Video Credits

Wow! Thank you!

Submitted by Stacey (Walden University) (not verified) on March 26, 2008 - 15:34.

I really enjoyed watching this video. As an assignment for one of my classes, we had to participate in educational "blogging". This is to learn more about what is out there, gain ideas, and share commonalities with people all around our country. I am a visual and kinesthetic learner, so for me, although I can understand and acquire new ideas through blogging, it is extremely helpful to be able to see activities being done rather than just hearing about them.
I have never participated in video blogging, but I am glad a searched around and found this video. Just watching this video makes me want to go check out this school or even teach there for a year to gain more knowledge and to become a better teacher. It seems like an ideal situation for novice teachers. I love how they use so many varied approaches and that the staff make their teachers think about using what they are learning now and applying it to later lessons. In other words, always thinking ahead. I think as a new teacher, this is something I struggle with, but will gain with experience and time.
It was so nice to hear Jean's experience and neat to know that not much has changed at the school. I completely agree that this should be the way that new teachers should learn to teach. Thank you for sharing who you are Bank Street! Keep up the good work!

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long time pre-k teacher

Submitted by Jean Holzenthaler (not verified) on December 6, 2007 - 15:34.

I was a student at Bank Street College in 1966-67 and received my masters in education from Bank Street in 1976. I taught pre-k and kg. for many years in 3 different states. The hands-on, real life techniques I learned served me, and my students, well through many prescribed public school curriculum changes.

I taught inner city families' students, military families' students and middle class and upper-middle class families' students. All these students thrived on loving attention and learning activities that engaged their active and creative energies.

Now that I am retired from public school teaching, I am very glad that my formal education as a teacher is still thought to be meaningful and relevant. However, I am sad to see that after at more than 40 years, the Bank Street way is not more widely regarded as THE WAY to train new teachers and thereby influence young student's learning.

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Response

Submitted by Matt (not verified) on December 5, 2007 - 12:19.

This is a great way to approach education. I think that the ideas that the faculty in this video discuss are dead on. In think that the idea that finding students interests is the to finding their success in school is great.

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We Get What We Get

Submitted by Bill Page (not verified) on December 2, 2007 - 22:14.

WE GET WHAT WE GET
By Bill Page, Author of At-Risk Students

Each and every child attending our schools is living the only life s/he has -- the only life s/he has ever had and will ever have. Since schools mandate student attendance, choose their teachers, predetermine their curriculum, and totally regulate every minute of their school lives, the least they can do is accept them unconditionally, and teach them whatever they lack or whatever the school requires. Perhaps that is the problem; schools are incapable of teaching children what is required or needed. Or, perhaps schools just don’t believe in the efficacy of their own teaching-learning procedures. In any case, schools obviously operate on the basis of demanding that students conform to the school’s fixed expectations in spite of acknowledging their great diversity.

Unless schools, teachers, administrators, educators, and boards want to be responsible or involved in pre-school child-development, parenting, child-rearing and living conditions, they must accept and accommodate the children, who meet the mandatory entrance requirements. Such requirements generally include that students reach a certain chronological age, reside in the school district, have their inoculations, and be in the normal range of ability, intelligence, and social functioning. While the normal range is incredibly wide and diverse, the law further requires that schools accept kids far outside of the normal range but generally categorize them as “special” and provide commensurate education and "special teachers".

Everyone involved in a child’s life works within the parameters of the laws, rules, bureaucracies, and even within what happens outside of those parameters. Parents get the kids they get; kids get the parents they get. Schools get the families they get; teachers get the kids they get; and, kids get the teachers they get. Indeed, everyone gets what he or she gets—there is no viable alternative.

Thus:
We, as professional educators, accept all kids.
We accept full responsibility for their education.
We take them as we find them and develop their potential,
We teach them the skills they need.
We teach them the knowledge we want them to have and to know.
We teach each and every child—the whole child.

No excuses, no exceptions, no rationalizations!

I welcome any comments, questions, challenges, and arguments (as well as excuses, exceptions, and rationalizations).

I will be delighted to respond and to send further explanation and information.

billpage@bellsouth.net www.teacherteacher.com

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