The Teacher Factor

The teacher is the most important school-related factor for student achievement, especially for minority and low income students. 

The following are factors supported by research to consider when hiring our Esperanza educators:
#1:  Ethnicity of teacher:  What are the advantages of Hispanic teachers?  What are some barriers Hispanic teachers face?  George Monsivais has some great research to consider.  According to Dr. Martin Haberman white teachers can be effective with students of color --its the characteristics, not race, that makes them effective. 
#2:  Authentic caring relationships:  The importance of "confianza" and "respeto"
#3:  High expectations:  Never quitting until all children learn
#4:  "Warm demander"
#5:  Coach students with goal setting:  The book by Joachim Posada
#6:  Culturally responsive:  Teachers learn and use the teaching philosophy and methods that respect, value, and use strengths of culture and language
#7:  Professional development:  Collaboration and training
#8:  Rarely absent or tardy:  Research has shown that students who have teachers who are rarely absent or tardy have higher academic achievement.  Yet, teachers in schools with a high percentage of minority and/or low income students have a higher absent and tardy rate. 

Lessons From Chemistry and Life

This morning I listened to the BYU Devotional Speech given by Greg Burton, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, on October 18th.  He started his speech with a couple of experiments that I feel have some implications for us at Esperanza.  In the first experiment he combined two clear liquids (A + B = C) that he told the audience the mixture would turn black but the mixture didn't immediately do so.  He explained that at times we need to be patient to see the results that are expected. 

Dr. Burton then did another experiement where he placed an ice cube on a pile of gray powder that exploded.  He explained that at times a result happens that is completely different than what we expected. 

Burton said,  “While these types of experiments have surprising conclusions, such outcomes can be truly enlightening because they lead us to think more deeply and often generate important new understanding and knowledge. However, they can also be discouraging because we don’t immediately understand what has happened. In this case we may give up, and in doing so, fail to gain the understanding and new knowledge that we could have received.”

Burton also gave the example of the taking down of the Berlin Wall as an example of something happening faster than what was expected.  He explained that results can happen faster or slower than what we expect.  In other words, the timing has to be right. 

All these lessons we can apply as we strive to make Esperanza the school of our dreams.  They are also great lessons we can help our Esperanza scholars learn. 

Grading

The November 2011 issue of Educational Leadership from ASCD arrived yesterday.  The theme of this issue is "Effective Grading Practices."  I read a few articles, and it is excellent. 

One article "Starting the Conversation About Grading" by Susan M. Brookhart that the first two questions we need to ask ourselves are:

1. What meaning (purpose) do we want our grades to convey? 
2. Who is (are) the primary audience(s) for this message?

This article and articles and others that I read fit beautifully with the Dr. William Glasser Quality School Model that we are implementing at Esperanza. 

Grant for Service Learning

This caught my eye because of our focus on service learning at Esperanza.  Obviously we can't apply for it now, but am sure that it is offered every year so we will want to look into it once Esperanza opens.  I have signed up for the newsletter from Youth Service America so we'll be reminded. 

State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants - $1,000

Deadline:

November 9, 2011

State Farm™ is proud to team up with YSA (Youth Service America) in a dynamic partnership to offer grants of up to $1,000 for the promotion of service-learning projects in K-12 public schools in all fifty US states and the District of Columbia, and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick.


Each grant engages participating youth in service-learning, an effective teaching and learning strategy that promotes student learning, academic achievement, workplace readiness, and stronger communities. The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grants encourage semester-long projects (a Semester of Service) that launch on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (January 16, 2012) and culminate on Global Youth Service Day (April 20-22, 2012).

Lessons From Adam Bede

Last night we watched this movie version (library DVD) of the book Adam Bede by George Eliot.  I also checked out the book so I can also read the story.  Although this story is not one that we will introduce to elementary Esperanza scholars it is a reminder that even though it may be hard to get young people hooked into classics it's still important to expose our scholars to them.  They teach principles that are timeless.

Watching this story also reminded of the importance of narrow reading--reading a number of books by the same author and/or reading a number of books on the same topic.  I so enjoyed this story I want to read (and in some cases, reread) more of the books by George Eliot. 

The reason we watched this movie was because the book was mentioned a number of times in the biography of Van Gogh that I have been reading.  This is something else that reading does--it leads to more reading as interest is piqued in a certain topic. 

Language of the Soul

A favorite poetry book of mine is Cool Salsa.  I love this following poem that is in the book.  We want to remember when interacting with our Hispanic Esperanza scholars and their families.

Learning English

Translated by Lori M. Carlson

Life

To understand me

You have to know Spanish

Feel it in the blood of your soul.

If I speak another language

And use different words

For feelings that will always stay the same

I don’t know

If I’ll continue being

the same person.

Aprender el inglés

por Luis Alberto Ambroggio

Viva

para entenderme

tienes que saber español

sentirlo en la sangre de tu alma

Si hablo otro lenguaje

Y uso palabras distintas

para expresar sentimientos que nunca combiarán

no sé

si siguiré siendo

la misma persona

Great Message in Poem by Langston Hughes

I love the message of this poem by Langston Hughes, an African American.  The message is not only good for us who are founding Esperanza but it's also a great one to share with our Esperanza scholars.

Langston Hughes - Mother to Son

Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. But all the time I'se been a-climbin' on, And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners, And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. So, boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps. 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. Don't you fall now— For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.