Something to Consider

Something to think about from Stephen Krashen: 

 

 

Sent to USA Today, November 30, 2012

Re: “Demand outstrips supply of workers” November 29.

USA Today reports that one reason there is a shortage of construction workers is because parents and administrators are over-promoting college and high-tech fields. This has resulted in a decline in practical courses offered at community college and less enrollment.
...

The new Common Core standards will make things worse. Schools should include literature, but as Susan Ohanian points out, the new elitist language arts standards are clearly designed for college English majors. Forcing all high school students to read and dissect works such as Ovid’s Metamorphoses will be useful and interesting for only a tiny minority.

John Gardner, Former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, tried to warn us years ago:

“The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy: neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.”

Mistakes

Some thoughts about mistakes that support Glasser's quality school and Carol Dweck's mind-set theory. 

"If you're not making at least 50 mistakes a day, you're not trying hard enough."  Anonymous

Give yourself as many retakes as you need.

"Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped."  African proverb

"Mistakes are the portals of discovery."  James Joyce

The goal becomes excellence, not perfection. 

Example! Example! Example!

I bought an expensive chess set at All-A-Dollar as a Christmas gift for my husband and me.  Felt I needed to learn to play chess if we are going to have all our Esperanza scholars learn.  Guess I'll soon need to buy a violin and learn to play the violin since our Esperanza scholars will be learning this as well.

This experience is a reminder that example is the best teacher.  If we want our scholars to be readers we need to be readers.  If we want them to love math and science we need to cultivate a love for these subjects.  If we want them to be good and moral people we need to set the example.  If we want them to strive for quality and excellence we need to be willing to do the same.

Pur Sang

The "A. Word. A. Day" for today was pur sang (pyoor san), a French word which means something or someone who is genuine. It is my hope that Esperanza will be filled with educators who are "pur sang" and who are people of excellence and integrity. To me these qualities are more important than a list of skills for skills can be taught.

James Allen said, "We do not attract what we want, But what we are." If these words are true, and I believe they are, the leaders of Esperanza must set the example of genuiness, excellence, and integrity. If we can desire and work to be these kind of people, like minded people will want to join us.

Only then-- when we have a school filled with educators and staff members who are genuine, excellent, and have integrity-- can we have the greatest influence on our Esperanza scholars.

Trust and Accountability Are Essential

This morning I listened to a BYU Devotional Speech on trust given by Pres. Samuelson in January 2009. He mentioned in his talk a talk titled Trust and Accountability given by Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley on October 13, 1992.

In Pres. Hinckley’s talk he told about a book that he had recently read-- Lee and Grant: A Dual Biography. The author of the book, Gene Smith, made the following conclusion after tremendous research on both men who were generals on opposite sides in the Civil War: "Trust is what makes any army work, and trust comes from the top down."

Pres. Hinckley in his talk also shared the words of Lord Nelson on the morning of the Battle of Trafalgar: "England expects every man will do his duty."

We want everyone at Esperanza starting from the top down to learn his duty…and do it---without any excuses. If Esperanza is to become what we want it to become trust is critical, and with trust there must be accountability. This includes Board people, administrators, educators, parents, and scholars. We want all those who serve in Esperanza to have the very best academic credentials and strive for a quality of excellence in all that they do. In order to do this, their lives must be guided by true principles. According to Pres. Hinckley only when we do this will we be prepared “to live beyond ourselves and rise to higher planes of service.”

Esperanza Scholars

It is my hope that we will call our students scholars and that we as educators can set the example. It is for this reason that I had a strong interest in Dr. John W. Welch's acceptance speech for the 2011 BYU Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award that he gave last Tuesday.

He based his remarks on a quote by Joseph Smith: "Thy mind, o man, must stretch." Dr. Welch encouraged all his listeners to expand their minds, discover new things and seek for flashes of inspiration. We want no less for our Esperanza scholars (both students and educators). He went on to say that discoveries require hard work and going the extra mile--over long periods of time. We must continue to believe that an answer is out there somewhere.

Dr. Welch's remarks support BYU's mission statement which states in part, "....stimulating setting where a commitment to excellence is expected and the full realization of human potential is persued." We, too, want to provide this type of environment at Esperanza for our scholars.