Julie, the Diamond of Teachers

A week ago, I was reading the Times when I happened upon this letter to the editor, written by Julie Diamond, the woman I worked with while doing my student teaching in NYC more than two decades ago.

I'd tried tracking Julie down years before now, but wasn't able to do so. It was lovely knowing she's still around, still thinking deeply about how young children learn, and letting her voice be heard about an issue of intense interest to me, not least because it's what we explore in my class at MSU.  

But seeing her name that day brought back memories, and reminded me of how my earliest ideals about teaching were formed.  

Julie taught kindergarten at P.S. 166 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.   The children in her class came from every conceivable kind of family and household--except, of course, extreme wealth.  There were many children of middle class (mostly white) artists and professionals, and an equal number of kids from working class and poor (mostly Hispanic) families.  

Julie was amazing.  She was one of the warmest people I ever met, without being Pollyanna-ish or gushy.  She brought rigor to her teaching, seeming to look hard at herself as she interacted with her students, always questioning her effectiveness and never resting on her laurels.  

Julie approached every single child in that classroom as an individual.  She had high expectations, but not absurd ones.  A child who came to school in a thin blouse on a snowy day in February needed a coat, and Julie would find her one, because a kid who was sick just didn't learn all that well. 

She viewed parents as helpmeets and resources, no matter what they had to offer.  And she would make it her business to find what they could offer.

After my stint with Julie,  I was assigned to student teach at Trinity School, just across the street from P.S. 166. 

I remember seeing about half of the children in that fifth grade class cheat during a history exam.  I remember hearing kids taunt each other over clothing labels and cry during recess because they were afraid their fathers would be mad with a less-than-perfect grade.  More importantly, I had an awful cooperating teacher.  She screamed at the kids and commented sarcastically about their wealth, privilege, and weaknesses behind their backs (but often within their hearing).   She didn't seem sure of what to do with me, and I wasn't sure, either.  

Needless to say, I missed Julie's class every day, and thought how, given the choice, I'd choose her school over Trinity any day.  I still would.

Teacher Assignments: Squeals or Shrugs?

The other day, I took my kids to see "Ice Age 3" @ Garden State Plaza.  

We were buying popcorn when a huge screech exploded in my ear.  It came from a young girl, perhaps nine years old, who was talking to her mom on her cell phone.   

"Oh, my God!" she yelled.  "I got Mrs. Excellento!"  

The other girl she was with--seemingly her BFF--looked anxious, to which the screamer asserted,  "You have to call your mom and find out who you got!" 

The girl complied, and when she heard the name of her teacher, she smiled and said, "Oh, I'm so happy! I love Ms. Goodnough!"  She wasn't screeching, but she was well pleased.

A few days later, we got our teacher assignments.  My son, doing his best Tween impersonation, shrugged and said, "Oh."

My daughter said, "Okay, mom. Great.  What color playdough should I use for the fairy's hair?"

It's not that my kids dislike their upcoming teachers.  My daughter knows her kindergarten teacher because my son had her and because she ran a sweet little day camp my girl attended over two summers.  As for the third grade teachers, we don't know them all that well, but hear they are "good."  Mostly, I think my son is just (I hate to admit it) a typical guy.  He deals with things when he has to.  Or something to that effect.

A few days have passed, and I've gotten assorted emails and heard in person who got whom and what parents think about it.  But everyone around here seems, well, so subdued.  This applies not just to kids/parents who attend our school, but others.  I'm in no way convinced that it's a bad thing, but it does strike me as interesting somehow...

One friend emailed me just now when I asked how she felt about the teacher her son was assigned, the same one her daughter struggled with a couple of years ago.  

"I'm okay with it," was her reply, "It'll teach him that life isn't perfect."

Soooooo, do YOU know any kids who've waxed rhapsodic in the past week upon hearing about their teachers?  Or is that sort of over-the-top hilarity more about spin or personality (or something in the drinking water in Bergen county) than a reflection of what actually makes a good teacher?

 

If-Only Schools

While trolling the pbs.org web site today, looking for some game my daughter had seen advertised on TV, I came across a Q&A site about the back-to-school worries parents might have...

The two experts gave perfectly acceptable answers to some questions--about missed buses and the possible loss of innocence that face kindergartners and sixth graders alike.  

But I found some of the answers unhelpful and downright unrealistic, much as I do a lot of this advice.  For instance, to a parent's query about "the mysterious 'supply list' " that hasn't yet shown up in the mail, one of the columnists responds:

Heather - welcome to school! No need to wait for the answers to come to you - head on in there and start asking questions. As a teacher, it is easy to forget some parents are new to this whole school thing. You will not be shamed for not knowing what to do and will probably be cheered on by other parents who have lots of the same questions you do. The teachers will certainly appreciate your desire to be involved and seek out information. So, raise your hand and ask away. In doing so, you will also be setting a great example for your child to do the same.

What does this mean, "head on in there and start asking questions"?  And why does it seem so, well, foreign to me, as the parent of kids in Montclair's schools?  

I happen to know the teacher my daughter will probably be assigned for kindergarten, so I'm more comfortable with her and with her expectations.  Besides, she's outside during pick-up, and while not available for lengthy discussions in general, I can probably fire off a general question or two at 2:30.  But I don't know either of the teachers my son might get--I'm not sure I even know what they look like.  And I don't recall seeing them outside, so when I could I ask these questions?  There's a buzzer to be rung in order to visit the school, and it's generally frowned upon to visit a teacher after school with general questions.  (Not to mention that it's hard to pin them down, at least in my experience, because they are NOT officially on school email, don't have phones in their classrooms, and don't always get my messages.)

I've never received a supply list from a teacher, but I think my son's kindergarten teacher sent a note of welcome outlining some important issues.  Each year, first grade parents host a kindergarten playdate, which is nice, but teachers/administrators aren't there,  and it's very informal, not even held in the school.  There's no such thing as a bus orientation for those who take the bus, and kids don't get any sort of introductory tour before the first day, so those who DON'T have siblings in the school are often getting their initial exposure to it, well, on the first day. (There is a free week-long kindergarten screening in Montclair, held during the summer, but children are randomly assigned to teachers/schools for that.)

I don't really get this, as it seems that such things would really make the transition back to school so much easier--and probably save teachers and administrators headaches in the long run...I know someone once cited "insurance" as a problem in, say, opening up the school the day before it begins.  (Though, according to the tentative school calendar I received, teachers are in meetings for a few days leading up to our late starting day, September 9.) Someone also told me there are strict union rules against such things.  Sigh.

So...are the "experts" just clueless, or is my experience of NOT knowing what to expect unusual for Montclair?  Or maybe their kids go to private schools?

Well, SOMEONE'S Talking Tenure

 Chris Daggett, gubernatorial candidate for NJ governor, is saying interesting things about tenure. 

Anyone in Montclair care to add their two cents?  

Elected, Appointed, Transparent, Accountable

Back from vacation.

Taking a few harried moments from nursing my daughter after her adenoidectomy.

My head's spinning a bit, though, and not just because I'm tired.  I posted a (long) comment on the Watercooler the other day relating to the heated debate swirling around elected vs. appointed Board of Ed.  Resident Pegi Adam has organized an effort to abolish the current system wherein the mayor appoints the Board so that we may vote for members instead.  Many citizens, including current parents with kids in school, support this. 

Here's my post:

There are so many incredibly intelligent "sides" to this debate, I'm almost too intimidated to post here!   After reading about this issue for weeks, not wanting to dive into the debate because I just wasn't SURE how I felt, I do now believe that an elected board will probably help parents (and taxpayers?) feel more "heard."  But maybe just a little more.

And that, I think, is what I this seems to be all about.  Not feeling heard.  Over and over again, people on both sides of the issue cite transparency and accountability as key reasons for this possible change.   And, as a parent fairly new to the "system," but not to education (I was a teacher for years, wrote about teachers for years, teach up-and-coming teachers @ MSU, and am a matriculating grad student again in education), I can say very strongly:  It is difficult to feel heard as a parent in the public schools in Montclair.  

I could give personal examples but, frankly, I am scared to do so.  Why? Because I am afraid I'll be "punished" somehow or, worse, my children will be.  It's not that my experiences are so horrible.  It's just that there's this pressure to "go along."  Why?  Because teachers and administrators have incredible power over what happens to our children.  And that power can be used in as many good as negative ways.  (See my blog,www.themontclairbell.blogspot.com for more on this.)  

So from whence does this fear arise?  That's the question I have for all the posters here.  Is it because it IS too hard to make change happen in our schools?  Is it because it's impossible to address everyone's needs?  (For instance, some of us believe traditional academics should be emphasized, some believe social/emotional dev't is most important, etc. etc. etc.) Is it because our past history as students so deeply affects us as we deal with educators from the "other side of the desk"?  

I mean, there's the story of the teacher at one elementary school here in Montclair who screams at her students on a regular basis, whom parents have complained about for years-yet she is one of the highest paid teachers in the district. AND SHE HAS TENURE.  The principal says, to a group of parents in a PTA meeting, in effect: "Well, you let me know about any teacher, and I'll document it. I'll make sure something is done." But it isn't.  Parents have been documenting it for years, apparently. (And my child did NOT have this teacher, so I don't have a personal beef here, and don't know the full and total story.  I do know a few parents actually have ended up liking this teacher...so, there's my point about the different values/needs we all bring to the process.)

My point is: Reinvent the BOE all you want...If we do not get down to brass tacks about what prevents us, as parents, taxpayers, and, yes, our kids as STUDENTS in the system (who have next to no say in how they are educated), from feeling HEARD and powerful, it doesn't matter.  It just doesn't.

Furthermore, why is TENURE not being debated here?  Big things are happening around that issue elsewhere, e.g. in Washington, D.C.  But why don't I hear about that at all here?  (Or maybe I missed that discussion?) I'm not saying tenure should go--I understand why it exists.  But shouldn't it at least be debated??????  

I'm interested, truly interested, in hearing about parents' DAILY experiences of being listened to (or not) by our educators.  I'm getting the feeling that at least some folks do NOT feel empowered by the schools, and that is something worth exploring.  There are many ways schools can address this issue, from the more complicated (e.g. elected BOE) to the simple (getting ALL teachers on email, from kindergarten and up).   

Another place to start:  Figuring out whether BOE folks, teachers, admins, read THIS forum.  If so, it'd be good to know.  If not, why?  

Well, I heard personally from a lot of people on the topic, including acquaintances who've had a hard time navigating the system, and those who think it's fine as is; former neighbors on one side of the debate or the other; and BOE members who offered to meet with me on the issue.  As I stated in my post, I'm personally less concerned about whether the board is appointed or elected, and more concerned about the overall accountability and responsiveness of our schools in general.  But it sure is an interesting topic!

I am hoping I can get these folks to post their thoughts as COMMENTS on this blog so others can read them.