Columnist Sandy Thompson: Everyone should walk in educators’ shoes

Sandy Thompson

Friday, Nov. 9, 2001 | 4:41 a.m.

The connections, though, aren't with the politically powerful or the famously rich. He strives to connect with an even more important segment of society: children.

An educator for more than 20 years, Murphy has strong opinions about the importance of teachers connecting with their students, and what approaches they should use to ensure their students are learning the material being taught.

One of the biggest challenges, he says, is a teacher's "stand and deliver" style in the classroom. Even though a teacher may know his/her subject, this approach often results in a boring lecture that turns off students. To be effective, a teacher must make a subject come alive for students.

Amen to that.

As principal of Woodbury Middle School, Murphy aims to help teachers develop skills so that they can effectively reach students. The challenge comes in turning theory into reality.

Top executives from local businesses got a chance to observe that reality last Thursday when the Clark County School District sponsored a "CEO/Principal for a Day" program. About 300 executives and principals participated. I was assigned to Murphy and Woodbury Middle School.

Woodbury's population has undergone changes because of rezoning and declining economic factors. The school has 1,055 students, which is about 100 more than capacity but still manageable for the staff. It is a challenging age group to work with because of biological changes the kids are going through.

Another major challenge facing Woodbury, as well as similar schools, is dealing with factors outside the classroom: family, social and economic problems. All impact a child's ability to learn. Murphy has seen a huge jump this year in the number of free and reduced-price lunches for students.

Murphy believes there is a relation between socio-economic status and the TerraNova tests that measure what students are learning. To shore up declining test scores, Woodbury has instituted a program where reading is a part of every class, including math. After all, if a child can't read a textbook, he can't do the work.

Another issue in middle schools is the retention policy passed in 1998 by the state Legislature. If students fail a grade, they must repeat it. While research shows that may work in the lower grades, Murphy said, it can be a problem in middle school. Some students spend two or three years in the same grade.

"The law politically sounded good, but then no funding was provided for summer school or after-school remedial programs," Murphy said.

It's not that he believes in passing on a student who can't do the grade work. If a child isn't learning in a particular setting, Murphy doesn't think keeping him in that same setting for two or three years is beneficial to the student. Rather, the student should be placed in an alternative program or setting that would increase his chances of learning.

Built in the early '70s, Woodbury was refurbished a few years ago. It's a clean, brightly decorated and comfortable building. Murphy takes pride in keeping it that way.

The day we shared principal duties was routine. The morning began with concern for a student who came to school with bruises and other troubling physical signs that had not been there the day before. Child Protective Services was called, but the worker took no action.

We observed several classes where the students were attentive and well behaved.

The afternoon ended with a student being called to the dean's office for allegedly giving a friend some of his prescription medicine. It was a serious issue that will be dealt with by the school police. When the bell rang, Murphy patrolled the front sidewalk. A saying printed on a passing student's T-shirt described the day: "I did not escape ... they gave me a day pass."

Last Thursday business executives were given a day's pass. Hopefully they came away with a better insight into, and appreciation of, schools and teachers.

We all need to walk a mile in educators' shoes to understand the challenges and opportunities they face.