Volunteers Wanted, Sort Of
Friday I talked about education at a convention put on by the Utah Taxpayers Association. Discussing ways to help public education in Utah, I talked about the largely untapped pool of willing volunteers we have. I talked about Sara's efforts with a second-grade class. She would go in and work with just one (struggling and very active) child. He thrived with the individual attention he received, as did the remainder of the class.
A friend in the audience later told me that the person sitting next to him shook her head and said, "That's horrible. I bet she's not even certified."
A friend in the audience later told me that the person sitting next to him shook her head and said, "That's horrible. I bet she's not even certified."
posted by steve u. at 5/09/2006
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5 Comments:
Discussing ways to help public education at a UTA convention is an oxymoron. But that's another topic.
That person who said that is STUPID to put it bluntly.
I commend your wife for helping out. I don't think many people know, but we teachers DO appreciate good parents and especially stay-at-home moms who form the backbone of a successful school through their involvement.
I think using volunteers is a GREAT way to improve public education. My own school has a reading tutoring program that is parent-run. BUT it is hard to get good parent volunteers as many have other things like little kids and other duties/priorities to do.
I do think that teachers should be open to using volunteers. We get used to doing a LOT by ourselves here in Utah and some teachers frankly don't know what to do if they are offered help because of that. There are some teachers too (I'm talking from an elementary teacher perspective here) who for some reason or another resist some parent help too. Other teachers would LOVE to have more help, but can't seem to get it.
The last one has been my case. I have tons of things a parent could do and do make requests from time to time, but often, they are so busy or have other priorities it's hard to get that help and I do understand that. I have tried to tap into the elderly population, but have been unsuccessful so far at that.
I sincerely appreciate the parents who do help out. In fact, I drop off a little note and treat each week to 4 or 5 different parents each time to thank them for their efforts they put forth for their own kids and for the school/community. If you let people know they are appreciated, then they tend to feel better at about things. I have had some say I made their day. I feel I NEED to let them know that. I wish more parents and teachers WOULD compliment each other and find good things too besides just the negative.
I DO have people from the community often come in and talk about their jobs or other things. My students LOVE this and it serves as an invaluable teaching resourc.
One of the best ways to improve public education is through changing our attitudes and that means of LOTS of people inside and outside of education. Developing strong COMMUNITY schools is another way. If a community is involved in its school, then great things happen and it truly does become "public" education. Strong community schools help makd strong communities.
Sadly, some of this is being eroded by certain special interest groups and others who do a lot to promote the negative about education rather than the positive as part of efforts to further their political agendas against education. I have seen it happen in my own neighborhood. It's tougher to get volunteers when the attitude of some are against things already. Sadly, it also is starting to create fractures and factions within the neighborhood, something that is painful for me to see as I love where I live and the people in it.
Changing our attitude to viewing public education as just that would really help--as an investment of sorts. Too many times, you see those who complain and such, but aren't willing to ask how they can help out. If people would work together, miracles would happen. My sister's school near a large city is that way. It is wonderful to see what happens there. We need to give compliments to kids and teachers when they are warranted besides JUST bringing up the bad stuff. Parents and teachers need to learn to work together, realizing that not each other is perfect. Teachers need to keep in contact with the parents and let them know what is going on. Teachers need to resist the urge to label kids and to try to help them reach their full potential. Parents need to work with the teacher and not expect them necessarily to meet all of the child's needs, but
that both need to serve as complementary resources. Principals should be community-oriented and communicative with parents. In my own opinion, if the principal spends his/her time with a shut office door then he/she should be fired. These are just a few things. Businesses could get into the act by "sponsoring" schools, serving as an education resource, and developing partnerships. I do this on a limited basis in my class, but I think this could be a real boon to the community and schools.
I really appreciated a mom who instituted a program this year. She let NOTHING deter her and the students loved what she did. She did have to battle some itinerant teachers which was unfortunate, but she did a wonderful thing.
I am going to go gangbusters next year in trying to strengthen my school and community. There are too many people trying to break it up and it's about time I did something myself.
I've seen it happen before in my class--when people get excited about something, they really get into the spirit of it. It happened especially my first couple years of teaching. But as people have become busier, I have seen the efforts change somewhat as there are other things.
Want my suggestions?
1)We don't need any more testing. We have enough already. I think we have a good structure and that we have reached the point to say enough is enough. Using testing as evaluative tools too, to get better rather than just punitive measures (by some) would be good too.
2)Have schools become more community involved with community outreach plans. Maybe some kind of "merit" incentives could be given to schools who do so and demonstrate positive and measurable results.
3)Have teachers do some of the above as well, emphasizing parent communication.
4)Fund reading and math initiatives. I know the first one has had good results in my school with a reading specialist.
5)Somehow, preferrably through private means, bring back art and music programs to school. I am working on this with my own school though I think I am about a couple of years off. I am working on developing some partnerships this way.
6)Offer tax incentives for businesses who do get involved in public education. I'm not into finance, but this might be a way to get positive private/public sector partnerships (say that three times fast:).
7)REALLY make an effort to recognize students who achieve and do wondrous things. There are MANY MANY students like that here in Utah who don't get the recognition they deserve because so much negativity and blame get emphasized.
8)Have a gifted/talented specialist in each school. I don't know of the means to do this, but such would be a big boost and an insurance that those who are gifted aren't left out. With the chief emphasis on testing, some of these students can get left out somewhat.
9)Develop community tutoring programs. This could be done possibly through local wards or other churches. While I doubt the LDS Church would allow their facilities to be used, there are other public buildings that could be.
10)Redouble efforts on reading and math. Involve local bookstores and libraries to promote literacy.
11)Get kids excited about science as well. That often is their favorite subject.
12)Involve people from the community like engineers. I heard a commercial from an engineering group about how there should be certain curriculum standards in the schools. I have NOT seen one engineer in my area come to the schools Imagine what a resource they could be for math and science. I have dozens of guest speakers come to my class every year and my students love it.
13)Involve "special needs" people. I have a Downs' Syndrome who comes to my class to help. The kids absolutely mob him when he comes and we ALL benefit.
14)Reduce the control of public schools from federal and state governments down more to the local level. This would be a BIG one for me. Schools and communities need to feel like there is more local control of education.
15)Recognize good teachers and emphasize the postive and deal with the negative, looking for solutions rather than contention.
16)Tap into the resources of senior citizens. Again, that is one thing I have been unsuccessful at.
17)Make sure that our heritage as a country gets taught. Put it into each curriculum. There is a new program going into some area schools that will have displays and materials about the founding fathers by a great organization next year. I love the freedom shrines many area high schools have. Such help the students gain an apprection and respect for our country.
18)Stop the political agendas and vendettas by some against teachers and such.
19)In fact, reduce the politics involved in the shcools. Most teachers I know would just rather teach than be always at the political whims of some or have to deal with all the "politics."
20)Going along with an earlier thing, developing partnerships with law enforcement groups, fire departments, and the military would help kids gain a respect for the first responders and others who give so much to serve us. The last one is very important to me. I was able to get the American Legion to come to my class last year. Boy was that ever an experience!!!! In fact I would like to see more emphasis in Utah in general for days like Veterans' Day. but than's another issue.
20)I realize that many of these are not tangible results. Too many it seems, seem to deal only in such and forget that "results" come from a wide gamut of areas and resources. It's hard to measure the subjective results, but we need to look at the whole picture.
21)Put our priorities in education--again talking attitude here. Let's stop the activist efforts against it and all work together.
Okay, now that you're exhausted from reading but a "few" of my suggestions, some of which may be practical, some not, I'll close. FYI though, I have tried many of these things in my own classroom with success so they can "work."
Notice I'm not saying spending lots more money is the answer.
With business partnerships and such, that could reduce it. Looking for nontax funding resources is something I've never seen someone put a good effort towards (e.g. lands and things like drilling for oil). Trust lands do indeed help out the school though.
This statement could be taken differently by many so I will only say this--we don't need lots more money added, but we don't need it to be shifted either (and no, I'm not talking about how to spend the surplus--I for one, realize there are many needs and that there should be some tax cuts happen too because of it--we teachers pay taxes too:).
Changing our sttitudes, efforts, and perspectives would really be the best ways to improve public education.
I'll leave just one story for one to take in: I used to ride a public transit bus to school. The bus driver one day told me how the students from a particular high school were always so well-behaved. I urged her to tell the principal of the high school. One day she did just that. The principal was shocked. It was the first time in his many years as principal that someone had come in with a remark like that. It was written up in the school newspaper and a big to-do was made about it. My thought was that such shouldn't have to be a big deal. It shold be an everday occurrence. That's the effort I make every day with the students and parents. Giving thanks and compliments and not emphasizing the negative or seeking to blame things on others are just things that I was taught by my mother and father and do naturally. It's a shame that it doesn't happen more in society.
(note--please do not grade this as an essay form--it is more my random rabblings more than anything)
I thank your wife for her involvement by the way.
Bill,
Thank you for your substantive comments. If you would contact me at steveu@infowest.com, I'd like to discuss some of your ideas in more detail.
I hope there are lots of Bill Markhams out there. You have a lot of great ideas. It's so nice to know that a teacher is working so hard and thinking about ways the system could be made better. I think volunteers at school should be pushed much more. Our local hospital, the Chamber of Commerce, and many other service entities utilize volunteers with much success. If we really organized it in the schools, we could have thousands of volunteers of all ages making huge contributions.
Ultimately, I agree with Bill's comment that we need to work together to make education better. Who should lead this? I would think the school district and parents. Is it happening? I'm sure it is at some schools but I'm not seeing much of it at ours. I guess it takes a zealot to get something going. I would hope the school district could lead out on this a little more. We of all areas of the state ought to be able to try some things and find what works. Dixie has such a "barn-raising mentality" that I know we could be successful.
Jon,
Wow! Nice comments! This mom this year was bound and determined to get a program established at the school this year. Despite some obstacles, she was able to successfully do that and it looks like it will be continued this year. I don't know that it will come from the district level. Where I think it will come from is the community level, through cities, parents, teachers, students, schools, etc. working together to strengthen the community.
Maybe we ought to talk to the hospitals and Chambers of Commerce about how they utilize volunteers. In fact, I think the Chambers of Commerce could be one place for some resources. Most I have seen are made up of community-oriented great people. Certainly they can be a wonderful place to start.
I think we have a unique situation in Utah where we can make our schools, not just schools, but strong community ones. Such can do nothing but benefit communities.
Thanks again for your comments.
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