Did You Know?

The video was interesting to say the least. The information presented and it's format, background and music, seems to convey a "beware of" theme. I think almost to the point of trying to scare its viewers.

While informative, it does create the question of what/where next? How do we as educators prepare students for a world we don't know? Jobs that await children of today have not been conceived. Twenty years ago my brother sat in a middle school classroom that did not have a curriculum to prepare him to be an "Associate Director of Systems and Security." What he gained were methods in which to continue to learn. As educators, I think our responsibility is to teach our students the "how" not the "what." How to access information. How to ask questions to gain knowledge. How to work smarter not harder. I think much of the current structure of education concerns itself with how "intelligent" a student is rather than how "smart" they are.

How do we get there? Where is there? No one can describe where "there" is so how can we prepare for it? I think rather than preparing for "there" we need to equip our students with the ability to problem solve. To think and be smart not just intelligent.

NCLB Letter

Rush Holt
50 Washington Rd.
West Windsor, NJ 08550

Dear Congressman Holt,

I am writing this letter in hopes that you will take my concerns into consideration when lobbying for the upcoming renewal of NCLB. While President George W. Bush improved the last educational act, it comes with many naysayers’. Those whom have not fully examined the benefits of ensuring all children are educated. It is a bill that addresses all learners regardless of seriocomic status or disability. All districts are held accountable to meet the same benchmarks. Regardless of where a student is being educated the level of instruction is designed to be comparable to the neighboring towns. NCLB enables local districts to review and analyze data from standardized tests to determine where the student’s strengths and weaknesses lie. Based on those results, school districts are able to design instruction to address the areas of concern.

School choice can be determined as both a positive and a negative aspect of NCLB. School choice enables a parent to move their students based on that schools academic performance or lack thereof. If lack of success is noted, the parent can opt to have their child removed and placed in a performing school. While this can be of great benefit, the quandary becomes what happens to the student in a district where all the schools are deemed a failing school? Although communities were mandated to form relationships with neighboring communities, the reality is many districts are not honoring the initial agreement.

While NCLB is not fullprooof, it has caused low performing districts to raise their standards to create lifelong learners. NCLB has the ability to reach educators in all communities. If all areas are addressed then NCLB has begun to bridge the gap between special and general education. Special education students are no long permitted to be educated in segregated environments, thus forcing districts to create programs that will address all learners.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

Keshia Golding

Presensky Challenge

I had to think and rethink my response to the article. Initially, I thought that it would be crazy to offer any type of incentive to students but then I thought how I motivated I was, and to some extent still are, motivated to learn. While, yes I am an adult who understands the benefit of education and yes, I understand that the more I learn the more I earn, I also realize that maybe had I been offered something tangible I may have excelled in school. I think while most of us were not offered incentives to learn I may have taken a serious look at what was offered. Now working with students who don't know life without a microwave or a time where there was no MTV, how can I then compare their motivation to the motivation of many of my peers. I often wonder what would motivate students to achieve. After a conversation with a 10th grade student who has no support system outside of the school, I wonder if the lure of receiving an I-Pod would motivate her. Or even the student who has both parents at home and an Au Pair and feels they are doing it for "them", would they be more motivated by an incentive?
Presensky also mentions learning to "build robots that can compete and win prizes", this currently occurs in Montclair High School but it would be interesting if this was offered to all students not just those whom are "expected" to participate.