It’s Time for a Change
Must the old adage, “history repeats itself” always ring true? From the deepest recesses of my being, I believe it is true. It saddens me that many children continue not to benefit from the revolution that has taken place in education. Though much has changed, much continues to be the same.
The first leg of my educational journey occurred during the 60’s and 70’s. It should stand to reason that the quality of education being offered today is superior; but is it, really? During my first eight years of schooling, the instruction I received was from discarded textbook adoptions. I can still vividly remember how sad I felt at not having a space in which to write my name, for many years. When we were given new editions, I always used brown paper grocery bags to make covers for the books so they would look newer longer. Today, many of the students being served by public education have a space to write their names, but they are not being adequately prepared to claim their rightful place in society. There are too many excuses as to why economically disadvantaged and students of color are not experiencing success. When many of our students take one step, non-educators insist that they take two. Many students are cnstantly playing of catch up. This is a classic case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t!
The eyes of my heart can identify with this powerful quote from John Dewey’s Experience in Education (1938): "What avail is it to win prescribed amounts of information about geography and history, to win the ability to read and write, if in the process the individual loses his own soul?" (p. 49) Where is the connection between teacher and student? There must be one for the soul needs to connect. Children intuitively know when they are valued. The classroom should not be used as a place for the teacher to shine; but one where students are allowed to think and share their God given talents with others. In order to connect, one must be willing to step outside their comfort zone into the world of another. Children will be what they see. The human soul is shy and it should be held as one would cup a tiny bird in their hands. “As educators, we have the responsibility to educate and inspire the whole child—mind, heart, and soul. By focusing on the following essentials, we can put more joy into students' experience of going to school and get more joy out of working inside one.” (Wolk, 2001).
I understand teachers have a huge responsibility so if I am to have such high expectations I feel obligated do all I can to ensure that teachers are given ample support; hence, my decision to take a look at two mentoring models: virtual and face-to-face.
As you take a look at Lexington’s demographics I have no doubt that my passion will be justified. It is imperative that the children receive a quality education if they are to have a decent quality of life and if Lexington is to attract new business and industry. What I see inspires me to want to empower the new breed of teachers who are willing to teach the whole child.
The city of Lexington has a population of 20,121. We are known as the Barbecue Captial and we host the Barbecue Festival the last Saturday of October yearly. We are located in Davidson County and are one of three school systems. There are six schools in our system. We have approximately 460 employees, of which 254 are certified. The school system’s dropout rate for 2006-2007 was 5.52% compared to the state rate of 5.24%. Over the age of 25, 30% of city residents are high school graduates, with only 10% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. Grandparents are the main caregivers for 30% of our students. The number of students that speak a language other than English at home city wide is less than 14%. The per capita income is $15,310 with 29% of our population living below the poverty level. Historically, we have had a heavy manufacturing base, but due to plant closings, we have a high unemployment rate of 6.7% compared to the states 6.2% as of June, 2008. This has a great economic impact on the community, as well as to many families of students that attend our schools.
The system serves approximately 3089 students. The ethnic breakdowns are: less than 1% American Indian, 6% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 43% African American, 24% White and 3% Multi-Racial. We qualify for the Title I designation system wide but the high school does not receive Title I funding. Our exceptional children and second language students are mainstreamed while. our academically gifted students are grouped together for accelerated instruction in all core areas, including pre-Algebra in grade 7 and Algebra 1 in grade 8.
The teacher turnover rate is another factor that supports the need for research on my dissertation topic. It has ranged from 16.5 to 21.7 over a five year period. The highest percentage of those leaving did so to teach in another North Carolina Public School System.
According to Ingersoll (2004), “The failure to ensure that the nation’s classrooms, especially those in disadvantaged schools, are all staffed with qualified teachers is one of the most important problems in contemporary American education.” He further states, “significant numbers of those who depart from their jobs in these schools report that they are hampered by inadequate support from the school administration, too many intrusions on classroom teaching time, student discipline problems and limited faculty input into school decision-making.”
The statement of inadequate support from school administration birthed my question: “Which Mentoring Model Provides the Most Support: Virtual or Face-to-Face?” The State of North Carolina provides paid mentors for beginning teachers in their first two years of teaching.
A partnership with the Center for Teaching Quality which was founded in 1999 to improve student learning and advance the teaching profession by cultivating teacher leadership, has provided Lexington City Schools the opportunity to participate in the newly formed Virtual Mentoring initiative. The virtual platform is staffed with National Board Certified Teachers from around the country. Look out world, support is on the way!
References
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Collier.
Ingersoll, R.M. (2004). Why do high poverty schools have difficulty staffing their classrooms
with qualified teachers? Retrieved September 10, 2008 from
http://www.americanprogress.org/kf/ingersoll-final.pdf
Wolk, S. (2008). Joy in school. Educational Leadership, 66(1), 8-15.
Must the old adage, “history repeats itself” always ring true? From the deepest recesses of my being, I believe it is true. It saddens me that many children continue not to benefit from the revolution that has taken place in education. Though much has changed, much continues to be the same.
The first leg of my educational journey occurred during the 60’s and 70’s. It should stand to reason that the quality of education being offered today is superior; but is it, really? During my first eight years of schooling, the instruction I received was from discarded textbook adoptions. I can still vividly remember how sad I felt at not having a space in which to write my name, for many years. When we were given new editions, I always used brown paper grocery bags to make covers for the books so they would look newer longer. Today, many of the students being served by public education have a space to write their names, but they are not being adequately prepared to claim their rightful place in society. There are too many excuses as to why economically disadvantaged and students of color are not experiencing success. When many of our students take one step, non-educators insist that they take two. Many students are cnstantly playing of catch up. This is a classic case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t!
The eyes of my heart can identify with this powerful quote from John Dewey’s Experience in Education (1938): "What avail is it to win prescribed amounts of information about geography and history, to win the ability to read and write, if in the process the individual loses his own soul?" (p. 49) Where is the connection between teacher and student? There must be one for the soul needs to connect. Children intuitively know when they are valued. The classroom should not be used as a place for the teacher to shine; but one where students are allowed to think and share their God given talents with others. In order to connect, one must be willing to step outside their comfort zone into the world of another. Children will be what they see. The human soul is shy and it should be held as one would cup a tiny bird in their hands. “As educators, we have the responsibility to educate and inspire the whole child—mind, heart, and soul. By focusing on the following essentials, we can put more joy into students' experience of going to school and get more joy out of working inside one.” (Wolk, 2001).
I understand teachers have a huge responsibility so if I am to have such high expectations I feel obligated do all I can to ensure that teachers are given ample support; hence, my decision to take a look at two mentoring models: virtual and face-to-face.
As you take a look at Lexington’s demographics I have no doubt that my passion will be justified. It is imperative that the children receive a quality education if they are to have a decent quality of life and if Lexington is to attract new business and industry. What I see inspires me to want to empower the new breed of teachers who are willing to teach the whole child.
The city of Lexington has a population of 20,121. We are known as the Barbecue Captial and we host the Barbecue Festival the last Saturday of October yearly. We are located in Davidson County and are one of three school systems. There are six schools in our system. We have approximately 460 employees, of which 254 are certified. The school system’s dropout rate for 2006-2007 was 5.52% compared to the state rate of 5.24%. Over the age of 25, 30% of city residents are high school graduates, with only 10% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. Grandparents are the main caregivers for 30% of our students. The number of students that speak a language other than English at home city wide is less than 14%. The per capita income is $15,310 with 29% of our population living below the poverty level. Historically, we have had a heavy manufacturing base, but due to plant closings, we have a high unemployment rate of 6.7% compared to the states 6.2% as of June, 2008. This has a great economic impact on the community, as well as to many families of students that attend our schools.
The system serves approximately 3089 students. The ethnic breakdowns are: less than 1% American Indian, 6% Asian, 14% Hispanic, 43% African American, 24% White and 3% Multi-Racial. We qualify for the Title I designation system wide but the high school does not receive Title I funding. Our exceptional children and second language students are mainstreamed while. our academically gifted students are grouped together for accelerated instruction in all core areas, including pre-Algebra in grade 7 and Algebra 1 in grade 8.
The teacher turnover rate is another factor that supports the need for research on my dissertation topic. It has ranged from 16.5 to 21.7 over a five year period. The highest percentage of those leaving did so to teach in another North Carolina Public School System.
According to Ingersoll (2004), “The failure to ensure that the nation’s classrooms, especially those in disadvantaged schools, are all staffed with qualified teachers is one of the most important problems in contemporary American education.” He further states, “significant numbers of those who depart from their jobs in these schools report that they are hampered by inadequate support from the school administration, too many intrusions on classroom teaching time, student discipline problems and limited faculty input into school decision-making.”
The statement of inadequate support from school administration birthed my question: “Which Mentoring Model Provides the Most Support: Virtual or Face-to-Face?” The State of North Carolina provides paid mentors for beginning teachers in their first two years of teaching.
A partnership with the Center for Teaching Quality which was founded in 1999 to improve student learning and advance the teaching profession by cultivating teacher leadership, has provided Lexington City Schools the opportunity to participate in the newly formed Virtual Mentoring initiative. The virtual platform is staffed with National Board Certified Teachers from around the country. Look out world, support is on the way!
References
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Collier.
Ingersoll, R.M. (2004). Why do high poverty schools have difficulty staffing their classrooms
with qualified teachers? Retrieved September 10, 2008 from
http://www.americanprogress.org/kf/ingersoll-final.pdf
Wolk, S. (2008). Joy in school. Educational Leadership, 66(1), 8-15.
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