiculous and painful price of $10.00 per ticket on Saturday to check it out.

Ten dollars and two hours later...I was disappointed. Really, you didn't learn anything from watching the movie that you couldn't have gathered from the preview. Basically, a reporter in L.A. who is searching for his next big story meets the character played by Jamie Foxx, who was a former Julliard music student now living homeless on the streets of L.A. Mr. Ayers was a victim of mental illness and schizophrenia which led to his demise. The reporter ends up befriending Mr. Ayers (but still capitalizes off of writing popular feature pieces about him) and connecting him with a new cello that revitalizes Mr. Ayers passion for music. The reporter also attempts to get Mr. Ayers off the streets and into what he perceived as a more suitable situation, but it turned out to not be quite as simple as he rosily envisioned.

At first, I was a little perturbed with the movie because it just wasn't what I expected. It wasn't as powerful as I thought it was going to be. I wasn't really moved. But since I did pay $10 to see the dumb thing, I decided to reflect on it a little more and share what I took away from it.

First of all, I was a little bothered by how the movie portrayed the homeless community. Maybe it's different in L.A., but I have never personally witnessed the chaos, the open drug use, the open prostitution, etc. that defined all the scenes of the homeless in this movie. It portrayed the shelter with a very "frightening" connotation in my opinion. It seemed to amplify the common stereotypes we hold about the homeless. I wondered how many of the homeless would feel about being portrayed in such an overly-negative light. While it is true that many homeless struggle with substance abuse or mental illness, there are also many who do not. The absolute chaos surrounding the shelter in this movie seemed a little extreme and might quite possibly perpetuate the fears that many hold toward the homeless.

Then, in the reporter's character, I recognized something that was uncomfortably familiar. In so many movies or stories about the inner city, or about the homeless, or any other less popular part of American society, there is always some white "hero" to save the day. And the story becomes more about them than the community. Even in my experiences here in South Dallas, I meet many well-intentioned people but they come with a focus that is really more about how this service will make them feel, what stories they'll be able to go back home and tell about their good deed with the poor folks. Steve Lopez, the reporter, was at first drawn to Mr. Ayers because of how he could use his story for his own purposes. Many times well-intentioned people arrive on the scene armed with an agenda and "solutions." They arrive without ever really taking the time to really get to know the people for who they are and not what stereotypes have defined them as. They arrive without asking them for their expertise and input about what the problems really are and inviting them to invest in the solutions. The result is that many times these do-gooders are either disappointed or offended by the response to their "help." They may leave indignant and angry about the lack of gratitude and appreciation by "those people." Or perhaps under better circumstances, they return to their homes in the suburbs, feeling warm and fuzzy about their service, but leaving no real change behind. Real change comes with relationships, with investment, with listening, with partnership, with community.

This movie was really about Lopez's journey of discovery in this regard. It was his realization that it wasn't about helping Mr. Ayers, but about becoming his friend. He realized that the most important thing he could do for Mr. Ayers was just be a part of his life, be a listener, be a supporter...be a friend. Forcing his ideas of solutions on Mr. Ayers only created a divide and mistrust between them. Accepting Mr. Ayers, respecting him, and dignifying him as a friend (not a service project) was where the good was found, not in the deeds he tried to do.

The other thing that I appreciated about the movie was the message that everyone has a story...everyone. No one would have suspected that this disheveled and eccentric looking man playing an old violin with two strings had once been a bright and gifted student at Julliard. What amazing stories we hear and what amazing people we discover when we look past the exterior and extend the hand of friendship.

So although it took two hours of slow moving dialogue and a whole lot of classical music (which was putting me right to sleep at 10:30 on Saturday night), there were a few important messages buried beneath the predictable storyline.

Learning Centers in Limbo

Tonight I will be attending a Dallas ISD school board meeting, along with other staff members and parents (hopefully), in order to express our concerns about the potential end of learning centers in the Dallas district. While I am concerned about losing the learning center, I've had to take a long, introspective look at this issue over the past couple of days and I have come to some tough conclusions. But first let me give you some background....

Pearl C. Anderson, where I teach, is one of 14 "learning centers" in Dallas ISD. This is what the district defines learning center as:

The Dallas Independent School District’s Learning Centers, located in East, South, and West Dallas, were originally court-ordered efforts to return disadvantaged, inner-city, minority students to their neighborhood schools and provide quality educational programs with supplementary funds. The Learning Centers represent an alternative to the district’s previously attempted vehicle of providing transportation to distant sites as a remedy, for a better educational opportunity. The concept of the Learning Centers is based upon the philosophy that a history of educational deprivation under conditions of poverty can be overcome.
Specifically, the purpose of the Learning Centers is to provide special programs with educational concepts different from those in other schools in the district. Each Learning Center is expected to provide innovative and creative instructional strategies to accelerate student learning so that the achievement difference between minority and majority students will be narrowed. The target population for this program is all neighborhood children in Grades 4-8 who live in the target school’s attendance zone. There are 14 intermediate Leaning Centers (Grades 4-6) and 2 middle Learning Centers (7-8). Eight Centers are located in South Dallas, 5 in West Dallas and 3 in East Dallas.

More specifically, what this means is that theoretically our school has a few more "perks" than other schools in the district. We have a longer school day, smaller class sizes, an extra adminstrator, Reading and Math Demonstration teachers, a community liasion and social worker, and also more fine arts opportunities like drama, piano, orchestra, and dance. We also have extra funding for Before and After School Tutoring and other enrichment programs. Teachers here are supposed to have at least three years of experience and are supposed to attend more professional development and training. We do get paid a little more because of our extended day (an extra $20 per day). These added benefits were intended to make the schools in South, West, and East Dallas more equitable to schools in other areas. However, the district recently found out that by providing extra funding to "specialized" schools like the learning centers, and also our magnet schools, that we were violating guidelines that qualify the district to receive certain kinds of federal money. Therefore, more than likely, the district will choose to do away with the learning center concept in order to get into compliance for these funds. All of the above mentioned benefits will be lost.

At first, I was upset and concerned by this development. Even as a learning center, I feel our resources are so limited at times. I feel that opportunities for the kids in this area are already so scarce. I look at these kids and know that they NEED this extra learning time, they NEED these extracurricular opportunities, they NEED the smaller classes. We're already struggling...and now facing even more crucial losses. Of course I don't want to see the few things we have going for us here at PCA disappear. But then I read an editorial in the Dallas Morning News that actually made several valid points and I had to take a close look at ourselves as a staff here at the learning center.

Steve Blow pointed out that while the learning centers were created to target students in poor and minority areas, now almost the entire district is considered poor and minority, with statistics that define 95% of the district as miniority and 85% qualifying for free or reduced lunch. He made the case that it is kind of hard to continue justifying extra funding for a few schools whose population is not that different than the other 212 schools around them. I must note that there are indeed deeper and more complex factors to consider, such as the history of the South Dallas area itself...the barriers that have been present here for decades...these factors aren't as objective as the simple demographics mentioned above, and I think it is very important to not sweep them under the rug now...however...

Blow also pointed out that the learning centers might have more of a fighting chance if we at least had some results to show for the added benefits. One might think that with all of the resources mentioned above that our student's performance might reflect a higher level of success. But unfortunately, that is not the case. None of the learning centers hold an exemplary rating. Most of the schools are barely meeting the district average. This is where a uncomfortable look in the mirror must take place. What do we have to say for ourselves? What justification can we give, that with all of our extra "stuff", we still aren't getting our kids to perform? Are our kids really that much different than the kids in Oak Cliff, or in Pleasant Grove, or in West Dallas? What excuse do we really have for this lack of success? Staff are quick to point the finger at the district, at the administrators, and our favorite, the parents...but is this really where the blame lies? After all, all schools in the district are stuggling with budget cuts and administrative turmoil and uninvolved parents. Can we really say that our challenges are that much greater?

In my honest opinion, learning center staff has grown comfortable and content. We've gotten used to the supplemental pay, the extra support staff, the class sizes of 10-12 students. We have had every opportunity in the world to excel as educators. We have opportunity for additional training and professional development. We have extra time for planning and collaboration. We have staff present to work with our parents and the community. But in my three years in a learning center, I must say that I do not see these benefits being taken advantage of. I see staff members reading magazines in the lobby until 4:45 waiting to receive their supplemental pay...when the additonal time is meant for tutoring and planning. I see teachers arriving late and leaving early. I see teachers that are absent 10 or more days a year with no directions or arrangements for their classes. I see teachers that can't even manage their classrooms of 15 students. I see teachers blatantly ignore schoolwide iniatives that are designed to create a better disciplinary structure within the school. I see teachers who refuse to attend the additional staff development and training. Not to step on toes, but I see support staff that I'm not even sure what they do after being in this school for three years. Yet, all of the sudden, at the mention of losing the learning centers, teachers are sitting up, paying attention, planning protests at the board meetings, crying out indignantly about the unfairness of losing what we have...but where have we been the last 10-15 years? Where were these teachers' voices then? I can't help but wonder if this is about the kids or if its about our paychecks.

This might sound harsh and critical. This might be dangerous or inappropriate of me to post for all the world to see. But honestly, I'm disgusted. It's really hard for me to go downtown and defend the learning center (even though I believe in it) because I can't justify how we have absolutely wasted the opportunity that we had all these years. As I've stated before, we can't control the backgrounds our kids come from. We can't control who their parents are or how involved they choose to be. But we can control what goes on in these walls for 10 hours a day. We can control the level of professionalism and dedication we show as educators. And until I see every teacher around me giving 100%, I have no patience with the whining and complaining about the neighborhood or the parents or the district. It is my honest belief that some of our biggest problems in education lie with the people we're putting in these classrooms. My frustrations in education stem about 90% from what I see from the grown adult, college-degreed people around me...not the kids, not the neighborhood, not the parents.

I know this to be true because there are a few schools here and there that do overcome all the same challenges we all face, but they overcome in a powerful and significant way. One example is a school here in Dallas called KIPP-Truth Academy. It is a charter school with rigorous expectations for both students and staff. The school targets underserved or "inner-city" kids, so their population is no different than the kids that walk in our doors every day. However, this school is achieving phenomenal results through high expectations and intense dedication to learning. I spoke with the principal who told me that their parents are no more involved than average elsewhere. These kids are coming from elementary schools and homes with all the same problems that we deal with. So what's the difference in their performance and ours? Are their kids smarter? No. Are their parents more involved? No. Are their teachers dedicated to high standards professionally and passionate about what they do? YES!! And the results speak for themselves. (Go to www.kipptruth.org). KIPP, being a small school, has limited resources, yet they maximize what is put before them through rigorous standards and relentless pursuit of excellence. I truly believe that if the STAFF and administrators at these learning centers embraced the same commitment to success and if we took advantage of the resources and opportunities given us, however few or many they may be, we could achieve more with our students as well. It's embarrassing to go downtown and claim that we need this learning center funding when we have really nothing to show for it. It's really just flat-out embarrassing.

But am I going to do it? Yes, I am. Yes, I'm going to the meeting. Yes, I'm going to fight for the learning center for the sake of the kids who walk through these doors every day. But am I going to defend my colleagues lack of professionalism and lack of results? That I will not and cannot do. Learning center or not, we have GOT to do better.

Quote

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

--Not sure who said it---

Can You Spell....SCRABBLE?

Well, I have to thank Miss Madeline for two things recently. First of all, I have to thank her for bringing so many of my rarely-seen relatives into town! There's nothing like a new baby to bring people flying and driving in left and right! We got to see Estelle, Brandon and Amanda, and Cindy last week, and although Madeline was the main attraction, I did enjoy the opportunity to sponge off of her company! ;-)

The second thing I can thank Maddy for is my newly expanded Scrabble life. When she was in the hospital, Aaron happened to introduce to me the wonderful world of Facebook Scrabble! It's a good thing that Facebook is blocked at school or else my addiction might really get out of control. In addition to the daily fix of Scrabble that I am getting each day online, all the additional visits to Carrolton have led to traditional Scrabble matches around Holly and Aaron's dining room table where I witnessed one of the greatest plays ever by my brilliant aunt Estelle, who racked up an amazing 108 points in one turn! Ah, yes....thank you Maddy for being born and being so cute so that everyone wants to see you and hang out with you and play Scrabble while you are sleeping! :-) Good times!!

Apalled!

This morning I am apalled after reading an article in the Dallas Morning News about a bill that is currently up for consideration in the Texas Legislature. Actually, the bill itself is much-needed, but the opposition to the bill is what is disturbing me. Many districts in Texas have adopted grading policies that set minimum scores for students. For example, in Dallas ISD, teachers are not allowed to give students a grade below 50, even if they have not done the work. Other districts have even set the minimum grade at 70, meaning teachers cannot "fail" students. They claim that if students fail too badly and get themselves into too deep of a hole, so to speak, they won't try to climb out. They claim this leads to increased dropout rates. The current bill up for debate seeks to put an end to setting minimum scores and would return rights to the teachers to assign grades that actually reflect what the student has or has not done in the class.

I always had a problem with DISD's "nothing below a 50" policy, but I cannot emphasize enough what a disaster it would be if that were changed to "nothing below a 70." Case in point. A student this morning overheard me discussing this subject with another teacher. He grinned and said, "Oh, I like that rule! That means I don't have to do any work!". Exactly. That is exactly the message that such a grading policy sends.

Our expectations for children are already so low. Vast numbers of students are being passed from grade to grade without mastering basic skills. Just imagine if the grading policy was skewed even further. We always tell our kids, "Failure is not an option." We say this to let them know that we do not want to accept anything less than success from them. It is intended to be a motivating statement and to send a message that we're not giving up on them and they shouldn't give up on themselves. But in the real world, failure IS an option. It is a choice that as adults we have to make daily. Failure is a very real and very possible outcome if we don't make the right decisions on a day to day basis at our jobs, with our money, etc. That ever present consequence motivates us as adults every day. Without that possibility, what motivation do students have? What is success if there is no failure to measure it against? How can we possibly say that we are preparing these students for college and for life? In college, professors actually have high expectations for students. Failure is a very real possibility. You MUST do the work and do it well...there is no way around that. You MUST master the content and the grade is a reflection of that. If we changed to a no-fail grading system, I'm not sure what the grades are supposed to reflect!!

It's not that as I teacher I enjoy "failing" students. In fact, most teachers will do everything in their power to assist a struggling student, whether by providing individual reteaching and tutoring, or opportunities for extra work and re-testing. If through these efforts, a student demonstrates mastery of the content, then they do indeed deserve an improved grade. However, I've had students that absolutely refused to do any work. They went an entire year and didn't attempt or turn in a single assignment, despite my best efforts to motivate and inspire. Now on paper I could give them a 70. But that would not mean that they had mastered the class or had the skills to be successful at the next grade level. It might make our dropout rates look lower and it might make our schools look better on paper, but it would not mean we were being successful in educating these students. In reality, we're doing a huge disservice to the students. We're really taking away their options when we do this. If students refuse to do their work or do not demonstrate competency in a subject area and we choose to say they have, then we have taken away their choice to fail or succeed. And it ultimately has to be their choice. We of course do not want to see students drop out or fail and as teachers, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to prevent that from happening. But the reality is that at the end of the day, it is up to the student. I would rather have 2out of 10 students CHOOSE to drop out than FORCE 9 out of 10 students to the next grade that don't have the necessary knowledge or skills. I would rather lose a few along the way than gradate 100% that can't read or write.

I just don't know how my conscience would allow me to adhere to this policy. I just don't know how I could live with myself, allowing a student to believe he has been successful in my class because his grade says he has mastered at least 70% of the content, when I know that he or she simply has not done the work or demonstrated competency. How can we be expected to lie to these kids and their parents like this? The grading system would have absolutely no meaning, no integrity, or no objectivity. Can ANYONE explain to me why this is a good idea??????

Isn't She Cute??

I took these pictures of Maddy with my phone yesterday. I have to say that Aaron and Holly did a pretty good job making a very cute baby! She is just the sweetest thing...and looking more like her mom every day (plus the wild hair from Dad!). I must say that I'm glad that the Fletchers are close by because it's fun to get to go see Maddy, but I know it's hard for all the other family members out there who don't have the luxury of being just 30 minutes away. But it seems that the Fletchers are being taken care of by their church, DBU, and hosptial families with the utmost care, so that is something to be thankful for!

T.A. and the Test

It's a big weekend for my friend T.A. Tomorrow at 2:00pm, he will be taking the teacher certification exam for EC-12 Physical Education. If you could just see the amount of studying and preparation he has put into getting ready for this test, you would understand what importance tomorrow holds for him.

I have known T.A. for about four years and he has become probably one of my best friends here. We have helped each other through a lot of ups and downs over the past few years, some of which have been career-related, especially for T.A. He originally came to Dallas pursuing a football career, but injuries prevented that from becoming a reality. He went to college in North Carolina and his degree was in social work, but that's a degree that doesn't present very many opportunities, especially jobs that pay a decent salary, without at least a Master's. However, if you know T.A., you know that one thing he is truly passionate about is working with kids. And he is REALLY good at it. REALLY good. He has a way of connecting with kids and being able to give them positive messages in ways that really "click." Kids love him to death, but they also really respect him and what he has to say. He really has a unique gift. At the same time, T.A. is the type of person who really feels obligated to his family and feels responsible for supporting them financially as much as he can. This has created a dilemma over the years as he searched for a job that his social work degree qualified him for, that would allow him to use his passion for working with kids, and that would provide a decent salary to enable him to help his family as much as possible. He wanted to try to get his teaching certification, but when we looked into it, he didn't qualify because he didn't have the required amount of hours in a content area (due to his major being social work). That was a major disappointment. He worked awhile for CPS, but you can only imagine what that experience was like. Then, about a year ago, he started working for a nonprofit organization called "Communities in Schools." This organization basically works within area schools to provide support, counseling, etc to students. He is on something called the mobile team where he goes to schools all over the DFW area and does presentations on anything from gangs to bullying to hygiene to self-esteem to success, or whatever that school feels is a need. He works with small groups at these various schools on a weekly basis, and let me tell you, he has been a hit. Principals and teachers have called CIS to tell them what a huge impact he is having on the kids and how much difference he has made at their schools. I will have to post a letter one kid wrote to him on here one day...but I digress. Some principals have really encouraged him to try to pursue his certification again and pretty much offered him a job if he were to do so.

Well, a few months ago, after a few conversations with principals, T.A. decided that he would do whatever he had to do to go after the teaching certification, even if it meant going back to school to take whatever classes or hours were necessary. He was going to have to take about 16 additional hours and so we began the application and registration process. However, it was around this time that I discovered that Texas had changed the requirement so that all he would have to do to be accepted into an alternative certification program is pass the content area test. Now, I know I ranted about this change a few posts ago, but at the same time, it's the current law and T.A. currently wants to become a teacher, so this is what he has to do. (It simplify things in his case, that's for sure!) We found that one of the test dates was in April, which if he passed, would be perfect timing for entry into an ACP and potential hiring for the upcoming school year.

So, let the studying begin!! T.A. decided that because of his athletic background he would take the Physical Education exam. This has been a somewhat difficult test to study for because it is so broad. It is all levels (EC-12) and covers things from cognitive development to kinesiology to educational theories to in-depth knowledge of a huge variety of sports, etc. I must say that T.A. has been extremely dedicated. He has studied intensely for weeks. He has made major changes to his schedule and his lifestyle to accomodate this time for studying. In the past, test taking has not been his strong point, but he has determined to do whatever it takes to try to pass this test that will move him to the next level in his life, both purpose-wise and pocketbook-wise.

Now the big day is almost here, and I'm probably more nervous than he is. I feel sort of responsible because he trusted me to guide him in selecting the study materials and study guides and I just hope that what we used was appropriate to the test. I'm nervous that we just spent 3 months studying stuff that is not even on the test. I can't express how much T.A. REALLY wants this and how much I REALLY want it for him!! I just ask all of you reading this to please pray for him tomorrow at 2:00! Pray that he doesn't get test anxiety like he has in the past, pray that he can recall all the information he learned, and pray that what he studied is applicable to the test. Basically, just pray that he passes! Schools need people with his passion, enthusiasm, and concern for kids. Kids need him!! And T.A. needs to be in place where he feels he can use his gifts and abilities to the fullest. So pray that this one test is not a road block to that goal becoming a reality.

Thanks for your prayers!! They will help more than any amount of studying! :-)

Birthdays!!

I have had the privilege of celebrating two very special birthdays in the past week! Khris turned 14 on March 25th so we went out to eat, courtesy of my parents, this weekend. We went to Chili's, where Khris gorged on a shrimp dinner and I had some sub-par chicken tacos.







Then of course Monday was the big day the whole family has been waiting for!! Miss Madeline aka Maddy made her appearance! She is such a sweetheart!! We love her to death already! I was able to make it up to Plano Monday and Tuesday to see the Fletchers and they are doing well...especially Holly who seems almost back to normal to me after a completely natural delivery on Monday. I don't think she quite agrees with me on that though! :-) Aaron and Holly said Maddy had quite a busy day on Tuesday with all kinds of tests and xrays and MRI's, but she is a little trooper! Hopefully she will get the hang of this eating thing soon and we pray that the doctors can give Holly and Aaron some more concrete answers and direction on where they are headed from here with her diagnosis. One thing is for sure...Maddy is blessed to have some pretty awesome parents and a wonderful extended family (if I do say so myself!) and she sure has been showered with love and prayers already!










There was also one more family birthday last week, but she is too far away for us to celebrate it with her. It would be nice to be able to post pictures of Cindy's birthday but I will have to leave that up to her! :-)