[EDLING:1423] Re: Silencing Teachers in an Era of Scripted Reading

[Laurie Ketzenberg]

Wow!  Elizabeth's narrative is striking, although not surprising, given the
white elephant in the room.  Perhaps educators in the US could learn a
lesson from French demonstrators over the last weeks (and months!).  What
will it take to derail the NCLB?

Laurie


on 4/4/06 11:26 PM, Francis M. Hult at fmhult at dolphin.upenn.edu wrote:

> Rethinking Schools Online
> 
> Silencing Teachers in an Era of Scripted Reading
> 
> By Elizabeth Jaeger
> 
> "I have been told by the district that I will be transferred to another school
> effective Monday. I am very sad to be leaving you, but you are strong students
> and I know you will be successful. I have always taught you to stand up for
> what you believe in, and sometimes when you do that, there will be
> unhappiness. But in the end, you have to do what you feel is right. I will
> think about you every day and wish you all the best."
> 
> I never would have imagined having to speak those words, yet there I was,
> standing in front of my class while the principal looking on silently. I had
> been forced out of the school where I had worked enthusiastically for more
> than five years because I had challenged required instructional practices that
> I believe interfered with teaching and learning.
> 
> Serving nearly 1,000 students, Downer is the largest elementary school in the
> West Contra Costa Unified School District, north and east of San Francisco.
> Its students are predominantly poor, non-native English speaking Latino
> children. I had been hired to work with teachers and students in an effort to
> increase achievement in reading and writing. Having provided after-school
> staff development the previous year, I was well known by the faculty. There
> was no get-to-know-you period; we hit the ground running. In my first two
> years we charted a long list of accomplishments. We developed a list of
> English Language Arts standards that we hoped all 6th graders would meet; an
> accompanying curriculum to promote these standards beginning in 4th grade; a
> Reading Block program in which we grouped upper graders by reading level and
> read short novels and related articles; a Challenge Class for students
> designated as gifted and talented; and Literacy Academy classes for struggling
> readers. These programs were based on several principles: that print knowledge
> and understanding of text develop in tandem, that teachers can adjust
> instruction to provide more support for less proficient learners, and that
> literacy is constructed in social settings rather than in teacher-imposed
> isolation. 
> 
> Read the full story here
> http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/20_03/sile203.shtml
>