Monday, August 25, 2008
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back colleagues, and a special welcome to our new teachers! I know that many of us spent time this summer participating in in-services, trainings and course work in an attempt to improve our teaching skills. I hope that each of you also used the time to relax and reinvigorate yourself before your return to school. As we head back to our classrooms and our new group of students I hope that each of you have special memories of relaxing times with friends and family to ease your transition back into the school year.
A long with hundreds of elementary teachers, I attended Wednesday’s Buy Back Day at Vista High School where we had the opportunity to experience the wisdom and words of Dr. Kenneth Wesson, a noted specialist in brain-based teaching and learning. I’m sure that you all felt, as I did, that he was wonderfully engaging, keeping the audience fixated on the relationship between the neuroscience of learning and the methods for creating classrooms and learning environments that are “brain-considerate.” As I reflect on Dr. Wesson’s presentation I took away a few essentials that I truly believe create the bedrock of education. The first, students need “frequent personal acknowledgement and public acceptance before, during and after learning activities. They all need individual recognition in a friendly and supportive learning environment.” This is paramount to the education of every child, and it is our responsibility to provide a safe, supportive and caring classroom that allows every one of our students to perform at their highest ability. We need to be their cheerleader and coach providing each and every one of our students with the daily encouragement they so richly deserve. If we do not build healthy viable relationships with each and every child then we are short changing them. The second essential is that learning must offer “developmentally-appropriate challenges, and opportunities for problem solving, personal growth, a sense of achievement and a recognizable end point.” It is important that a child find relevance in their work that allows for continued growth. Unfortunately, the No Child Left Behind legislation has created a high stakes testing situation that allows little downtime for students to reflect on and connect with their knowledge. It also negates a range of assessment options. I am particularly hopeful that the district administration was listening to Dr. Wesson’s message, and encourages teachers to assess students in a variety of manners. I question what this district chosen speaker would say to our multiple choice benchmark process and the quarterly reports based on the results? The final essential that I felt was particularly powerful is the idea that children should be stimulated through all of their senses. “Elaborate neural connectivity results from a rich variety of experiences. Infuse art, dance, music, drama and movement into learning whenever possible.” Sadly, at some sites in VUSD we have almost no such activity occurring in our students’ lives. During the course of a child’s six hour day three hours are consumed with English language arts studies, 90 minutes are dedicated to math and a 40 minute lunch period leaves little time for the enrichment activities that so enhance a child’s learning.
Each and every one of you is a highly educated teacher whose input should not only be listened to, but valued. I believe all of you strive to make those personal connections with each of your students but I also recognize the struggles we face as we attempt to develop curriculum and try to include a variety of enrichment activities. Until NCLB is properly funded and reauthorized to include multiple assessment opportunities our district administration will continue on its current path. A path that seems often to neither value all of the diverse ways that students think and learn nor the unique contributions students will offer when nurtured to reach their highest potential. Despite these often discouraging times please keep in mind that you can and do make a difference in the lives of your student each day.
Sincerely,
Jan O'Reilly
VTA President
www.vistata.org