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Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011 | 2 a.m.
Jerre Moore, principal at Hancock Elementary School in Las Vegas Thursday, August 25, 2011.
It doesn’t matter what type of school you work in — a high-achieving school or a turnaround school — it’s difficult to educate children. You have the educational component at any level of teaching, and with children, you have the emotional component. You’re not just dealing with academics, you’ve got to build trust with children. That’s the glue that holds a classroom and an entire school together. Children have to know that you want them to succeed; otherwise, learning — successful learning where children thrive — is not going to be there.
The No. 1 problem leading to student failure is low expectations in a child’s world. One Hancock Elementary teacher recently told a child that he was doing great in class. The child was surprised, and his words still stick with the teacher and me. “Would you write my mom and tell her how well I’m doing? She doesn’t believe that,” the child said. That’s scary. It’s sad. We can’t let children have low expectations of themselves.
Of course, society has changed. We live with many challenges today, and society’s problems affect that’s happening in the classroom. The role of teachers is more complex. Educators have to deal with the mental health and educational capacity of children more than ever. It’s an integrated role.
When a child aggressively pushes somebody, the act of pushing someone else is not the problem. The real problem is the child cannot control his or her anger. We are having to teach kids about these things. Such problems have existed throughout the years, but teachers are having to fill an ever-growing role when it comes to managing behavioral challenges.
Such lessons are important to the success of a student, a class, a school, because if a child is not settled, the learning environment is unsettled and that is a problem for every child in a classroom.
Bottom line, we must have high expectations and they must extend from the academic to the behavioral performance of every child.
Jerre Moore is principal at Hancock Elementary.
Absolutely AGREE!
PARENTS are a child's first teacher! So the parent sends their child and entrusts that child to educators within their chosen school, to further enhance that training.
Our country's classrooms are the new "Ellis Islands." Educators are not only faced with a diverse population of cultures that are acculturating to the AMERICAN culture, society, and educational system, but the children coming to us from ALL segments of society have individual needs. In order for a person to succeed, their basic needs must be addressed. We are dealing with living HUMAN BEINGS who are experiencing life on a physical and mental/emotional/spiritual level. They MUST be healthy and balanced as a human being to face the extreme challenges of today's demands in the classroom. They depend on responsible adults in their lives to support them every inch of the way. Can they count on these adults? It starts with each one of us doing our part.
We must never lose sight of that while encouraging students to achieve to succeed.
Research has shown that a student can and will succeed from where ever their societal status as long as they have the "want to" and the "support."
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Teaching is complex. Teaching is fun. Teaching is multi-dimensional. I love my students. I love my classroom. It is hard work but there are many rewards. I will never regret my choice of careers. I love my students.
Sometimes I worry about public school teaching. I feel like there are a lot of enemies to our public schools these days. I feel like everyone is convinced that EVERY teacher is bad and deserves less respect and less money and less support. I hear a lot of negative press about schools. There are cries for REFORM, REFORM, REFORM. Seems like everyone had a teacher they did not like once - so all teachers should be punished? Everyone knows a "bad apple" so we should take funds from public schools until the union is busted? It's not logical.
I will be frank. Some students don't like me. Some parents don't like me. And even some administrators haven't liked me. But I'm a great teacher for many, many, many people. Teaching is an art not a data driven science. I do my best but my personality might not be your cup of tea. There is value in learning how to get along with people - even a teacher you think is "bad". Asking people to do work - isn't fun all the time. And sometimes I have to tell parents and children things they don't want to hear, so they can grow and be productive.
Public schools are important for children. Most of us cannot afford to send our kids to a private school. Many children will not have a chance for education - if our public schools are starved of funds. Even if you do not have children, our entire society is better if students have an opportunity to become literate.
Public schools protect very important things - like civil rights. This is why it was a huge step in the civil rights movement to desegregate schools. It was important to provide access to knowledge and information because knowledge is power.
If we allow our Governor or other people to "prove" our schools as failing - without questioning the validity of the very test they are using to collect the data . . . we might be allowing some rich people who send their children to private schools to chip away at the foundation of the public school system. The Governor and his friends don't care about public schools - his kids attend private schools. I care about public schools. This is where I teach and where my kids go. And I do consider every child in my classroom as if they were my own.
Our children, are our future, they are our NATIONAL TREASURES.
None of knows who that future President, Governor, Congressman or Congresswoman, Representative, Mayor, Principal, or Superintendent is!
To a Teacher, each student holds that potential, and is deeply cherished and their education is priority one. Teachers teach to a whole person, providing a whole world of knowledge towards their education. Everyone has a part in supporting this goal.
United we stand, divided we fall. Let's stand together for our children's future and success!