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education reform

My Mom Is Looking for these Guys

Oct 22nd, 2010
by Lily.
1 comment

Soy la hija de una inmigrante. I am the proud daughter of an immigrant. My mother is from Panama and became a citizen when I was three.

Sometimes she used to let us stay up past the late, late, late show when TV used to actually go off the air. (Lordy, am I dating myself?). At the End of Our Broadcasting Day, they played the Star Spangled Banner. My little mamá would make us get our sleepy little butts up off the sofa and put our droopy little hands over our hearts.

Lily Eskelsen congratulates Bridget Gonzales who sang the national anthem at a rally to encourage Latinos in Las Vegas to vote

Some of the most patriotic Americas I know are those who loved this country so much, they chose to become Americans. They do not take our country or our responsibilities for granted.

I don’t think Mom has ever missed an election. My mother would consider it una vergüenza – a shameful thing – to not vote when there are so many immigrants who love this country and dream about someday becoming citizens and being given that incredible responsibility.

I saw a commercial that I consider not only Unpatriotic, but an insult to my mother. It was a slick commercial by people who are not friends of the Latino community telling us: Show Congress that you’re angry! Show your power! Stay Home. Don’t Vote.

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“School Reform” Manifesto: The Reality Check

Oct 19th, 2010
by Lily.
3 comments

Last week the Corporate Model School Reformers issued a manifesto.  Like most manifestos, it’s simple and slick … and wrong.

And like most of what we get from Madison Avenue, let the buyer beware. Look past the platitudes and read the fine print.  (User Guide: Platitudes underlined; fine print Translations in italics; followed by Reality Check):

  • Remove archaic rules on hiring teachers. (Translation:  Anybody can teach.) Reality:  Corporate School Reformers never talk about doing what Finland has done to reach its top international rank. In Finland, it’s harder to get into a college of education than a law school.  Their preparation is rigorous.  All teachers earn master’s degrees.  All complete residencies under the tutelage of master teachers. Finland makes it impossible to hire an unprepared teacher.
  • Easily replace veteran teachers with “new, enthusiastic” teachers. (Translation: Younger is better than Older.) Reality:  The Corporate School Reformers are biased against career teachers even though research shows that it takes time to learn the art of teaching. My first year teaching was probably my least effective year. 
    Models built around churning new teachers into tough schools and churning them out after a year or two leave those schools in the worst possible predicament. Schools need experienced teachers who will stay the course.
  • Make it easier to fire bad teachers and reward good ones. (Translation:  We want to evaluate, pay, and fire teachers based on students’ standardized test scores.) Reality:  Teachers have the right to defend themselves if they feel they are being dismissed unfairly. Unions don’t want incompetent teachers in the classroom either.   (more…)
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Building the Perfect Teacher

Jul 13th, 2010
by Lily.
2 comments

I wasn’t all that excited about spending a rare vacation day as the guest speaker at a high school summer class this week. But it was irresistible. The topic was: Teachers. And what we wanted. And why. And I could give my opinions.

I said to the kids, “You’re building the perfect teacher. Give me a word that describes this person.”

They started shouting out: Caring. Fun. Smart. Competent. Inspiring. Energizing. Understanding. Interesting. Fair. Respectful. A Good Listener. A Good Student.

(“A Good Student? “ I asked. “Yes,” said a girl. “I want a teacher who’s always learning.”)

Wow. I mean, really. Wow.

I explained that I represented 3.2 million educators who wanted to be all those things.

I explained that we live in a world where hundreds of thousands of politicians wanted us to be all those things. Business Billionaires. Rocket Scientists. Mommies. They all want us to be all those things.

The kicker is ‘How’.

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