I wanted to weigh in on this subject as a parent and BOE member. There
will never be a "perfect" school, but the goal is to educate all our
students. A phenomenon I have noticed, and indeed been guilty of, is that
most parents truly believe their child is gifted at the elementary level
and most every child is gifted in some way.
As a parent of 2 very different children with 2 very different learning
styles and needs, I have had to research, change schools and have had my
kids in different schools much of the time, to meet their needs. It is
sometimes difficult, challenging, and time consuming. But so far, it is
worth the effort. In a private school, parents need to do the same thing,
only the choices within any given school are really no greater than what is
available in the Minneapolis Public Schools. This I have heard from many
parents of children in private or parochial schools.
I am currently helping a middle school student who is an ESL Spec. ed.
student.
He struggles with reading but is excellent in math and is so creative and
can accomplish complex things with hands on projects. The point here is
that if parents work with the schools and advocate for their child, they
will find good matches for their child's educational needs.
As time moves on, parent opinions shift in this matter as more outside
forces begin to influence their child. All children have talents as well,
a good teacher and perceptive parents find a key that will open the
creative potential of children. There are several things that will help
insure that your child's needs are met at school. Most teachers are
willing to work with parents. As a parent, I am actively involved with
what's happening in my children's classes. The best teachers I have
observed and worked with in the schools are teachers who, with passion and
experience, reach every child in their class and allow them to work up to
their full potential. As stated earlier, we also have choices here in
Minneapolis, parents can look for the school they feel will also fit.
There are many pieces to the educational puzzle that makes for a good
learning experience, but the single 2 most important factors are parent
involvement and quality teachers. Every child I have spoken with who has
"beat the odds" always say that their mom or dad or some other family
member supported them, helped them and believed in them. They can point to
one or 2 teachers that made a difference for them as well. High achieving
students say the same thing.
As a board, we are working on ways we can support good teacher development.
I recently heard Katy Haycock of the Education Trust speak about this
factor. The current research on this is overwhelming. In an ideal world,
all students will be taught by teachers who are highly qualified and
enthusiastic. We understand that schools need to change from the current
model to something that will be more focused on learning. Another recent
speaker said there is a shift occurring in education, from "I taught, but
the student did not learn" to "my students will learn, any other outcome is
unacceptable". The current model of school as a slice of time equaling
instruction at a certain grade level has to shift. The key word is
flexibility to meet individual needs. Some students may get through high
school in 3 years, others may take 6. The bottom line is that they all
graduate with a plan for higher learning or employment. It is imperative
that all our students graduate with a meaningful education.
As a parent, I work with my kids' teachers to make sure we are all meeting
their needs. As a Board member, I advocate that we teach every child so
they may reach their potential. We are not bankrupting any programs for a
group of children to the detriment of others. We do have to do much to
ensure that groups of children, whose educational needs have not been met,
will be met. As a society and community, we can't afford the alternative
which is usually incarceration, a much more expensive undertaking than a
sound education!
Audrey Johnson
10th wd.
BOE member
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