Good Teaching = Good Relationships

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of attending a conference in Florida. It was a conference meant to assist educators with a rigor, relevance, and relationships framework. The crux of the conference was centered around good teaching, which embeds learning within exercises that are relevant to students. While building positive relationships with students, the relevant lessons used by teachers can also incorporate higher order thinking and complex processes that students can accomplish.

It was mentioned that the rigor, relevance, and relationships framework -- RRR for short -- (International Center for Leadership, n.a.) existed as a model for educators to follow to ensure student success. Numerous districts were present to detail the success they were having as a result of instituting RRR. It was nice to hear of these stories.

It takes a considerable amount of effort to build a healthy school climate. Unfortunately, many schools do not get it right.

Among teachers who transferred schools, lack of planning time (65 percent), too heavy a workload (60 percent), problematic student behavior (53 percent), and a lack of influence over school policy (52 percent) were cited as common sources of dissatisfaction (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2005).

Regardless of teachers who transfer schools or leave the profession entirely, there are teachers who retire every year. This loss of experienced staff being replaced by less experienced or non-experienced staff is an issue for school and for education in general.

While considering what teachers have to do to be successful, it is no surprise teachers want to feel they are appreciated and are compensated accordingly. Here is a long, partial list of duties that good teachers do on a minute-by-minute basis. It is a long list, so feel free to liberally browse through it.

Instruction

Use Differentiated Instruction, which is instruction to meet the needs of numerous ability groups that exist within a class.

Accommodate Language Deficit Students When Assessing, Instructing, And Developing Activities

Get Students Engaged Within Group Activities, called Cooperative Learning

Have Students Utilize Appropriate Technology, But Expect To Encounter Numerous Issues as a Result of Old Computers in Schools

Promote Reading

Teach Reading Strategies

Do Mini-Lessons That Address Local Issues (Respect, Tolerance, …)

Decorate Your Classroom And Make It Educationally Stimulating

Use Classroom Openers

Post Essential Questions, Write New Ones When Necessary

Use Graphic Organizers

Use Power Point Presentations

Curriculum And Planning

Keep State Standards In Mind When Developing Lessons

Don't "Teach-To-The-Test"

Prepare Students For Standardized Tests

Scaffold Material To Provide Necessary Supports For All Students

Utilize Standards Suggested by Professional Organizations

Employ Strategies That Lead to Student Engagement and Educational Ownership

Develop Interdisciplinary Webquests

Cooperate With Other Teachers' Interdisciplinary Webquests

Use Van Hiele Levels For Spatial Learning, Like Geometry

Design Timely Worksheets That Meet Students Unique Needs

Prepare Students for Unit Tests

Design/Print Semester Review Materials

Assessment

Continually Assess Student Performance

Practice RTI – Response To Interventions

Observe Other Classrooms To Determine Levels Of Bloom's Taxonomy

Grade Papers

Continuously Determine Students’ Readiness to Move to New Lessons

Give Students Continuous Feedback Regarding Their Abilities, Comprehension, And General Progression Through a Course

Perform Item Analyses On Common Assessments

Assess Teaching Based Upon the Analyses of Common Assessments

Safety

Follow an Administration Handbook – A 173 Page PDF File – That Outlines Teachers’ Duties

Be Knowledgeable Of All Crisis Procedures

Keep Students In Classroom

Allow Students To Go To Locker Or Washroom Using Written Hall Passes

Keep Track Of Green & Red Room Number Signs

Check Deans' Lists for Students Who Have Discipline Issues

Verify Authenticity Of Hall Passes Allegedly Signed By Other Adults In Building

Check Temp IDs For Correct Name And Date

Execute School wide Fire, Tornado, and Intruder Drills

Motivation

Be Positive

Encourage Independence

Motivate Students to Work in Groups

Embrace Multiculturalism

Use Positive Reward Slips – Enforce Good Behavior

Accept Late Homework

Keep High Expectations

Do Not Fail Students

Expect That All Students Will Stay In Your Class Until The End Of The Year Despite Frequent Or Extreme Negative Behavior Exhibited or Lack Of Attendance

Celebrate Women’s' History, Black History, ...

Leadership And Management

Find Time To Use The Facilities

Be The Educational Leader For All of Your Classes

Accurately Record Attendance and Tardies

Check For IDs

Check For Uniform Compliance: Shoes, Shoe Laces, Socks, Ear-Rings, Pants, Shirts, Haircuts, Eye-Brows, Belts, Undershirts, Shirts Over Shoulders, Use Of Jackets/Hoodies, ...

Clean Desks And Continuously Monitor Them For Graffiti

Enforce All Rules Outlined In Student Handbook, To Include Extreme And Non-Extreme Behavior, Cheating, Gang Activity, Students' Use Of Language, Electronics, …

Do Not Abuse E-Mail By Sending Mass E-Mails, Especially When Including Administrators

Monitor The Hallway Outside Your Room

Don't Leave Students Alone In Your Room

Follow The Contract: Dress Accordingly (No Shorts, Flip-Flops, Beachwear, Faded Jeans), Be On Time, Be Respectful of Others, …

Maintain Positive Rapport With Fellow District Employees

Monitor Students To Determine Inappropriate Use Of Technology: Cell Phones, Ipods, Mp3 Players, ...

Close Door For Tardy Sweeps

Attend All Meetings, Institutes, And Workshops

Have Students Do The Pledge Of Allegiance

Sign Field Trip Forms

Sign In-School Field Trip Forms

Send Assignments To Students Serving In-School Suspensions (or Learning Adjustment Centers)

Administer Tests – Such Regional Standardized Tests, Common Assessments, and The Tests Teachers Generate

Score Final Exams and Curve Them Accordingly

Communication

Contact Parents

Coordinate With Special Education Staff Concerning Your Special Education Students

Conference With Students' Counselors

Contact Your Representatives Regarding Educational Concerns

Contact Your Administrators Regarding Educational Issues

Follow Up On Referrals Sent To Office

Check Email For Important And Timely Messages

Involve Oneself with Special Committees to Handle Certain Issues (Discipline, School Improvement, …)

Professional Growth

Read Professional Journals

Belong To Professional Organizations

Maintain Teaching Certificate – Earn CPDUs

Present Ideology or Changes in Pedagogy at Conferences and Workshops

General Duties

Sign Up Classes for Computer Lab Time

Stand In Line To Use Copy Machine

Un-Jam Copy Machine

Help Students Before School

Help Students After School, Except When Meetings Are Scheduled

Administer Make Up Tests

Run Off Copies

Peruse Final Exams for Answer Key Errors

Monitor Students While they Test

Make Learning Fun Even Though High Stakes Tests Make Administrators Who Evaluate Teachers Very Critical

With such a long list of hourly duties to accomplish, it is no reason why teachers feel stressed or leave certain schools to be compensated with higher salaries, greater autonomy, and generally more positive working conditions.

However, that RRR conference was enlightening in that it is not merely a model for teachers to use while creating lessons. It is not a framework for administrators to use to simply inform teachers. It can be used as a day-to-day guide when working with educators and students alike.

Even though teachers do get evaluated numerous times across their careers, the evaluations are too few and too nonconstructive to make them valuable. Administrators usually use them to determine which teachers will not receive tenure. Many teachers look at them as a chore and create dog and pony shows to wow administrators using the latest teaching craze.

Like teachers who use can use RRR well and have students teaching other students with the knowledge and skills they have found, administrators need to incorporate moments when teachers teach other teachers. It helps create a substantial foundation of trust and praise, while also demonstrating good teaching practice.

It is all too common to sit through teacher in-services and be barraged by buzz words and disconnected jargon. But when those moments do arise, like they did for my entire high school district, when teachers provide insight as to how they muster up student motivation and reach higher order thinking within them, teachers must take advantage of those opportunities.

The rigor, relevance and relationships should be able to be demonstrated at all levels within a school, as this framework is demonstrated within any other successful institution, organization, or enterprise. There is no reason schools should be any different. It is often the last "R" in the rigor, relevance, and relationships that is neglected that causes so much trouble for everyone within education.

Only by tackling relationships can educational systems also successfully negotiate the numerous duties mentioned above.

Alliance for Excellent Education (2005) Teacher Attrition: A Costly Loss to the Nation and to the States. Accessed on November 7th, 2009 at: http://www.all4ed.org/files/archive/publications/TeacherAttrition.pdf

International Center for Leadership (n.d.) Rigor/Relevance Framework. Accessed on November 7th, 2009 at: http://www.leadered.com/rrr.html

Science and the State of Education in the U.S.

The entries posted within this blog are typically research-based. However, this entry will be on a personal level. Consider it an editorial.

I frequently get into debates with my friends. Whether it is politics, current events, or religion, it quickly becomes heated. Yet, we all consider this normal and get over our differences afterward.

Our last debate rested squarely on Intelligent Design (ID). I defended it, even though I have a strong background in mathematics and science. No, I am not a fundamentalist who wishes to live in Kansas and revolutionize science by re-tooling science classes by injecting Christianity via Intelligent Design. Not even IntelligentDesign.org advocates its teaching in public schools. Instead, I believe ID is a useful tool.

Let me drive this thought using two thrusts. First, ID is useful in that it brings us to the boundaries of science, involves many members of society to reflect on public education, and invites us all to become involved in a process of making reformations in education. Second, it dovetails nicely into the energies spent by our presidential candidates, who advocate for many changes within education.

A friend of mine who teaches science, wrote, "The philosophy that says that science has the final say over all knowledge – which sounds fairly fundamentalist to me – is known as scientism, for which there is no scientific evidence." He was trying to make a distinction regarding a certain philosophy of science extremism versus the application of pure science.

The conversation hit on infinities, the fact that ID rests beyond scientific principles, and another fact that science is a philosophy. The e-mail communications did a great job unveiling science for what it is: a philosophy of empiricism and/or an ability to observe, measure, and interact with one’s environment. As a result of this philosophy and carrying out the process, certain properties of the universe can be discovered.

However, science carries out a number of theories that are not directly visible. Tools are used, particles are measured through the interaction of other particles, and mathematical systems are constructed and then consequently solved to predict phenomena. Direct observability is not always done, making such acts targets for debate from within and without of the science community.

Couple this with public misconceptions, complete ignorance, and the duty of science of refute counterclaims. The result is science education needs to devote itself to shoring up these problem areas that exist in societies, especially in communities that believe heavily in non-scientific explanations of our universe.

Science education needs to address this and can do so by changing the way it teaches science or at least incorporating crucial lessons that could address the differences between non-science and science.

What, you don’t trust the opinions of this educator?

Look at what Professor Michael Reiss has to say. He writes, “If questions or issues about creationism and intelligent design arise during science lessons they can be used to illustrate a number of aspects of how science works.”

Look at Miriam-Webster’s first definition of science, the first definition states, “the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding.”

If we compare this great country to other countries in the world, it certainly is not number one. According to the 1999 Third International Math and Science Study (TIMMS), the U.S. was significantly beaten by 14 countries in science (3 countries non-significantly) and 14 countries in mathematics (4 countries non-significantly). It is clear there is certainly a lot of misconception for us to deal with and maybe we should look at science education.

When I first studied science, I thought I was learning something very fundamental to that which informed human beings must know. It was a mighty subject with infinite potential. I still think it to be so.

Science has its place and sure does come with striking potential for the good it does for solving our problems. Nevertheless, it does not come without drawbacks. It too must be kept in check by the other disciplines that exist. Having science exist as an isolated study on its own brings limits to it, and consequent perils.

It is not to say we shouldn't teach it. It isn't to say kids shouldn't learn it. It is to say that we need to teach its limits and the balance of knowledge within the framework of all bodies of knowledge. Doing this brings wondrous possibilities to learning/teaching and the disciplines themselves.

If we do not glimpse beyond our barriers and show the limits of our disciplines, do we really do them justice? Also, how do we get kids to think outside the box if all we do is present boxes of information to them?

My science teacher friend also wrote:

"[U]s educators know full well the push in education science is for interdisciplinary discovery in order to more closely represent real life. So mark's heart is in the right place and there are legit arguments about where the boundaries of science are, but in our utilitarian education system which is raising servants for the man, we have no room for philosophy and barely room for arts, etc."

This is unfortunate, but true. Science curricula are not free to be easily manipulated by adding units that could address this science vs. non-discussion. Curricula exist under a great number of forces that seek to change it, such as the preparation for state-mandated testing, bridging students from one area of science to the next level or area, and making sure students possess basic skills for movement into the workforce. Since the units cannot easily be changed, how teachers introduce their lessons must be addressed, which requires a great deal of finesse.

Yet, we make a great argument for breaking thresholds for learning and teaching, but how far do we go in reality? Aren't we all very traditional teachers? Despite my chagrin over this topic and desire to be unique and innovative, I'm quite traditional. I want to break outside the box, but doing so makes me feel like I'm punching pillows. How do we push past our boundaries and create lessons that are truly awe-inspiring and motivators for life-long learning?

Is what we are doing practical, meaning applicable to living in the modern world with its fast-paced changes? It is questionable. I think we all impart tidbits of knowledge, maintain order in the classroom, and hope for the best. Is there a concerted movement to change? Despite NCLB and our best intentions, we have yet to change. Part of it is getting over our inertia to make change, which may stem from a lack of desire to change or a lack of knowledge of how to change.

ID, despite the thoughts one may have on the subject, certain does stir up the hornet's nest, which initiates change. It may be the energy needed to get us past this educational inertia

A comment was made during the debates by a moderator: the U.S. spends more money per capita than any other country in the world. Yet, our output – in light of numerous studies from independent organizations – state that other countries do better than us.

Instead of citing false arguments about racial differences, economic disparities, tax laws, and other pointless lines of defense to maintain the status quo, we need to look at things differently. We are failing students if we continue to be out produced by students in other countries.

If teachers including myself were to be graded based on the money we spend and the output we produce in education, we certainly would not be walking away with "A"s. Would we be able to defend our benefits and our salaries?

I guess I should shut up. I guess teachers, administrator, and state legislators should simply collect our paychecks and keep doing the same old thing. I guess parents should continue to create babies but be unwilling to take a stake in their development in reaching adulthood. Why rock the boat when it is so profitable and it works so well?

Our candidates do not agree with such complacency. Obama is for merit pay and Charter Schools. McCain goes further and wants to include vouchers as an option. I cannot argue against any of these as they initiate change and provide a vehicle for ongoing dialogue between all members of society.

Intelligent Design may be a lightening rod for debate, but the state of education in the United States could certainly benefit from the jolts.

Resources
Intelligent Design Website on Education: http://www.intelligentdesign.org/education.php.
Professor Michael Reiss: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2008/sep/11/michael.reiss.creationism.
TIMMS Report: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001027.pdf.

Guns, The Supreme Court, and Calm Reflection

The American Association of School Administrators published my Letter to the Editor in its August issue (AASA, 2008). The issue is related to guns. Considering the 5-4 Supreme Court ruling, which supports the 2nd Amendment as an individual right, the letter carries extra value. The unedited version of my letter can be read immediately below.

I read an article, titled Guns and Butter: Stepping Up to the Plate, written by Sarah Jerome from the December 2007 issue of The School Administrator. Sarah’s views rest on personal beliefs and not on facts.

She wrote, “Perhaps the presence of 223 million firearms in the United States or the fact that one in four households has a handgun elevates this issue to the status of a public health crisis.” It is not a public crisis of any kind. In fact, there is a body of research that suggests more guns equates to less crime.

In education, we must adhere to facts and legitimate research. We cannot make jumps in reasoning from a set of facts to a conclusion when no correlation has been proven. If Sarah wasn’t the AASA president, I would assume she was guilty of faulty reasoning. However, her achievement as president makes me consider that her intent is deceptive.

She wrote, “Our apparent paralysis to end gun violence continues.” What Sarah needs to do is this. She needs to read Kate Stetzner’s June 1999 article titled, How Safe Are Your Schools? Doing so will help her realize how solving the problem can be done. It does not involve ignoring the 2nd Amendment, like she proposes. It does involve a concerted effort between many organizations, agencies, and institutions.

When we deal with truancy, create positive learning environments, support anti-gang initiatives, and maintain curfew laws, we will make strides with safety in schools and communities. I fully support all of Kate’s proposed initiatives, not Sarah’s simple but erred proposal to strip us of our constitutional rights.

Resource
AASA (2008) The School Administrator. Number 7, Volume 65: The Ingredients for Leadership.

Education and the Election

This presidential election cycle is extremely chaotic. McCain started out slowly, but then overwhelmed his competitors and obtained control of the Republican delegates. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is struggling between Clinton and Obama. Obama has a slight advantage with democratic delegates, but each requires “superdelegates” to clinch the party.

There are many issues that can help a voter decide who to support in this race, but I will bring a few points to light. Some of these points may help a voter to decide who to support. Whether this information may help primary voters within the Democratic Party or the full out presidential election in November, the candidates’ views on education may be surprising.

Regardless if one is a supporter of conservatives or liberals, the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, candidates across these spectra have something in common. This commonality should be of great interest to parents, teachers, and taxpayers. What is it? They all believe there is a need to bring change within education.

This change is not subtle, even if certain candidates do not boldly mention their intentions. Here are some of their views on education, in alpha order by candidate.

Hilary Clinton
She supports school choice, charter schools, and alternative routes to teacher certification (Clinton, 2008)

John McCain
He believes in vouchers, which would allow parents the ability to send schools to a variety of performing schools. He supports merit pay. This means he wants to reward teachers for extra effort. He also believes in homeschooling (The Des Moines Register, n.d.). He wants to assist math, science, and engineering education (The Des Moines Register, n.d.)

Barack Obama
He supports merit pay (Fitzgerald, 2007 & Davis and Miller, 2007 & Marcus, 2007).

All the candidates agree on one thing: No Child Left Behind needs to be changed. Some candidates feel more strongly about this than others. Some candidates want to alter or adjust it; other candidates want to throw it out and start fresh (Light, 2008).

Regardless of one’s choice for a candidate, business as usual is not on any of the candidates’ agendas. As an administrator, I find this to be refreshing. It is my personal hope that teachers who are directly in the trenches will acknowledge these sentiments for change. Consequently, there needs to be pedagogical shifts to propel education toward modernization.

When all of these candidates resonate on the need for change within schools, it is a clear indication of the electorate’s dissatisfaction. It must also follow that schools should unite in this purpose so as not to entirely forfeit what we know as public education. It is time for educators to stop thinking public education – at least the way it is currently constructed – will be immune to outside forces that are demanding reconstruction.

Be an informed voter. Study the issues and choose accordingly.

Resources
Clinton, H. (2008) Official Senate Website. Accessed March 8th, 2008 at: http://clinton.senate.gov/issues/education/index.cfm?topic=elementary

Davis, T. and Miller, S. (2007) Obama Bucks Party Line on Education: '08 Democrat Pushes Performance-Based Pay. ABC News. Accessed on March 8th, 2008 at: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3894699&page=1

The Des Moines Register (n.d.) John McCain: Education. YouTube. Accessed March 8th, 2008 at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8DUM4CwkiE

The Des Moines Register (n.d.) McCain on Education. YouTube. Accessed March 8th, 2008 at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXUar_RQ0JU&feature=related

Fitzgerald, T. (2007) Obama Tells Teachers He Supports Merit Pay. Accessed March 8th, 2008 at: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/8335627.html

Light, N (2008) Education Experts Critique Candidates' Policies. Kansas City InfoZine. Accessed March 8th, 2008 at: http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/27328/

Marcus, R. (2007) From Barack Obama, Two Dangerous Words. Washington Post. Accessed on March 8th, 2008 at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071001304.html

Ramping Up Rigor

There has been a considerable amount of fervor concerning rigor within educational communities.

Educators have responded to the low ability and achievement of students in schools, ever since A Nation At Risk was released (NCEE, 1983). The report exposed problems such as dwindling career prep and vocational education programs, a low number of required hours of students in school, and textbooks used lack effective content.

Clearly, the report addressed a lack of rigor. Consequently, standards were adopted, benchmarks were set, and state boards of education implemented high-stakes tests.

A recent ACT’s report, called Rigor At Risk (2007), provided shocking information. Of the grade 11 students who took core courses and were tested in 2006, only 26% of those students met all four benchmarks: English, mathematics, social science, and natural science. 19% of these same students did not meet the benchmarks in any of these areas.

Research indicates educators must be careful how they respond to the reports gained from high-stakes tests.

“When high schools attempt to raise pass rates with skill-and-drill remedial routines geared narrowly to the test, conditions that nurture high levels of motivation and engagement are eliminated” (Grubb & Oakes, 2007).

Research by Brewster & Fager (2000) can be used to address motivation and engagement. They provided information on what needs to be done in classrooms and school districts. Their work includes allowing teachers to create student-centered learning opportunities, making students feel welcomed and supported, and developing a school climate that encourages creativity.

Grubb and Oakes’ (2007) work further invite educators to reinvent schools so that they no longer reflect the 19th Century model that exists all too commonly today. They suggest pathways for students to follow. Whether occupationally or non-occupationally theme-based, student interest can be bolstered as instruction becomes geared toward real-life problems and situations.

To enter into a mindset supportive of the research, one should reflect on Daggett’s Rigor and Relevance Framework (2006). This structure indicates learning should be geared toward students creating work that reflects real-world situations and open-ended problems. As explained by Armstrong (2007), this matches advances in cognitive psychology. Learning involving the creation of products is a great motivator and it addresses higher order thinking.

According to Muller and Chait (2006), rigor is, “…an educational experience that leads to a common outcome – that all students are well prepared for post-secondary education, career and civic life.” Muller and Chait also add that rigor is to include a high level content and instruction and an alignment of requirements with post-secondary education and work.

It appears to be apparent how rigor is to be increased. When approached within the context of real-world problems imbedded within school structures that support themes, rigor can be sustained and grown. Rigor is not an isolated variable that can be improved upon without also creating a sustaining habitat for it.

Resources
ACT (2007) Rigor At Risk: Reaffirming Quality in the High School Core Curriculum. Accessed online on December 15th, 2007 at: http://www.act.org/path/policy/pdf/rigor_report.pdf.

Armstrong, P. (2007) Bloom’s Taxonomy. Accessed online on December 25th, 2007 at: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/cft/resources/teaching_resources/theory/blooms.htm.

Brewster, C. & Fager, J. (2000) Increasing Student Engagement and Motivation: From Time-on-Task to Homework. Accessed online on December 15th, 2007 at: http://www.nwrel.org/request/oct00/textonly.html.

Daggett, W. (2006) Rigor/Relevance Framework. Accessed online on December 15th, 2007 at: http://www.daggett.com/rigor.shtml.

Grubb, W. & Oakes, J. (2007) ‘Restoring Value’ To The High School Diploma: The Rhetoric And Practice Of Higher Standards. Accessed online on December 15th, 2007 at: http://epsl.asu.edu/epru/documents/EPSL-0710-242-EPRU.pdf.

Muller, R. & Chait, R. (2006) Defining Rigor in High School. Prepared for the National High School Alliance. Accessed online on December 15th, 2007 at: http://www.hsalliance.org/_downloads/NNCO/RigorFrameworkTool.pdf.

National Commission on Excellence in Education (1983) A Nation At Risk. Accessed online on December 15th, 2007 at: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/index.html.

Protesters or Hostage Takers?

Recent events at Morton West High School in Berwyn, Illinois have many people concerned. Some students are facing lengthy suspensions and the possibility of being expelled due to their participation in a protest. The protest occurred within the school and during school hours on November 1st.

Are students receiving proper consequences? Have students been properly educated on how to voice their views? Do students have productive outlets for their views? What should the roles of parents be concerning how they need to support their children?

Let it be known, this blog does not entitle me the ability to exercise my right to freedom of speech so that I can voice my personal views on this topic. In fact, no one within the field of education has the right to use their position to inform others on what to think. Parents may be obligated to instill values within their children, but educators must tread carefully here. Parents who want to impose their personal beliefs upon schools would be equally operating without caution.

When teachers discuss history, conflict, critical thinking, and acts of civil disobedience, teachers must present balanced views. They must indicate how laws work, share the rights we have as citizens, and impart a vision of the potential consequences student actions can produce. When teachers address these issues in such a manner, they provide students with opportunities to lead successful, independent lives.

This doesn’t mean educators can't address values. Teachers can draw from current events, literature, texts, experiences, and fiction to help students understand the world around them. Character traits which can assist students to operate in the 21st Century and also change it are within their charge. However, doing so is less of a prescription but more like helping someone undergo a personal journey.

On issues of controversy, teachers must present balanced lessons. Imagine not. Imagine an educational system that does otherwise. We could allow schools to tell children what to think as opposed to how to think. We could tell student which jobs to pursue and train them accordingly. We can narrow their choices and views by our own standards, but at what cost to our schools and our democracy?

On another front, some people charge school authorities of delivering punishments that are too severe. If that is the case, appeals and hearings will draw out those issues. Authorities such as me do not make decisions in a vacuum. We reflect upon time honored rules and protocols, drafted from thoughtful councils, when determining consequences.

Our democracy is not absent of such an adherence to guidelines. There are laws, ordinances, and amendments. The First Amendment may entitle all of us to freedom of speech, but not at the expense of the Fourteenth Amendment, which entitles children and adolescents an education as a property right.

Consequently, school authorities must balance these rights. A responsibility to provide an educational environment that suits the needs of all students, not merely the First Amendment rights of a few students, is the intended goal.

Of the approximate 3,400 students who attend Morton West High School on a daily basis, we must ensure there are procedures in place to help all of them. These procedures include rules for students to follow so that order and safety can be secured.

Therefore, if students are to be educated, parents and teachers must inform them in such a way so as students will understand what consequences are at stake when they protest. I cannot imagine a school that would encourage and allow students to disrupt the educational rights of other students via loud protest. Fortunately, it appears many parents are in agreement with this requirement. Some parents may be disputing the severity of certain charges, but this is not uncommon within the realm of administering discipline.

As Morton West High School progresses through appeals and hearings, dialogue must be ongoing and process must be followed. Teachers must use their creativity to provide students positive outlets of expression. Parents must teach their children of the responsibilities of adulthood. Students must carefully choose which activities they engage themselves.

School leaders will continue to provide crucial programs to guide student engagement. Those programs will include classes and experiences enabling students to pursue a future in the trades, attend college, and enlist in the military. We will continue to provide these opportunities and allow students the ability to make these choices for themselves, not matter how disconcerting this freedom of choice may sit with a few.

Students, parents, teachers, and administrators have a right to personal beliefs but they do not have a right to use their classrooms as indoctrination zones. Personal beliefs must not override a true educator's judgment and cause a lapse in discipline. We could easily allow discipline to be waived under the pretense of good intentions, but what good would come from it? We might be tempted to allow pro-life demonstrating students a pass when they protest. We may allow anti-nuclear protesters a pass. What about students who want to protest less serious matters, like students who want to amass crowds over cold mashed potatoes?

We cannot afford to release our schools to students and parents of students who hold strong political views, one way or the other. We respect the rights and thoughts of students who are pro-war, those who are anti-war, and those who have yet to come to their own conclusions.

Let it not be lost on all of us to respect the educational rights of the majority of students who demand their daily dose of mathematics, science, English, and physical education. We must not allow protesters to take schools hostage, for whatever purpose, no matter how we may personally feel about the issue.

IMSA -- Great Minds Program

The Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora, Illinois held its Great Minds Program on October 20th, 2007. This specific program was centered on "Learning and the Brain: Where Are We and Where Do We Need to Be?”

There were distinguished presenters who provided information on cognitive brain research. Find details about their work by following the link below.

MATHguide: News for October 28th, 2007