New Leaders

We had a week off from school to honour the end of Hajj – Pilgrimage to Mecca – and what a news week it was! Italy, Greece and Penn State changed leadership, with Penn State wishing it had a long time ago. Syria got kicked out of the Arab League and Nikki has begun her “countdown to Sri Lanka” chart. I leave a month from Thursday.

I have been trying to process all that has happened at PSU this past week. The more you read, the worse it gets. My first reaction was – I am glad, yet again, I went to Pitt. Who knew there were perks to having a not-so-dominant football program? Then I realized, of course, how easily this could happen anywhere, and everywhere. Power corrupts and absolute power does corrupt absolutely. The poor kids at PSU got the kind of education last week they could not have imagined and after the initial riot have seemed to calm down and get some perspective. I understand the feelings of the graduate who publicly burned his diploma in shame. I also understand that Penn State is not its football team. They do say no one knows you better than your enemy and we, the enemy known as Pitt, know that it is a good school, even a great school. They can no longer be defined by their football program and I think they will be stronger for it. I hear they have a good law school. This is a good thing. They will be in litigation for quite some time and for those law students a most unique educational experience.

A friend posted on Facebook that her friends were the fruitcake of life. I volunteered to be her resident cashew.

I am working on a pilot program for our advanced math students. The school counsellor gave me a book on teaching gifted students. In it there is a quote saying publishers freely admit the books they publish today are two to three grade levels below what they were 10 to 15 years ago. Fourth grade has become second, sixth has become fourth, etc. This is not exactly news but every time I hear it I get angry. We read the research, we know the statistics, yet we do the same thing over and over again.

Trust me, there is not much new in education. Reading is a four step process – decoding, sight words, comprehension, retention – that is it. To become a good reader, you read. To become a good math student you learn the math facts (thanks, Dad.) To become a good scientist you experiment and to become a good social studies student you get involved in your community. None of this is rocket science – honest. Yet we are always being told “the research says” when someone with a bunch of letters after their names tells us to do something “new.” They pick and choose what research they want us to hear that supports their position, knowing that most of the employees will not question them and most parents will assume we actually know what we are talking about.

The other thing that is so weird is that people think just because you are an administrator you know more than your teachers. Some of those administrators think so as well. Some also believe when a teacher gets into a disagreement with those administrators, then the teacher stops, that the administration is therefore right. The teacher stops only because his or her job is on the line, which has the strange effect of reinforcing that administrator’s belief in his or her own superiority.

I watch my younger friends in action and then caution them –choose your battles well, young Jedis.

Curiously, when a Mensa adult or student (I have one this year, I am soooooo excited!) comes along we are taunted for, get this, being smart. These are the people that get ignored because “they” think we do not need anything – schools must only help those at the low end. This is the battle I fight and I am so glad my administration supports my pilot program.

Venting is over now.

Back to football – Pitt and the Steelers won – and life is good in my universe!