Post by Okwes on Jan 6, 2006 0:33:37 GMT -5
Write to Benefit Teachers and NAME
Inspired by a discussion on the NAME ListServ started by Gina Boltz of Native Village, we are volunteering our time to publish an inspirational book that will help both teachers and the National Association for Multicultural Education. The discussion centered on the struggles of P-12 teachers in the era of No Child Left Behind. Increasing demands on teachers coupled with low teacher salaries have left many educators demoralized. Teachers are leaving the profession in alarming numbers. Within the next 5-10 years the profession will lose a significant percentage of teachers to retirement. We want to help revitalize the teaching profession and remind ourselves and the general public of the great power in teaching to change the lives of our young people. We are all former and current classroom teachers who believe passionately that a sound, equitable education enriches us all and contributes to creating that just society we all struggle to achieve. We will not give up. We will not lose
hope. Please join us in our efforts by contributing a personal story.
Gina Boltz, Director of Native Village - www.nativevillage.org/ (Winner of the 2002 Multicultural Media Award from NAME and former elementary teacher), Toledo, Ohio
Bill Howe, Past-President of NAME, Connecticut State Department of Education,
Joanna Teodosio, Kindergarten Teacher, Milford, CT
Basanti Chakraborty, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, New Jersey City University
Call for Articles: Short stories are now being accepted for the book "Why Us," (working title), a compilation of writings by Pre-K-grade 12 teachers and educators that inform, enlighten, and celebrate experiences within the PreK-12 classroom. Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the National Association for Multicultural Education to provide scholarships for students and teachers to attend NAME conferences. A possible next version might focus on the higher education experience.
Deadline: February 1, 2006
Description: To express the personal touches PreK-12 teachers bring to their students and classroom when dealing with difficulties faced in the teaching profession. Especially welcomed are experiences regarding diversity. We are looking for submissions about people and personalities that are reader friendly and inspiring.
Audience: Parents, students, teachers, general public
Format: 250-1,000 words; Poetry, prose, anecdotes, first person essays, and tributes to others about successful experiences within the PreK-12 classroom; Writing style aimed for the general public; Submit stories edited and spell-checked; Short (brief paragraph, maximum 50 words) biography of author at end of article. Each written piece should have a short title.
Inquiries regarding these article should be e-mailed to: billhowe@nameorg.org
Submissions should be emailed to: whyus@nameorg.org
NOTE: Authors must verify that permission must be obtained from the subject, if real names are used. Authors must understand that once accepted, the story becomes the property of NAME. Further, authors must understand that this work is given to NAME at no charge, with no expectation of payment or royalties, for non-profit usage.
Story Example:
THE CONSPIRACY
From: "Becoming a Multicultural Educator: Awareness to Application:
by William A. Howe and Penelope L. Lisi,
to be published by McGraw-Hill in 2006
My visit to the small alternative program of twenty students was routine. In my position as a school monitor, I regularly scheduled site visits to urban schools to assess progress being made in implementation of school improvement activities. Located in a community center in a poor section of the city, the school was a last resort for high school students on the verge of dropping out. Classes were taught by a man and a woman team - Jamal, an African American teacher and Maria, who was Hispanic, both who seemed eager to show off the accomplishments of their students, but modest about their own hard work at making the program a success.
Touring through the school I could not help but notice the abundance of beautiful needle-point, macramé and other craftwork done by the students. When questioned about this, Jamal and Maria replied that they felt it important to give students creative experiences to balance the strict regiment of academics. Knowing that the school system was in a perpetual budget crisis, I asked how they managed to get time for an arts teacher in the budget. The reply that I got was “we have been fortunate.†My suspicious nature caused me to ask several more times about how they found funds in the budget and approval to bring in someone to teach the students.
Each payday, these two dedicated teachers met in their tiny office and put money from their own paychecks into an envelope. This they used to quietly pay an elderly retiree to come in twice a week to give classes to the students in order to supplement her meager pension. The students called her “Grandma†and showered her with affection each time she came. Everyone in the community knew what was going on and they approved. It was a wonderful thing they were doing – wonderful for the students, the retiree and the community.
Reflecting back on what I saw in this school, I was struck in particular by how the basic and firmly held beliefs of these two very giving teachers about learning, teaching, and students informed their instructional practice, even when it meant personal sacrifice. Jamal and Maria clearly understood that education that meets the needs of diverse learners must be rich in sensory experiences, must engage student emotions, and must provide opportunities for personal connections between teachers and students. What these teachers did exemplified the essence of multicultural education.
[Bill Howe has been an educator for 30 years and currently works for the State Department of Education in Hartford, CT. He is Past President of the National Association for Multicultural Education.]
Stories will be evaluated using this RUBRIC.
more information: www.nameorg.org/Publications/Write%20to%20Benefit%20NAME.htm
Inspired by a discussion on the NAME ListServ started by Gina Boltz of Native Village, we are volunteering our time to publish an inspirational book that will help both teachers and the National Association for Multicultural Education. The discussion centered on the struggles of P-12 teachers in the era of No Child Left Behind. Increasing demands on teachers coupled with low teacher salaries have left many educators demoralized. Teachers are leaving the profession in alarming numbers. Within the next 5-10 years the profession will lose a significant percentage of teachers to retirement. We want to help revitalize the teaching profession and remind ourselves and the general public of the great power in teaching to change the lives of our young people. We are all former and current classroom teachers who believe passionately that a sound, equitable education enriches us all and contributes to creating that just society we all struggle to achieve. We will not give up. We will not lose
hope. Please join us in our efforts by contributing a personal story.
Gina Boltz, Director of Native Village - www.nativevillage.org/ (Winner of the 2002 Multicultural Media Award from NAME and former elementary teacher), Toledo, Ohio
Bill Howe, Past-President of NAME, Connecticut State Department of Education,
Joanna Teodosio, Kindergarten Teacher, Milford, CT
Basanti Chakraborty, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education, New Jersey City University
Call for Articles: Short stories are now being accepted for the book "Why Us," (working title), a compilation of writings by Pre-K-grade 12 teachers and educators that inform, enlighten, and celebrate experiences within the PreK-12 classroom. Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the National Association for Multicultural Education to provide scholarships for students and teachers to attend NAME conferences. A possible next version might focus on the higher education experience.
Deadline: February 1, 2006
Description: To express the personal touches PreK-12 teachers bring to their students and classroom when dealing with difficulties faced in the teaching profession. Especially welcomed are experiences regarding diversity. We are looking for submissions about people and personalities that are reader friendly and inspiring.
Audience: Parents, students, teachers, general public
Format: 250-1,000 words; Poetry, prose, anecdotes, first person essays, and tributes to others about successful experiences within the PreK-12 classroom; Writing style aimed for the general public; Submit stories edited and spell-checked; Short (brief paragraph, maximum 50 words) biography of author at end of article. Each written piece should have a short title.
Inquiries regarding these article should be e-mailed to: billhowe@nameorg.org
Submissions should be emailed to: whyus@nameorg.org
NOTE: Authors must verify that permission must be obtained from the subject, if real names are used. Authors must understand that once accepted, the story becomes the property of NAME. Further, authors must understand that this work is given to NAME at no charge, with no expectation of payment or royalties, for non-profit usage.
Story Example:
THE CONSPIRACY
From: "Becoming a Multicultural Educator: Awareness to Application:
by William A. Howe and Penelope L. Lisi,
to be published by McGraw-Hill in 2006
My visit to the small alternative program of twenty students was routine. In my position as a school monitor, I regularly scheduled site visits to urban schools to assess progress being made in implementation of school improvement activities. Located in a community center in a poor section of the city, the school was a last resort for high school students on the verge of dropping out. Classes were taught by a man and a woman team - Jamal, an African American teacher and Maria, who was Hispanic, both who seemed eager to show off the accomplishments of their students, but modest about their own hard work at making the program a success.
Touring through the school I could not help but notice the abundance of beautiful needle-point, macramé and other craftwork done by the students. When questioned about this, Jamal and Maria replied that they felt it important to give students creative experiences to balance the strict regiment of academics. Knowing that the school system was in a perpetual budget crisis, I asked how they managed to get time for an arts teacher in the budget. The reply that I got was “we have been fortunate.†My suspicious nature caused me to ask several more times about how they found funds in the budget and approval to bring in someone to teach the students.
Each payday, these two dedicated teachers met in their tiny office and put money from their own paychecks into an envelope. This they used to quietly pay an elderly retiree to come in twice a week to give classes to the students in order to supplement her meager pension. The students called her “Grandma†and showered her with affection each time she came. Everyone in the community knew what was going on and they approved. It was a wonderful thing they were doing – wonderful for the students, the retiree and the community.
Reflecting back on what I saw in this school, I was struck in particular by how the basic and firmly held beliefs of these two very giving teachers about learning, teaching, and students informed their instructional practice, even when it meant personal sacrifice. Jamal and Maria clearly understood that education that meets the needs of diverse learners must be rich in sensory experiences, must engage student emotions, and must provide opportunities for personal connections between teachers and students. What these teachers did exemplified the essence of multicultural education.
[Bill Howe has been an educator for 30 years and currently works for the State Department of Education in Hartford, CT. He is Past President of the National Association for Multicultural Education.]
Stories will be evaluated using this RUBRIC.
more information: www.nameorg.org/Publications/Write%20to%20Benefit%20NAME.htm