The Vital Equation
Last Friday, teacher Heather Wolpert-Gawron embarked on what she called a “webquest of sorts,” simultaneously posting three articles that address three key components of the “vital equation” she believes must exist in order for a student achieve.
At the Huffington Post, she offers the top ten things she believes family/home life must contribute to this equation. Among them: getting a student to school on time, fed on something other than Snickers, having received the proper medical care. And communicating with the school, being accessible and being honest with what the student has a tendency to do socially/academically/behaviorally.
On her Edutopia blog, she shares her top ten suggestions for the responsibilities that students must own in order to achieve. They include: being their own advocates, asking lots of questions and communicating struggles to teachers. She also suggests surrounding themselves with other students who can help, and dressing for success.
And at TweenTeacher, she proposes ten responsibilities of teachers to avoid student failure. Among them: being experts at content and communicating that content. Being a role model, including modeling collaboration and modeling lifelong learning. And importantly, enjoying the job and the clientele.
On all three blogs, she closed with the important role of voters and policymakers in ensuring that students succeed. Her challenge to all of us is to make education a priority in the voting booth and in campaigns. The voters must send the message that public education is important – and policymakers must do what is best for children.
I believe Heather's equation to be right on, and I hope that education advocates take this message to heart. It is so easy to blame teachers and school leadership (or evaluation procedures that some believe allow ineffective educators to remain in the system, or pay scales that some believe serve as a disincentive for talented individuals to join the profession). But the best educators in the world cannot do it alone – we know that.
At the same time, it is also easy to blame a parent who is not supervising homework or afterschool activities, or not attending parent-teacher conferences, for not ensuring their child reaches his or her potential. Or to blame a student who would rather be the class clown – or not in class – for not succeeding. But the best parents and students in the world will obviously have a hard time achieving in a school that pushes them away.
And even if you combine great teachers, engaged parents and eager students, without adequate resources and external social services to offer assistance when necessary, you will not get a student ready to succeed in the flat world.
So yes, I think that Heather's got this equation right. Does anyone disagree? Can we, as a nation, start advocating school improvement strategies recognizing the role of all stakeholders?
Family + Student + School + Policymakers/Voters = Student Success
At the Huffington Post, she offers the top ten things she believes family/home life must contribute to this equation. Among them: getting a student to school on time, fed on something other than Snickers, having received the proper medical care. And communicating with the school, being accessible and being honest with what the student has a tendency to do socially/academically/behaviorally.On her Edutopia blog, she shares her top ten suggestions for the responsibilities that students must own in order to achieve. They include: being their own advocates, asking lots of questions and communicating struggles to teachers. She also suggests surrounding themselves with other students who can help, and dressing for success.
And at TweenTeacher, she proposes ten responsibilities of teachers to avoid student failure. Among them: being experts at content and communicating that content. Being a role model, including modeling collaboration and modeling lifelong learning. And importantly, enjoying the job and the clientele.
On all three blogs, she closed with the important role of voters and policymakers in ensuring that students succeed. Her challenge to all of us is to make education a priority in the voting booth and in campaigns. The voters must send the message that public education is important – and policymakers must do what is best for children.
I believe Heather's equation to be right on, and I hope that education advocates take this message to heart. It is so easy to blame teachers and school leadership (or evaluation procedures that some believe allow ineffective educators to remain in the system, or pay scales that some believe serve as a disincentive for talented individuals to join the profession). But the best educators in the world cannot do it alone – we know that.
At the same time, it is also easy to blame a parent who is not supervising homework or afterschool activities, or not attending parent-teacher conferences, for not ensuring their child reaches his or her potential. Or to blame a student who would rather be the class clown – or not in class – for not succeeding. But the best parents and students in the world will obviously have a hard time achieving in a school that pushes them away.
And even if you combine great teachers, engaged parents and eager students, without adequate resources and external social services to offer assistance when necessary, you will not get a student ready to succeed in the flat world.
So yes, I think that Heather's got this equation right. Does anyone disagree? Can we, as a nation, start advocating school improvement strategies recognizing the role of all stakeholders?
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