And now we have yet another commentary from coulmnist Thomas Elias discussing the dropout rate. He too agress that the earlier figures were far too low. According to Mr. elias, we are somewhere around the 33% mark but Mayor antonio Villagarosa of LA says that's not correct. He maintains we are in the 50% are higher vicinity. Wow! That's abad neighborhood to be in. There is plenty of blame to go around, but allow me to begin with the lack of parental supervision. I've had children and I know when I don't know where they are, who they are hanging with, and what they are doing, bad things may happen. Why? Because most children do not engage good decision making until they reach 18 or 30! Times have changed and with the changing times have come changed attitudes. Today's youth do not have the same values and the term "politeness" is extinct unless and until we as a nation demand courtesy. We have met the enemy and he is us (apologies to POGO), because we are not raising our children with any consistency and we are teaching them to be all about themselves! Yes, of course there are still many wonderful parents who do believe in values and do believe in character building, but it has to extend to the schools that are so nervous about the standardss and in the case of California and about 22 other states, the dreaded exit exams. What are our leaders thinking when they sacrifice our children to prove that we are teaching them something when what we are teaching them is not what they should be learning?> When you figure out what I just wrote, call me and explain it to me? Only kidding, I know what I said and I mean every damn word of it! We need to teach values to those that don;t get this vital information and to those who do, we need to reinforce and reiterate because nothing is as important to entering adulthood as an understanding of what is right and wrong. period.

Important and Urgent

In an old and somewhat popular exercise (I think it may be called Johari's Window) the key component is being able to decide what is Important and what is Urgent. Too often we fall prey to the "person-that-screams-loudest" philosophy of what gets our attention. Classrooms in general address the squeaky wheel whenever that squeak is too irritating. However, most experienced teachers know how to sidestep the distraction and move on with their lessons.

New teachers, while taught the standards, the subject matter, all of the nuances of No Child Left Behind, "interactive" student teaching, and some nifty techniques based on older Behavior Modification practices, come into the teaching arena full of enthusiasm and ready to make that difference in the world.

Oddly, their first days are akin to George Armstrong Custer and his introduction to the Sioux Nation at Little Big Horn! It's like being caught in a Fellini film where life travels in slow motion, the 30+ children in the room are pretending to be a circus, and everyone is in their own agenda...and to make matters worse, there is more than the occasional administrator that tends to bully because the new teacher doesn't have the protection of the teacher's association.

Ergo the Important and Urgent conversation. It is darn near impossible to approximate the classroom for a new victim er, teacher. Regardless of what practice you've had or what classes you visted/taught, teachers evolve with time, and quickly discerning what is Urgent from what is Important adds greatly to their positive development. BTSA for example, has been designed to help new teachers but for the process to really work, we need a strong mentoring program where successful teachers are assisted by those who have a great track record in classroom management and connection skills.

When new teachers have the opportunity to meet with the teaschers at their new school, they can (and should) take advantage of the bag of tricks provided by the veterans. It is all about connection! Teachers and administrators have a full plate but empowerment of the rookie teacher is the greatest gift of all. Take the time to give them tips and provide them with the "magic" that makes you the person you have become and are. Teaching is an ART and the more people that enter the profession knowing how to engage our students, the stronger the profession remains.

There's no bizness like education bizness...

We continue to be threatened by the fedseral government if we don't meet certain standards. What's this all about? Wouldn't you think that every person in the US at least, has heard the idiom "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar"? Translation: somewhere in the foundation courses for those people planning on being BUREAUCRATS, the concept of customer service was neglected. Don't misunderstand; I've actually met some very sweet and kind bureaucrats, but generally speaking, even whenthey are nice and helpful, they are still tied to the rules and the rules well, the rules.

Whether it's the administration of your own school district or the water department or the building permits, you have to face those people without personality and far less than happy, who can make your life more challenging than it already is. As mentioned in a previous blog, teachers have plenty of TTD (things to do) without adding any other chores, assignments, reports due, instructions followed, etc. without more work. In fact in a study completed by the NEA, teachers have between 43 & 47 more mandated tasks than they did in 1985!

Where does it stop? When do we as a group say "Uncle"?

The fact is WE DO HAVE POWER and it's time we rethink our positions and start looking at what we are being asked to do, eliminate what isn't important, and question the leadership on how we streamline our day-to-day and our week-to-week, and so on. It's time we stand up to the current thinking "it's all about the children" and add "it's all about each of us because one life is not more important than another"! We can only be effective teachers when we are energized, complete, and feeling like we are essential to the process.