February 1991
Teacher Magazine, Vol. 02, Issue 05
Education
From Dissonance To Harmony
There is, first of all, the painful history of past attempts at cooperation. Few elementary and secondary educators have escaped being demeaned by universities during their careers. Expectations have been held out and violated at the preservice and inservice levels and in courses, workshops, consultations, and evaluations. And few university faculty members who have worked closely with schools have escaped being scratched up in the briar patch. By and large, schools are unforgiving, inhospitable places for academics. Thus, both school and university people harbor antibodies they have built up to protect against the other. It seems to many in the university that school people want to improve things without changing them very much; to school people, university folks seem to offer to change things but without improving them very much.
Education
Connections: Open Doors And Closed Minds
A democracy needs thoughtful, even controversial, discussion, and if the essential debate is to flourish, people must be exposed to a wide range of ideas and a broad spectrum of opinion. If everyone were to reject magazines or newspapers that published a view counter to their own, our society would become even more fragmented and single-issue oriented than it is now.
Education
End Of The Game?
The answer was no. Awrey and the school administration decided to cancel the rest of the season.
Education
Turning On The Bright Lights
"I always associated the term 'gifted' with kids who were 5 years old and could play classical music,'' says Anne Marie Griffin. But nothing in that stereotypical definition prepared her for life with her son, Larry. At age 3, he could read and pronounce the polysyllabic names of preservatives on cookie boxes, and he could page through electrical manuals and learn enough to help his grandfather figure out why a new ceiling fan wouldn't turn.
Education
Beyond The Bombers
Among the most controversial logos are those depicting Indians. They are also among the most common; teams from small junior high schools to the professional leagues use some sort of Indian logo. When critics charge that they are disrespectful to American Indians, some schools willingly switch. Others aren't given a choice. Four years ago in Wisconsin, the state department of public instruction ordered Aldrich Junior High School in Beloit to change its Indian logo. The department allowed the school to keep its nickname, the Warriors, but said the caricature of an Indian, which some considered derogatory, had to go.
Education
Books
"AM I IN TROUBLE?'': Using Discipline to Teach Young Children Responsibility, by Richard Curwin and Allen Mendler. (ETR Associates/Network Publications, $14.95.) The authors sensibly preach that discipline should be "teaching, not repair.'' In other words, discipline fails when approached as a punishment for wrongs; in such a scheme, the child is never more than a potential criminal kept in line by vigilant authorities. True discipline, on the other hand, means teaching children to become responsible for their own behavior. "Am I In Trouble?'' offers many practical suggestions: Parents should encourage rather than blame, set down clearly defined rules, and allow children to make choices. Admittedly, much of the advice in this book seems obvious. Furthermore, the patronizingly simple sentences render this a kind of basal reader for adults. Still, "Am I In Trouble?'' reminds us of the importance of treating children with dignity, and only a cynic would find such a lesson simplistic.
Education
Nerds Need Not Apply
She tosses her pen onto the floor, where it bounces and rolls over to Hunt's sneakers.
Education
Class Dismissed
Restroom Regs From Hell Some schoolhouse guerrilla in Chicago, apparently upset with the city school board's tendency to write rules for every aspect of a teacher's life, has been anonymously circulating an official-looking parody of a board memo, titled "Restroom Trip Policy For All Chicago Public School Teachers.'' The mock memo begins all too plausibly by saying a new Restroom Trip Policy (RTP) will be established to fight a marked increase in teacher abuse of restroom privileges. It soon sails off into the bureaucratic twilight zone, announcing, for example, a new Restroom Trip Bank and a Restroom Trip Card, which allows each employee 20 restroom visits per month. The memo generously notes that "unused restroom trip credits'' (URTC) can be accumulated from month to month; the balance, however, may not exceed 30. To enforce all this, school restrooms will be equipped with Computer-Linked Voice Print Recognition. "If an employee's restroom trip bank balance reaches zero,'' the memo states, "the doors to all restrooms will not unlock to that employee's voice until the first day of the month.'' Furthermore, if a stall is occupied for more than three minutes, an alarm will sound. "Thirty seconds after the alarm sounds,'' the memo warns, "the toilet paper in the stall will retract, the toilet will flush, and the stall door will automatically spring open.''
Restroom Regs From Hell Some schoolhouse guerrilla in Chicago, apparently upset with the city school board's tendency to write rules for every aspect of a teacher's life, has been anonymously circulating an official-looking parody of a board memo, titled "Restroom Trip Policy For All Chicago Public School Teachers.'' The mock memo begins all too plausibly by saying a new Restroom Trip Policy (RTP) will be established to fight a marked increase in teacher abuse of restroom privileges. It soon sails off into the bureaucratic twilight zone, announcing, for example, a new Restroom Trip Bank and a Restroom Trip Card, which allows each employee 20 restroom visits per month. The memo generously notes that "unused restroom trip credits'' (URTC) can be accumulated from month to month; the balance, however, may not exceed 30. To enforce all this, school restrooms will be equipped with Computer-Linked Voice Print Recognition. "If an employee's restroom trip bank balance reaches zero,'' the memo states, "the doors to all restrooms will not unlock to that employee's voice until the first day of the month.'' Furthermore, if a stall is occupied for more than three minutes, an alarm will sound. "Thirty seconds after the alarm sounds,'' the memo warns, "the toilet paper in the stall will retract, the toilet will flush, and the stall door will automatically spring open.''
Education
When A Student Grieves
PHYLLIS VAIL, A 6TH grade teacher in western Maine, learned one weekend that the parents of one of her students had just been killed. Suddenly realizing how unprepared she was to help a grieving child, Vail wondered what she would do on Monday morning.
Vail's wrenching problem is a common one among teachers. A few years ago, most teachers would not have been expected to broach the subject of death in their classrooms; it wasn't considered a suitable topic for children, let alone school. But that attitude is changing. Some experts suggest that the erosion of the nuclear family--the traditional source of comfort for grieving children-- is, at least in part, responsible for the shift. One thing is certain: Schools and teachers are being called on more and more to help children handle the pain of loss.
Education
Into The Fire
As soon as they've safely landed, the jumpers begin working to contain the fire by digging trenches, cutting down trees, and "backburning''--lighting controlled fires that burn the vegetation around the wildfire. In most cases, firefighters can extinguish a blaze in a day or two, but Freshwater has spent as many as five days battling a single fire.
Education
A School Of Their Own
PINK MARBLE WALLS LINE THE FOYER OF the massive brick building. Two larger-than-lifesize statues of women in classical pose dominate the entrance. Such imagery and opulence are not typical of public schools. This, however, is no typical public school. It's the Philadelphia High School for Girls, the last public single-sex high school in the United States.
Education
Notebook
An Unusual Band: An unlikely mix of politicians, educators, and entertainers--including members of Congress, the American Federation of Teachers' Albert Shanker, the National Education Association's Keith Geiger, and singer Billy Joel--are working together as members of the National Commission on Music Education to give a higher profile to music and arts instruction. The commission, which held hearings across the country this past fall, was created by educators and music-industry officials worried that school reform is bypassing music and art.
Education
People
A Classic Most antique collectors come home from country auctions with kerosene lamps, yellowed pictures, wooden chairs, or cast-iron pots. Teachers Tom and Judy Lutzi of Lincoln, Neb., came away from a recent sale in nearby Agnew the proud owners of a 96-year-old, one-room schoolhouse. Such buildings, Tom Lutzi explains, "are like dinosaurs; they'll be extinct before too long. I want my grandkids to see what school was like 100 years ago.'' The couple plans to move the schoolhouse to their farm, renovate it, and turn it into a private museum furnished with an old stove, a school bell, desks, slate boards, and other antiques they have collected. Money from the sale of the school created a scholarship fund at a local high school.
Education
Teacher, Researcher
Looking for a better way to teach, he became interested in the research being conducted in the nation's universities on how students learn. While earning a Ph.D. in science education from the University of Washington in the late 1970s, he worked with several researchers and even won a research grant of his own. By that time, cognitive research had clearly established that students don't enter the classroom as blank slates; they bring with them logical but incomplete or oversimplified ideas. For example, some students enter physics classes believing that heavy objects fall faster than lighter ones because experience tells them a rock hits the ground before a feather. Students are reluctant to abandon such commonsense ideas and accept the formal laws of physics.
Education
But Is It Tax Deductible?
For information on travel tax deductions and how to file, contact the local IRS office. The IRS expects teachers claiming deductions to be able to prove that the main purpose of the trip was for education and that the seminar or course maintained or improved required job skills.
Education
Dropped Out Or Pushed Out?
Most of what is known about gifted dropouts is purely anecdotal. But if the observations of LeCompte and others are any indication, there may be more dropouts among students of high ability than most people assume. According to LeCompte's survey of students who dropped out of the Houston schools during the 1983-84 school year, 25 percent had test scores above the 75th percentile and fully 10 percent scored in the 90th percentile and above.
Education
Roundup
Playing It Safe: New York City Schools Chancellor Joseph Fernandez has proposed that condoms be distributed on request to students in all of the city's high schools to stem the spread of AIDS among adolescents. If the plan is approved, the district would likely be the first in the nation to distribute condoms to students on an unrestricted basis.
Education
Notebook
Wise Words?: Arthur Wise, president of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, has begun lobbying for what he calls "a truly national system of accreditation.'' At a number of recent education meetings, Wise has argued that other professions have drawn strength from uniting behind a common set of accreditation standards.
Education
Notebook
Research For Students: The third issue of The Journal of High School Science Research, a new publication that showcases exemplary research of precollegiate science students, will be published this month. The semiannual journal publishes student research papers as well as abstracts of student research projects. The September issue, for example, featured a high school student's report on the experimental breeding of fruit flies. Inquiries about submissions, subscriptions, and advertising should be sent to Applied Educational Technology, P.O. Box 193, Tigerville, SC 29688. The editor is M.H. Farmer. Subscriptions cost $15 a year.
Education
Teaching Tolerance
In California's San Fernando Valley, swastikas are found painted on the walls of a high school.
Education
The Software Directory
Print Magic helps create banners and cards. The program comes complete with high-resolution graphics, drawing tools, and easy-to-use graphical interface. Mouse optional. Site license available. List price: $39.95. Epyx Inc., P.O. Box 8020, Redwood City, CA 94063.
Education
For Young Readers
The reviewer is the librarian at the Van Holten School in Bridgewater, N.J.
Education
Travel On A Shoestring
Travel-hungry teachers who enjoy ample time off but are limited by modest incomes can travel free or at discounted rates if they're entrepreneurial and willing to work. By arranging travel groups, chaperoning student trips, and participating in home swaps, teachers can satisfy their wanderlust and save thousands of dollars.
Group travel. Palazzi got her free passage by booking a group of 26 fellow teachers and friends on the cruise. Most travel agents will provide a free trip to anyone who organizes an excursion with 15 or more people, according to Robert Whitley, president of the U.S. Tour Operators Association.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Letters
Margaret Hiller Director Bridgeport Public Education Fund Bridgeport, Conn.
Education
Opinion
Writing Their Wrongs
LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT,'' I SAID. "All four of you want to write stories about child abuse?''